Originally Posted by
Stranger
Vini Be Good Les Athlètes du Vin Pinot Noir, Touraine (France). Does not seem to be sold anywhere in North America. In the UK, GBP 15. Alas, I am no great fan of Loire pinot noir. Misses the minerality of a good burgundy. But does not seem all that cheap. I suspect emphasis on fruit, which is not what I go for.
Volpaia Citto Toscana (Italy) CAD 13-15. Volpaia is one of the better chianti folks. At least their reserve is one of the best chianti. But this is their lower brands and it's cheap.
Masroig Rojalet Selecció, Montsant (Spain) USD 8.70. So probably 12-15 in Canada? Montsant is good value. Kind of Priorat on the cheap; but then usually you get what you pay for. Also, fruit rather than minerality. n my book, when young priorat is not really drinkable. Really need aging to round off the edges.
I finally had a chance to try two of these. While the pinot noir is easily the most expensive, it came across precisely as I expected. Pinot noir fruit, clearly yes. But otherwise, no character, no minerality.
The Montsant on the other hand is a good choice. Even if it is indeed quite cheap.
In contrast, they currently serve a feudi di San Grigorio aglianico, which prices at $22.50 in Quebec. So it seems that indeed they budget for better wines on domestic than international...
I am no great fan of Feudi di San Grigorio, a newish and very commercial operation. We do buy their Taurasi, which is obviously more expensive and better, not a bad value. The AC wine is a bit rough at the edges; I had a har time deciding between it and the Malbec. But as most Argentinian wines, at least at the low end, the malbec is a bit too sweet for my taste. Still OK, not like cheap California. But still...