Popular Wines

As magical and enigmatic as the world of wine can be, it’s not always easy to find your way around. Every day, inexperienced wine enthusiasts try to explore new blends and end up with a shopping list that their budget simply cannot support. Every high-quality wine is a unique, important experience, one that opens a person’s taste palate to a whole new world of flavor and pleasure. Something primal awakens within, urging you to find new and more compelling aromas and textures. But with so much to choose from, where do you begin?
When it comes to wine, popular blends are relatively common for a reason. They serve as an excellent entry point into the world of fine wine, and studying them lets you understand more obscure, complicated wines out there. A collection has to start somewhere, and these blends are often easier to get and help you develop your taste. Imagine bonding with your friends and family over a brand you’re all familiar with and able to appreciate to its fullest. Good wine offers something new, yet vaguely familiar with each glass, as your mouth picks up on subtleties in the liquid that tempt you further and inspire thought and introspection, uncorking new conversation topics and improving the mood no matter the situation.
If you’re looking for safe picks, you want to set your sights on quality brands from Italy, France, and Spain. A glass of sultry Sangiovese or Trebbiano Toscano can liven up a family meal and impress even the stuffiest guests while being a perfect partner to any traditional Italian dish you can think of. One taste of a Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay is enough to let France stand out as a breeding ground of divine, elegant elixirs that can fit the taste of any enthusiast. Meanwhile, Spain offers powerful blends such as Garnacha, Bobal, or Tempranillo, helping you create memorable moments out of even the most ordinary evening. And this is only scratching the surface.
Our goal is to introduce you to popular, tested brands the same way we would introduce you to a potential soulmate. With the right mood and some good timing, you can develop a healthy, pleasurable relationship with wine that lasts a lifetime.
When it comes to wine, popular blends are relatively common for a reason. They serve as an excellent entry point into the world of fine wine, and studying them lets you understand more obscure, complicated wines out there. A collection has to start somewhere, and these blends are often easier to get and help you develop your taste. Imagine bonding with your friends and family over a brand you’re all familiar with and able to appreciate to its fullest. Good wine offers something new, yet vaguely familiar with each glass, as your mouth picks up on subtleties in the liquid that tempt you further and inspire thought and introspection, uncorking new conversation topics and improving the mood no matter the situation.
If you’re looking for safe picks, you want to set your sights on quality brands from Italy, France, and Spain. A glass of sultry Sangiovese or Trebbiano Toscano can liven up a family meal and impress even the stuffiest guests while being a perfect partner to any traditional Italian dish you can think of. One taste of a Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay is enough to let France stand out as a breeding ground of divine, elegant elixirs that can fit the taste of any enthusiast. Meanwhile, Spain offers powerful blends such as Garnacha, Bobal, or Tempranillo, helping you create memorable moments out of even the most ordinary evening. And this is only scratching the surface.
Our goal is to introduce you to popular, tested brands the same way we would introduce you to a potential soulmate. With the right mood and some good timing, you can develop a healthy, pleasurable relationship with wine that lasts a lifetime.
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1963 Quinta Do Noval Nacional100JG(Quinta do Noval Nacional) I had never tasted the legendary 1963 Nacional previously, and this stunningly pure and still almost youthful wine was every bit as profound as its reput..." Learn MoreFormats Available:As low as $7,035.00
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1969 Quinta Vale D. Maria Very Old Tawny Colheita Porto96WEThis limited production wine from one cask of aged tawny is amazingly concentrated. The spice, the wood flavors and the acidity have all come together to a point of supreme maturit..." Learn MoreFormats Available:As low as $579.00
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1976 Krug Collection92WSA gorgeous but extreme style of Champagne that's fully mature in flavor yet lively in balance. It's deep gold in color, smooth in texture and long on the finish. Intricate accents ..." Learn MoreFormats Available:As low as $2,805.00
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1977 Grahams Vintage Port93RPGraham is another great port house, producing one of the deepest-colored and sweetest styles of vintage port. Along with Taylor and Fonseca, Graham has probably been the most consi..." Learn MoreFormats Available:As low as $155.00
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1985 Fonseca93RP-NMThe 1985 Fonseca is still youthful in appearance with hardly any ageing on the rim. The nose offers kirsch, sloes and Christmas cake. With time, there are subtle notes of dried fig..." Learn MoreFormats Available:As low as $100.00
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1986 Dominus93RPI did not pick this out as Dominus in the blind tasting, largely because it came across as such a young, rich, blockbuster wine. One of the richest, densest, most concentrated offe..." Learn MoreFormats Available:As low as $359.00
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1986 Joseph Phelps Insignia94RPThis surprisingly rich, dark garnet-colored Insignia displays notes of cedarwood, tobacco leaf, black currants, graphite and damp earth. Medium to full-bodied with remarkable densi..." Learn MoreFormats Available:As low as $359.00
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1988 Felsina Fontalloro93WSA superbly structured wine, with impressive aromas and flavors of violets, berries and mint. Its full body and super tannins set up well for the concentrated, fruity finish. Try af..." Learn MoreFormats Available:As low as $140.00
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1988 Krug98RPKrug's 1988 Brut has long numbered among my very favorite vintages for this house, with the best bottles flirting with a three-digit score. Offering up complex aromas of apricot, c..." Learn MoreFormats Available:As low as $1,555.00
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1989 Krug Collection96JG(Krug Collection Brut) The 1989 Krug Collection is absolutely brilliant Champagne and one of the best bottles of wine I have had the pleasure to taste this year. The totally &agrav..." Learn MoreFormats Available:As low as $1,770.00
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1989 Louis Roederer Cristal98VMThe 1989 Roederer Cristal was the most understated of these three wines. It showed incredible clarity and depth, with superbly well-delineated, floral notes intertwined with ripe f..." Learn MoreFormats Available:As low as $805.00
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1990 Isole e Olena Cepparello94AGThe 1990 Cepparello is in my opinion the first modern Cepparello. Even today the wine remains deep, layered and powerful. The racy, fleshy personality is pure 1990. A final burst o..." Learn MoreFormats Available:As low as $155.00
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1990 Louis Roederer Cristal99DECUnusually, the 1990 vintage produced grapes with high sugars and high acidity, which has led to this legendary Cristal which is so ripe, rich, limpid, and dazzlingly delicious on t..." Learn MoreFormats Available:As low as $10,535.00
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1990 Moet Chandon Dom Perignon99JSThis is really incredible with orange peel, dried pineapple and flan. Exotic. Full body, round and savory. Crazy character at the finish of cooked pineapple and tart tartine. Gorge..." Learn MoreFormats Available:As low as $599.00
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1991 Grahams Vintage Port94RPGraham's 1991 Vintage Port gets my nod as the port of the vintage. While keeping in mind that Graham's aims for a sweeter-styled port, there is no doubting the opaque purple/black ..." Learn MoreFormats Available:As low as $105.00
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1992 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port100RPTaylor's 1992 Vintage Port is unquestionably the greatest young port I have ever tasted. It represents the essence of what vintage port can achieve. The color is an opaque black/pu..." Learn MoreFormats Available:As low as $259.00
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1994 Beaucastel CDP Hommage a Jacques Perrin96RPThe two limited cuvees of Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage a Jacques Perrin are spectacular in both 1994 and 1995, but each will require 10-15 years of cellaring. Less than 300 cases we..." Learn MoreFormats Available:As low as $500.00
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1994 Fonseca100WSHold on to your hat. This is the best Fonseca since 1977, and it's probably even better than that classic vintage--more like the breathtaking 1948. Mind-blowing, with masses of col..." Learn MoreFormats Available:As low as $180.00
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1995 Brumont Boucasse Vieilles Vignes Madiran91WSGorgeous aromas of roasted coffee and vanilla yield to flavors of cassis, chocolate and tobacco in this massive, backward wine. Its wall of tannin needs to be resolved, but the con..." Learn MoreFormats Available:As low as $54.95
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1995 Castello D'Ama Vigna L'Apparita92WSWonderful floral, berry and cocoa aromas. Full-bodied, with fine, polished tannins and a long finish with dark chocolate and berry on the aftertaste. A sleek, racy Merlot from a re..." Learn MoreFormats Available:As low as $185.00
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1995 Chateau Tirecul La Graviere Cuvee Madame100JDAs good (better??) than the 2001, the 1995 Monbazillac Cuvee Madame is straight up extraordinary juice that certainly one of the finest dessert wines I’ve ever tasted. A blen..." Learn MoreFormats Available:As low as $285.00
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1997 Argiano Solengo94RPThe profound 1997 Solengo vino da tavola (a blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon with a tiny dosage of Syrah) is spectacular. Opaque purple-colored, it displays a fabulously ..." Learn MoreFormats Available:As low as $330.00