Wine & Spirits - Winter 2019 - 101

33RD A NNUA L B U YING G U ID E

Wine & Spirits

Wine&S
& pirits

Top 100
Best Buys of 2019

You don't have to spend a lot to drink brilliantly well. Here are 100 of our favorite buys of the
year, all performing near the top of their region and well below the price of most of their competitors. You'll find 11 for $15 or less; 40 more if you're willing to shell out $20; 20 more if your budget
is $25. And if you're splurging on Barolo, Burgundy, Champagne or Napa Valley cabernet, we've
found some delicious choices that drink like much more expensive bottles. We've arranged the
wines by country, starting with the US, by state and variety, then moving through the rest of the
world, by region. Patrick J. Comiskey, Joshua Greene, Stephanie Johnson, Rachel DelRocco Terrazas and Tara Q. Thomas provide the reviews. For the best buys at $10 or less, head to page 112.

U N I T E D STA T E S:
CA LI FO RN I A S PA RKL IN G

CA L IFORNIA WHITE

PINOT GRIS

CHARDONNAYS
517335

93 | Deovlet

515657

93 | Iron Horse

$45

2014 Green Valley of Russian River Valley
Wedding Cuvée ^ This fresh vintage of Iron
Horse's Wedding Cuvée is coral pink, like an
English garden rose, a pretty wine with structure and depth to it. The pink continues into
strawberry flavors and brisk pink-grapefruit
acidity, all of it finely integrated through its
time on the lees. It's clean and fragrant, a
lovely pinot noir-based sparkling wine ready
for spring. (W&S 4/19; 4,500 cases) -J.G.

$32

2017 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay ^ Well made and well priced, with a leesy
hazelnut scent and fine-tuned flavors, this
has a driven, sleek quality to its honey-andgolden-apple flavors. It's long and focused,
with mild acidity framing the flavors, and a
pleasing salinity. For sand dabs. (W&S 10/19;
161 cases) -P.J.C.
517514

93 | Melville

$34

2016 Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay ^ This
grows on the east side of the Hills, where the
fruit can capture a modicum of warmth. The
wine smells of wet loam and sea air, with a
walnut-skin lining. Flavors of crisp apple and
lemon channel those mineral notes toward
a brisk, taut finish. For plank-roasted trout.
(W&S 10/19; 2,092 cases) -P.J.C.

517859

93 | Iconic

$25

2018 Sonoma Valley Shapeshifter Glen
Oaks Vineyard Pinot Gris ^ Birk O'Halloran
makes this wine from a vineyard in Glen
Ellen, delivering a tight, clean, fresh and fragrant pinot gris that may have you thinking
differently about the grape. This has a peachfuzz ripeness, along with the caramel-like
scent the variety might deliver in a warm climate, but there's nothing sweet about it, and
there's no perception of alcohol. Instead, the
wine leaves a layered sensation of pink roses,
fresh-pressed apple cider, bitter almond and
orange peel. It would be delicious with raw
oysters, or prosciutto with melon... (W&S
10/19; 129 cases) -J.G.

WINE & SPIRITS

BUYING GUIDE 2020

101

https://www.iconicwine.com/shop/shapeshifter-2018 https://www.ironhorsevineyards.com/product/2014-Wedding-Cuvee?pageID=709AE74B-BA4F-D99C-A5E2-1F62C09E374F&sortBy=DisplayOrder&maxRows=20&

Wine & Spirits - Winter 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - Winter 2019