The $12 Wine Challenge – Episode #185

February 19, 2007

Wines tasted in this episode:

2003 Di Majo Norante Contado Aglianico
2001 Aries Los Carneros Merlot
Sterling Cabernet Sauvignon Vintner’s Collection
2005 Winner’s Tank Shiraz

Links mentioned in todays episode.

The Introduce Yourself Forum (Remember you have to register before you can post)

Gary Vaynerchuk today looks at $12 wines and sees how much of a value these wines are. Is 12 the new 10? Watch and find out.

122 Responses

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October 27, 2009

John J.
qotd domaine schoffit chasselas

Gary be great to see you tackle a vin jaune on here
September 20, 2009

ulu ulu ulu ulu
QOTD: Domaine la Garrigue Cotes du Rhone
May 26, 2007

Frances
I tasted a sip of my roommate’s glass of the Sterling and liked it a lot. The experience was probably very different than Gary’s because my roommate does not decant or let the wine sit after opening it. We both really like wines with chocolate flavors, and this one tasted like that to me.
May 22, 2007

Kelly
I recently bought the Winner’s Tank Shiraz and was very pleased with it, I didn’t find it to be as over-the-top as you did but it still had very strong characteristics.

The best under 12 dollar wine I had recently was the 2006 Oyster Bay Sauvingnon Blanc which rocked my world.
March 1, 2007

SacramentoCharlie
Another month+ lurker has jumped in.

QOTD: I found the Rodney Strong 2003 Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon on sale for $11.99 and have went back for more. 90 WE and It’s an absolute steal at this price.
February 26, 2007

Wendy Elam
i’m a newbie (lurker, i guess?) best $12 bottle…2001 Kunde Estate Zinfandel.
February 24, 2007

ChrisR
Palo Alto Reserve from Chile is the best $12 wine I’ve ever had in my life. I give 93+ and I think that’s being conservative. This is an undiscovered masterpiece.
February 23, 2007

Bexter
QOTD:
2004 Marchesi di Gresy La Serra Moscato d’Asti
2003 Escudo Rojo
2004 Feudi di San Gregorio Falanghina
2004 Fattoria di Petroio Chianti Classico
2004 Mulderbosch Chenin Blanc
2003 Genesis Merlot
2004 Bogle Petite Sirah
2004 Shoofly Shiraz
2004 Aquinas Cabernet Sauvignon
2004 Las Rocas Vinas Viejas Garnacha
2005 A to Z Pinot Gris
2005 Agricola de Borja Borsao
NV Sumarroca Cava (Brut)
February 23, 2007

elron
Once again, enjoyed the show. Nice wines that were enjoyed in last month or so.

Mcwilliams 2003 Shiraz($8)The 2004 was horible
Sharpshooter 2003 Cabernet($15)
Snoqualmie 2000 Reserve Merlot($??)
Columbia Crest 2001 Syrah($9)
February 22, 2007

Beth
Just had a glass of Katharine Kennedy for $12…….
February 22, 2007

AlanV
QOTD – 2005 Lindemans Bin 50 Cab – $5.99 on the rack, with a $2 rebate down to $3.99 – this may be the best wine value I have ever had.
February 21, 2007

Corrado
QOTD:
White (and overall) is a 100% home-run for 2004 Brancott Sauvignon Blanc. Wonderful $12 wine.
Red: 2004 Concannon Petit Sirah, tasted (and over-rated by a point ) by Gary a bunch of episodes ago. Still an awesome $12 wine. You could DEFINITELY kill someone with the bottle. VERY thick glass.
February 21, 2007

Dave-from-Katonah
No avatar?
February 21, 2007

Dave-from-Katonah
Great show, Gary.

No line in the sand for me.

QOTD – Two Up Shiraz, thanks to Gary’s WLTV tip!!
February 21, 2007

Badger Ann
QOTD: Quattro Mani Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. A beauty for $8! It really did evolve in the glass, unlike some of the extraction bombs in this price range I’ve had recently.
February 21, 2007

ThomasS
Nice ep. Good to taste everyday wines some time.
QOTD: mmm, so that’s 8-9 EUR for me. Maybe the Deetlef’s Pinotage then. 8,99, so, nice QPR. Not overwhelming, but ok. I would have bought some extrra case when I’d had the opp. still. The Bourgeui I’m sipping a know is a zilch in the glass though … pity.
C ya.
February 20, 2007

Dionysus
Offended rather. I wish this comment section allowed editing of ones posts.
February 20, 2007

Dionysus
Eatapc: I was unsure how to pronounced Carmenere so I looked it up and found this:

“Carmenair-uh”

Though on further inspection I now find this:

“Car-me-NEAR”

And this:

“Kar-men-YAIR”

I guess its a case of po-tay-toe/po-tat-oh. However, “Carmenair-uh” sounds more Spanish to me.

Being a Canuck: I’m more familiar with French pronunciations than Spanish. It was from the Vay-ner-chuk himself, that I learned how to pronounce [b]Rioja (Reo-ha)[/b] and Tempranillo (Tempra-neo).

In the multinational world of wine, we all need help with our pronunciations from time to time. Certainly nothing to get offend over, right TommyBoBo?

Cheers!
February 20, 2007

Joyce
Gary Kiiiiiiiiiiiidd!! I like it!
February 20, 2007

Neal Schmidt
I tasted the Aglianico over two evenings last weekend. I was really looking forward to it. However,I couldn’t get any smell or taste other than dirt, try as I might. There was no cherry, chocolate covered or otherwise. I generally like dry wines with earthy, tobacco like characteristics but this was over the top. How Gary can say this would keep a New World drinker interested is beyond me. I was very disappointed.
February 20, 2007

Lawrence Leichtman
Dr. Loosen from 1982 that was originally purchased for $8.99, second the Gruet Blanc de blancs and the Blanc de Noir both under $12. Have not found the Garnacha here in VA but did find it in Houston at Central Market and it was a good buy. Isn’t Sterling ownde by Coca Cola. The only thing I’ve ever found impressive about the place is the tram ride.

I was recently corrected on Meritage pronunciation in Paso Robles by several of the wine pourers.
February 20, 2007

SS Chris
Comment 51: By Wil Neverspit wrote,

“Lastly, CHRIS S, I think the Sterling was a 2004. I saw it on the bottle when Erik zoomed in. Add that to the extremely excellent spreadsheet.”

Wil, thanks for the good words and for the heads up on the vintage (I saw the 2004 on the close-up as well). The WL code is the first item to be entered (actually by WL’s Chris Mott, aka Anti-Chris). At that point the other info (Vintage, Wine Name, Wine Price) auto-populates per the data in Wine Library’s database. Hence, the WL info in the WL database needs to be changed….I will let Chris Mott know so he can fix it.

I then manually enter Gary’s Tasting Notes and rating. Thanks again!!
February 20, 2007

Len C
Top 100 is so lame! Even 100 is too
February 20, 2007

eatapc
BTW, I think Dionysus is wrong about the CARMENERE pronunciation. It’s car-men-YEHR. I was in Chile a few months ago and I didn’t hear anyone — including tour guides at some wineries — pronounce it â€œCarmenair-uh.â€
February 20, 2007

eatapc
Ya know, $10 was the low budget “line in the sand” over 25 years ago. That it’s now up only $2 in 25 years is a testament to the almost total lack of inflation in decent wines. (”Collector” wines don’t count.)

I used to have a $30 line in the sand — the line above which I thought of as splurging. Then I lowered it to $25. Now it’s $20.

Overall, I now expect a $20 wine to taste as good as a $30 wine did ten years ago, and $12 wines are certainly the equal of what used to cost $20-25. That’s progress! — Mark B