Well, since Adam hasn’t given us any guidance, he’s kind of left it open to us to name our favorites, hasn’t he?
Base level Borsao. I needed some wine for an event and it was the cheapest wine I had tasted that was palatable so we bought a few cases. It was excellent. I just bought another case for the princely sum of $5.99 a bottle. It is the best under-$10 wine I have had since the pre-hype Las Rocas 11+ years ago.
I had a bottle of the 2002 Borsao that got lost in my cellar and I opened it in 2008 because I figured I could at least use it for stew. Here is my note:
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2002 Bodegas Borsao Campo de Borja Borsao - Spain, Aragón, Campo de Borja (2/19/2008)
Hey! This stuff really ages. I was making beef stew tonight so this morning, after getting the other ingredients together in a pot, I pulled a bottle of 2002 Borsao and set it on the counter. As 5:00, I called my son, told him to uncork the wine, pour it into the pot, and put it in the oven. I asked him to leave a few ounces in the bottles for later. At 7:30, I uncorked the left over bottle on the counter and unceremoniously took a swig from the bottle, expecting to quench my curiosity more than my thirst. Intense and complex cherry and raspberry flavors with some pepper and spice. I poured the rest into a glass so I could write a proper note. Moderate red color but not opaque, a little like a dark ruby. Cherry on the nose. still the same palate. Tannins softened and sweet. No oak or vanilla. This is a bona fide very good to excellent wine, 88 pts without the QPR factor. I bought a case of this 4 years ago at Zachy’s on sale for $4.59 per bottle. Best bargain since the $6 Le Montrachet I got in 1978. (88 pts.)
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2014 Baudry Les Granges
Weygand and Chambers both have it.
Sella & Mosca Cannonau di Sardegna Riserva (most any vintage, but 2007, 2009 and 2010 are all great) if you are willing to tolerate some variable brett…For my money this offers as much bang for $13 as any red wine available. There was a recent thread on it, and some found too much chance of brett. I have had plenty of brett-free bottles, but also plenty of brett-bombs, and either way I enjoy the wine…
Also, almost any inexpensive wine from Eric Solomon’s portfolio. Most recently a couple of $10-$12 Roussillon white wines available at Costco have been great–Novellum Chardonnay and a Domaine LaFage “Cuvee Centenair” (a blend of Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris, and Rousanne).
No guidance? That’s just… berserk!
Maybe he wanted edification from the rest of us [cough, cough].
2013 Vietti dolcetto and barbera and 2012 perbacco nebbiolo have all been great wines for me. The perbacco is $20, the others are closer to $15.
Yes indeed.
I’d also recommend Bodegas El Nido Jumilla Clio in the low $40’s. Big wine.
McPrice Myers wines are also a great QPR. Never had a bad one.
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Thank you all for your replies.
Our current tastes go towards pinot, syrah and zin. Love cru beaujolais(but don’t have much available local and ordering online seems pretty limited).
Also love sparking…our go to QPR is Gruet at this point.
Adam
Ta.
In the style of old school wine writers (as I don’t know your local wine shops) :
If you like Pinot, then try Fumin from Aosta in Italy - a similar smokiness and more charm/character for your buck than Pinot IMO. Palliser estate from NZ do a very reliable and modest Pinot Noir.
If you like Syrah, then don’t overlook some of the big Aussie wineries (Wynns, Jacob’s Creek) who can make some decent wines that aren’t oaked to the max. Also St Joseph in Northern Rhone for lighter/more elegant wines, and further south for Languedoc which is innovative and offers value
If you like Zin. Harder for me to recommend, but from nominally the same grape, Primitivo wines from Puglia can really impress (for me when the alcohol is kept moderate, but YMMV). Southern Rhone CdR such as Guigal’s are often widely available, but also try some Gigondas for interesting Grenache wines
If you like Cru Bojo, then keep chasing it, plus Bojo Villages (the Dom Rocchette we had at the weekend was pleasant enough & came in modestly priced on the wine list). Also try some of the Loire Cab Franc based wines (e.g. Bourguiel, Chinon). More substantial and tannic, yet often bright & lively.
Borsao has been my favorite value wine as well. I have been through several cases of it through the last 3 or 4 years. Really liked the 2011. The 2012s were a bit on the hot side in comparison. The 2013s are better but not quite as good as the 2011s imo. I have about a half case of the 2011s I am going to hold onto for a few years as I think they are so well balanced that I think they might age decently.
Tormoresca Neprica blend from Puglia, too.
One cheap sparkler I dig: Lucien Albrecht cremant d’Alsace brut rose. Better than its fifteenish dollar price tag.
Well, it came in Tuesday along with a couple bottles of 2002 Huet Clos du Bourg moelleux. Popped it open tonight, enjoyed it immensely, and just bought the last 3 bottles the place had. Excellent recommendation guys! ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
Anyone have any thoughts or opinions on the current Last bottle offerring for $15?
Madrigal Petite Sirah Napa Valley 2011
Qupe is our daily drinker Syrah - their Bien Nacido can be found for right around $20 (try Total Wines).
The last few days I’ve been sipping a 2018 Domaine de Saint Cosme ‘les Deux Albions’ blanc [Principaute l’Orange] and really enjoying this. This is a new bottling, and a young vineyard (planted 2013), but its a well crafted white. Heavy on the Viognier, and with good amounts of Picpoul and Marsanne in the cepage, so it shows peachy notes along with lime zest. It is raised in a mix of stainless and oak, but the balance is just right, no ponderous vanilla here. 13.2% abv but it is so gluggable, one drinks more/faster than they’d expect. The tech sheets show a little residual sugar of 2.9 g/L. I don’t have a sense for what’s typical/expected here, but I suppose that might be why I like it, as I tend to favor wines that are not bone dry, even if I may not know what their chemistry is. Of course, after a decade or two of aging, that can be different. But for this floral young blanc, everything seems well balanced now. If you like full bodied Rhones, give this a try. It doesn’t have the acidity of a fine Condrieu, but it has other likable elements. I would repurchase in this, and future vintages. For my tastes, at least a B+, higher if this plump style is in your wheelhouse
Long time fan of Saint Cosme. Have not had this specific bottle however I just dialed up a few of these based on your note. I like the blend and the palate sounds about my wheel house. Thx!
Layering on previous reply: This bottle over-delivers. Well done and the notes above are pretty spot on though i’d add more citrus/orange in the mix for my glass.