Top 20 Value Wines of the Year

We've selected the top 20 wines for 2015 that we feel represent the best value to the consumer. Though all wines selected are priced at $20 or less, with this list we allowed ourselves to be subjective as to what "value" represents. Prices shown do not include taxes unless marked.

#1 - Bodegas Catena 2013 Alamos Chardonnay - $13.99
Offers fantastic value, keeping it simple with a focus on the balance of  clean, crisp orchard fruit and rich, malolactic and barrel fermentation characters. Sourced from the high altitude vineyards of Mendoza, the wine does spend 6 months in a combination of American and French oak, imparting a myriad of spices on the finish and texture on the palate, balancing the bright, apple and peach flavours. 
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#2 - Cellar Hand 2014 Free Run White - $15.90 (including tax)
The nose offers ripe, delicate aromas of tropical and orchard fruit, most notably: pineapple, mango, apricot and nectarine. The medium-bodied palate follows with similar fruit flavours and added citrus notes and acidity.
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#3 - Tinhorn Creek Vineyards 2014 Gewurztraminer - $14.99
Aromas and flavours of peaches, lemons, apples, oranges blossoms, stonefruit and spice on the rounded, pleasant nose and the well-balanced, long-lasting, off-dry palate.
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#4 - Chateau Des Charmes 2012 Gamay Noir 'Droit' - $16.95 (including tax)
An excellent Gamay with a rich nose of black cherry, cola, mineral and warm, spicy earth aromas. On the palate, despite the 3.5g/l of residual sugar (adding texture and body), a thin vein of citrus acidity runs through to the Christmas Cake and oak-infused finish, contrasting the ripe, spicy raspberry flavours.
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#5 - The Painted Wolf Wines 2014 The Den Chenin Blanc - $13.29
A refreshing, well-balanced and extremely well-priced Chenin Blanc from South Africa with zesty citrus, rich apple and light mineral aromas on the nose. The palate opens with a kick of zesty citrus fruit that quickly transitions to creamy, off-dry texture mid-palate and then circles back to tongue-tingling citrus zest for the (slightly) spicy finish.
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Featured Wines: California Gold

If any of the wines in this week's Featured Wines column tickle your fancy, you can order them directly from Jordan by email (JCarrier@everythingwine.ca) or find him in the Vintage Room of Everything Wine's Morgan Crossing location in South Surrey.

California Gold

By Jordan Carrier

If you believed the disaster movies, 2012 was supposed to be the year that California broke apart, swallowed its cities and turned its vineyards into fish food. Instead, 2012 ended up being the first of a string of amazing years in Golden State vineyards. California’s water troubles, while verging on crisis for most agriculture, have contributed to 3 – possibly 4 – stellar vintages in a row from 2012 to 2015. We may well be entering a golden age of California wines. Presented here are some premium examples of the 2012 vintage (with gems from 2010 and 2013 thrown in because I’m sneaky-like-ninja) for your perusal. You will want to grab all of them, this is normal. Strap in and let’s begin.

Araujo Estate 2012 Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

A 38 acre vineyard east of Calistoga that was planted in 1880, and has been planted to Cabernet since 1964. Poor, gravelly soil and old vines contribute to super low yields and super high concentration, so much so that fruit from Eisele has built Ridge’s wines, Robert Mondavi Reserve Cabernets, and Joseph Phelps Insignia until the late ‘90s when the Araujo family took over the vineyard and hired Michel Rolland to kick everyone else’s behind. He did. The estate is now owned by Chateau Latour, and the wines now rival Harlan and To Kalon in quality, price, and difficulty for Jordan in finding them. (96-98+) points Robert Parker, $849.99 +tax

Signorello 2012 Padrone

Ray Signorello Jr’s tribute to his Italian father returns with a drinkable, dense intense-fest of blackberry, coffee, stones and currant. Mostly Cab Sauv, with a voluptuous, ultra-tangible mouthfeel that gives Shafer Hillside Select a reason to look over its shoulder. Like Hillside, this is awesome now and awesome in 2035, although by then the word “awesome” won’t be spoken anymore, they’ll say “this bleep-blop Padrone is Kanye-tastic”. 97+ points Robert Parker, $210.99 +tax

Kathryn Hall 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon

Remember when you first heard this name. The Hall family has owned vineyards since the ‘70s, and Kathryn helped manage them with her brother until she went to law school, then into public life, and eventually became the US ambassador to Austria, after which she seized her family’s reigns again, returning to steer the winery forward to awesomeness. The Hall winery is certified organic and LEED Gold, and makes this Cabernet with an abundance of energy, flavour and charisma, showing blueberry, raspberry mocha and remarkable drinkability for such a thick, structured wine. 97+ points Robert Parker,  $225.99 +tax

2015 Icon Wine of the Year

Though the most expensive Icon Wine of the Year to date and one of the rarest at only 334 cases produced, Le Vieux Pin's 2012 Équinoxe Syrah could not be denied the top prize for 2015; well-earned recognition for its ability to proclaim to the wine glitterati "Yes, we can make world-class Syrah in BC!" The Équinoxe demonstrates the extraordinary complexity and refinement the variety can achieve in the Okanagan Valley when the yield and vigour are managed appropriately and the right oak program is applied. 

Le Vieux Pin 2012 Équinoxe Syrah
96.5% Syrah, 3.5% Viognier
$90 - 334 cases - 13.9%
92-94pts









Congratulations to our runner-ups for this year's Icon Wine of the Year award: the SynchroMesh 2014 Stormhaven Vineyard Riesling and the LaStella 2012 Maestoso "Solo" Merlot

The Wine
A beast of a Syrah, yet, still feminine and floral in style. A true femme fatale with both mass and levity, opening with a gorgeous blend of black cherry, crushed violets, vanilla-mocha, white pepper, spicy plum sauce and sweet pipe tobacco aromas on the memorable nose. The intense, brooding palate follows with concentrated dark red fruit and smooth pepper flavours, effortless acidity and ripe, fine-grained tannins. The finish is balanced and oh-so long.

The Story
Grapes for the Équinoxe were sourced from North Oliver and from the Osoyoos Lake bench. It was produced in the style of Syrah from Northern Rhone which blends small amounts of Viognier during fermentation, contributing floral notes, texture and deepens the colour. It is then aged in French oak for 19 months before bottling. 

A youthful wine today with further development over the next 4+ years a sure thing thanks to its exceptional quality and robust tannins. It will be at home in your cellar for many years to come. 
 - Liam Carrier ©copyright 2015 IconWines.ca