Top 100 Best Buys 2011

Wine lovers the world over share a common complaint: Why does the stuff we so adore often seem to cost more than we can afford? This list is our antidote to rising wine prices, the remedy For what ails us. All of these wines carry suggested retail prices of $15 or less, which makes it a list of brands, regions and varieties you can bank on to keep your palate happy and your wallet fat.

Over the past 12 months, our tasting panelists reviewed more than 16,000 wines, granting the coveted Best Buy designation to only 1,224 (7.6%). From there, we whittled the numbers down to the Top 100 listed here, based on the relationship between score and price and factoring in availability and buzz. We also tried to balance the list in terms of wine style, variety and origin. The result is one of the finest and most eclectic collections of Best Buys we’ve ever come up with, testament to the efforts of the wine industry to offer ever-improving wines at realistic prices, and—dare we toot our own horn a little—our reviewers’ efforts to find the wine world’s best values.

88
points

Fattoria Zerbina 2009 Il 500 Sangiovese (Sangiovese di Romagna)

  • Best Buy
  • Online Exclusive
  1. $11
Top 100 Best Buys 2011
Il 500 is a small-format dry red wine made with Sangiovese grapes from the Romagna area of central Italy. The wine shows a clean, bright quality of fruit with fresh aromas of cherry, blackberry and white almond. Pair it with pasta or cheese.  — M.L.  (4/1/2011)
89
points

Tetramythos 2009 Roditis (Patras)

  • Best Buy
  1. $13
Top 100 Best Buys 2011
This wine is a real find, with its crisp green apple, floral and citrus aromas and blend of curvy tropical fruit and crisp acidity on the palate. Distinctive, lush but refreshing, it’s both balanced and complex. A delicious white with Greek character.  — S.K.  (9/1/2011)
88
points

Rocland Estate 2009 Ass Kisser Fine Red Wine (South Australia)

  • Best Buy
  1. $10
Top 100 Best Buys 2011
Lush and creamy in texture and showing a bit of warmth, this is a mouthfilling, crowd-pleasing blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Mataro (Mourvèdre). Ripe currant fruit is nicely framed by hints of vanilla and cedar. Drink now–2015.  — J.C.  (11/1/2011)
90
points

Martín Códax 2010 Albariño (Rías Baixas)

  • Best Buy
  1. $15
Top 100 Best Buys 2011
A little leesy on the nose, but mostly it’s forward and lemony. The palate is citric and crisp as a whistle, with lemon, green apple and a secondary sweetness akin to pineapple. Focused and clean on the finish; chiseled and defined.  — M.S.  (11/1/2011)
87
points

Feudo Arancio Stemmari 2008 Pinot Nero (Sicilia)

  • Best Buy
  1. $9
Top 100 Best Buys 2011
Here’s a warm-climate Pinot Nero that shows all the characteristics aromas of the variety—wild berries, blue flowers and cherry—in a more pronounced and immediate manner. It’s a bigger, more generous interpretation of the grape with a purely Sicilian signature.  — M.L.  (3/1/2011)
90
points

Vinum Africa 2009 Chenin Blanc (Stellenbosch)

  • Best Buy
  1. $15
Top 100 Best Buys 2011
A balanced and quite pleasing Chenin Blanc that offers both bright, fleshy fruit flavors and a delicately spicy, oak-driven backdrop. Ripe apple and pear notes mingle seamlessly with delicate almond and hazelnut toast accents, while hints of sweet baking spice remain through the lengthy finish.  — L.B.  (11/1/2011)
88
points

Trapiche 2009 Oak Cask Cabernet Sauvignon (Mendoza)

  • Best Buy
  1. $10
Top 100 Best Buys 2011
Cherry, plum, bacon and licorice are all good aromas that indicate that this value wine has quality backing it up. The palate is fresh and clean, with depth and ripe, slightly oaked flavors of cassis, blackberry and chocolate. Easy to like, with toasty touches throughout.  — M.S.  (8/1/2011)
90
points

Dürnberg 2010 Cool Climate White (Niederösterreich)

  • Best Buy
  1. $15
Top 100 Best Buys 2011
Despite the light alcohol, the wine feels full, with a complex array of green and white fruit flavors, certainly crisp, but also with a tangy structure, ripe fruits and final rounded, warm acidity. Screwcap.  — R.V.  (10/1/2011)
90
points

Mommessin 2010 Les Pêchers Gamay (Saint-Amour)

  • Best Buy
  1. $15
Top 100 Best Buys 2011
A wine with an important structure, tasting very young at this stage. There is great acidity through a lovely, fragrant, forward wine. The acidity gives everything a lift of fruitiness.  — R.V.  (10/1/2011)
90
points

Joseph Drouhin 2009 Gamay (Morgon)

  • Best Buy
  1. $15
Top 100 Best Buys 2011
In a firm style, this is a dense wine, its black fruits packed into a solid structure. It has power as well as ripe fruit, with tannins and acidity, and is likely to age for a couple of years.  — R.V.  (7/1/2011)
Facebook Activity
Twitter Activity