Reds-Case (if money were no object) | $52/bottle (Iron Bridge) or $40/bottle (Total Wine – but without the Iron Bridge’s excellent beef tenderloin) | Iron Bridge | Total Wine | This has been a consistent favorite of mine. Used to be from Orin Swift but I’m told it was sold—it’s still a great wine though. Wine Advocate (90 points) says “Its deep ruby/purple color is followed by a big, peppery, meaty, Rhone-like bouquet with hints of bay leaf, unsmoked cigar tobacco, black currants and sweet jammy cherries.” I’ll go along with that!
Testarosa Santa Lucia Highlands 2011 Chardonnay
Whites-Bottle | $40 | Total Wine | If chard is your thing, this is your wine. Smoother than silk. Great complexity. The only problem was the bottle was too small!. Although $40 is a lot of money for a white, rest assured that it is a legitimate 90 points. This is the good stuff.
Maipe Torrontes 2012
Whites-Case | $11/bottle or $132/case before discount | Total Wine | I’m always looking for a great wine for sushi and, not being a big Riesling fan, this is my favorite so far. From Mendoza, Argentina. Crisp, Pear, Apple, Light-bodied. A beautiful structure and acidity along with fruit flavors and plenty of body. Well balanced, this wine displays a pleasant freshness with citrus notes and a long finish. Best enjoyed in its youth.
Mendoza Station Torrontes 2012
Whites-Case | $6/bottle or $72/case before discount | Total Wine | Here is my second submission in the budget category, this time a white from Mendoza, Argentina. This highly aromatic white is filled with bright notes of orange blossoms and hints of apricot. The off-dry palate is balanced by a crispness reminiscent of fresh citrus, with a lingering perfumed finish. Delicious as an aperitif or with fresh seafood, especially sushi.
El Prado 2012 Tempranillo Cabernet Blend
Reds-Case | $6/bottle or $72/case before discount | Total Wine | Hopefully I’ve built some wine cred with a few midrange submissions, so I can now offer up my go-to red for bigger crowds when budget plays a larger role. This is a real easy drinker, very respectable for the bargain price. Good with food or when it’s alone. Or when I’m alone and don’t want to feel guilty about opening a bottle.
Fresh, Raspberry, Currant, Medium-bodied Spanish Red Blend. This medium-bodied blend of 70% Tempranillo and 30% Cabernet has a rich red purple color, and displays raspberry and blackberry flavors on the palate. Silky in texture with a superb finish, it pairs well with simple dishes such as cold meats and cheeses or pasta dishes.
The Chook 2012 Shiraz Viognier
Reds-Bottle | $22 | Total Wine | Winemaker’s Notes: The seamless integration of Shiraz co-fermented with Viognier, generates a seductive nose of apricots, spice and ripe berries. The palate is smooth and full of rich flavor, perfect for a long lingering finish of delightfully soft Shiraz fruit, but not without the punch.
“Deep garnet-purple in color and replete with lifted notes of ripe blackberries, freshly crushed blackcurrants and fresh mint with hints of pepper and aniseed, the full-bodied 2012 Shiraz Viognier has plenty of exuberant and juicy, blackberry flavors well supported by lively acidity and a medium level of rounded tannins. It finishes with good length.”
90 Points The Wine Advocate
“Saturated ruby. Floral, fragrant and fresh on the nose, displaying dark berry and oak spice aromas. Zesty blackberry and bitter cherry flavors show good clarity and lift thanks to juicy acidity. Deepens on the persistent finish, featuring peppery spice, vanilla and violet pastille notes.”
90 Points International Wine Cellar
Hermit Crab d’Arenberg Viognier Marsanne 2009
Whites-Case | $18 | Total Wine | Wow. Just wow. Julie B is going to fuss at me for stealing her favorite white, but this is awesome. Perfect Seafood wine. Francophiles will argue that real Viognier can only come from France, that it grows best in Rhone valley in rows between huge rock (usually granite) outcroppings. Well this Australian version gets its name from the fossils found in the dead coral in the soil which makes it a perfect white for seafood. If you’re headed to Catonsville Gourmet and need to take a bottle of white, this is the one. Don’t know that I’ve ever had Marsanne grape anywhere else, but if it is the Marsanne that takes the sometimes too sweet Viognier edge off this wine, count me a fan.
Daglia Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon 2011
Reds-Bottle | $18 | Total Wine | This recommendation is all about value. I must preface my opinion by disclosing that I suffer from cellar mouth. Seldom does any wine please my palette as much as a Napa Valley cab would. Based on prices, I assume others concur — a premium is levied on Napa’s wines, particularly its cabs. Even bad Napa cabs are usually pretty good. Good ones are typically $20 per bottle and great ones are $60 and up. For me, Daglia is better than good and less than great. At $18, it’s a better value than most in its class.
Camaraderie Cellars Merlot 2007
Reds-Bottle | $20 | Total Wine | I carry good news for those like me who have given up on Merlots because they are too thin and simplistic. This one is different! Rich, bold, robust, full-spectrum flavor. You’ll notice a difference in color as soon as it’s poured. Nose and flavor match. It’s cab-like but different.
Macon-Villages Bouchard Aine & Fils Chardonnay
Whites-Glass | $13 | Total Wine | Great French chardonnay (unoaked – this is not California). Fermented in stainless steel hint of citrus and grown in Maconnais region of Burgundy (far south of Chablis), but still enough oyster shell and minerals in the soil to taste in the wine and pair with seafood. Go get some raw oysters and drink-up.