WineAlign

John Szabo

The feature of the January 23rd Vintages release is Argentina, though unfortunately many of the wines were not made available to media for pre-tasting. Nor were many of the 2006 Bordeaux scheduled for release for that matter. But nonetheless I came across a solid range of sub-$20 wines to recommend in the top ten smart buys. Topping the list is an extraordinarily good chardonnay from Hungary, of all places, made in a delicately oaked, old world, food friendly version that will have your friends guessing excellent Mâcon or similar. At just $10.95, you really can’t go wrong (and this has nothing to do with the fact that my last name is about as Hungarian as they come, promise).
The Iberian peninsula makes another strong showing on the value scale, with a lovely Douro red from the elegant 2007 vintage, a rich and fruity red from further south in the Alentejo, and a solidly structured red from Spain’s Montsant DO in Catalonia. Greece, Italy and France are also represented, as is California with a reserved and mature Cabernet from the Alexander Valley. For the record the two top buys from Argentina out of those tasted were:

2008 SANTA JULIA RESERVA CHARDONNAY Mendoza $13.95 *** (88 pts)
2007 KAIKEN CABERNET SAUVIGNON Mendoza $14.95 *** (88 pts)

Top Ten Smart Buys:
10. 2007 ÈTIM NEGRE DO Montsant $14.95 **1/2 (87 pts)
9. 2008 SÃO MIGUEL DAS MISSÕES RESERVA Vinho Regional Alentejano $15.95 **1/2 (88 pts)
8. 2007 CHÂTEAU DONA BAISSAS CUVÉE PER DONA CÔTES DU ROUSSILLON-VILLAGES AC $15.95 *** (88 pts)
7. 2008 SANTA JULIA RESERVA CHARDONNAY Mendoza $13.95 ***  (88 pts)
6. 2008 CHAVET MENETOU-SALON BLANC AOC $18.95 ***  (89 pts)
5. 2004 GEYSER PEAK CABERNET SAUVIGNON Alexander Valley, Sonoma County $17.95 *** (89 pts)
4. 2008 SURANI PIETRARICCIA IGT Fiano Salento $16.95 *** (89 pts)
3. 2008 NASIAKOS MANTINIA AOC $15.95 *** (89 pts)
2. 2007 QUINTA DO INFANTADO RED DOC Douro  $23.95 **1/2 (90 pts)
1. 2007 LAKE VELENCE OAK AGED CHARDONNAY Etyek-Budai Borvidék, Hungary $10.95 ***  (89 pts)

To see all of my reviews click here.

Cheers,

John Szabo, MS

Filed under: Wine, First In Line, John Szabo, Top 10 Smart Buys, Vintages, Vintages Preview