2006 ne-go-ciant Sonoma Syrah – $9

This is another end of the bin special, ne-go-ciant is a Sonoma County Syrah that once sold for $24, it was a private label wine for Sam’s Wine, who was bought out by another Liquor Store last year. Sam’s is gone, the new owners have no use for a Sam’s specific wine, so I have a bargain. Sonoma County fruit in a nine dollar wine is unheard of and even an average $24 wine makes for a killer $9 wine, it’s hard to go wrong. So when you stumble upon these end of bin specials you need to jump on them!

The color is dark shining ruby red. The aroma is cherries, plums, a bit of mushroom earthiness and maybe a hint of smoke. The mouth feel is very full, the flavor immediately fills all areas of your mouth. It tastes of dark fruit, blackberries and  raisins, you can sense the tannins but they don’t jump out, the fruit and the tannins have a nice balance. The finish tastes of chocolate covered raisinettes candy and has good length. This is a really good wine, it has a good nose, excellent taste, nice mid palate, and a long finish, if I wasn’t so cheap I would have bought a case.

Being a cheapwinefinder isn’t just about finding the best wines priced under $20, it’s about finding the best wines in all price ranges for the least amount of money. Check to see if your local wine seller has an e-mail notification system for their sales, if you are quick you may grab some real bargains.

2007 Viña Ventisquero Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon – $10

Unquestionably the best $10 Cabernet Sauvignon from South America that I’ve had in a long time!  The Chilean vineyard’s name Ventisquero is Spanish for “glacier”, which takes its name from the hanging glaciers in the nearby Andes Mountains.

For such an inexpensive wine this Cab is very full bodied with an intense red color.  It has hints of vanilla, oak and sweet cherry.  It is full bodied, but has an elegant, velvety finish of cherry and black currant.  It is delicious! Drink with mature cheeses, grilled meats or Buffalo Wild Wings with Asian Zing.

2006 Hess Allomi Cabernet Sauvignon

Here’s a screwtop, estate-grown Cabernet out of Napa Valley that overachieves its $21 price tag. Think Larissa Ely in Cherry, Harry and Raquel (Russ Meyer, people): great body and smells like Cherry (groan). Soft taste with more cherries, plum, and chocolate with a loooooong vanilla spice finish.

And just like Larissa my bottle was gone and not heard from again. I recommend sharing a bottle with Charles Napier if you have the means.

Get it HERE, although for slightly more than I found it for in my area.

2006 Cambria Pinot Noir – $17

I heard about this 93 point California Pinot Noir from a wine.com newsletter and had high hopes. Unfortunately, it didn’t meet the high expectations I had from the Wine Enthusiast rating. It’s very rare that you find a highly-rated Pinot Noir under $20. Usually the high ratings on Pinot cause the price to go straight up.

I picked up some cherry and orange flavors. This Pinot out of Santa Maria Valley had decent texture to it but it also carried some sour and burnt flavors that I didn’t care for. The bottom line on this wine is to not be carried away by the rating. In my book it didn’t match up.