There are times when a$15 bottleful of winetotally suffices – day drinking in the park , a company with your significant other ’s friends that you do n’t recognise that well , Tuesday nights – but sometimes you want something a picayune more special , like if you ’re going to dinner at that same significant other ’s parents ' home .
To maneuver you toward the smart bargain for six coarse varietal wine , we asked four pro for their top weft in the $ 20-$100 range . Thanks to Drew Duggan , sommelier atAndinain Portland , Oregon ; Rachael Lowe , beverage film director atSpiaggiain Chicago ; Jillian Rocco , GM / sommelier at Boston’sRow 34 ; and Kelly Wooldridge , vino director for Denver eatery groupBonanno Concepts , you may now go make a major spatter without fishing out toomuch cash . ( observe that all price are approximate . )
Chardonnay
Donnafugata Chiarandà Contessa Entellina , Sicily , Italy , 2011$36Butter your electronic jamming ? Sicily ’s fond clime give this bottle its " fleshy character , " pronounce Lowe . Think notes of " lemon curd , injure prosperous Malus pumila , Bosc pear , and marzipan " – but there ’s sufficient acidity to balance the ripeness .
Patrick Piuze Chablis Terroir de Chichée , Burgundy , France 2014$25If your perceptiveness lean toward the steel - and - mineral end of the chardonnay spectrum , Duggan ’s got your go - to . A trademark of estimable Chablis , he explains , is that " you could really smell and taste the chicken feed the vine are grown in . This see no newfangled oak , so it lease the terroir sing . It ’s one of the hidden gems on Andina ’s wine inclination . "
Pinot noir
Fürst Spätburgunder Tradition , Franken , Germany , 2013$40For Pinot grape noir , Wooldridge wait to Germany and Paul Fürst in particular , who " has been call the godfather " of the grapeshot jazz as Spätburgunder for his success in showcasing its " clean , expressive , and finessed " qualities .
Spätburgunder " mix all the refinement and sex appeal of great Burgundy with beautiful German precision , " enounce Wooldridge . caseful in point : the 2013 Tradition , which " is all about ripe and sharp red cherries , red roses , and a everlasting amount of rocky , vulgar undertones . " Its food - friendly sourness , he tot , makes it companionable to everything from lusty fish dishes " all the means up to veal , pork , and lamb . "
Crowley Dundee Hills Pinot Noir , Willamette Valley , Oregon , 2012$40"A minor made - by - deal project , this is every bit as pleasant-tasting as like bottles from self-aggrandizing boy like Domaine Drouhin , Domaine Serene , and Soter Vineyards , but at a estimable price , " says Duggan , who waxes poetic about its " wild - strawberry mark fruit with accents of hibiscus and Bing cherry tree , generous body , and supple texture , which give way to whispers of cinnamon , kola bark , and porcini mushrooms . You could spend a lot more and get a spate less . " ( One caution : outside of the Pacific Northwest , this wine may not be super easy to track down on shelves , so element in some shipping costs . )
Steve Cukrov/Shutterstock
Cabernet sauvignon
Owen Roe Cabernet Sauvignon , Yakima Valley , Washington , 2012$42"When you think about domesticated cabernet , there ’s often a bombastic calibre , " say Rocco . ( Looking at you , Napa . ) " This has a ' wow ' factor too ; it ’s still on the plentiful side . But it ’s also more nuanced , more refined . " Which does n’t have in mind you ca n’t whisk it out at a pool party : " I ’m really emotional for summertime , " she admit , " and this ’ll be perfect with anything that ’s coming off the grillwork . "
Campo alla Sughera Bolgheri Rosso Adèo , Italy , 2012$30To throw you a off-white of my own : this Bordeaux blend ( 60 % cabernet/40 % merlot ) out of Tuscany does a hell of a chore being all things to all people . It ’s approachable yet stylish , ready to imbibe yet modestly long time - worthy , with plenty of sunlight - warm berry yield and baking spicery but not without a little al fresco breeziness . It ’s like the Mary Tyler Moore of cabernet blends – totally disarm for being kinda uncool .
Sauvignon blanc
Jules Taylor Sauvignon Blanc OTQ , Marlborough , New Zealand , 2014$23"Most Kiwi sauvignon blancs are fairly predictable , " admits Wooldridge , " until you strike hard on the cellar room access of Jules Taylor , protégée of the corking Kim Crawford .
" ‘ OTQ ’ intend ‘ On the Quiet , ’ in reference to the fact that this wine was to begin with keep a secret from her comptroller ( and hubby ) , who recall there was already ' plenty of vino in the range of a function ' when she brought up the idea .
" cask - ferment in a style deliberately resonant of Bordeaux blanc , the wine seems to barely keep up with itself and is stuffed full of Ananas comosus , guava , pink grapefruit , crush scallion , and a morsel of Mary Jane . It ’s not at all what anyone expects , and that ’s what she ( and I ) love about it . "
Donnafugata/Jennifer Bui/Thrillist
Pascal Jolivet Pouilly Fumé Les Griottes , Loire Valley , France , 2013$38Ask 10 sommeliers for the perfect mollusk mating , and nine wo n’t hesitate to name a Loire Valley white . ( The 10th is overthinking it . ) As a workfellow of far-famed Island Creek oysterman - restauranter Skip Bennett , Rocco in particular revels in the torrid , terroir - drive romance between French sauvignon blanc and brackish oysters . This exclusive - vineyard Pouilly Fumé is “ so focused and pristine , ” she aver . “ It really picture the limestone minerality and silex soil , ” which is what the area ’s famous for .
Syrah
Wind Gap Sonoma Coast Syrah , California , 2012$40Rocco , meanwhile , points to winemaker Pax Mahle – a former somm himself – as a current dearie . The 2012 vintage , she says , offers " everything you love about Syrah without the great - laterality you could get from California . It ’s got those black peppery , spicy , animalistic quality and lots of glowering berry fruit , but it is n’t overly rich . It goes really well with braise centre … and barbeque brisket ? Oh my God , it would be perfect . " Great , now all you have to do is set by the decade it ’ll take to become a pitmaster as well as a legit enophile .
Peay , Les Titans Estate Syrah , Sonoma Coast , California , 2013$55The Northern Rhône may be the received pallbearer for Syrah , but the Sonoma Coast approaches that standard without holding you ransom in the process . So it ’s no marvel both Lowe and Rocco give it their blessing . For Lowe , Peay ’s the producer of selection , offering " blackberry bush , plum , Mary Jane , leather , and black pepper observe that pair nicely with duck’s egg , lamb , and even sure steak cuts . "
Riesling
Ettore Germano Langhe Riesling Hérzu , Piedmont , Italy 2012$29You may have heard of riesling , a world - family German grapevine , or Piedmont , a world - class region of Italy . But you belike have never learn of riesling from Piedmont . That ’s because , according to Lowe , " Only a small fistful of producers there grow it , and Germano is one of the standouts . " Novelty constituent away , it ’s " a gorgeous riesling , " she pronounce , " ivory - teetotal and lime blossom - y , with grand minerality , strikingly high sourness , and aroma of peach and nectarine , plus a hint of gasoline . " ( Admittedly , not everyone in the wine world favors the whole gasoline - fume thing , but they probably should ’ve listened to more Primus back in the Clarence Day . )
Rebholz I m Sonnenschein Grosses Gewächs Riesling , Pfalz , Germany , 2014$85To earn maximal points at a dinner party , bestow this wine-colored and double these words when you hand the bottle to the host : " Hansjörg Rebholz makes some of the most compelling wines in Germany powerful now . “When a invitee you ’ve catch your eye on scrutinize the label , explain that I m Sonnenschein is a vineyard whose name " literally translate to ‘ in the sunniness . ’ German can be quite emotive . " Then add together that wines designated " receipts Gewächs " " are super vivid due to the fact that they ’re in the main harvested a little late and then fermented to dryness , " a process that gives them " lots of stuff " especially in the Pfalz neighborhood , where the continental clime further ensures " tremendous concentration . "
in conclusion , as you offer to pour for the mesa , say with a shrug : " The 2014 is still a baby – but it ’s already thick with just - mature peach , Meyer lemon tree , lemon grass , lime blossom , and tightly wound minerality . " No one has to know you ’ve just memorise what Kelly Wooldridge has to say about it .
Weingut Rudolf Fürst/Jennifer Bui/Thrillist
contract up herefor our daily Thrillist email , and get your reparation of the best in food / swallow / play .
Ruth Tobiasis all glug , glug , glug correctly about now , so see what she ’s drinking:@Denveater .
Jules Taylor Wine/Jennifer Bui/Thrillist
Wind Gap Wines/Jennifer Bui/Thrillist
