Best Buys $10 And Under

A blend of Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Sangiovese, the 2020 Palazzo della Torre is luscious, dark and exceedingly contemporary in style and execution. This is a soft and well-textured expression with layers of ripe fruit, black cherry, spice, bitter chocolate and tangy Spanish cedar from oak aging. The oak is quite dominate, so be ready for this particular stylistic approach. 

Organic

A terrific Sancerre alternative. This is a very mineral driven Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley.

Organic

Traditional Sardinian producer with large cavernous cement tanks under house; old vine Cannonau (avg. 50 yr. old). Decomposed granitic soils gives wines acidic zing. Practicing organic.

This is a beautiful rose from Veneto, Italy, comprised of 60% Corvina, 35% Rondinella, and 5% Molinara. The color is extremely delicate but don’t let that fool you as this wine has quite the presence on the palate. Very well-balanced and structured with much more character to offer than the color suggests. The grapes are harvested about a week earlier than for the straight Bardolino to preserve freshness. The skin contact pre-fermentation is overnight. Varieties are all fermented together in stainless steel and malolactic fermentation is blocked. Aged on its lees until bottling in February.

Plump and briary, this is a zesty update on old-school Zin, offering wild berry, underbrush and licorice flavors that build richness and structure on the lively finish. Drink now through 2028.

The history of Seghesio dates back more than a century. The winery planted its first vineyard in Sonoma County in 1895 and endured both Prohibition and the Great Depression, staking its reputation on good value reds. The brand went upscale in the mid-1990s, transforming itself from a jug-wine factory into an elite Zinfandel specialist. The Seghesio family sold the winery in 2011, yet quality remains stellar. This bottling is not only a bargain, but also a tribute to old-school Zin-based field blends, with winemaker Andy Robinson culling from vineyards in Sonoma, Russian River, Alexander Valley and Dry Creek Valley, including juice that didn’t make it into single-vineyard wines like Home Ranch and Montafi. About 12% of the blend is Petite Sirah, Alicante Bouschet and other reds. Robinson aged the wine for 10 months in a mix of mostly neutral American and French oak. 100,685 cases made.—Tim Fish

Winery Notes:
" Steep hillside vineyards present the ultimate challenge, but the results are extraordinary. The harsh conditions yield fewer clusters and smaller berries. The intensely flavored grapes are aged in new French oak barrels that creates a wine with luxurious flavor and texture. rich, ripe, and delicious. "

100% Cote d’Or fruit (Hautes Cotes de Beaune and Hautes Cotes de Nuits)
100% Pinot Noir
40 year old vines on average
Direct Press
Fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks
Aged 20 months on the lees

Carpano is the oldest brand of Vermouth and was the first Vermouth, invented in 1786 in Turin by Antonio Benedetto Carpano. The Antica Formula 1 was created shortly after. Flavorings include vanilla from Madagascar, Tahiti and Papua New Guinea, Iranian saffron and wormwood the Italian mountains. It has a bouquet and palate of dried fruit, spices, vanilla, raisin and cloves. 16.5%abv

A lean dry expression of Alsatian Pinot Blanc.

Winery Notes:
This wine is all the rage right now, an international bestseller - especially as a major export to the United States and Great Britain. The grape, which actually originates from Burgundy, loves not only the climate in South Tyrol, but also the soil conditions. It has found a second homeland here, and has become the most widely planted grape variety. It is appreciated for its freshness, nice acidity and pleasant, lingering aftertaste.

Ruby red colour with medium depth rim. Intense, fresh aroma. Complex notes of plum, enveloped against a very enjoyable balsamic undertone. Delicate leather and spicy touches that recall a subtle toastiness enhance the wine's finesse and elegance. Its broad, well-rounded tannins and ripe fruit provide a balanced, full-bodied mouthfeel. A pleasant, luscious and tasty wine in mouth. - Winery

Cavicchioli Prosecco should be enjoyed as an aperitif; particularly suitable for appetizers, delicate first courses and fish-based dishes. Serving temperature: chilled to 40°F.

Organic

#22. on The Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of 2023!

94 points Wine Spectator
A solidly built red introduced by aromas of mint, lavender and wild rosemary. Shows cherry, raspberry, earth, iron, sanguine and tobacco flavors allied to an almost viscous texture as this cruises to the long finish. Impressive now, yet will be better in three to five years. Best from 2026 through 2045

For an entry-level wine this is a stunner! Wonderful nose of white peach, lemon blossom and jasmine. So succulent, with excellent ripeness and concentration, but nothing flashy or any hint of opulence. The best thing about the wine is the long, very silky finish. And this is properly dry. Drink or hold.

Basil Haydon’s is a lighter bodied, rye forward Bourbon with a spicy-sweet flavor profile, and is a favorite of Bourbon enthusiasts. Aroma: Spice, tea, hint of peppermint Taste: Spicy, light-bodied, gentle bite Finish: Dry, clean, brief. 40%abv.

Winemaker Notes:
A pungent and complex wine displaying intense pink grapefruit, white nectarine, passion fruit and guava characters on the nose. The richly-textured palate features grapefruit and tropical characters with an underlying grassy character and minerality, all bound by a crisp acidity that leads to a lingering finish.

Perfect with clams, green-lipped mussels or cold-smoked salmon.

91 points James Suckling
Pure stone fruit with green apples, nectarines and chalk on the nose, following through to a dry and crisp palate. A little light but quite drinkable with a saline undertone in the finish. Screw cap.

Organic / Biodynamic

93 points James Suckling
Blackberries, cherries, sesame and salted-chocolate notes. Peach stones, too. It’s medium-bodied with silky, creamy tannins. So juicy and pure.

91 points Vinous
The 2019 Les Plantes is the new, young vines wine from Durfort Vivens. It offers notable depth to match its creamy, succulent personality. Drink this over the next few years, while the dark fruit remains vibrant. There is so much character here. AG

Jancis Robinson
The 2019 vintage sees the introduction of three new bottlings at Durfort Vivens. This one is formed from young vines (les plantes in French), and majors on soft supple tannins, plenty of vivacity. The highest in acidity of the three new bottlings, with an emphasis on savoury fruits and floral character. Highest in Cabernet Sauvignon also, reflecting the variety that is going in the ground here - they have taken the decision not to plant any more Merlot. Aged in a mix of barrels and amphoras.this over the next few years, while the dark fruit remains vibrant. There is so much character here. 88% cabernet sauvignon, 10% merlot and 2% cabernet franc. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Delicious now.

Wine critic William Kelley of The Wine Advocate, " Anyone who isn’t aware of just how good Gonzague Lurton’s wines are these days should taste a bottle.

The 62-hectare estate, of which some 55 hectares are planted, has been directed by Gonzague Lurton since 1992 and farmed biodynamically since 2013. Soils are quaternary gravels, with a rather low percentage of clay when compared with the likes of Châteaux Margaux and Palmer, and Cabernet Sauvignon dominates the blend, delivering wines of perfume, intensity and concentration. Lurton finds that physiological maturity and analytical maturity are much more synchronized with the new farming methods, even if in a vintage such as 2018 he's suffered, producing a mere 6,000 bottles. Recent vintages have certainly been on a qualitative roll, and today Durfort Vivens (the winery's premier bottling) unquestionably lives up to its 1855 second growth status. Given the quality of the brilliant 2019, prices remain decidedly reasonable, and readers should take notice."

Chateau Durfort Vivens is no newcomer to Bordeaux, they have been around since the 1700s in one form or another. It is rumored that a bottle of Chateau Durfort Vivens in 1844 would have cost more than any other Margaux, other than Chateau Margaux itself. Also, America’s first wine connoisseur Thomas Jefferson ranked it just behind Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Chateau Latour, and Chateau Margaux in his famous travel diaries. During the 1855 classification, Chateau Durfort Vivens was ranked a second growth of Margaux. Today I am sure the wines taste differently, however, this does show the pedigree and history of these vineyards.

Today the winery is owned by the renowned Lurton family. In 2009 they experimented with organic farming, loved the results, and fully converted all their vineyards to organic and biodynamic viticulture by 2013. They then received their Demeter certification making Chateau Durfort Vivens the first classified growth in Margaux to be fully certified 100% biodynamic.

"Lagavulin is a classic example of how smoke isn't a blunt instrument that covers everything in a fog, but an element that works with all the flavours produced in distillation and maturation. Lagavulin isn't 'smokey,' its peat moves into a weird territory of Lapsang Souchong tea and pipe tobacco, fishboxes and kippers. It smells of laurel and light cereal, but is always sweet. The palate shows more creosote, with hints of kelp and a little touch of iodine. Complex." 92 Points (Tasting Notes by David Broom, Whisky Advocate) 43% abv - Peat and Fruit -

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

90 points Wine Spectator
White pepper, lemon blossom and fresh ginger notes are vibrant and expressive, with a mouthwatering core of lime, pomelo, lemon balm and lemongrass lingering on the finish. Drink now.

Organic

A dark cherry color implies the fullness that is to come on the palate. Round with a full mouth feel displaying sour cherry and raspberry notes with the subtlest note of garrigue. This is one serious rose. No estate expresses the salt-kissed limestone-driven terroir of the idyllic Provençal seaside village of Cassis like Domaine du Bagnol, and the current generation, Sébastien Genovesi, crafts a rosé of scintillating energy, chiseled calcareous musculature, and gleaming red fruits. Comprising 45% Grenache, 35% Cinsault, and 20% Mourvèdre, Bagnol’s Cassis Rosé is pressed directly and rapidly (in under two hours) to extract as little color as possible, and the bottled wine (certified organic) contains only 10 milligrams per liter of total sulfur—a factor which contributes to its gorgeous purity of texture and intense evocation of limestone. (Rosenthal Wine Import)

Organic

90 points Vinous
The 2022 Red Cosecha Senorio de P. Pecina is a blend of 95% Tempranillo, 3% Graciano and 2% Garnacha sourced from the Sonsierra in Rioja Alta. The fragrant blackberry nose also features herbs and balsamic notes, accompanied by hints of menthol, cherry liqueur and a faintly ethereal touch. Dry and grippy on the palate, it flows with a cleansing, juicy finish. This is a new-wave Rioja red.

Pedro Pecina makes this young wine in a traditional unoaked style, although he destems the grapes before fermentation. It's a lot of wine for the price, made from Tempranillo with 5% Garnacha and Graciano and oozing plum and black cherry flavours. Wonderfully vibrant, sappy and alive.

The premium liqueur imported from France, is a crystal clear liqueur that blends sweet and bitter orange peels distilled to perfection. Cointreau has been a worldwide legend since its creation in 1849.

97 points James Suckling
A perfumed nose of plums, mulberries, mushrooms, caramel, sweet tobacco and sweet spices. Full-bodied with velvety, fine tannins and lively acidity. Balanced and supple with a creamy texture. Delicate and precise with a long, polished finish.

95 points Wine Advocate
They used the words subtlety, elegance, finesse, delicacy and silk to define the 2015 Gran Reserva 904 Seleccion Especial, a blend of 90% Tempranillo from their vineyards in Villalba, Brinas and Rodezno with 10% Graciano from the Montecillo vineyard in Fuenmayor that was picked 23 days later than the Tempranillo. The grapes were sorted optically for the first time, and they fermented in stainless steel where the wine went through malolactic too. The wine was put in barrel in January 2016?used American oak barrels built by their own coopers?where it matured for four years, during which time it was racked every six months. 2015 was a healthy vintage with balanced ripeness that delivered wines with good aging potential. They thought the wine needed a little more time in bottle to polish those tannins and have decided to hold it and release the wine around March 2023; it will be marked Seleccion Especial, the first 904 to do so, as they have very high hopes for this year and believe it's one of the finest vintages. They think it will develop the sophistication in the palate with a little more time and that is should achieve the silkiness that is the signature of 904. This is very 2015; I saw quite strong tannins in all the 2015 wines I tasted from Rioja Alta. Drink Window 2024-2025

The Danzante Pinot Grigio boasts an intensive straw yellow. The bouquet is rich with aromas of tropical fruit, such as papaya and pineapple, followed by delicate floral notes. On the palate, the wine is wonderfully fresh and well balanced, with an excellent persistence.