Darley Alexander Valley Red

Domaine Lerys Tradition

The family estate Domaine Lérys was founded in 1861 in Villeneuve les Corbières, with vineyards planted on steep schist soils, not such a different landscape from what you find in Spain’s Priorat. The Rhone grapes like Carignan, Grenache and Syrah grown in Fitou are more generous than they are burly. Their Tradition bottling combines 60% Carignan (tangy and almost cranberry like) with dense and deep Grenache.

Domaine Priou Pinot Noir

François et Jean-François Priou mostly grow Sauvignon Blanc along the River Cher; their Touraine Sauvignon Blanc is a great value. Certain places that didn’t used to be able to ripen certain grapes are finding it easier to show off. While you might not think of the Loire Valley for Pinot Noir, it’s routinely grown there and, if you haven’t had a chance to drink any of the ethereal versions of the grape in this region, now it’s your chance.

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

Giuliano Rosati Montepulciano d'Abruzzo

Okay, we’ll admit it, Italian wine is confusing. Montepulciano is a town but it's also a grape not grown in that town. When that grape is grown in the Abruzzo region, it’s rich, plush, fun and juicy as hell. And it’s also not respected enough by the Italians to charge you a lot of money. I think they’re confused too.

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.

Histoire De Grains Marselan

Throughout the expansive Roussillon-Languedoc are some of the more adventurous French grapes with which you might not be familiar – Marselan is at the top of the heap. It’s a crossing of Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache, far lighter than Cabernet but with some of its strengths and backbone. Bordeaux has just recently chosen it as a newly approved grape there, which is no small feat!