Game Changing wines under $50

I have not, Scott, and need to remedy that! I was thinking about Baudry’s white as I typed out that post. Price right right, too!

If $50 is included in the under $50 I say Myriad Napa Cab.

Lots of great suggestions here.

I think I’d put Trimbach Cuvée Emile Riesling at the top of my list. I love off-dry german Riesling and it is truly the world’s greatest value, but Trimbach opened up the world of dry Riesling like no other. Come to think of it, I’d add the 2001 German vintage, I liked it before but that vintage did change everything (for my tastes and my cellar holdings).

It’s been so long, but my first tastes of Ridge’s zin-blends were complete game-changers, showing me what Zinfandel (and California) could do. I would add Edmunds St. John here too.

Back in the vintages of the 80’s, Chateau Meyney was game changer for me as these wines were really inexpensive, showed (and still show) tons of typicity and have aged and matured as well as many much more prestigious Bordeaux.

The best affordable Bordeaux/Meritage reds in the USA - at least the best I’ve ever tasted - are made by Powers, out of Washington state:

http://www.badgermtnvineyard.com/powers/powers_wines.html

Especially their work in the Champoux vineyard.

To get similar quality out of California Bordeaux/Meritage, you’d be looking at spending five to ten times as much money.

I agree. Nice list.

Piling on at this point. I haven’t had every producer on here, but every one I have had has made me think: this is what I should be cellaring. Great list.

Great list. I would add Carlisle, a whole bunch more chablis, and a whole bunch of Saurernes

Warren, why don’t you go ahead and quadruple that list? :slight_smile:

If we’re thinking domestically, the Tablas Creek Esprit de Tablas (Beaucastel) is definitely in the mix at $44 for the red and $32 for the white (member pricing). I thought the 2006 Esprit we had a few months ago was tremendous and a dead ringer for Chateauneuf.

game changer for me was 2002 Napa Turnbull Cab for $35 while I was in school. Then about the same for a bottle of Clos St. Jean CdP which blew my mind. Cuvee Fred Emile can still be found for under $50 for acid junkies. JJ Prum Spats…any of them. Wines from Shea and St. Innocent. Muga Rioja Reserva Seleccion Especial or Prado Enea. Delas St. Joseph Francois de Tournon. Nardi Brunello. Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blanc.

Tons of em

Chinon Blanc, particularly Baudry’s Chinon La Croix Boissée Blanc.

Not sure how this slipped my mind initially, but for my tastes, Musar is incredible stuff for $40 or less.

Valdespino Fino, Inocente!

I had no idea this wine paradigm even existed until I tried this wine in the late 90s. It amazes me every time I drink it - and it’s still under $20.

1994 Bethel Heights Pinot Noir Willamette Valley I drank a couple of years ago got me back into Pinot Noir. Been chasing the dragon ever since. [snort.gif]

Thanks for including the Liquid in your US section Warren! Very kind! We too personally dig Bedrock, Ceritas & Ridge. We also love the Chard from Big Table Farm in OR and in CA - some very pretty Pinot’s from Knez, Anthill and Hirsch for sure on our list :slight_smile: And, Clos Pepe Homage de Chablis is a stunning Cali Chard in our book! Also Love Mathiason :slight_smile: Larry makes a pretty damn good Rousanne at Tercero - the list goes on and on :slight_smile:

we’re lucky to be in an era of so many great emerging small domestic producers - Anyone who wants a pretty awesome list of Cali folks (both established and newer) check out Jon Bonne’s book - The New California Wine - you will find a great collection of the must have’s for various varieties - most of which all make kick ass wine under $50 bones :slight_smile:

Also a female winemaker to be on the lookout for and she does have a little to offer now I think - Joanne Duray who has worked under Wes Hagen and also makes Pinot from Clos Pepe as well Huber - Check her out :slight_smile: I am encouraging her to be a part of Berserker Day next year of course!
(ps: we JUST MAY be working with some Pinot form Huber and Radian this year - for reals :slight_smile:
http://www.smallandtallwines.com/wines.html

I have to say for some fun Under $50’s -
a few Corsican wines from native varietals by a producer called Abbatucci (imported by Kermit Lynch) recently blew my skirt up - but, there I go with minerally whites and Rosé’s making me a happy camper :slight_smile:

2013 Faustine VV Blanc
(old vine Vermentinu)

2013 Gris Imperial Rosé
VARIETAL(S)
90% Sciaccarellu
10% Barbarossa

MORE INFO: http://kermitlynch.com/newsletters/1407-july2014.pdf

and from Cassis - Clos Sainte Magdeleine Rose-2013 (also Kermit)

happy drinking!
champagne.gif

AND totally with you Eric. Sherry is one of the most incredible beverages on the PLANET and almost all bottles fall way under $50 - some of my favorite stuff to drink - I’m never without some Fino or Amontillado chilled and at the ready in the fridge. The amount of time and labor and love in one bottle for the price always blows my mind!

SIDE NOTE: impromptu Fino included cocktail that I conjured up earlier this year and LOVE -------> I call it the Proper Topper. Take a low ball glass, add rocks to the top, top that with a bit of fino, top that with a bit of campari and top that with a bit of bubbles = 100% booze but 100% balanced and sooooo tasty! Trust me, try it. Easiest cocktail but has plenty of layers and complexity to make it taste for more time consuming.

[highfive.gif]

Thanks for including the Liquid in your US section Warren! Very kind! We too personally dig Bedrock, Ceritas & Ridge. We also love the Chard from Big Table Farm in OR and in CA - some very pretty Pinot’s from Knez, Anthill and Hirsch for sure on our list :slight_smile: And, Clos Pepe Homage de Chablis is a stunning Cali Chard in our book! Also Love Mathiason :slight_smile: Larry makes a pretty damn good Rousanne at Tercero - the list goes on and on :slight_smile:

we’re lucky to be in an era of so many great emerging small domestic producers - Anyone who wants a pretty awesome list of Cali folks (both established and newer) check out Jon Bonne’s book - The New California Wine - you will find a great collection of the must have’s for various varieties - most of which all make kick ass wine under $50 bones :slight_smile:

Also a female winemaker to be on the lookout for and she does have a little to offer now I think - Joanne Duray who has worked under Wes Hagen and also makes Pinot from Clos Pepe as well Huber - Check her out :slight_smile: I am encouraging her to be a part of Berserker Day next year of course!
(ps: we JUST MAY be working with some Pinot form Huber and Radian this year - for reals :slight_smile:
http://www.smallandtallwines.com/wines.html

I have to say for some fun Under $50’s -
a few Corsican wines from native varietals by a producer called Abbatucci (imported by Kermit Lynch) recently blew my skirt up - but, there I go with minerally whites and Rosé’s making me a happy camper :slight_smile:

2013 Faustine VV Blanc
(old vine Vermentinu)

2013 Gris Imperial Rosé
VARIETAL(S)
90% Sciaccarellu
10% Barbarossa

MORE INFO: http://kermitlynch.com/newsletters/1407-july2014.pdf

and from Cassis - Clos Sainte Magdeleine Rose-2013 (also Kermit)

happy drinking!
champagne.gif

WesMar- Pinot both the appellation and the SVD.

I think it just depends on what game you are trying to change. Are you looking for a world-beater? I think this thread, particularly coupled with the Poster’s concurrently running thread, “$100 is the new $50,” should be taken to mean: what bottles at this price change the nature of chasing ever-higher priced wines? Of course, then he posts Chateau Ste. Michelle Chardonnay, which (no offense intended) is neither a world-beater nor going to make anyone stop chasing expensive wines. If that bottle is representative the thread is really about QPR or cellar defenders.

That said, Warren’s list is great. To me those are game changers. To me those (and similar) wines announce that the correlation between price and absolute quality needn’t be linear, and that there are actually great wines available for reasonable prices. I’ll add the caveat that it probably helps to have an AFWE palate in this regard, but I could be wrong about that.

am in discovery mode. pls name a few i might findi n Dallas . thx

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This is an old thread, here is a newer one with some options: https://www.wineberserkers.com/t/your-recent-value-wine-recommendations/