Best Buys $10 And Under

Sicily, Italy- This is the most widely planted of Sicily's indigenous reds and Cusumano's is grown near the heart of the island. A fruit driven offering with a great bouquet of cherry and rose petal leading to light spice, strawberry and a creamy finish. Delicious and a super value.

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is exuberant and expressive, with a bounty of wild bramble berry fruits alongside lifted floral notes of lavender and violet. There are also warmer spiced notes of Crème brûlée, allspice and black pepper, a nod from the seamless oak integration. On the palate, juicy cassis, black currant and blackberry are supported by hints of delicate red rose, brown butter and bittersweet chocolate, giving this Cabernet a rich depth and complexity. Cocoa-powdery tannins provide a pleasurable mouth coating texture, all enfolding into a lengthy mouthwatering finish. Very approachable and pleasing upon release, this wine is sure to impress and pair well alongside many culinary dishes.

Organic

This dry Italian white is a great example of what Pecorino can achieve. A straw-yellow color with a subtle toasty element and lovely minerality on the back end. This has an elegantly floral bouquet with a touch of jasmine that is quite inviting. The racy acidity holds throughout keeping it fresh and bright. Hard to beat at this price!

This family-run estate is situated in Castel di Lama in the Ascoli Piceno region, in southernmost Marche, with vineyard holdings (45 ha) straddling the Abruzzo line. The main vineyard, in Offida, is hilly (280m-350m), with eastern exposure and a loose clay soil. First planted in the 1950s, the winery is managed today by proprietor/winemaker Quinto Fausti and his son Alighiero. The Offida DOC is Pecorino's key appellation – it is the only DOC-level appellation that allows varietal wines from the grape.

Tenuta De Angelis is one of a handful of Italian wineries that have gone through the laborsome process of getting their Organic certification. All wines are fermented with native yeasts and sulfur is at a minimum.

Winemaker's Notes:
Petite Sirah is known for its concentration and intensity, the 2015 vintage is no exception. Inky purple in the glass, this deeply colored wine resonates with juicy blueberries and hints of freshly turned earth. Succulent and savory notes of dark berries and roasted spices create a supple and mouth-filling texture. Aging in American oak for 12 months captures and concentrates the flavors, leading to a finish with chalky and chewy tannins laced with vanilla, toasted brown sugar and dark cocoa.
Pairs well with smoked lamb shoulder with rosemary, braised short ribs with blackberry barbecue sauce, and smoked Gouda cheese.

Winemaker Notes:
Cabernet Sauvignon was the first wine Josh Cellars made. This is the wine that started it all, setting the exacting standards that they hold themselves to for all of their varietals. Round and juicy, our Cabernet Sauvignon has flavors of blackberry, toasted hazelnut and cinnamon.

Winemaker Notes:
The wine is dry with intense aromas and appealing flavors of Golden Delicious apples and citrus with a long, multi-layered finish. Excellent as an aperitif and with a medium body that makes it versatile to pair with everything from salads to chicken or grilled fish. Wonderful pairing ideas include butter lettuce with apples, walnuts, and pomegranate seeds, pizza topped with prosciutto and arugula, scallops, with tarragon cream, or tagliatelle with Italian olive oil, lemon zest and pine nuts.

#81 On The Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines Of 2024!

90 points Wine Spectator
Bright, buoyant acidity supports a pretty mix of ripe nectarine, Gala apple, blood orange pith and almond blossoms in this lithe, light-bodied white, with a salty undertow. Drink now.

This is an incredible buy in crisp refreshing white wines. Their Alvarinho is citrus in color, aromas reveal classic tropical and mineral notes. The wine is clean and fresh on the palate with a subtle intensity about it. The bright acidity makes this quite refreshing and easy to drink which is ideal as an aperitif or to accompany seafood dishes, fish or poultry dishes.

Hot days and cold nights, not only makes for good sleeping weather but also ideal for growing Alvarinho. This Portuguese grape thrives in those conditions, producing wines with open aromatics, round balanced fruit, and tart racy acidity.

Melgaco, the most northern region of Portugal, is protected by the surrounding mountains that allow a perfect marriage between rainfall, temperature and the number of hours of sunshine needed for the better maturation of the Alvarinho grapes. This climate characteristic during ripening is frequently associated with the microclimate of Moncao and Melgaco, where hot days alternate with cold nights. Soalheiro is perfectly situated to take full advantage of this.

Brilliant ripe black cherry red colour with good depth. Fruity aromas with elegant notes of fine wood. Velvety in the mouth with a long finish.

Organic / Biodynamic

93+ points Wine Advocate
The 2023 Zarate is the flagship Albariño that shows the character of the year, with more moderate ripeness, 12.5% alcohol and a balanced and elegant profile. It's clean, floral and still a little reductive (this is 100% stainless steel) and should open up with a little more time in bottle. There is some 30% of wine with malolactic in the final blend. It has less concentration and alcohol than the 2022, with more finesse and freshness and is a little more herbal. This is a superb example of Albariño from Salnés.

This Rosado stuns once again with its minerality, salinity, and elegance. Made from the direct press of Listan Negro. The wine is pale and subtle in color but not in character. Always refreshing and relaxed on the palate where that volcanic minerality displays itself. Dry, refined, and masterfully done. Don’t miss it!

Los Bermejos is on the easternmost island of Lanzarote, only 125km from the African coast where conditions are extreme. A volcanic explosion that lasted from 1730-1736 covered the entire island in lava and ash 3-5 meters deep. Consequently, each vine must be planted in a hole or hoyo that breaks through that infertile volcanic crust of petrified lava to the organic matter that can nourish it. The wind, which acts as a natural fungicide, is so ferocious that each hoyo is surrounded by rock walls for protection. The flora on Lanzarote – including the vines – cannot grow very high; there are not enough nutrients in the soil to support sprawling greenery. Yields are minuscule (16 hL/ha) and each berry is concentrated with flavor. All vineyard work is done meticulously by hand. Some of the wines are certified organic, depending on the vintage. Ignacio supplements his crop with purchased fruit from growers who share his vision of sustainable viticulture; with such low yields the winery would have to own most of the land on the island in order to produce financially sustainable quantities of wine from exclusively proprietary grapes.

#53 on The Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2022.

94 points Wine Spectator
Well-tailored in an understated way, this harmonious red is plushly creamy on the palate, like fine cashmere, showing seamless integration of the sculpted tannins with finely detailed flavors of black cherry and black plum reduction, sandalwood, cedar, green olive, espresso crema and minerally smoke and iron. Long and lightly juicy on the refined finish. Tempranillo, Graciano, Mazuelo and Garnacha. Drink now through 2030

97 points Wine Advocate
The most classical of their wines, the 2015 Prado Enea Gran Reserva is a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano, mostly from Rioja Alta (Sajazarra, Cellorigo and Fonzaleche), but the Garnacha is from different plots in the zone of Tudelilla at high altitude. These grapes are always picked last, but the wine has a similar alcohol level as the rest, around 14.5% in a warm year like 2019. The modus operandi is similar to other of the top cuvees?harvested into 200-kilogram boxes, destemming, optical sorting and fermentation in small oak casks with indigenous yeasts. The elevage in this case is extended to 36 months, and the barrels are only 10% new. This is, year in, year out, my favorite wine from Muga, and in this powerful and ripe year, these late-harvesting vines ripened thoroughly and delivered a full array of aromas and flavors so that the wine has plenty of depth and complexity. It has a very classical profile, with incipient tertiary notes, perfumed, floral and rich, textured and beautifully balanced. They compare this 2015 with 2009 and 2005 in terms of style but with freshness in the style of 2001 and 2010. It's enjoyable but should also develop for a long time in bottle. One of the finest Prado Enea vintages. 108,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in November 2018. There's no 2012 or 2013 of this. There will be a 2016 and 2019, but no 2017 or 2018. 2020 is still a question mark, they have not yet decided it.

97 points James Suckling
Reserved and polished, this is a Prado Enea with great class and focus. It’s so aromatic,with plum, peach, cherry and cedar character. Salted olives, too. Medium-to full-bodied with very fine tannins and a long, fresh finish. Elegance with power here. Give it three or four years to open, but already impressive.

93 points James Suckling
Fresh and creamy notes of pie crust, lemon curd and toast. Bright, juicy and elegant on the palate with a fluid, lengthy finish. A very good value here.

This has aromas of black fruit, blueberries, dried oysters, grilled herbs and mushrooms. Its full-bodied with firm, fine tannins. Savory and structured with excellent energy. Drink or hold.

#62 On The Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines Of 2024!

90 points Wine Spectator
Floral and spice notes waft through the juicy flavors of red apple, tangerine zest and honeydew melon on display in this sleek white, with a light, pleasing plumpness on the palate. Salty finish. Hondarrabi Zuri and Hondarrabi Beltza.

Next to rose, there is no other wine that can turn down the summer heat like Txakoli. It’s not just a pleasure we indulge in when it’s hot outside; it’s essential. If given the choice between our air conditioner and Txakoli, we’d take the Txakoli! - PJ

The Riserva Ducale is an intense ruby red color. This complex wine is characterized by sweet cherry and red berry fruit notes with delicately spiced hints of tobacco, leather, cedar, white pepper and a touch of flint. Tasting profile: Riserva Ducale Chianti Classico Riserva is well balanced on the palate, with velvety tannins, firm acidity, and a lingering finish of rosemary and figs.

Organic

94 points Wine Spectator
A succulent version, this red reveals cherry, strawberry, plum, floral, eucalyptus and tobacco aromas and flavors. Harmonious and enjoyable now, but there are still tannins to shed. Complex and long. Best from 2024 through 2040. 2,000 cases made, 800 cases imported. Bruce Sanderson

93 points Vinous
The 2018 Chianti Classico Riserva needs a few years to be at its best, but it has plenty to offer. In 2018 the Riserva is on the lighter side, but that's not a bad thing at all. Crushed leaves, tobacco, incense, mint, licorice and coffee add complexity to a core of dark Sangiovese fruit. Wild and exotic, the Riserva is certainly compelling.

Originating from the usual parcels and raised entirely in stainless steel, it has a brisk nose with Granny Smiths, lime and wet stone. Classic Chablis. The palate is well-balanced, with a bitter lemon entry lending tension. Taut and linear, it delivers a refreshing, spicy finish that lingers in the mouth. Very fine.

Organic

This is the most important wine of the estate, a serious red vinified to reflect its capacity to age. The grapes are harvested at a point of slight surmaturité which captures the profound scents and flavors of the surrounding hillside garrigue. The cuvaison continues for at least a month; then, the wine is racked into tank for aging. The wine is bottled twenty to twenty-four months after harvest. As the wine ages in bottle, it develops enticing notes of juniper, rosemary and thyme as well as the savory flavors of wild berries and a hint of the "animal" all in all, one of the more compelling values in all of France.

The review is on the previous vintage.

92 points Wine Enthusiast
#4 Top 100 Best Buys of 2023
Currently showing oak-forward notes of fresh cedar, vanilla and toasted wood. This is followed by earthy tones of capsicum, black currant, bramble, fresh black cherry and boysenberry. Elevated acidity keeps the wine alive from start to finish; chalky tannins coat the palate.

The deep ruby color indicates a luxe complexity, while aromas of black cherry, cassis and rich earth are abundant in this classic Cabernet Sauvignon. On entry, currants and black plums generously lead to a plush mouthfeel. There are ample tannins carrying the fruit to the long lingering finish. Aging for 12 months in 1-year-old American oak barrels created notes of baking spices, nutmeg and hints of caramel. - Winery

Organic

Sleek and well-knit, with a streak of salinity underscoring a creamy mesh of pink grapefruit, cherry blossom, Marcona almond and blood orange peel flavors that linger on the mouthwatering finish.

Sourced from one of the oldest, most traditional vineyards planted in Valdeorras, Avancia Godello expresses the authenticity the history of Valdeorras and the oldest Godello clones in the world. A completely unique white wine that ages beautifully. Godello was almost extinct at the end of the 1980's, so it is extremely rare to find a Godello produced from a single vineyard planted in 1904.

94 points James Suckling
Spicy oak to the black berries, blueberries and plums. Pretty fluid despite the medium to full body with nicely chewy tannins. Fine-grained, structured and long.

#50 on The Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2023
91 points Wine Spectator
This zesty red is generous with sleekly layered cherry and raspberry flavors that are laced with notes of cinnamon and pepper and finish with lively tannins. Drink now through 2029

Organic

The review is on a previous vintage.
92 points Jeb Dunnuck
Moving to the reds, the 2020 Vacqueyras Les Hauts De La Ponche is 50% Grenache and 25% each of Syrah and Mourvèdre. It actually reminds me of a Pomerol with its red and blue fruits as well as bouquet garni, damp earth, and floral nuances. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, I love its balance, and it has silky tannins and remarkable purity of fruit. Drink bottles over the coming 7-8 years.

90 points James Suckling
Very dark on the nose, with lots of raw spices, charcoal and some green peppercorns on top of the blackberries. Very full-bodied and spicy. Almost a bit monolithic, despite the fine-grained tannins. Quite a unique style

Winemaker Notes:
"Pale yellow and limpid. Green apple, hawthorn and white blossoms, citrus aromas and exotic fruits. Fresh and well-balanced, lot of fatness and length."

Blending of Grenache Blanc, Clairette and Bourboulenc. Mainly clay and calcareous soils. The wine is aged in vats without malolactic fermentation.