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Best wine for under $40

thatguy2016 said:
Had dinner with some friends Saturday. I’m normally not a big Chard fan but they are, so I took them a Mother of Pearl Chard from Fort Ross Vineyard up the coast from Jenner. Fantastic bright yellow color and a delicious Chard. Recommend both the vineyard and the wine.

Host opened a bottle of Groth Cab after dinner. Also fantastic.
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will definitely check this out. We go up that way a few times each spring/summer
 
Had the 2010 Billecart Salmon Rose for Mothers Day. Prettttty damn good. Up there as one of the best rose champagnes I’ve ever had. The non vintage is really good too if you can find it - prices keep going up on it and it’s hard to find in Mass.
 
Today's Last Bottle option is a 2009 Riserva Arpepe Valtellina Superiore. I've had the 2020 entry level, 2016 Pettirosso (multiple vineyard), and three of the 2013 single vineyard options from Arpepe and they're all phenomenal. Hands down IMO the best producer in the region and if you put this in a blind with Barolo and Barbaresco I doubt you'd be able to pick it out as the ringer.

Nebbiolo from the Valtellina area (northeast of the Piedmont up against the Swiss border), strawberry, rose petals, almost translucent color, FRESH fruit, round tannins but very present. $79 and even though it says available retail for $110, I haven't even seen the 2009 option available in the Massachusetts market.

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Anybody have any winery recs in Mendoza? Going there in November.
 
deac_tracy said:
Anybody have any winery recs in Mendoza? Going there in November.
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never been to Mendoza but found this article as a good starting point

www.savoredjourneys.com

11 Must-Visit Mendoza Wineries

Immerse yourself in Argentina's wine culture. Check out these 11 Must-Visit Mendoza Wineries, with world-class wines and breathtaking views.
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Catena Zapata makes some amazing juice and the views ain't bad (spoiler: wines there are definitely not under $40)

foothils.jpg
 
Zapata is absolutely the choice if you can swing it. Bar none the best producer IMO in the region and producing truly world class wine. Their higher end stuff is remarkable. Their White Bones and White Stones chardonnay is unlike any wine I've ever tried
 
deac_tracy said:
Anybody have any winery recs in Mendoza? Going there in November.
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What part of Mendoza are you staying? Valle de Uco has the best winery experiences but if you're staying in the city itself or Lujan de Cuyo you might not want to head out that far. I can give some recs/info based on your location.
 
From a tourist stand point how does Mendoza and Argentina wine country in general stack up vs Napa/Sonoma, Wash/Oregon or Italy?
 
Had one of the best skin contact/orange wines I've ever had recently. It's from a grape called Bronner (never heard of it or seen it before) from Weingut Leiselehof in Alto Adige in Northeast Italy. Aged for 14 months in used barrique and from the 2018 vintage. It has the acidity and slight tannin/slightly funky note that you generally find in the style but the treatment in the winery plus bottle age adds a level of complexity and seriousness you don't normally see. It's around $40-$50 market price, but I was able to snag it for $29. I'll probably end up buying a few bottles of it before it's sold out at the current price.
 
TownieDeac said:
View attachment 4058

This was excellent
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Haven't had this but that's a great name and label. If you like that, a couple petnats in the same category based on the tasting notes that I've had recently (which may or may not be in the DC market depending on importing/distriution) are La Matta from Casabianche (Fiano from Italy), Vandal Pet Nat (predominantly Chardonnay from New Zealand), and Folklore Pet Nat (Malvasia and Trebbiano from Uruguay).
 
Discernibly not in the under $40 category, but we got in a one off bottle of 1994 Petrus yesterday that can go home with you for a smooth $5800!
 
Do love pet nats

A dope bottle shop nearish my office on my walk home is always so tempting and I stopped in yesterday and picked that up plus some Other Half cans and an Ole Forrester Rye

Dangerous spot tbh
 
deac_tracy said:
Anybody have any winery recs in Mendoza? Going there in November.
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I've been twice (most recently in 2020); here a few places I really liked:
Diamandes
Zuccardi
La Azul
Salentein
Andeluna

Visiting the Vines of Mendoza facilities can be fun too; some good winery / restaurant options available. We stayed at Casa de Uco last time and had a very good experience - the wine blending class there was especially fun.

Private driver is the best, but if you go with a tour company Ampora was great the time we used them. I'll look at some of the bottles I have when I get home and add to this list if I missed any places we liked (based on what we brought home).
 
The other place we really liked was Huentala Wines - had a great lunch and wine tasting there. We were the only people there the day we went and they treated us like royalty. Would definitely go back there on my next visit.
 
We got in a decent number of bottles from Terre Rouge/Easton Wines. Winemaker is Bill Easton who is one of the original "Rhone Ranger" winemakers who was a large force in bringing Rhone varieties to California. I haven't really been blown away by any of them which is unfortunate because they generally have some age on them at release (2014-2017) and are good prices for those ages. I haven't tried the Ascent Syrah which retails for like $110 (we had a tasting at the other shop but I was out of town) but overall it gets a MEH from me.

Did their carbonic macerated Zin (the 2019 Zinster) for a tasting this week and it just doesn't move the needle as far as what I'd look for in a Zin - not that I drink a ton of it.
 
This one is really good.

  • 2015 Wonderment Dutton - Campbell Vineyard Pinot Noir​

Woman-owned winery in Russian River. Right around $40 price point.

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Sitting here on a pointless conference call when I decided to see which wines mentioned here were at the wine shop right on my commute. I got one hit. Biff’s sequoia grove cab for $45.

There is a Barolo for $40, Vite Colte Paesi Tuoi. Numbers said 2016 was a great year for Barolo. This says 2016/2018 so not sure what that means.

Then a Bodega Catena Zapata High Mountain Vines Malbec for $18. I think Numbers said all their stuff was good.

Should I try these?
 
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