Malbec from Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina
Purchase Price: $12.99
James Suckling 91, Robert Parker 90, ElsBob 90
ABV 14.5%
A dark violet color with aromas of black fruit and spices. A medium to full bodied dry wine, soft tannins and a medium finish. Will pair well with beef or lamb.
An excellent wine at half to a third the price you would pay for a comparably rated wine. This wine should easily last another 10 years in the bottle so stock up if you can find it under $13.
Cabernet Sauvignon from California
Purchase Price: $17.99
Wine Enthusiast 92, ElsBob 93
ABV 13.9%
Aromas of black fruit, a hint of vanilla, full-bodied, slightly tannic, dry, and a wonderful long finish. This wine will pair well with all meats and is also great on its own.
An excellent wine at about half the price you would expect to pay for a 92–93-point wine. Stock up on this wine if you can find it at this price.
Malbec from Mendoza, Lujan de Cuyo, Argentina
Purchase Price: $13.99
Vivino 91, ElsBob 87
ABV 13.5%
Aromas of leather and dark berries, medium-bodied, slightly tannic, with medium acidity. This will pair well with spicy foods, especially chili.
A very good table wine but don’t pay more than 8 or 9 bucks for a bottle.
Malbec from Mendoza, Lujan de Cuyo, Argentina
Purchase Price: $13.99
Vivino 91, ElsBob 87
ABV 13.5%
Aromas of leather and dark berries, medium-bodied, slightly tannic, with medium acidity. This will pair well with spicy chili.
A very good table wine but don’t pay more than ten bucks.
Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles, Central Coast, California.
79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Petite Sirah, 4% Petite Verdot, 3% Merlot, and 2% Malbec
Purchase Price: $17.99
James Suckling 91, Tasting Panel 91, ElsBob 90.
ABV 14%
Deep ruby trending purple in color, blackberries oak and vanilla aromas, full-bodied, dry, full tannins. An excellent wine to serve with beef cuts or just sipping it to unwind at the end of the workday.
A fine California wine under $20. A 90-point wine generally sells at a mean (average) price of $40.
Tempranillo, Grenache, Syrah/Shiraz from Spain.
Purchase Price: $14.99
Vivino 92, ElsBob 84
ABV 13.5 %
Cherry red in color, dark fruit aromas, medium body, and with rather difficult tannins. Serve with very spicy food.
The wine is a blend of different grape varieties possible from different regions and maybe different years. Vinification is only for a week or so then put into oak barrels for 3-4 months. After this very short malolactic fermentation the wine is blended and bottled. A wine before its time.
A good table wine but overpriced for the quality. You probably shouldn’t purchase this wine unless you can find it for under $8.
Shiraz/Syrah from Barossa Valley, Australia
Purchase Price: $13.95
Vivino 90, WE 86, ElsBob 89
ABV 14.5%
Deep purple, oaky, dark berry fruits, with a hint of spice aromas, medium-full body, dry, and smooth. A good pick to serve with beef or lamb.
A very good fine wine priced 2-3 times less than similarly rated red wines but one probably shouldn’t pay more than $10.
Zinfandel from Lodi, California, USA
90% Zinfandel, 10% Petite Sirah
Purchase Price: $7.95
Vivino 90, Wine Enthusiast 85, ElsBob 86
ABV 14.5%
Ruby red in, oak with muted fruit aromas, medium body, dry, and acidic. Typically, medium-bodied zinfandels peak around 3-5 years in the bottle and this one does not appear to be an exception. I believe it’s past its prime.
This probably was a good wine several years ago. If you have it in your inventory drink it now but only after the alcohol has been flowing freely for an hour or two.
Malbec from Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina
Purchase Price: $17.99
James Suckling 93, Robert Parker 92, Natalie Maclean 92, ElsBob 93
ABV 14.5%
Deep purple in color, aromas of blackberries, blueberries, and chocolate, oh my, medium-full bodied, more smooth than tannic, medium dry, and not very acidic. We had this with some mild cheese and slices of pepperoni. Terrific.
An excellent fine wine at a very reasonable price. A 93 rating usually goes for 2 to 3 times the price I paid. I initially tried this wine in 2021 and rated it a 91. It has improved significantly with age.
Syrah/Shiraz from Columbia Valley, USA
Purchase Price: $120 (restaurant)
International Wine Report 98, Jeb Dunnuck 97, Jame Suckling 94, Vinous 95, Elsbob 96
ABV 14.9%
Deep purple in color, aromas of black fruits, chocolate, and oak, medium to full bodied, medium tannic, dry, with medium acidity. I enjoyed this remarkable wine with a 6-ounce medium well-done filet and a side of grilled asparagus. Delicious.
A superb wine at a reasonable price. It currently retails at about $75, if you can find it, which is less than half what most wines in this rated category cost.
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