TOP 5 WINE VALUES Year After Year

Today's video is more than 40 years in the making. Over the last four plus decades, I've tasted three to four thousand wines each year. I'm always looking for something new, different, and interesting, but there's a small group of wines that I come back to over and over. In this video, I'll highlight five of my picks as the best $30 and under values, wines that you can count on year after year. For starters, there were a lot of wines to sort through. They had to be classic, consistent, benchmark examples that display a strong sense of place. Wines that can be bought with complete confidence year after year. I paired it down to those that most over deliver and have never let me down. Bottom line is, it came down to the most enjoyable $30 and under value priced wines that I most want to drink time and time again. Let's taste some wine. First up is the 2024 Turlan Pino Bianco Tradition from Alto Adige in northeast Italy. This is located right on the Austrian border. It's long been one of the best co-ops in all of Europe. The wine is priced at $24. The wine is pale yellow with a slight greenish tinge. This is the only white wine in today's tasting, and you might be thinking, why didn't he go with a Chardonnay or some Sauvignon Blanc? For me, Pinot Blanc from this part of Italy just brings maximum enjoyment. I love the wines from this region. And generally speaking, Pinot Blanc seems to get much more interest from people who are in the wine trade versus people who are not in the wine trade. So if you've not experienced it, you really need to. Also with today's tasting, four of the five wines that I've selected, they come from producers that make some ultra premium wines. This is one of them. So this is their entry price point. And I often find that that's a better recipe for success versus some broad market wine producer that tries to go upscale. Usually that's not a very good combination. Now in terms of the aroma, very typical of Pinot Blanc. It has a freshness, a vitality to it. There's a bit of a green apple note. There's a citrusy character here as well. The citrus is more like lime. It has some of that character. A bit of a lemongrass note to it, but really nice intensity. The wine is very pretty, very expressive. On the palate, really beautiful. There's plenty of weight here. Nice volume. That bright fruit character really does shine. And there is a lifted acidity. There's a zesty, fresh vitality to this wine. This does spend some time with Lys Contact. It makes the wine a little broader and weightier on the palate. It's an absolute beauty from start to finish. Now this doesn't have any overt oak to it, so what you're getting is that primary fruit character that really is expressive, fresh, and bright. I think the wine is absolutely outstanding. So much so, I know I have four more wines to go. I need one more sip of this. Next up is the 2024 Domaine d'Ochon Moulin Au Vent Vieilles Vignes. This is one of the 10 Crues of Beaujolais, made entirely from Gamay. This property has been producing wine since 1935. The price is $26. The wine is just moderately deep with a vibrant reddish-purple color. With today's five wines, this one is a standalone. There's only one wine made at d'Ochon, and this is it. Now, old vines, what does that really mean? In this case, we're talking about vines that were planted in the 20s, 1920s, 1950s, and 1960s. Old vines generally produce lower yields, smaller berries, smaller clusters, and the fruit that comes from these vineyards tends to be much more concentrated. That then carries through to the wines. So that's usually a very good sign. Now Beaujolais is a large region, and the southern part of Beaujolais is where you find many of the commercial broad market wines, inexpensive wines, that are spread far and wide. In the north, this is where all the excitement is. And for me, this is one of the most interesting happening places in all of France. You have older producers like this. You have a number of young winemakers that have come on the scene that are just making fantastic wines. Now with the 10 Crues, there are two that usually stand out in terms of having a little more depth, weight, and structure. Think of them a bit like Crue Beaujolais that's gone to the gym. That's Morgon and Moulin Au Vin. Now the aroma on this wine. Yeah, what's not to love with this aroma? There is a bright, pure red fruit character. There's a strawberry, raspberry note there. But there's also this savory, dried herbal component. Very expressive, really lifted, clean, has nice intensity to it. Smells fantastic. On the palate, this is not a wine that grabs you with power. This is much more finesse. It has this elegance to it. That fruit character has just wonderful purity. There's no overt oak character in this wine. And the acidity is quite lifted. So it's really fresh and bright on the palate. It's really beautifully balanced. All the pieces come together very well. Nice extension on the back palate. And on the finish, it's just a little bit tart in the most appealing way. I think the wine is just brilliant from start to finish. Now this is a wine that may surprise you a bit. It actually has very good aging potential. In the past, I've put the same wine down from other vintages for up to 20 years. And it really has bloomed and changed as time gone on. Now oftentimes, older Cru Beaujolais, and this one in particular, starts to pick up characteristics that are much more reminiscent of Pinot Noir. It's really an interesting transformation. I think this wine is fantastic. Next up is the 2023 Vietti Barbera d'Alba Trevi. This is from the Piedmont region of northwest Italy. This is a benchmark example of Barbera d'Alba. The price is $30. This wine has a deep core with just a slight fade at the edge of the glass. It looks exactly as it should. Over the years, I've sellered away many of the top bottlings from Vietti. I've never been disappointed. As for Barbera, this is the most broadly planted grape variety in Piedmont, much more so than Nebbiolo. And the styles can be all over the place. And in recent years, there's been a movement for more oak, more new oak. I'm not a fan of it. Vietti doesn't use that style, so that's much more to my liking. Now, as for the aroma, there's a very distinctive Morello cherry characteristic here. A bit truffly. There's a savory note to it. Highly aromatic. Very expressive. A bit of a violet character. There's a little bit of a floral note here as well, but smells absolutely wonderful. On the palate, that Morello cherry character is very evident. That savory, spicy component is there. Nice structure. Good density. Nice volume on the palate. Fruit is very ripe. But as is common with Barbera, the acidity is very good. You definitely do get that impact on the palate. Excellent length on the finish. The wine is absolutely stunning from start to finish. Very expressive. Pure. Just ticks all the boxes. Now, the alcohol on this checks in at 14.5. In recent years, that level has ticked up. There's been a good number of warm vintages. The structure of this wine can support it. No problem whatsoever. Now, this is a wine that can age a bit. And you could keep this three or four years. No problem. I think it's drinking beautifully at the present time. I don't see any reason to sell it. This is a beauty. If you've not yet subscribed to my channel, please consider doing it right now. Hit the like button. Definitely hit that notification bell. And if hype is an option, please hit that as well. All of these things very much do help to get my videos out to a broader audience. It's much appreciated. 2023 Ridge Three Valleys. This is my favorite wine producer from California. Unlike other Ridge wines, instead of being from a single vineyard, this is a classic field blend from several vineyards in Sonoma. Priced at $27. Typical of Zinfandel-based wines. Medium deep. Purple red appearance. Over the years, I've seller away a good number of the single vineyard bottlings from Ridge. All with very good end results. This one's a little bit different. This is their entry level. And this is made from a field blend of Zinfandel 71%, 16 Carignan, 9% Petite Syrah, 2% Mattaro, which is the same as Morvedra, and 2% Alicante Boucher. This really ties back to the very early days of California wine production. Now, in terms of the 23 vintage, this is a cooler vintage. Generally, the wines have a little more elegance, a little more acidity. I'm good with that. Now, the aroma here is red raspberry galore. Very typical of what you find in Sonoma. There's also a bit of a tangy cranberry characteristic here. There's some savory spice notes. A little bit of oak. Nice purity. Smells fantastic. On the palate, very ripe, dense, full. The acidity is a little higher than some of the other vintages that I've had. This is all about precision on the palate. There's an elegance. There's expressiveness in terms of the fruit character. Nice purity. Very good length on the back palate. Wine is extremely smooth. Nice length. It's really put together with a very skilled hand. I think the wine is absolutely outstanding. And it has the structure. It has the build to age a few years. I don't really see the point. I think the wine is hugely appealing in its present state. Absolutely love it. 2021 Emilio Moro, Almamater, Ribera del Duero, Spain. They offer a broad range of wines. This is the flagship offering. It delivers everything that makes Tempranillo special. Priced at $28. Moderately deep color with just a bit of fade at the edge of the glass. With the first four wines, I've tasted them many times over the last few decades. With this one, there's a shorter history. Only about 10 years. Now in terms of the aroma, this is really a good start. There's black fruit galore. But there's also this savory spice, baking spice character. Which is very typical of wines aged in American oak. This is aged both in American and French. There's also a little bit of a clove. Almost a bit of an Asian five spice character. And there's also a coffee note here. Now I'm not a coffee drinker. But I do like the way this smells. The aroma is outstanding. That black fruit character has some nice ripeness to it. There's just enough oak here to compliment. Good balance. Nicely structured. Fantastic length. This is really very well put together from start to finish. Now the structure of this wine leads me to believe there could be some aging potential here. I think the wine could easily go another five years or so. No problem. If you're going to drink this sometime soon, give it a bit of aeration. It'll help to bring out the full potential of the wine. This is a spot on example for what Ribera del Duero should be. This is an absolute beauty. Thank you very much for supporting my channel. If you have any questions or comments, please post them down below. I do my best to follow up on each and every one. Cheers.