I agree on the Tres Picos- available at Binny’s- for around 15 if i recall.
It’s actually pretty good advice for your preferences. Still, not as much fun as developing a good relationship with a local retailer or two, however.
Why not? Curious to hear because it truly sounds like your palate may be aligned with some of the wines he really likes and are value ones. Sounds like a perfect solution . . .
Cheers.
I think you would really get down w/ Garnacha de Fuego…high alcohol content, lots of fruit and good structure…it’s like 10-11 bucks and sold everywhere. I always try to have some on hand for guests when we have a lot of people over.
I thought the magazines stopped publishing reviews for wines rated below 85, so your universe of wines that score 86 or lower, price or quality level regardless, is going to be a pretty small one. Regardless, you’re asking the wrong question. Most people when they talk about unheralded gems are talking about the sort of wines the magazines don’t bother to review in the first place, not wines that they do review but rate poorly. But if you’re just looking for a cheaper version of Caymus, you don’t want to go off the beaten path. Any number of California wines will do the job. I suggest buying a sampler of a half dozen or so in your price range as well as the Caymus - you can do this by following retailer advice, by paying attention to the points, or totally randomly; it doesn’t matter - and wrap them all up tight in paper bags so you can’t see what’s what. (Remove the capsules first so you can’t cheat, and hide the corks from yourself when you pull them, too.) Regardless whether you sample them all side by side or open one a night, I would be shocked if you don’t find one or more that you find as good or better than the Caymus.
You might also like some Southern Rhones. High alc, lots of fruit, good value, and ridiculously high RP scores!
Yes. Which would be the problem if I like what RP is peddling
Joe, those are the people that will trust you implicitly. Whatever you serve them, they’ll think it’s great. Why? Because you’re the wine guy. ![[snort.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/b/bdc3944606213c4dca6c1169cf0a166c8bc4f8c9.gif "snort.gif"){kind=small}
Just for the record, I’ve never done anything to displace that trust.
I think that’s also a great suggestion. There are probably a few other things in the Jorge Ordonez portfolio of Spanish wines that will appeal to you, Joe.
No doubt about it. The 2011 Fuego is ridiculous for the money, which I have seen as low as $7. I think as you get more in touch with your palate (that sounds pretentious, but you know what I mean…) you will seek out increasingly more sophisticated/complicated wines–even if they only cost $15!–but the 2011 Fuego is pure, dense sweet pleasure. As someone above wrote, it’s great to have on hand for guests. And much of the 2011 Ordonez portfolio is just stupendous for the price. The monastrell called “Tarima” and the Borsao “Tinto,” both of which can be found for $8 or so, are just off the charts QPR.
I’m honestly not trying to pimp my dumb wine blog, which exists almost exclusively as a personal diary, but because I just happened to have both of these wines this past week…
http://realwinetalk.com/2013/01/17/2011-borsao-tinto/
I’m really posting because I want to bump this thread up and get more ideas from everyone. I’ve been dabbling like the original poster for a few months, and have similar tastes. I’m a fan of Caymus as well.
I’ve been forging relationships with a couple of guys at some of my local wine stores, and just the other day I had one $20ish dollar bottle that I thought was a great value compared to some of the Cab’s($60) I’ve been drinking lately.
Its was a Buena Vista 2008, The Count. My first sip was very spicy, but after about 30min in the decanter it smoothed out very nicely.
I’m very green, so take it for what its worth.
and oh… 1st post.