There’s so much great Riesling under $50 I am not exactly sure where to start! 
6 Likes
JJ Prum - almost any bottle except gold caps
Keller - Von Der Fels or Limestone
Stein - almost any bottle except 1900
Schäfer Fröhlich - anything but the GGs
Burklin Wolf - anything except their grand crus
Maximin Grunhaus - anything except their GGs
2 Likes
And Donnhoff!
2 Likes
To broaden my list a bit more, you could really build a respectable, core collection of wonderful wines for modest prices from regions like Loire and Beaujolais. They are about 30% or more of my “cellar” and things that I drink every week. Popped a 2104 Domaine Guion Les Deux Monts last night, so much excellent, classic Cab Franc in that bottle for under $30. And it is an ager. I’ve had Guion with 30+ years on them, classic can age well.
In Beaujolais, I like:
Thivin
Roilette
Foillard
Bouland
Vissoux
Lapierre
In Loire, I like:
Baudry
Joguet
Breton
Guion
Plouzeau
There are many others, but these ten or so wines deliver year after year after year. Amazingly consistent, quality wines. And many of these producers actually make a handful of cuvees from different vineyards, so you get maximum bang for that low price! Thivin has quite a few cuvees, some with old vines to 100+ years. Roilette makes three cuvees, all under $50. Baudry makes 5 Cab Francs, all under $50 (though Croix Boissee May soon be cresting that, and still worth every penny, it’s vin de garde)
4 Likes
Ok, now let’s talk Bordeaux. Bordeaux is the allegedly snobby over-priced region, right? WRONG. Bordeaux produces, year after year, super-high quality wines in large quantities for very fair pricing. Yes, the wines that get a lot of the praise on this site may be expensive, but you can still get Classified Growths for under $50 and really top Crus.
I just checked a local retailer - just one - and here is what is available in the 2019 vintage alone for under $50:
Ferriere
Haut Bages Liberal
Lafon Rochet
Meyney
Chasse Spleen
Cantemerle - sub-$30
Gloria
Sociando Mallet
Potensac
Senejac
Pedesclaux
Fonbadet
Some of these wines I buy in most (classic) years. I mean come on, Ferriere is a classic 3rd Growth, it slays. I think you can still get the 2016 for $50, which is a steal. All of these wines will mature beautifully in a vintage like 2019. All of these wines were steals as well in 2016 and 2014, the types of years that I chase, over the more ripe 2015 and 2018. If you like a bit more ripe, grab those vintages as well.
If you can handle a little more modern in your Bordeaux, that range of sub-50 Bordeaux doubles!
It’s like shooting fish in a barrel.
PS. That retailer had Langoa Barton for $55. Earlier this year - even after William’s rating - I saw d’Issan for under $50.
7 Likes
Word!
Robert, so true regarding finding good Bordeaux under $50. Right now in the market, 2 of my favorites are the 2016 and 2019 Lafon Rochet. A few that I would add to your excellent list would be Siran, Labergorce, Larrivet Haut-Brion, Tronquoy-Lalande, Capbern and Latour Martillac on the Left Bank. More modern examples on the Right Bank would include Tour St. Christophe, Sansonnet, and Fluer Cardinale. I am sure there are others I am missing. Most of the 2018’s and 2019’s are currently in the marketplace and available for less than $50.
+1 on Prum, Donnhoff, Carlisle, Felsina, and La Rioja Alta Ardanza (sub $30!). There are so many Zin and Zin blends that are under $50, including the 2020 and 2019 Ridge Geyserville and Lytton Springs, along with various Turley and Bedrock wines.
Lastly, you can find some excellent 20-year Tawny Ports at this price point. Taylor Fladgate and Fonseca are usually easy to find. And, Coutet is an excellent Sauternes for less than $50, with a few different vintages currently available.
4 Likes
Off the top of my head, and all wines that are well represented in my cellar - I will start with lower priced wines, and later on do some stuff closer to the $50 mark. You can still drink exceptionally well with German Riesling in the $20-$30 bracket. You just suffer a bit of FOMO as people talk about the $30-$50 bracket.
Donnhoff Estate Riesling
Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett Halbtrocken
Max Ferd. Richter Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Kabinett
Spreitzer Winkeler Jesuitengarten Riesling Alte Reben Halbtrocken
Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Forst Riesling Village
Emrich-Schönleber Monzinger Riesling Kabinett (the 2019 just scraped in under $30, but it’s probably over that now)
More later…it could be an endless list.
1 Like
Thanks David! The only one I couldn’t hunt down was the Burklin - showing unavailable in the US for all vintages.
1 Like
I had trouble with the Schafer Frohlich, Stein, and Burklin, but got the others on there. If you have representative bottles from those 3 I should add, I’m all ears.
Seem to still be finding the Croix Boissee for right around 45, but think you’re right I’m afraid.
I was able to get at least 1 or 2 representative bottles in for most of these producers, except Plouzeau - a couple of names popped up in CellarTracker and wasn’t sure which you were referring to.
Stein Weihwasser Riesling Feinherb
Schafer-Frohlich Vulkangestein Riesling Trocken
Schafer-Frohlich Schiefergestein Riesling Trocken
Thanks Robert, all added!
Thank you! Added
Some of the producers I mentioned have more than one wine, worth fleshing that out, as some of the specialty cuvees are OUTSTANDING. Baudry’s Croix Boissee, for example. Thivin’s Zaccaherie. Joguet’s Chene Vert. Etc.
I just picked a couple from each one if they weren’t named as I don’t know all the producers/bottlings - for Baudry I did the Grezeaux, Gillot, and Boissee. Joguet was Cuvee Terroir and Varennes. Will add in the Thivin Zaccharie as well.
EDIT: Also worth noting, some of these cuvees toe the under-$50 line as well. The Zaccharie has availability at 1 store on WS under $50 from what I can see.
We made it this far and no one has mentioned Pepiere! Shame. Pepiere would also win the under $25 and under $20 Edition of this survey.
2 Likes
Already have it on the sheet! Used the Briords bottling.
2 Likes
The $30-$50 German Riesling arena is almost too broad to contemplate.
J. J. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett, Graacher Himmelreich Kabinett & Graacher Himmelreich Spatlese (the other wines have now sadly but deservedly crested the $50 mark in many places)
Donnhoff Kabinetts (Leistenberg & Klamm specifically come to mind)
There’s a whole raft of amazing Selbach-Oster wines in that range, from the Zeltinger Schlossberg Kabinett to the Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Spatlese, and if you shop carefully the amazing Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Spatlese Feinherb Ur Alte Reben.
Bürklin-Wolf Wachenheimer Altenburg Riesling
Pick a Falkenstein, any Falkenstein…of course availability is tough.
Reinhold Haart Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Spätlese (old guard producer that has inexplicably fallen out of favor)
Carl Loewen Longuicher Maximiner Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett (100 plus year old own-rooted vines and a fantastic winemaker)
Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Kabinett (and one of the Domprobst Spatlesen…#10 might still be under $50)
Schäfer-Fröhlich Bockenauer Felseneck Riesling Spätlese (and sometimes the Gold Cap version is around under $50 - yowza!)
Vollenweider Wolfer Goldgrube Riesling Kabinett
Lots more where that came from.
I left off a lot of very small production wines, or wines where distribution is through very limited channels. That said I could give you 20+ more off the top of my head.
Then there is Austria. Another time perhaps.
3 Likes
Wow, I missed the first post - fantastic to put it in a Google Sheet, thanks, Max!!
2 Likes