Reds Under $50

wines

The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) is absolutely delicious. Ripe, radiant and seductive, the 2015 is going to be nearly impossible to resist young. Even so, there is plenty of structural underpinning beneath all of the fruit. Sweet floral notes develop in the glass, adding lift, but above all else, the 2015 is a wine of textural voluptuousness, all in a silky, mid-weight style that is hugely appealing.Antonio Galloni | 93 AG

Fresh grapes only. It’s hard to believe this is their first vintage from rented vines high up at San Giorgio. Magnificent aromas of woodsmoke, aniseed, clove and black pepper and intense, juicy red fruit flavours. Drinking Window 2019 - 2027.Decanter | 94 DEC

The 2015 Late Bottled Vintage Port is a field blend aged for 48 months in old Portuguese vats. It was bottled in April 2019, unfiltered, with 84 grams of sugar and a bar-top cork. Powerful and intense, this opens up with concentrated, slightly jammy fruit supported by a serious backbone. If I tasted this blind, I might have assumed this tightly wound LBV was a Vintage Port, at least a modest one. The fruit is rich and expressive. The wine is nowhere near peak. Given its potential for aging and development, I’m surprised it does not have a normal, long cork. Barring cork issues, it should age well. The only remaining question is whether it will develop well. We’ll be a bit conservative just now. There were 8,500 bottles produced. Not imported, this runs around 23 euros in Portugal.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RP

Moderately saturated bright red. Herbs, red fruit and minerals on the refined nose. Then also quite elegant in the mouth, where floral nuances lift the red and blue fruit flavors. Finishes long with herbal notes that add complexity.Vinous Media | 92 VMSubtle and flavorful with spice, white-pepper and dark-berry aromas and flavors. Medium to full body. Firm tannins. Polished and delicious. Why wait? Drink now or hold.James Suckling | 92 JS