I am using the term, “premium” to describe a wine of exceptional quality, with a price tag of $40 or more. I know that is an arbitrary dollar amount and there are many great wines at a lower price point. Today I am sharing those that I have enjoyed and are among my favorite wines from any point of origin. I should point out that $40 is a price that I rarely pay for any wine. I am retired and view these wines as celebratory and for special occasions. Not for any day ending with a “y.” However, in my humble opinion, if you can afford to do so, the wines pictured above and mentioned below are worth the price. For those on a tighter budget, I have written about my favorites under $20 in the past and will be revisiting these bargain wines in a future post.
What factors go into the pricing of a wine at this level? Obviously the quality of the grapes is key. The time and quality of the aging are also huge factors. The cost of high quality oak barrels is astronomical. The length of time spent in aging, means the wine is being stored on the winery property and not being sold. Imagine producing something that you are very proud of and that you know is of superior quality, but realizing that you have to wait five years before you can even sell it! Most of all, you expect the wine to be amazing.
My favorites are listed below
- Turdo Vineyards Turis Etichetta D’Oro 2016 Sangiovese – $49; barrrel-aged for two years and bottle-aged for another year.
- Turdo Vineyards Turis Etichetta D’Oro 2014 Nebbiolo – $49; barrel-aged for three years and bottle-aged for two more years.
- William Heritage Winery 2015 BDX (their well-received Bordeaux-style red) – $50; received 91 Points from BTI.
- Unionville Vineyards 2016 Pheasant Hill Chardonnay (an amazing Chard; the only white wine on my list, but for a very good reason-it deserves to be). $40.95. The 2015 version was awarded 93 Points from the Cork Report.
- Beneduce Vineyards Mangione (a wonderful Super Tuscan-style red); $48.
- Amalthea Cellars-2015 Europa I-Classic Bordeaux-style blend-$49.99; This is one of their “Legends Series” with each mimicking a historic Bordeaux blend. Highest rated NJ wine in 2018.
- Hawk Haven Vineyards Signature Series 2015 Syrah* (a great Syrah; may be sold out; priced at $39.99).
- Working Dog Winery 2016 Retriever* (an excellent Bordeaux-style blend); $39.99. James Suckling awarded 90 Points.
*Note: these two wines are priced at $39.99. I won’t quibble over a penny, when my $40 is an admittedly arbitrary amount from the get go.
By no means have I tasted all of the New Jersey wines that meet my arbitrary criteria. For instance, Alba Vineyards produces two highly rated wines-Pinot Noir Reserve and Chardonnay Reserve-in this price range ($49 each). I have not yet had the pleasure of trying either of these and several others that I hope to eventually try.
There are also some great “Library wines” that wineries may offer for bottle sale only. These are wines with a limited number of bottles remaining from that vintage. Obviously these are wines that are aging well and often have received high scores from critics and increasing in price and value. You probably won’t get to taste them and you may even need to be a member to purchase one. Most of these wines are fittingly “premium” bottles carrying the price tag to match.
For those of you who would like to try one of these premium wines, but find the price a bit too steep, you might consider memberships where available. They offer nice discounts. Mixed case purchases can often bring down the average cost of your bottles, while yielding a nice discount for the total purchase. Whenever possible, try to taste these wines. If you are like me, when buying wines in this price range, I prefer not to rely exclusively on reviews by critics. So don’t take my word for it, either. Go out and try a few. But remember, these wines are usually small production wines and sell out quickly. The Turdo wines pictured and listed above are available now. I had the pleasure of tasting them on Friday. I quickly purchased two of each and put them away for special occasions.
Cheers!
Coming Attractions
- Amalthea, Fall 2019
- New Jersey’s newest winery
- New Jersey Coeur d’Est – What is it? Where can you find it? How good is it?
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