God, this is exactly what I don't want in a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. I just want the tropical and green apple punch, no grass and no vegetal aspects. Do you know of any of those more recently? Many years ago now you used to be able to find that a lot. There was a brand called Monkey Bay that I loved, a cheapie that has largely disappeared. The last notable one I found was called Ponga, but also now largely gone. I guess this varietal doesn't sell as well in that regard as it did around 2005

Both The Prisoner & Guado AT were my picks for the exact reasons you noted. Funny/sad story- a few years back when returning home from a weekend away with my wife I found that my daughter had emptied a 2000 Tignanello from my cellar. 😢 She was looking for a cheap bottle to open and assumed that since I had 14 of the same bottles that it must be a daily drinker. She was horrified and thought I’d be mad but I really just wanted to know if it’s held up as nicely as the ‘97 & ‘99.

Thanks for being a Wine Spies Operative, mate! We’ve been bringing the best wines from around the world, since 2007!

Boggle was a nice surprise

William Hill

in Denmark this is 58 dollars. :S

Agreed!! I am not a fan of table side tech.

Frei Brother make a great PN. I am a big fan of Josh cab sav’s even if Pinots aren’t. Mac Murray is my favorite on your list. Stay away from LaCrema Monterey.

Herb and garlic roasted chicken, garden salad w/blue cheese crumbles and a fresh baguette.

Did you ever get that Sicilian producer list together??

Wow, our palates and interests seem to be very aligned, Chris. I buy as much Poggione and Ciacci as I can every year to lay down. Love Argiano, too, but I think their prices are going up, up, up…

I’ve had Sinor-Lavallee wines (San Luis Obispo) and pretty sure they make an entry level Pinot that’s about this price range, maybe a tick higher. Really earthy and good fruit.

Fantastic stuff, Chris. We can’t get enough of our Morgon and Fluerie Gamays!

Steen!

Right there with you with Freakshow! Worst wine I ever tasted

Villa Maria is more flavorful than those three

Try Diatom by Greg Brewer, a terrific entry level chardonnay for under $25.

Great review ... enjoying the 2020 now paired with my famous home made pizza (meat lovers) LOL. Cheers 🍷 I have a 2019 ORMA waiting for a fat rib eye steak to pair with 🙂

Worst Chards ?? Would be fun

great advice. same qualities for red vs white? summer vs winter? day vs night? Curious if the setting would change expectations as far as aroma to taste differences. awesome video as always!

very informative. might have to try it out this summer!

I agree with your assessment, you pointed out some great value cabs that were my on my “go-to” list many years ago. Now I seem to rarely drink cab unless it’s with a meal. Do people still drink cab for the love of it over say Malbec, Zinfandel, Chianti, Sangiovese…and other lighter and medium bodied reds that seem to be more suitable for casual consumption? Don’t hate on me- you are spot on but there are sooooo many reds that are well made and under $25 but they require a little curiosity and exploration. Wish good Pinot still existed at that price point- there are a few, but fleeting…cheers

great recommendations. any thoughts on a reasonably priced wine that would entice a non-wine drinker?

Agree 100% with the 3 to avoid. I hate Josh - too sweet. I also have not enjoyed the Charlers Smith Substance - too thin for me. One that you didn't mention that I would say is a crowd pleaser for me is Juggernaugt Hillside Cab from Bogle. Black Stallion used to be my favorite in this category but I can't buy it for under 25 anymore. Thanks for the video

Great video! I love to read his emails but havent purchased from him. Sometimes ill buy the wines he emails from euro retailers and have them delivered to my dads cellar in france.

Thank you for doing this type of video!

very informative sir!

Most winemakers don’t leave the matter of residual sugar up to brix. That factor should be controlled at harvest and even if it gets out of hand, there are other options to keep your wine dry and at a reasonable alcohol percentage or to prevent stuck fermentation. Most of the time, the decision to arrest fermentation, involving a heavy hand of filtration and sulfites, or to add sugar after fermentation is a calculated one designed to smooth over undesirable notes or those considered not mass consumer friendly. Point being, the correlation between alcohol content and sugar content just isn’t there.

Always love a good, unoaked Chardonnay.

If you like Pinot Noir, Gamay, and Nebbiolo there are 2 grapes that you should try: 1) Mencía from Spain, and 2) Nerello Mascalese from Etna in Sicily. Great wines that are still reasonably priced

Petite Sirah from Bogle !! a winner ever time!!

I saw a 1999 bottle at the wine shop and contemplating hard on getting it. Afraid it would be past it's peak

Found the hole in the wine list tonight. Vietti Trevigne Barbera $47. Ordered chicken under a brick instead of scallops because of our wine choice.

A friend and I tried the Michael David Petite Petit and actually enjoyed it. We decided to sample their other wines in the series and bought the three Freakshow red wines (didn't try the Chardonnay). BIG mistake! I don't know how these wines score well. They were not good at all. It gets worse. WAY worse! The Michael David Sixth Sense Syrah was a completely undrinkable mess. I was afraid my sink might puke it back up when I was pouring the rest down the drain. I am now afraid to go back and try the Petite Petit again, thinking it may have been a fluke that we liked it. I also don't see the need to give more money to a winery that has hurt me this badly.

Schug from Sonoma Coast is very good at $22. Recently tried the 2022. Good color and bouquet, tastes of licorice and dark fruit. James Suckling and Wine Enthusiast score it 91+. My only worry was about it keeping because it is a screw top. After opening I kept it in my refrigerator. On day 3 and 5, I poured a glass and let it rest and open up at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before drinking. It really held up and was very enjoyable showing that it is a well-made wine.

I popped the exact same wine beginning of the year with a 2 to 3 hour multi course dinner, and it was splendid. I think it was only decanted for about 30 minutes and I would also have done 2 hours if I had more time. The wine did evolve and swing a bit towards various profiles that switched between fruit, earthy and smokey flavors from coffee to chocolate, to dark soy sauce. The raspberry notes were more prominent and I only got cherry notes for a very brief period. The wine also changes once the glass is topped off, but harmonizes more once it is met with roast game birds and meats with reduction sauce (almost Nuits St Georges like in the better matches). This is a very masculine and powerful Brunello, yet very classy.

Stopped liking Meomi some time ago, but people seem to like it! Glad you agree!

As soon as you said freak show I liked the video

I’m looking for something even more bitter than fernet - anyone have any suggestions?

I am always curious about everyone's Top 100 list. I look for clues. For example, must like you said, if a certain area had way too many wines included in the list and they were all the same vintage, that would be a solid clue that something special was happening.

Very basic stuff. Sounds close to what I would say, if I were doing a podcast, and there are reasons I am not doing them! Not much to learn here, and very little info about this winery. All labels bear the lion of St. Marco in honor of the Fulignis' Venetian origins. The family, however, has long been thoroughly Tuscan, founding the winery in 1923 round a Medici villa and a tiny country convent of the Renaissance. Maria Flora Fuligni and nephew Roberto Guerrini Fuligni have just restored the latter to its sixteenth-century purity. Its cool, cloistered tranquillity supplies ideal aging conditions for these elegantly structured reds, jointly orchestrated by Maria Flora, oenologist Paolo Vagaggini, and agronomist Federico Ricci.

I have a little stack of Brunellos too. 2013 is the oldest. I think I'll start digging in later this year. Sangiovese!

Yes I care! The fewer additives, etc., the better. Up to 70 additives are allowed in wine 😢. The more sustainable, organic, the better. I like oak aged wines. Unfortunately too much oak upsets my tummy. Is the wine steel barreled or oak aged? What’s the ABV? Sugar content? Like the food industry, the wine/alcoholic industries should at least make an effort to become transparent. 🤔

Promo-SM

Thanks!

My wife and I typically order by the bottle. Given the crazy markup on most wine, I particularly enjoy looking for the ‘hole in the wine list’. For example I can usually find a good quality barbera or rosso di Montepulciano for a great price relative to more popular varietals. I also like that I’m offered a chance to smell the wine first. I usually skip the tasting part of the dance because I really just want to smell if I have a corked bottle. The only negative I can see is that, when in a group, I feel elitist when doing the swirl and sniff. But to be fair that’s a self inflicted emotion.

Good grief. If this man is a wine expert, he should know how to pronounce "sommelier" correctly.

2013 was the last available vintage.

Cloudy Bay is SO much better than any of these 3.

Looking forward to more videos! A channel that I particularly enjoyed, and hoping to provide some inspirations is Troy’s tasting room, diving into restaurant wine lists.