What’s been your greatest QPR for the first half of 2021 and WHY…(?)
Red: 2018 Kirkland Napa Valley ‘Suscal Vineyard’ Cabernet: For $16.99 at Costco, this isn’t a study in sheer fruit power…rather balance, elegant restraint, a sense of polish (well above the price point), and ageability.
Champagne: 2014 Louise Brison Brut: For $34.99, this is fabulously dry, nervy, and with some air, a palate-pleasing bubbly feast.
2014 Coho Michael Black Vineyard Merlot, for something like $26 a bottle. Punching above it’s weight class and drinks nicely with a wide variety of food. Honorable mention to 2020 Dry Creek Vineyards, summer cellar stuffer at $13.
2019 Desire Lines Winds of Change.
During a sale in late 2020 I bought close to a case of N.V. Robert Moncuit Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Les Grands Blancs for about $28 a bottle. It’s been one of the best Champagne values I’ve found in the last few years.
For my white wine there has so rarely been a quality for this price: 2019 Goodfellow Family Cellars Chardonnay Berserker Cuvée Temperance Hill. $36. The last time I bought a wine of this quality at a price so under valued was the 2012 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc La Crau for $40/botle on close-out.
For my red it has to be the slew of wines at release price from the Patricia Green Library sale. That was a once in a life-time deal. I seriously wish I had bought more.
Patricia Green Cellars ‘Volcanic’ has been a big hit. Morgen Long marine chardonnay (and a lot of oregon chardonnay really). Caleb Leisure has been a cool discovery for affordable interests white wines, the Verso in particular, which is a bordeaux blanc style blend and smells sauv blancish but drinks like a crazy salty lemon warhead candy.
Had a pietradolce etna rosso for under 20 the other night that stood out.
White - 2019 Colli di Lapio Fiano di Avellino($20) - Showing a more aromatic side to Fiano but also fresh and mineral. Good fruit density for an affordable white. Likely age worthy. Definitely watching for future vintages of this.
Honorable mention - Pépière Briords($19-22) - This is kind of a default answer in any year. Drank some '17 and '19 this year. Easily recommend both.
Red - Lots of candidates here - 2018 Mastroberardino Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Rosso($13) - Taking this because of the stupid low price. Drinks something like a good Langhe. A traditional style wine that needs some air or even a couple more years. Lots of structure for the money.
And all of these:
2017 Grifalco Aglianico del Vulture Grifalco($20)
2015 Château du Hureau Saumur-Champigny Tuffe($16)
2018 Forman Cabernet Sauvignon Chateau La Grande Roche($40)
2014 Domaine de l’Enchantoir Saumur Puy Notre-Dame Le Pied à L’étrier(~$18)
2017 Domaine Jaulin-Plaisantin Les Hauts & Les Bas(~$18)
Halcon Alturas & Elevacion
Cabot Syrahs
Champagne - 2012 Remy Massin & Fils Champagne Millésimé($40) - Had to try this after recently being very impressed with their '08. Again, extremely impressed. I don’t think it’s going to stay priced this low if they get more distribution stateside. The quality is as strong as many wines at multiples of $40.
Hat tip to the CT team for making these searches easy. 
2018 Goodfellow Willamette Valley Chardonnay - punches way above its $25 price tag. It held its own within a tasting of top-notch White Burgundy and Oregon Chardonnay. The 2019 version is in a similar vein.
just about everything Ive gotten from the PGC library release and the Ravenswood library have been ridiculous QPRs.
Not surprisingly, it’s a Riesling: 2019 Schloss Lieser Niederberg Helden Riesling Spätlese.
My best QPR red is without a doubt the 2015 Saunter Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Eagle Summit Vineyard, which I purchased on Berserker Day for a ridiculous $55.
2016 Casa Sola Chianti Classico Riserva - one of the best young CCRs I’ve had in a while. Can’t seem to find it at retail, but I paid $20 at auction and would back up the truck if I could find it at that price again.
Normally I think of wines under $20 but this one is wine of the year candiate less than $35.00.
2015 Belle Pente Pinot Noir Murto Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills (7/1/2021)
Brother in Town Lot’s of Wines!!!; 6/26/2021-7/4/2021: Had this 2 years ago and showing well. Strawberry, raspberries, underbrush, minerals and floral notes. Medium plus finish. Still plenty of life left in this and this was tasted on day 2. (92 points)
Posted from CellarTracker
+1. Tough to find around here. The last vintage I had was 2014. Very good. I drank my last one in 2018 thinking this could still evolve nicely. I found some 2017 that I hid in the cellar planning to start opening this year. Thanks for reminding me!
My first half QPR candidate is the 2018 Dureuil-Janthial Rully Rouge. For the quality of this juice, the price is very attractive!
2019 Chantereves Bourgogne Blanc for white
2019 Jonas Dostert Spatburgunder for red.
Both, as they say, punched way above their price. The Chantereves tons of zip but density of a village or 1er Cru. Dostert could hold its own in a 2017 red burg tasting.
2017 Gianni Brunelli Rosso di Montalcino for purchased for 20 bucks in January. Should have bought a bunch more.
2017 Domaine Oudin Chablis 1er Vaugiraut bought for 35 or so. Purchased 3 bottles late 2020 and another bottle May 2021.
Cheers,
Doug
Blowing through 8 of 9 of my Sabelli-Frisch BD 9 pack…so fun so enjoyable to discover
Scherrer OVZ '15,'16, '17…
and should have gotten a case of the Bedrock Lulu’s cuz 6 didnt make it through 1/2 of a Florida summer
have you tried the Chantereves Aligote Chaignots yet? its definitely a price bump but its one of their only Domaine wines and it is another level for sure.
2019 Von Schubert Maximin Grunhauser Herrenberg Kabinett, without a doubt.
On my short list for WOTY… a list where the next least-expensive wine is 3x what I paid for the Herrenberg.
2018 Jaffurs’ Santa Barbara County Syrah. $22 ish.
The ‘18 had some Grenache added which takes a usually good QPR wine and makes it into a really good QPR wine.
Falkenstein, Niedermenniger Im Kleinschock, Kabinett, 2019.
Franck Balthazar, Crozes-Hermitage, 2018 (changed a lot in one year!)
Labet, Fleur Chardonnay, 2018 (Jura).
Marnes Blanches, En Quatre Vis, Chardonnay, 2016. (Jura).
Vincent Charlot, le Fruit de ma Passion, 2015. (Champagne).
Wasenhaus, Vulkan, 2017. (Baden, Pinot)
All in the 18 - 33 Euro range.
Max Ferd Richter GH kabinett trocken, a crazy good wine for $20. Honorable mention to the entire Sabelli-Frisch lineup (all $20 BD price) and a 1988 Raymond Lafon halfsie that I picked up for $35.