Past Issues:
Bargain Wine, dec06/jan07
In this regular feature,
we spotlight those wines that offer great
bang for the buck -- under $15 bucks, to
be exact. Here you'll find our everyday
wines, house pours, and occasionally a great
new find. Have a favorite Bargain Wine?
Tell us about it at editor@wineskinny.com!
Here are a few of the best
values we've tasted lately - all fifteen
bucks (or less!) and perfect for holiday
parties. Happy 2007!
($15). Seems like everytime
we run an article on great deals on really
good Chardonnays, this bottle is featured.
With elegant, complex flavors including
crisp apple and pear, ripe nectarine, mineral
and a rich, creamy finish that picks up
a bright lemon curd note. Ready to drink
now and over the next couple of years. (Weekend
Wine 10/06)
($13). Loads of grapefruit is the star in
this Languedoc (southern France) white,
with fresh herbs and floral notes that add
interest. A few of the Dames thought it
was too much grapefruit and not enough style.
From a Clos du Val collaboration. Ready
to drink now. (Drinks with Les Dames 06/06)
($11).
Lovely, with aromatic, fresh white peach,
floral and spice notes that linger brightly
on the clean finish. Ready to drink now
and over the next couple of years.
($12). Nice! Aromatic peach and floral notes
are vibrant on the palate, lingering through
the slightly spicy finish. Ready to drink
now.
($14). Crisp green apple and
hay aromas and flavors pick up citrus and
melon notes on the clean finish. Ready to
drink now.
($15). Lush blueberry
and red berry fruit is laced with smoky
oak, coffee and vanilla notes. Smooth, easy
finish. Ready to drink now. (Weekend Wine
06/06)
($15). Plummy,
with pretty floral and fresh herb notes,
picking up fig and vanilla through the moderate
finish. Nice interest and complexity at
this price point. A blend of Merlot (75%)
and Cabernet Sauvignon (25%). Ready to drink
now and over the next couple of years. (Winery
Spotlight 10/06)
($15). Ripe,
smooth blueberry and red cherry fruit is
accented with sweet spices and a toasty
oak finish. Ready to drink now.
($13). Concentrated
black plum and cherry aromas and flavors
are accented with meat, sweet tobacco, chocolate
and toasty oak. A lot of bang for the buck
here. Ready to drink now.
($13). Smoky red
cherry and berry aromas introduce meaty
red cherry flavors laced with pretty spices,
and a moderate, bright fruit finish. Ready
to drink now.
($14). Deep and full of ripe red and black
berry and plum fruit and laced with black
pepper that lingers on the moderate finish.
Nicely balanced and easy to like. Ready
to drink now and over the next couple of
years.
($12). Appealing for its full flavors, including
red cherry and currant fruit, tobacco, dried
herbs and black pepper that linger on the
moderate finish. Ready to drink now. (Weekend
Wine 10/06)
($15).
Pretty and bright, with juicy red raspberry
and strawberry fruit that lingers through
the fresh finish, picking up spicy fig preserves
and mocha along the way. Ready to drink
now.
($10). Always a reliable budget
red choice, with moderate red berry, plum
and cherry fruit, warm spices, good acidity
and a touch of dusty chocolate. Ready to
drink now.
($13). Showed some nice structure and focus
at this price point, with pretty red berry
flavors, spice and toasty oak. Ready to
drink now.
($13).
This is a bright, happy wine, with lipsmacking
red cherry and berry fruit that stays juicy
through the lively, toasty finish. Ready
to drink now and over the next two or three
years. (Weekend Wine 07/06)
($10).
Don't we wish all $10 Merlots were this
good? Pretty and balanced, with plush red
plum aromas and flavors laced with chocolate
and lightly spicy oak that lingers on the
moderate finish. Ready to drink now.
This now-fabulously-named column used to
be called Easy To Find One Figure Wines,
for reasons that we cannot currently remember
but were surely enthusiastic about at the
time. Anyhoo, check out our Past
Issue Index for more great value-priced
wine selections!
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