- 2019 Domaine Brunély Gigondas - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Gigondas (3/5/2026)
Notes after three hours open. Dark ruby color, about 80% opaque with no haze or sediment. Medium intensity aroma of fruit cocktail and pipe tobacco - a little floral. No oak. Palate has medium weight with some slickness to it from 7 years in bottle. Tannins are still a touch fuzzy and the juicy acidity makes this easily gulpable in a New World way, as mentioned by others here. The flavors remain a bit simple, blueberry-driven with a hint of lavender candy, and there certainly isn’t any reliance on barrel influence… this seems either neutral or en foudre. I don’t think there is enough substance to improve any from here, but very nice today, particularly for the $17 docket. 5+10+16+8= 89 (89 points)
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A bit of thread cross-over here for a wine that is widely available in the USA for $10-15…
2021 Quinta de Lourosa ‘vinho verde’ [Escolha] 12% bright zippy and still angular at age 5. Went well with a plate of sauteed lemon/caper chicken and roast potatoes with crispy pancetta crumbled on top. Back label advises it’s 50% Arinto, 30% Loureiro, and 20% Avesso and that it receives two months of battonage. For my hot region, the season is coming for these to be enjoyed outdoors more often. Sealed under a short, natural cork.
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This bottle cost $22 at Costco, so it’s a little above this thread’s $20 limit, but this 2022 Haut-Medoc de Giscours is really really good for the price. I wouldn’t cellar it for 30 years, but for immediate drinking, it’s a really enjoyable bottle. If you’re trying to figure out why people make a big deal about Bordeaux and don’t have the budget for some of the big names, this would make for a nice introduction to the region.
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I have a half case of this in the basement and it’s quite enjoyable as a daily drinker type of wine. I wish I had picked up a little more of it. Bright fruit, soft tannins. Would’ve thought the merlot percentage was actually higher based on its easy drinking nature but CS is dominant
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2023 Kirkland Chablis is an excellent under 20 drinker. Crisp Orchard fruit on the nose, apple and pear and mineral on the palate. Acidity is tame, very smooth and very easy drinking right now. Just had it with some crabcakes and it was a solid match
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X-posted
Château de Maligny Vigne de la Reine 2024
Tastes like Chablis. It could use more cut and length. Considering the price, it’s a decent QPR.Badenhorst Sécateurs Chenin Blanc 2025
I know what I’m getting out of this: versatile, balanced, easy drinking. Don’t go there for vibrant, mineral Chenin; it has body and roundness. For the price and versatility for foid pairings, regular rebuy. Good QPR.Granbazán Etiqueta Verde Albariño 2024
I like the Verde. Pretty much always what you expect. Granny Smith apple, citrus, fragrant florals and some herbaceous notes on the nose. Good acidity, good cut and saline finish. Yeah, it’s a little clunky on the flavors (they get muddled), but for the price, it still delivers Albariño flavors. Good QPR.
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2014 Bordeaux is perfect for this thread title. Granted, I purchased them in 2017/2018 so perhaps not apropos anymore, but Chateau Lanessan and Chateau Capbern have always delivered for me in terms of value (in good vintages) and the 2014s fit that bill well.
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Chateau La Gurgue, Margaux, Medoc. 45% Cabernet-Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, and 23% Petit-Verdot, organic and biodynamic. Pop and pour, floral and spicy on the nose with some meaty notes, super tight at first, but is expanding with air. Dark ruby color. Bright red fruits, cedar and spice on the palate, very fresh and easy drinking Margaux from the Gonzague-Lurton stable. Smooth feel but doesn’t have a ton of depth. Lots of bright red fruit with cherry lingering on the finish, some tannic bite. For 19.99 a solid deal. 13%abv
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Nice Albarino <$20
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$16 from Empire Wine
2023 Sartarelli Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore Tralivio - Italy, Marche, Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore (5/27/2026)
Green apple, almond skin, a bit of leesy creaminess on the nose. High acid, a touch saline, finishes bitter and refreshing. Great food wine. (89 points)
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2021 Agathe Bursin “l’As de B” Alsace field blend
This is a nice bottle of wine and particularly so at the $20 price point. A field blend of all seven permitted Alsace varieties from the Bollenberg vineyard, fermented a bit off-dry.
Per a tech sheet for a different vintage, the vineyard is 20% each of Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Riesling, and Silvaner, plus 15% Pinot Blanc and 5% Muscat. At least the Pinot Gris, Gewurz, and Riesling make themselves known pretty well in the blend, with the heft and aromatics of the Gris and Gewurz balanced by Riesling acidity.
On the nose, the aromatic varieties scream out with rose petal and leechee, spicy and oily Pinot Gris florals, strawberry, and a light bitter edge. On the palate, the wine tends toward full-bodied, with moderate acidity keeping things in balance. The flavors largely follow the nose, with some pleasant bitterness helping keep the PG/Gewurz from cloying.
The wine does get a bit slack when it warms, and as usual when drinking non-Riesling Alsace varieties I would prefer some more acid and tension. But this did great with a fairly difficult food pairing – pierogies smothered in browned onions and sour cream served with buttered cabbage and peas – and so I’m a happy camper.
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2016 Chateau Noaillac
Took a flyer on this wine I’ve never had from a local shop…2016 Cru Bourgeois for $15.99? Sure, why not. 55% merlot, 40% cabernet sauvignon, 5% petit verdot.
Pours a medium dark ruby with garnet reflections. The nose is pleasant, with strong cassis, tobacco leaf, mint, and light toasted cedar. The palate opens with powdery/fine-grained tannins over the cassis. Medium bodied. The finish is drying and light.
Not bad at all! It’s sort of like an impressionistic still-life…you see all the elements, they’re balanced against one another. It’s not profound, but it doesn’t ask to be.
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I kind of wish that Noaillac was a Pauillac; it would be so much more stereohomophonic.
Been exploring some European reds lately. Shifting away from France, I picked up this lovely Spanish tempranillo from Bottle Barn (one of their email deals). Killer red for $18. Lighter on it’s feet that I would have thought from the description. Beautiful nose with some sweet spicy notes. Not a heavy wine at all. Mild smooth tannins. Very pure fruit. It doesn’t seem like the winemaker did much to interfere here. One of the best tempranillos I’ve had, and at a great price. If I had to use Parker’s numbers system I would give it 91.5 points.
Matches well with Clifford Jordan Quartet’s Glass Bead Games (Strata East reissue).
2024 Aveleda Solos De Granito
Alvarinho/Albarino is good territory around this price point. I tried this one recently ($19.99) . Lime and apple dominant full fruit with herbal notes and prominent salinity. Energetic, but not exuberant. Easy drinker, but you could pay more careful attention too. Enjoyable alone and with food. Versatile.
Recommended
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