Vinous Favorites

Delicious wines for less than $25 chosen by Vinous critics

9.1

Honey, almonds, yellow stone fruits, white flowers, almonds and mint all meld together in the 2010 Verdicchio di Matelica Vigneto Fogliano, a wine that stands out for its textured personality and class. (AG) — 9 years ago

Zen Zven

9.3

Aromatic notes of soap, savory, black fruits, game . . .
Svelt tannins, smooth acidity, soft texture meld together seamlessly! Result- a deliciously sensual wine.
— 9 years ago

Tom Kobylarz

9.6

Exceptional and pure immediately come to mind and are affirmed over 2-3 hours. This is Sangiovese Grosso in a very Burgundian, transparent and very pure expression.
A new producer of sorts, the earliest wines were in 2006 under this label from what I recall.

Being my first Stella the color is uncommonly lighter for a Brunello than you would expect.

The nose is pure, with elegant raspberry and strawberry fruits that meld with Earthy minerality, mushroom and spice into a beautiful, sensual perfume.

The palate continues the purity party, marrying a persistence and depth that reminds me again of Burgundy. A long finish carries the fruit, fresh acids and the fine, supple tannin.
As great as it is now, will it reach even more heights? Only time will tell.
#brunello #sangiovese — 9 years ago

William Hughes

9.1

Drink now and give it plenty of air. This is a terrific '11 that could use a couple more years to meld the fruit and the tannins. — 10 years ago

William Hughes

9.7

Wow! The '76 Is killer and has years to go. Wonderful poached pear with honey and anise on the nose and palate. Nothing cloying about this wine at all. The sweetness and acidity meld seamlessly! — 10 years ago

Dan Fredman

Chef Sommelier World of Pinot Noir

9.7

Zowie! Pretty much everything I want in a red wine- dark fruit, smoke, ample acidity and just enough age to meld its pieces together but not so old that it's lost its verve. Great wine accompanying a magnificent hunk of pork. — 10 years ago

with S.

Andrew Benn

9.0

2008
Bright but age served it well - letting the Zin and Cab elements meld. Nice cold day sipping wine — 11 years ago

Ron R

9.3

Not sure is this is identified correctly, but age is certainly a friend of this wine. On the nose, we detect kirsch and candied cherries.
The palette, while rich, is not as flamboyant as it was in its youth. Black stone fruits meld with anise and a hint of cloves. Finishes dense and a touch sweet. Wifey rated this as 93 pts. Who am I to argue.
— 9 years ago

with Anne-marie

Ron from VA

9.2

Wonderful meld of spice and dark fruit energy! Glad I waited :) — 9 years ago

David Kline

9.1

This one grew on me. Took a few hours, but really began to meld. Went from a fruity pulpy strawberry to a rhubarb and green olive nose bursting with carnation and Rose aromas, and a blood orange, smoky raspberry, and cran-apple pudding, without being sweet. Really well crafted. — 10 years ago

with Courtney

Ron from VA

9.3

Wow! First, I had a small taste via the Coravin... And the reseal worked great over the last year. So when I opened and let this breeze I was blown away at its varietal explosion! Massive amounts of complex peppers and spice meld to form a black hole of dark harvest flavors. This was beyond VA craftsmanship! Ohhh, I wish I had another bottle to pair with some huge red meat entree ;) what is most striking is that 2007 had such high sugar levels that it caused many wines to be flabby… This gem had incredible structure at eight years old! — 10 years ago

Charlie Beatty

Buyer wineworksonline.com

10

Awesome a first for me! I have had multiple vintages of the normal Malbec and others from this producer.. This is there finest offering . Loaded with soft tannins that meld with gobs of Fruit! It was my first wine of the night. Awesome is my thoughts here. CB — 10 years ago

with Andrew, Geirr and 2 others

Tom Kobylarz

9.2

Classic Mourvedre, it's as if the vines slurped the terroir right from the soils. Iron, savory roast wild game, violets, camphor and hot stones meld together into vinous pleasure. A heady nose with a full presence, the palate is perfectly balanced with fruit, minerality, acid and tannin. #bandol #mourvedre — 11 years ago

Michael McGuire

9.0

Dark deep red in color. The smell is a bit boozy and you can easily smell the merlot but if you really focus you smell the cab. There is a nice acidity and a bit of an alcohol taste that meld together with the cab and merlot. The oak is the there but in the background. The finish is quite nice with the merlot and cab fighting for dominance. The body, complexity, and overall taste are amazing for a cheap wine. I recommend buying a lot of this at TJs. — 9 years ago

Melanie Eitel

9.2

This is the beauty that started my love for Malbec. Full body flavors that blend and meld for a great wine that you can sip on its own, or have with a roasted pork loin. It has a berry mix with some more earthy undertones and a dash of subtle spicy notes. This one has made it to my top 20 list. — 9 years ago

Mike Mayer

9.0

Bright fruit and oak on the nose. Very nice flavors of raspberries, strawberries, and coffee meld together nicely with a big oaky overtone. The finish is complex with intense oak followed by bright fruit and black olives. Not what I expected but very powerful and interesting. — 9 years ago

with Lisa

Kapyrick Wine

10

V11 WOW! Beautiful wine. Soft, round cedar and slight smoke bouquet, which seamlessly meld into a rich blackberry and pepper spice fruit. Nice round slightly chalky finish.
Winner. — 10 years ago

Rochelle

8.9

Very good right from the bottle . Aroma of violets, lavender, oak , vanilla, and tobacco. Flavor fills the mouth cassis, cedar, tobacco, and a Meld of fruit and great tannins and a long finish ! — 10 years ago

Rémy Charest

Writer Winecase.ca

9.2

New oak and really great, intense, substantial Chardonnay have a really great relationship. When they meld, it's fabulous. Take this, for example... — 10 years ago

Josh Luhn

Luhn Wine Consulting Owner, Luhn Family Wines

9.3

Wonderful blue flower notes meld with the usual suspects; coco, plum, dark berries. Quite pretty and balanced for the warm 2007 vintage. — 11 years ago