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TRE BICCHIERI & 2013 BEST VALUE AWARD FROM ITALIAN WINE BIBLE, GAMBERO ROSSO

11 bucks and with two impressive accolades!! Blue fruits, Italian herbs, roasted earth and smoked meat follow through to a chewy, very direct texture that has first-rate depth and personality.

Vibrant, redolent and inviting on the extending finish, this wine succeeds where so many other wines from Puglia fail. Full, fleshy and buxom, yet it maintains its enlightening fruit and earth character; a virtuoso over-achiever! Try it with penne pasta done arrabbiata style with tomatoes and hot chili flakes.

Los Vascos is famed Bordeaux First Growth Lafite-Rothschild's estate in Chile and their Grande Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is always an outstanding value and always in the Lafite style of smoothness and refinement.

Version 2010 continues in a long streak of successes for the estate with captivating cassis, tea-leaf, ground pepper and dark chocolate aromas. Tangy, lively and palate-smothering all while maintaining poise and personality and fine depth. Understated vibrancy, especially on the back end will allow for 3-6 years of aging.

One of the quiet leaders of Umbria’s Montefalco region as well as Sagrantino, Fillipo Antonelli strives to make wines that are both full of character and flavor while retaining freshness and balance and will carry over to the table. Unlike a competitor or two in the region, one needn’t search for a pair of tweezers to pull out any oak splinters left behind in the tongue when drinking an Antonelli wine!

Montefalco Rosso embodies the link between wine and the area of Montefalco in the landlocked region of Umbria which borders Tuscany, Le Marches and Lazio. 70% Sangiovese from the estate’s oldest vines and enhanced with 15% Sagrantino, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot, this is a formidable and full-flavored Italian wine that has wonderful character and speaks of its place. The honesty, power and warmth of Umbria is imminently present in this wine.

Bold scents of red berry, dark chocolate, fine herbs and pepper follow into a texture that is ripe, focused, full of depth and personality but most importantly, very well-balanced and not overdone. The sculpted muscular tones of the Sagrantino arrive on the finish, but the sultry-smooth Sangiovese stylings win the day and allow for a wine that pairs wonderfully with full-flavored meat dishes. Grill up some sausages and toss them into a pasta with tomatoes, garlic and onions. Drinking very well at age 6 and will do so for another 5-6 years. Also, 91+ points from the conservative-scoring International Wine Cellar

Daniel Dampt is the son-in-law of the famous retired Chablis vigneron, Jean Defaix and owns 50 acres with 4 of the 5 wines made being Premiers Crus. What Daniel Dampt inherited from his father-in-law is the same disdain for oak, which he feels masks the definition of terroir that he feels is most important in Chablis. The Dampt style is pure & intense, with the ever elusive combination of richness and steely austerity that only well-crafted and well-farmed Chablis can deliver. Better yet is the price points, all are tremendous values for such a fine producer and Premiers Crus.

Naked and very stony, the Cote de Lechet vineyard sits up on a bluff overlooking the village of Milly. A cool site, its bit of elevation and surrounding forests keep conditions quite brisk. Pure and quite shimmering; excellent minerality. Crafted like a razor with dangerous edges. Very upscale with lovely finesse, structure and plenty of depth. The finish here really shines with the peaty quality of kimmeridgian soil and luxurious length. Outstanding juice that can drink, cellar and develop through 2022.

Dampt's Vaillons vines are gems. Situated on the left bank of the River Serein this site always parlays both the power and finesse of Chablis to a "T". Sultry, pure aromas that have gunsmoke, but most importantly, the classic Vaillons tones of sea shore and crustaceans shine. Add a little lemongrass and we have one hell of a complex Chablis for not a ton of money. Flavor-wise, this wine is electric and piercing with handsome refinement and plenty of depth of fruit which buffers all of the zip and minerality. Balance and sophistication scream out on the well-detailed, long finish. Drink through 2022.

A single climat within Vaillons, Les Lys is different than above-mentioned Vaillons which is a 50-50 blend between Les Lys and Beaugnons. On its own, the Les Lys is a more powerful, layered and concentrated Chablis and it also doesn’t hurt that the vines are 55 years old and this is what delivers its intensity, concentration, power and rich texture.

The thumbprint of the famous calcareous Kimmeridgien soil adds notes of oyster shell and refreshing minerality to the well-defined lime and yellow apple fruit tone. Sculpted, piercing flavors intermingle with mushroom and lend for an interestingly long and mouth-coating finish. As accessible as this wine is, there is an old saying here at The Cellar Door, “there is nothing more interesting than aged Chablis”. Drink now through 2024.