Best Buys $10 And Under

97 points Wine Advocate
I had already tasted the 2013 ??nico from magnum in a vertical tasting of all the magnums ever produced and was quite impressed by it (and the still unreleased 2014 that should be available in 2024). 2013 saw a rainy harvest, and the wine is subtle, elegant and fresh, complex, silky and with precision. The wine matured in 225-liter barrels in an initial phase and then in 22,000-liter oak vats until it was bottled in June 2019. This year, the final blend was 97% Tinto Fino and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon with a little less alcohol, 14%, and a pH of 3.78 and 5.2 grams of acidity, fresh and balanced, more elegant and subtler. ??nico often transcends the character of the vintage and doesn't follow the norm in the region, and the 2013 is a good example of that. It was a very rainy and complicated vintage; they harvested quite quickly to avoid botrytis, and while other people waited for concentration, they did not, and their approach clearly paid back. It's aromatic and floral, less dense than the 2012, subtler, more expressive and more elegant. It's clean and fresh, tasty, with very fine tannins. It's a big surprise for the vintage and one of the finest ??nicos in the last few years. 76,476 bottles, 3,658 magnums and some larger formats produced, the shortest crop since 2009.

96 points Wine Advocate
The 2018 Valbuena comes from a cooler vintage with good yields that required sorting and selecting in search of a happy and vertical version of Valbuena, pushing a little more and giving the wine a little more oak, especially American (5%). It was produced with 96% Tinto Fino and 4% Merlot that went through a three- to four-day cold soak and fermented with indigenous yeasts followed by malolactic in stainless steel. The levage was in new and used 225-liter oak barrels and 21,000-liter oak vats. It has 14.5% alcohol and a pH of 3.8 and 4.78 grams of acidity (tartaric), so it's ripe and with mellow acidity that gives it a mellow mouthfeel. This is a very spicy vintage for Valbuena, getting closer to the style of nico (while at the same time I felt the 2018 Pintia from Toro was getting closer to the aromatics of some vintages of Valbuena, like 2010). It was a late-ripening year with a tendency toward freshness in the wines. The palate is medium to full-bodied, with very fine tannins that made the wine nicely textured and very elegant. There is a lot of regularity in the Valbuena of the last few years, here with more tension and freshness of the 2017, a little more balsamic even. 180,580 bottles, 5,528 magnums and some larger formats produced. It was bottled in May 2021.

93 points James Suckling
Sour cherries with orange peel and hints of vanilla bean. Some bark, too. Medium body, with very fine tannins and a fresh and bright finish. Lean and agile. Drink after 2026

Organic / Natural

This is my first year working with this vineyard. My sweet friend Evan Lewandowski helped me secure Sauvignon Blanc from the beautiful Mee Vineyard in the Talmage Bench region of Mendocino.

These grapes were harvested on September 5th 2022. We pressed immediately. The juice fermented with native yeast in stainless steel tank over a period of 2 weeks. It was then transferred into neutral barrel where malolactic fermentation occurred. The wine was bottled on May 31st 2023. - Winery

Organic

92 points Wine Spectator
Rich yet succulent and open-knit, this red delivers strawberry, cherry, earth, tobacco and licorice flavors allied to a fine structure. Shows excellent balance and length. Sangiovese, Ciliegiolo and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2028.

91 points James Suckling
This has aromas of cherries, blackberries, mushrooms, cloves, tar and tobacco. It?€?s medium-bodied with firm tannins. Savory and spicy with a flavorful finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.

A classic style single malt, with a hint of peat and a nice balance of maltiness. 43%abv
Due to limited supply, limit one bottle per customer. Available in-store only.

NO EXCEPTIONS. PLEASE DO NOT CALL. WE DON'T SELL TO RETAILERS.

VIDA de San Luis Del Rio is an artisanal, organic, value priced Mezcal from Del Maguey. Hand crafted, it is twice distilled, very slowly in small wood-fired, riverside copper stills. It has fruity aromatics with hints of honey, vanilla and roast agave. The palate offers ginger, cinnamon, banana and tangerine, with a long, soft finish. "Beautifully crafted and wonderfully complex, it's hard not to fall for the Mezcal Vida. Highly Recommended". - Drinkspirits.com

Organic / Natural

White Horse is Bloomer Creek's light-hearted tribute Cheval Blanc, the great Saint-milion blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot. The Cabernet Franc for White Horse comes from Bloomer's Auten and Barrow Vineyards (vine age ranges from 9-25 years), the Merlot comes from Barrow Vineyard and was planted in 2015. Vinification is similar to the 2019 Cabernet Franc, with a blend of destemmed, crushed and whole cluster fruit fermented in open vats over a three week period. The wine is matured for two years in oak before bottling, unfined and unfiltered.

90 points Vinous
The 2021 S??millon is sweetly scented, with dusty white flowers, vivid yellow apple and chamomile forming its bouquet. This is suave and opulent on the palate, yet perfectly balanced by brisk acidity, as a mix of ripe tropical fruits and florals cascade throughout. The 2021 finishes with remarkable length, both crisply refreshing and potent, with kiwi and mango notes that linger. I love the inner sweetness here, in spite of its zero grams of residual sugar. What a treat.

99 points Jeb Dunnuck
Another utterly brilliant wine from this team, the 2020 Ch??teau La Conseillante is based on 87% Merlot and 13% Cabernet Franc that saw 70% new French oak. Unquestionably in the same league as the 2019, this beauty offers an incredible bouquet of pure blue fruits, cassis, violets, spring flowers, and truffle. This carries to a full-bodied, seamless, incredibly elegant, layered Pomerol offering perfect tannins, the vibrant, focused, structured style of the vintage, impeccable balance, and a gorgeous finish. As always, this wine is more about purity, finesse, and elegance than power. It offers pleasure even today yet should be given a decade in the cellar, and it will be a 40- to 50-year wine. (3/2023)

100 points Wine Advocate
One of the wines of the vintage is the 2020 La Conseillante, a blend of 86% Merlot and 24% Cabernet Franc that wafts from the glass with inviting aromas of raspberries, red cherries and mulberries mingled with exotic spices, violets and rose petals. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and vibrant, it's a beautifully elegant, sensual wine with a deep core of fruit framed by powdery tannins, concluding with a long, extravagantly floral finish. This is a Pomerol of striking purity and sophistication. Congratulations to Marielle Cazaux and her team for surpassing even what they achieved in 2016 and 2019 with this brilliant 2020! (4/2023)

The color is a deep, brilliant golden yellow on this 20 year old Cognac. Pierre Ferrand Réserve has a lovely vanilla bouquet, with overtones of dried roses and apricot jam. It also has hints of walnuts, cinnamon, and licorice. It is full-bodied and rich on the palate with an excellent balance. The aromas initially identified on the bouquet develop gradually on the palate, and persist for 3 - 4 minutes. A unique Grande Champagne Cognac.

Organic

Limited release, artwork by Mattis Kun, coloring by Olivia Yi. Made with heirloom apples blended with locally grown grapes. Minimal sulfur use, Unfined, Unfiltered. 103 cases. 9.4% abv

Blend: 51% Northern Spy, Dabinett, Rhode Island Greening Apples and 49% Marquette Grapes

Tasting Notes: Notes of sour cherry and raspberry with a touch of natural effervescence. Sessionable and versatile with food. Enjoy chilled or at cellar temp.

Organic

Rémy Martin V.S.O.P Cognac has a copious palate with notes of ripe peach and apricot, wild violets and oaky vanilla. It's silky with a hint of licorice and a balanced finish.

An all-malt blend from Nikka's two distilleries, one Hokkaido and the other in Aoba-ku, this is a very dark intense whisky, with notes of vanilla, toffee, and chocolate. Smooth on the palate, but with a finish that can linger for several minutes. 40%abv

----Sorry One Bottle Per Customer.----

98 points Jeb Dunnuck
The Grand Vin 2020 Chateau Leoville Poyferre, which is released in a stylish black bottle commemorating a century for the Cuvelier family, is reminiscent of the 2016 with its powerful, concentrated, yet vibrant and inward style. Pure creme de cassis, melted chocolate, loamy earth, graphite, and some spicy nuances all define the aromatics, and it's full-bodied, with a stacked mid-palate, nicely integrated oak, ripe tannins, and one hell of a great finish. This is another utterly brilliant wine from this team, which has been producing First Growth quality wines for many years now. The blend of the 2020 is 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot, aged in 80% new barrels, hitting 13.58% natural alcohol and a pH of 3.81. Best After 2028.

96-98 Wine Enthusiast
Rich, luscious and replete with dark plum and dark chocolate flavors, this wine shows great power as well as aging potential. Its richness is balanced by the fresher edge of acidity that stands the wine in good stead as it ages.

97 Points Vinous
The 2020 Leoville-Poyferre is every bit as impressive as it was from barrel. If anything, it has gained in freshness and vibrancy with elevage. Dark cherry, plum, mocha, graphite and a kiss of French oak are some of the many notes that infuse the 2020 with tons of character. I especially admire its vertical energy and buttoned up personality. In some recent vintages Leoville-Poyferre has been quite showy, but the 2020 also has a more nuanced side that is hugely appealing. Antonio Galloni (12/22)

96 Points Vinous
The 2020 Leoville Poyferre was bottled in June. It has a very intense nose, displaying more black fruit than its showing from barrel, also the opulence tempered since its bottling. Fine minerality, hints of clove and bay leaf develop with time in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with a smooth opening, still slightly lactic in style as I remarked from barrel, yet with immense depth and plenty of finesse. The structure really comes through on the finish, a pinch of cracked black pepper and tobacco lending complexity. This is a great Leoville Poyferre that will give more than four decades of enjoyment, though I advise waiting several years before broaching. Neil Martin (12/22)

Listan Prieto (70%), Listan Negro (15%) and Tintilla (15%) grown on Pedro and Antonio's poorest sites (the badlands). Planting these grapes, which are slowest to ripen on the poorest soils is important here; if they were planted in parcels that are too mineral rich and fertile, the plants would produce too many berries on the bunch and grapes could not fully ripen. Aged for 4-6 months in French and American oak.

92 points Wine Advocate
Deep garnet in color, the 2010 Lascombes gives up notes of dried herbs, tilled soil and black olives over a blackcurrant cordial and plums preserves core plus a touch of crushed rocks. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers chewy tannins and bold freshness to support the savory flavors, finishing with an herbal lift. Drink Window 2020-2038 (3/20)

Robert Parker in February 2013, "Probably the greatest Lascombes made to date, the 2010 is a blend of 55% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Petit Verdot."