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At ten bucks or less, you just can't go wrong with any of these 90 point rated selections!
Alloy Wine Works "Martian Galaxy" Sparkling Rose with Hops NV
90
Our Score
(2/2018) Andrew Jones successfully harnessed sunshine and twinkly stars in a can. This mixture of dry sparkling rose and hops is so refreshing and bright, with the addition of the hops adding a slight pithyness akin to biting into a juicy grapefruit segment. This is totally chugable, making us crave some Chicago summer more than ever!
(2/2018) Andrew Jones successfully harnessed sunshine and twinkly stars in a can. This mixture of dry sparkling rose and hops is so refreshing and bright, with the addition of the hops adding a slight pithyness akin to biting into a juicy grapefruit segment. This is totally chugable, making us crave some Chicago summer more than ever!
Badia Coltibuono "Cetamura" Chianti 2015
88+
Our Score
90
James Suckling
(8/21/2016) "A fine and silky red with plum and chocolate character, medium body and a fresh finish. Real Chianti. Drink now."
(8/21/2016) "A fine and silky red with plum and chocolate character, medium body and a fresh finish. Real Chianti. Drink now."
$
979
Discount:
750 ML
Bodegas Breca "Garnacha de Fuego" Aragon Garnacha 2016
Jorge Ordoñez nails it again! A massively over-delivering red with a very slick gold-foil label.
90
Jeb Dunnuck
(3/1/2018) "Brought up in a mix of concrete and stainless steel, the 100% Garnacha 2016 Garnacha de Fuego offers a deep black/purple color to go with terrific notes of blackcurrants, black cherries, scorched earth, and melted licorice. Ripe, sexy and forward on the palate, with notable purity, it's a classic Garnacha to drink over the coming 5-6 years."
(3/1/2018) "Brought up in a mix of concrete and stainless steel, the 100% Garnacha 2016 Garnacha de Fuego offers a deep black/purple color to go with terrific notes of blackcurrants, black cherries, scorched earth, and melted licorice. Ripe, sexy and forward on the palate, with notable purity, it's a classic Garnacha to drink over the coming 5-6 years."
Bodegas Casa Castillo Jumilla 2015
91
James Suckling
90
Wine Advocate
(6/29/2016) "The wine formerly known as 'Monastrell' is now simply 2015 Casa Castillo because it is now a blend of Monastrell with some 10% Syrah and around 5% Garnacha and it will continue being a Monastrell-based blend with some more Garnacha, maybe up to 15%, in the future. I previewed a tentative blend of this 2015 and then tasted the bottled version a few weeks later. It shows ripe fruit, red and black, some spiciness and plenty of Mediterranean herbs. This feels young but it has no edges, it's juicy and supple, young but accessible. It will be much better after a few months in bottle, so hold the cork if you can resist it."
(6/29/2016) "The wine formerly known as 'Monastrell' is now simply 2015 Casa Castillo because it is now a blend of Monastrell with some 10% Syrah and around 5% Garnacha and it will continue being a Monastrell-based blend with some more Garnacha, maybe up to 15%, in the future. I previewed a tentative blend of this 2015 and then tasted the bottled version a few weeks later. It shows ripe fruit, red and black, some spiciness and plenty of Mediterranean herbs. This feels young but it has no edges, it's juicy and supple, young but accessible. It will be much better after a few months in bottle, so hold the cork if you can resist it."
$
979
Discount:
750 ML
Bodegas Castano Yecla Monastrell 2016
90
Wine Advocate
(12/29/2017) "I hadn't encountered their entry-level, young and unoaked Monastrell for a while, but I tasted the 2016 Monastrell, which fermented in stainless steel and was kept in concrete vats for four to six months. They used some 25% to 30% full clusters in the vinification, and I've never smelled anything like this from Castaño. This is floral and fresh, elegant and balanced, with moderate extraction, ripe tannins and a very pleasant mouthfeel with clean, focused flavors. This is almost too serious for the price. Wow! In the future, they might do some full clusters; I tasted an experimental lot with 100% full clusters in 2016, and the wine was amazing. 250,000 bottles produced; there are three 80,000-bottle lots as similar as possible, but all the bottles destined for the U.S. market are from the same lot. Drink Date 2018 - 2020."
(12/29/2017) "I hadn't encountered their entry-level, young and unoaked Monastrell for a while, but I tasted the 2016 Monastrell, which fermented in stainless steel and was kept in concrete vats for four to six months. They used some 25% to 30% full clusters in the vinification, and I've never smelled anything like this from Castaño. This is floral and fresh, elegant and balanced, with moderate extraction, ripe tannins and a very pleasant mouthfeel with clean, focused flavors. This is almost too serious for the price. Wow! In the future, they might do some full clusters; I tasted an experimental lot with 100% full clusters in 2016, and the wine was amazing. 250,000 bottles produced; there are three 80,000-bottle lots as similar as possible, but all the bottles destined for the U.S. market are from the same lot. Drink Date 2018 - 2020."
$
699
Discount:
750 ML
Bodegas Enrique Mendoza "La Tremenda" Monastrell 2014
92
Wine Advocate
(4/2016) "This wine has six months in used 500-liter barrels and a variable time in vat, between six months and one year. The 2014 feels very tender, it has the esparto grass austerity of the stony vineyards with the chalky soils and a myriad of Mediterranean herbs. They used some stems for the fermentation, which added a fine thread and makes it subtly textured. It has the dusty tannins and the saline tastiness of the limestone soils. It represents a superb value and a great introduction to the Monastrell from Alicante; the price is hard to believe."
(4/2016) "This wine has six months in used 500-liter barrels and a variable time in vat, between six months and one year. The 2014 feels very tender, it has the esparto grass austerity of the stony vineyards with the chalky soils and a myriad of Mediterranean herbs. They used some stems for the fermentation, which added a fine thread and makes it subtly textured. It has the dusty tannins and the saline tastiness of the limestone soils. It represents a superb value and a great introduction to the Monastrell from Alicante; the price is hard to believe."
Bodegas Enrique Mendoza "La Tremenda" Monastrell 2016
92
Wine Advocate
(12/29/2017) "The 2016 La Tremenda is sourced from the vineyard that names the wine, from their estate El Chaconero in the village of Villena, a plot at 600 meters altitude planted some 25 years ago. It fermented in stainless steel and matured in French barriques for six months. 2016 is a cooler year than 2014 or 2015, and the wines reflect it. It was not an easy year; they had to do a strict selection of grapes, and it paid off. It has the character of the variety, with its elegant rusticity with a fresh, herbal twist and a palate with fine-grained tannins, nicely textured and with a supple, very tasty finish. This is a superb introduction to Monastrell from Alicante at an incredible price."
(12/29/2017) "The 2016 La Tremenda is sourced from the vineyard that names the wine, from their estate El Chaconero in the village of Villena, a plot at 600 meters altitude planted some 25 years ago. It fermented in stainless steel and matured in French barriques for six months. 2016 is a cooler year than 2014 or 2015, and the wines reflect it. It was not an easy year; they had to do a strict selection of grapes, and it paid off. It has the character of the variety, with its elegant rusticity with a fresh, herbal twist and a palate with fine-grained tannins, nicely textured and with a supple, very tasty finish. This is a superb introduction to Monastrell from Alicante at an incredible price."
$
999
Discount:
750 ML
Bodegas Montebuena "Cuvee KPF" Rioja 2015
90
Vinous, Josh Raynolds
(10/2016) "(Aged for three months in used American oak barrels) Vivid ruby. Bright, sharply focused aromas of fresh red fruits and flowers, along with a spicy overtone and a hint of vanilla. Lithe and appealingly sweet on the palate, offering vibrant, oak-spiced raspberry and cherry flavors and a subtle rose pastille nuance. Finishes supple and long, displaying silky, slow-building tannins and resonating spiciness."
(10/2016) "(Aged for three months in used American oak barrels) Vivid ruby. Bright, sharply focused aromas of fresh red fruits and flowers, along with a spicy overtone and a hint of vanilla. Lithe and appealingly sweet on the palate, offering vibrant, oak-spiced raspberry and cherry flavors and a subtle rose pastille nuance. Finishes supple and long, displaying silky, slow-building tannins and resonating spiciness."
$
979
Discount:
750 ML
Bodegas Valdespino "Inocente" Fino Sherry NV
New low price! Regular Vin Chicago retail - $9.99!
93
Decanter
94
Wine Advocate
(8/2013) "I've often called Valdespino 'the Romanee-Conti of Jerez.' Well, there, I've said it. To me they represent quality and tradition at the very top of the Sherry hierarchy. The NV Fino Inocente must be one of the few wines in Jerez that is still fermented in 600-liter American oak botas, which is an incredible amount of work compared with fermenting tens of thousands of kilos of grapes (or even more) in a big stainless steel tank. This method was the norm of yesteryear, but is so labor intense that it was discontinued in most wineries, and gives a big diversity of wines, as each barrel has its own character, which contributes to the complexity of the blend. Furthermore, the bottled wine is on average 8 to 10 years old. One other thing that makes it apart from other Finos is that the grapes are exclusively from the high part of the Macharnudo vineyard, so this is a single-vineyard Fino. The nose is very complex, showing the effect of the long lees contact: chalk, dried hay, aromatic herbs and salty almonds. The palate is full, but at the same time elegant and balanced, powerful and fine, with the texture of a Meursault rather than a Puligny. A very complex wine, that manages to be both powerful and elegant. Inocente is great value for money. Drink 2013-2016."
(8/2013) "I've often called Valdespino 'the Romanee-Conti of Jerez.' Well, there, I've said it. To me they represent quality and tradition at the very top of the Sherry hierarchy. The NV Fino Inocente must be one of the few wines in Jerez that is still fermented in 600-liter American oak botas, which is an incredible amount of work compared with fermenting tens of thousands of kilos of grapes (or even more) in a big stainless steel tank. This method was the norm of yesteryear, but is so labor intense that it was discontinued in most wineries, and gives a big diversity of wines, as each barrel has its own character, which contributes to the complexity of the blend. Furthermore, the bottled wine is on average 8 to 10 years old. One other thing that makes it apart from other Finos is that the grapes are exclusively from the high part of the Macharnudo vineyard, so this is a single-vineyard Fino. The nose is very complex, showing the effect of the long lees contact: chalk, dried hay, aromatic herbs and salty almonds. The palate is full, but at the same time elegant and balanced, powerful and fine, with the texture of a Meursault rather than a Puligny. A very complex wine, that manages to be both powerful and elegant. Inocente is great value for money. Drink 2013-2016."
$
799
Discount:
375 ML
Bodegas Volver "Tarima" Alicante Monastrell 2015
91
Wine Advocate
(8/30/2016) "Another terrific value is the 2015 Tarima (Nonorganic) from Alicante and another 100% Mourvè- dre cuvée, aged six months in French oak. This wine has terrific aromatics, broad, expansive flavors, about 15% natural alcohol and an expansive, heady mouthfeel. This is rich, dense and Provençal in its flavor components. Totally aged in used oak and stainless steel, the wine is a real sleeper and big-time winner in the values sweepstakes. Drink it over the next several years."
(8/30/2016) "Another terrific value is the 2015 Tarima (Nonorganic) from Alicante and another 100% Mourvè- dre cuvée, aged six months in French oak. This wine has terrific aromatics, broad, expansive flavors, about 15% natural alcohol and an expansive, heady mouthfeel. This is rich, dense and Provençal in its flavor components. Totally aged in used oak and stainless steel, the wine is a real sleeper and big-time winner in the values sweepstakes. Drink it over the next several years."
