The Best Twenty Buck Chardonnay on the Planet!
What's that Greg? How many critics flipped out and gave 94-Point scores to your twenty buck Chardonnay?
"This stunning wine leaps out of the glass."
- Wine Spectator, May 2024
We cannot comprehend how Greg Brewer manages to make Diatom taste so good. The layered complexity will blow you away and the goodness continues uninterrupted through the expressive, crisp, lush and balanced finish.
Greg himself describes the 2023 Diatom as "massive" and "luxurious" and his words are completely justified. This might well be the world’s single greatest twenty-dollar bottle of Chardonnay.
Check out the starstruck reviews from Antonio Galloni, Jeb Dunnuck and Wine Spectator, then click fast on the Big Yellow Button to load up on this PERFECT all-purpose white. With Thanksgiving just a week away, you really ought to have a few bottles or a case of this in your cupboard!
2023 Diatom Chardonnay
Santa Barbara County, Central Coast, California
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vivid, lifted, layered and rich, this pure expression of Chardonnay bursts from the glass with a boisterous bouquet of peach, pineapple, Meyer lemon, and tangerine blossoms.
The palate is loaded with stone fruit and minerality, with creamy silkiness on the palate. It is simply amazing how much power and texture Greg manages to get out of this wine, and he does it all without using oak!
He has crafted something very, very special here, and it seems impossible that the wine is only $19.99.
“This impeccably made Chardonnay should be snatched up by readers, as it competes with wines at two to three times the price.”
- Jeb Dunnuck, August 2024
When we first featured the 2023 Diatom a few months ago, it had a 93-Point rating from Wine Spectator. Now it's earned 94-Point reviews from Galloni and Dunnuck. Simply incredible!
“The 2023 Chardonnay (Santa Barbara County) is a total stunner. Bright, aromatic and vibrant, the 2023 is lights-out, brilliantly marrying fruit intensity and energy. Apricot, mint and white flowers abound. This is a stunning wine for the price and for its production of around 40,000 cases. All of this fruit is from Mission Hills in Los Alamos. Drinking Window: 2024 - 2030."
- 94 Points, Vinous - Antonio Galloni (7/2024)
“The 2023 Chardonnay comes from the Mission Hills Vineyard just outside of Los Alamos. Its vivid medium gold hue is followed by a vibrant nose of salted citrus, tangerine, exotic flowers, and subtle spice. Medium-bodied, pure, rounded, and beautifully balanced, it has plenty of power and density, integrated acidity, and a great finish. This impeccably made Chardonnay should be snatched up by readers, as it competes with wines at two to three times the price. Maturity: 2024 - 2029.”
- 94 Points, Jeb Dunnuck (8/15/2024)
"This stunning wine leaps out of the glass, with concentrated flavors and aromas of white peach, quince and pineapple, plus floral accents of orange blossoms and lemon curd. Finishes with mouthwatering acidity, a note of crunchy sea salt minerality and a whiff of lemon verbena. Drink now."
- 93 Points, Wine Spectator (5/1/2024)
The winery sells this for $27. Jeb quotes $25 and compares it to wines at two to three times the price. This is a total knockout!
Vin Chicago Price: 19.99
2022 Domaine J. Boulon "Vieilles Vignes"
Beaujolais Superieur, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With Thanksgiving just a week away and "Beaujolais Day" coming up this Thursday, we thought the timing was perfect to bring you this tasty bottling from Hugo Matray and his wife, Ludivine (Boulon) Matray.
Their winery and home are at a rustic, no-frills property near Morgon. It is here where Hugo produces this honest, juicy, gritty and quite yummy old school French red.
Using fruit harvested from 50+ year old vines during the highly-regarded 2022 harvest, this classic Gamay is loaded with friendly cherry/berry notes, violets, and a fun grapey character that is reigned in by stone and flint minerality.
An assertive but light country charmer, this authentic red sports the rarely seen "Superieur" designation that marks less than 1% of Beaujolais. We’re a solid 89 Points on this smart buy, and recommend it as a pick for large Thanksgiving gatherings and as a pairing for your next weeknight burger!
Vin Chicago Price: 11.99