Vinous Favorites

Delicious wines for less than $25 chosen by Vinous critics

8.9

This superb value leads off with alluring scents of stone fruits, honeysuckle, smoked meat and sweet oak, then delivers terrific spicy lift to its rich, ripe stone fruit and butterscotch flavors. Firming lemony acidity extends the wine’s finish and should allow for further development. (ST)
— 8 years ago

Vinous Favorites

Delicious wines for less than $25 chosen by Vinous critics

9.1

Mineral-driven citrus and orchard fruit aromas are complicated by suggestions of white flowers, ginger and oyster shell in this sappy Albariño from Spain’s Rias Baixas. (JR) — 8 years ago

Vinous Favorites

Delicious wines for less than $25 chosen by Vinous critics

9.0

This Rhône blend based on Shiraz and Cinsault from South Africa, makes a perfect low-cost introduction to the wines of Swartland. Aromas of raspberry, licorice, spices, black pepper and earth lead to a savory, creamy palate with terrific intensity and lift. Balanced to enjoy now or to hold. (ST) — 8 years ago

Vinous Favorites

Delicious wines for less than $25 chosen by Vinous critics

9.1

Inky blue and purplish fruit, bacon fat, licorice, smoke, exotic spice and black pepper are some of the many notes that run through the 2015 Syrah North Coast. A huge, richly textured wine, the 2015 North Coast Syrah offers unreal quality for the money. (AG)
— 8 years ago

Vinous Favorites

Delicious wines for less than $25 chosen by Vinous critics

9.1

This stunning South African Chardonnay offers alluring aromas of fresh peach, ginger, quinine and nutty vanillin oak. It’s glyceral-smooth in the mouth, showing a hint of exotic ripeness to its plush but lively stone and citrus fruit, marzipan and mineral flavors. (ST) — 8 years ago

Vinous Favorites

Delicious wines for less than $25 chosen by Vinous critics

9.1

The 2015 Naia (Verdejo), an attractive white from Spain’s Rueda region, evokes fresh citrus and orchard fruits, jasmine and a hint of anise, with an incisive, mineral-driven finish. (JR)
— 8 years ago

Vinous Favorites

Delicious wines for less than $25 chosen by Vinous critics

9.0

Cassis, licorice, cracked pepper and vibrant mineral nuances emerge from this delicious young Mourvèdre from Spain’s Jumilla region. Dark fruit preserve, spicecake round out the juicy finish. (JR) — 8 years ago

Vinous Favorites

Delicious wines for less than $25 chosen by Vinous critics

9.0

Banshee’s 2015 Pinot Noir (Sonoma County) is gorgeous. Ripe dark cherry, plum, spice and leather are front and center. Drink this juicy, exuberant Sonoma Pinot over the next handful of years. (AG) — 8 years ago

Vinous Favorites

Delicious wines for less than $25 chosen by Vinous critics

9.0

Yellow split pea, green herbs on the nose carry over onto a silken-textured palate, joined by fresh apple juiciness, Faint alkalinity and bitterness of artichoke tug the finish in a slightly austere direction, adding further interest to this fresh, invigorating Grüner. (DS) — 8 years ago

Vinous Favorites

Delicious wines for less than $25 chosen by Vinous critics

9.0

Nuanced aromatics and bright red-toned fruit are some of the signatures in Vajra's 2014 Langhe Nebbiolo. This super-expressive Nebbiolo punches well above its weight. (AG) — 8 years ago