This comes from some of the oldest Cabernet vines in Dry Creek Valley, which produce only a few clusters per vine. This results in “exceptional fruit concentration,” according to the winemaker. This Cab is more along the lines of the California Cab I prefer—more balanced, and not just about the fruit. You can taste the earth here. While you can drink this wine now, my recommendation is to cellar it for a few years and a far more interesting wine will be revealed.

I love, love, love this wine. It's bright and fresh and has some body to it. A balanced wine that's fun to sip with your friends but also incredible with food. I recently paired this with a recipe by David Chang: Spicy Brussels Sprouts with Mint and it was amazing! It expertly handled all the flavors. Yum!!

Kacher wrote: "Constructed around the seventeenth century, this old Provençal Mas was brought back to life by the Blanc family, who purchased the estate in the Sixties. Located on the western edge of the Rhône River, in the village of Bellegarde, southeast of the city of Nîmes, the vineyards are in the heart of the appellation’s cailloux-based soil. In the old Provençal dialect, “Mas” means farm, and Nathalie Blanc-Marès is beautifully managing this 75 hectares farm with the aid of her husband Cyril Marès, owner of the neighboring property Mas des Bressades (yes, she married the boy-next-door). They are a great Provençal family - young and energetic with great vision and talent. The vineyards were planted in the 1950’s and 1960’s to the current varietals. The vines are trained using a system called Cordon de Royat, which helps maintain lower fruit production. Mas Carlot limits yields to around 45hl/ha, which is one-third below what the appellation allows. Nathalie likes to wait during harvest - picking late to obtain the maximum maturity for each grape varietal. Mas Carlot has 20 hectares planted to white varietals. The Marsanne-Roussanne is made of 50% Marsanne from 25 year-old vines and 50% Roussanne. The wine is aged sur lie in tank after fermentation. This wine reveals abundant quantities of minerals, orange blossom, pineapple and citrus presented in a medium-bodied, fresh, lively style."

Being naked is so natural—this is the case for this Chardonnay. What creates this natural beauty is minimal intervention, allowing malolatic fermentation to happen naturally with 90% fermented in stainless steel and 10% in Burgundian oak barrels, letting nature do most of the work. The wine has mineral notes as well as apple blossom, honey and a touch of citrus. Enjoy this expressive Chardonnay with or without food. SPECIAL NOTE FROM THE WINEMAKER: They recommend serving this wine at 52˚F. That is a tad warmer than most people serve white wines. Basically, chill it for about 1-1/2 hrs and this wine will be ready for you with all aspects in balance.

Here is a “serious” red for under $20. The Volte Face is extremely worthy for serving to guests but even better to serve as an every night type of wine. This is a serious enough wine that could be aged a touch if you are in search of a mellow aged profile at an affordable price. This wine is also from certified organic vineyards.

You can actually have a quality Napa Cab that won’t break the bank. This is a solid Cab (with nice soft edges to it) that's great for both everyday and when you have company. Using only 15% new oak and blending a few other reds in (82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petite Verdot) is how they expose the soft underbelly Napa can have.

Here's a undiscovered gem that's quality through and through. A balanced Chardonnay that is full, but has enough acidity to enliven things up at the finish. There's some oak on this wine, but in no way is it overpowering. Red Car's winery is located in Santa Maria and their main office is in Culver City, California.

Jean-Pierre Cornut used to be an aviation engineer in Paris until his father fell ill in 1992. The family estate soon became Jean-Pierre’s responsibility. His meticulous personality has led him to his success in taking a very good estate into a first class estate. He prides himself on having the cleanest cellars in France. His search for perfection did not let him pass up harnessing the elusive nature of Pinot Noir. The oak is well integrated (not at all the big toasty kind), and is used to cleverly give depth.