Dosoris Lane Proprietary Red

Maybe one of the most hyped up wines this year, Dosoris Lane is all about showing what type of crazy quality you can produce for under $15. Think black pepper notes from a little Syrah. The black fruits in the middle suggest a little bit of Cabernet; the red fruits and white pepper hint at Grenache. Put it all together and you have some epic red wine from the sunny south of France, with expansive and bright flavors.

Escorlada

Spanish wine is a bargain, right? It’s been that way for decades, though it’s only been in the last ten or fifteen years that the wider world has dropped some in their gullets and said, wait, this costs how much? Certainly, less than it should. It doesn't take geniuses to notice it, so we’re not making any claims to our own brilliance. In the case of this Garnacha Tintorera, we’re pretty sure we’ve found what may be the best sub $20 wine we have ever tasted. Spain has done it again!

Ferrer Bobet Priorat Vinyes Velles

Granicus Red

We like to shop in the Languedoc-Roussillon; it’s a place in Mediterranean France that has been important for more than a century but, despite the noise about inexpensive Bordeaux wines, remains the place to shop for value. When they are growing on chalky-clay terroirs, and when they apply Bordeaux techniques to it (fancy stainless steel, new French oak, minute temperature control and the like), they make a fascinating wine.

Highland Falls

"Mountain-grown, it’s the richest kind,” as coffee commercials used to say, but it’s also true of Cabernet. Foley Family's pedigree doesn’t hurt either: the guys who bring you Merus, Chalone and Chalk Hill Wines are behind the powerhouse Highland Falls lineup too.

Kingstree Cabernet

This is a tasty little gem unearthed by the pros at Banshee Wines. Banshee, started by three guys who just happened to like wine and wanted an excuse to be out west, hasn't been around long but they sure have kicked off righteously during their short career. They’ve always been focused upon cooler climate sites, especially with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and at the prices they offer their wines, it’s no surprise that things have gone swimmingly well.

Kingstree Proprietary Red

I'll be honest. Wines of this quality at this price are few and far between as vintners continue to try and stretch their prices further and further. It's a big and bold red from your friends at Pavilion...these guys know what they are doing!

Ladron del Palacio

The powers behind Bodegas Lo Nuevo are crucial to the modern success of Spanish wine, especially wines from the Levante, the Africa-facing south. Here the Almansa region grows Garnacha, among other traditional Spanish red grapes, but unlike the oxidized, alcoholic wines of yore, the new wines are bright and sunny with all the original fruits from the grape preserved. Bodegas Lo Nuevo would be the first to insist that their success is conditioned upon old vines grown at high altitudes. Here the Garnacha is at nearly 3500 feet, where the otherwise relentlessly warm temperatures see nighttime cooling into the 40s.

Le Comte De Malartic

The sweet spot of the Graves region, Pessac-Léognan, used to be an area of good but rarely great wines, whether white or red. And then, through the 80s, they got really good with their reds. Malartic utilized 78% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot to build this little sister wine to the main label.

Lillie's Collection Red

Guenoc Winery Langtry Estate Lillie’s Collection Victorian Claret –The Langtry estate’s history is not just that it was planted by Lillie Langtry, a once famed and adventurous Victorian actress. The vineyard was nearly forgotten but rescued back in the 1970s by Orville Magoon. This is nearly two-thirds Petite Sirah – the grape was Orville’s obsession - with 35% Merlot and few points of Cabernet Sauvignon.