YES
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I just cracked open a 2020 Frogâs Leap that I bought from Wegmanâs for around $50 a few weeks ago. I think itâs the current release, from a maligned vintage that Galloni gave an overall score of 70 to. Itâs great for what it is and hopefully what youâre looking for. I preferred it to the 19 and the 17 and itâs not far off the 18, which had more âHDâ quality fruit along with the 2016 (which is fantastic). Iâll probably buy a few more. It has me curious what the formula was for making a successful Napa Valley cab in 2020, as FL seemed to nail it. These should be easy to find for a good price.
Frogâs Leap and Beta are the only Napa cabs I drink regularly, otherwise itâs BDX.
Chateau Ferriere from Margaux is turning out some mighty fine wines right now and can easily be found for under $50. Smokes most Napa Cabs. Normally 70-75% Cab in the cepage. The 2016 and 19 are gorgeous and 20 is supposed to be nice. I just backfilled on more 1995 and 2000, these wines age beautifully. I actually enjoyed drinking the 2019 in its youthful vigor.
From the left bank, we could easily give you a list of 20 or so, Cabernet based wines, many of which are classified growths, that you can score for under $75 and be thrilled. Langoa Barton is another.
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Yakima Valley & Walla Walla.
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Yes to Smith-Madrone
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Explore Cab and Cab blends in Chile. I feel like a lot of them kind of straddle Napa/CA and Bordeaux in terms of style/expression.
It sounds like you want Cabs to drink. BDX is a great option but be mindful that youâll be advised to age them 15 years. You have to be ok with committing some infanticide, even though the wine is under $50.
California wines that I think are worth mentioning that may have been missed: Mount Veeder Winery, Venge Silencieux, Farella, Montelena (on sale), Dry Creek Vineyard, Alexander Valley Vineyards (in a good vintage this is a steal for $20), My Favorite Neighbor, Aperture (on sale), Alma de Cattleya, Far Mountain.
Chile and Argentina are great options once you get into the $30+ range. Thereâs a dramatic quality jump between under <$20 and >$30 IMO. Look for Luca or Cocodrilo.
Washington is a great place to look. I personally like the Red Mountain AVA.
If you really want to get into some value plays, check out the NDA wines from de Negoce, WineAccess, Claudine, and others of that sort. Theyâre not always what the marketing claims them to be, but they are definitely good for the price.
I fined Bedrock wines a decent QPR. Morgan is a very bright knowledgeable in tune guy. If they canât produce a good cabernet outside the 80 dollar range plus and minus then it cannot be so easy. I do not really want to knock any ones taste buds but you have to pay to get a quality napa cabernet.
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You must not be looking very hard. Finding a good New World Cabernet for $40-$60 is like finding good cheese curds in Wisconsin. They, are, everywhere.
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Myriad
Rivers-Marie
Bevan-Otogeny
Quivet
All around $100 for their entry level Cabs
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I accept I do not no problem
taste is a subjective thing
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none of them are 40 though they are pretty decent the entry rivers marie sells out pretty fast just visited there great visit. have the old Lore and Paneks going back about 10 years
Carter now made by Bevan has a new, I thing 90 bottle wine called again I think Hex
Sometimes the Kamen Cab is that are is pretty good although I think after Bob got on the cover of one of the mags he upped his price
The Schrader Double Diamonds are about 90
I think this is a reasonable price point to drink a Napa cab Quite a few here
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From SCM
Sandar & Hem Bates Ranch is great and around $50 or so.
Mt Eden Estate Cab was a bargain forever but now is still well priced for the quality at $80-100. Their âDomaine Edenâ cab is a good value at around $40.
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Examples? And I guess it depends upon style, etc. There are plenty of cabs or cab blends out there at that price level, but are they âdistinctiveâ?
Cheers
Charm for what they are (enjoyable quaffers, under $30 and available everywhere):
Educated Guess, Napa County (Roots Run Deep Winery)
Textbook, Paso Robles (Textbook Vineyards)
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Exactly. OP isnât looking for best Napa Cabs under $100. Looking for uniqueness, elegance, charm, special. And IMO his post is really questioning us folks who do buy Napa cab for <$100 and donât buy the varieties he has thinks are better and have uniqueness, elegance, charm, are special, etc.
âcab sauv for the common manâ => Substance CS
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Agree! Wonât be as special per se as most mentioned above, but Substance CS is balanced, consistent and always a stellar buy.
I like the rec for Smith Madrone and Calluna at the $50 level, also maybe I. Brand for some of his bottlings at that price.
You are almost always going to find bigger fruit and less restraint in CA cabs today. I think its fair to say that this is what the market (the common man?) largely expects from the grape and the price tag. Singular, tension, earth and acid driven wines like Beta are not easy to find at much lower price points. Look at the Beta notes on cellar tracker for those who are dumbfounded and disappointed in what they find. It dumbfounds me to read them, but at the same time I get it. And this breath of fresh air in cab is why we are tripping over ourselves to get the next offering.
Let us know what you find, though. I am sure rhere are hundreds (ok, maybe tens) we dont know about here.
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Drinkward Peschon. Consistently excellent - especially with a few years in the cellar - unique, and under $100.
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A bit of assumption
Most of us for the 50 do buy Rhone Blends Syrah etc. Not a big fan of Turley but I think they make very good Petite at a good price but I can not drink this every day or a Syrah every day. again not here to debate someones taste or even their pocket book.
That being said a suggestion- if one is going to be a drinker for years to come and wants value and quality look to the old world you will appreciate these purchases in the future. I drink some Carignan Mouvedre Petite Verdot. They can be acquired reasonably and are a great introduction in learning to recognize them in a blended wine and the purpose for the inclusion in the blend
Duro portugal great QPR in five years might be like everything else may be glad u bought some. A lot can be drank now
2022 sub 100 dollar Bordeaux, Rhone and Loire
Super Tuscan and Brunello
I started out drinking only Calif wine as years went by I began to appreciate many different styles and varietals being older now I wished I had bought some of this stuff as years passed.
California wines for the most part will have more fruit and usually a bit more alcohol. Thats just what we have with our climate today. There are outliers but they still have fruit. Thats not the Bordeaux style Thats what is interesting about wine lots of choices and styles and things change