Whites Under $50

wines

The NV Pedro Ximenez Solera 1927 is non-vintage, but does have some 1927 material in it. This is totally dark brown/amber with notes of figs, toffee, caramel syrup, molasses and coffee. It is dense, super sweet, intense, rich and an amazingly, unctuously textured, thick beverage to consume slowly and introspectively after a meal. Drink now through 2050, or even longer.Robert Parker | 98 RPOne of the world's best PX wines is Solera 1927, the pride of Alvear. Whatever solera stocks went into this bottling were well selected. Aromas of maple and fine wood turn to fig and caramel. Saturation and weight on the palate are expected, but this has some (though not a lot) acidic cut. Deep flavors of fig and Nutella finish with nuttiness and warmth. Drink or hold.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe NV Alvear Solera 1927 always seems to deliver, and releases have been incredibly consistent over the past decade or more. As always, the wine was pulled from a very old, fortified Solera blend that includes grapes going back to 1927. Full-bodied, opulent, and sexy, it’s has slightly more acidity than the 2015 release as well as huge notes of figs, plums, coffee, smoked earth, and caramel. It’s a big, rich, powerful wine that needs to be consumed at the end of a meal.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDA pretty mind-blowing sweet wine with so much density and sweetness, offering syrup, toffee, burnt-sugar and chocolate flavors, as well as espresso coffee and toffee pudding. It’s full and very, very sweet. Caramel at the end. From a solera established in 1927. Drink now.James Suckling | 94 JSThis rich sweetie hangs languidly, with date, rum raisin, almond cream and Turkish coffee notes lolling through, backed by toffee and toasted peanut details. Dessert on its own. Drink now. 500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Astonishing purity and youthful freshness, the white-peach, Asian-pear and candied Amalfi-lemon aromas incredibly vivid. Super-focused, medium-bodied palate with staggering vitality and energy. This is very concentrated, but the refreshing acidity makes it feel so light on its feet. Then comes the diamond-bright minerality at the finish. Surely the best white wine from this producer to date! Made from vines planted in 2005. Drink or hold. 20th Anniversary Berlin Tasting Event, February 2024.James Suckling | 98 JSThe 2022 Chardonnay Las Pizarra was cultivated on slate soils overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Aged for 12 months in French oak barrels, 20% new, this yellow-green wine delivers enticing aromas of green apple, ginger and cedar, complemented by acacia, nard and lime notes. Lean, refreshing and taut, its elevated acidity and vibrant mouthfeel create a uniquely nervy yet creamy texture. This is a stunning coastal Chardonnay with a nod to Burgundy. Coastal terroirs, when planted with high-quality grape material, offer a renewed expression of Chile’s potential for high-end whites—this wine is a remarkable example.Vinous Media | 97 VMThe 2022 Las Pizarras Chardonnay is enticingly pure and vibrant on the nose, exuding a pleasing combination of bright, floral and crushed stone aromas with incredible clarity. The palate is a livewire of energy, with a radiant, beaming presence and outstanding, chiseled precision. It concludes on a long, layered and stoney finish accented with bright citrus notes and impressive length. This grew ever more nuanced and multidimensional in the glass, gaining substantial textural breadth but never losing sight of its crystalline purity and focused core. This was 100% barrel fermented, underwent partial malolactic fermentation and aged 12 months in 20% new French barrique.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPPoured from magnum, this Chardonnay is showing so well, showcasing its own identity as well as sense of place. Iodine salinity gives it depth, persistence and loads of character. The mid-palate, full of yellow apple, ripe pear and preserved lemon, is weighty and creamy, with a nutty edge adding it a meaty fleshiness. But the salinity is the start here, coming back on the finish with energy and seductiveness, lingering on the long tail of kelp and nori.Decanter Magazine | 95 DEC

The exquisite 2024 Chardonnay Les Granitiers follows up from the fantastic 2023 with a higher percentage of Coastview (44%) grapes and 43% from Fogstone instead of Escolle, as well as small amounts of Pelio and Spear, all sites rich in granitic soils. Though the vintage was warmer, there’s no lack of freshness or verve, the wine as linear, high-toned, and light-bodied as ever. Native-fermented and aged in mostly neutral barrel and some stainless for under a year, there’s texture and complexity that buoys the salinity and earthy undertones of fresh herb and sea spray. Another masterful wine from this small producer. Drink now through 2036.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDThis blend cruises from the eastern Monterey peaks of the Gabilan Mountains (44% Coastview Vineyard) to the hills of the Santa Lucia Highlands (43% Fogstone) and terraces of the Carmel Coast (10% Pelio), with a dash of Santa Barbara’s Sta. Rita Hills (3% Spear). The nose’s earthy, wet-rock minerality pairs with honeysuckle, then drops into a chalky palate of Asian pear and lychee. Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe 2024 Chardonnay Les Granitiers is bright, tense and loaded with minerality, its inherent raciness nicely offset by a creamy, generous mid-palate. A blend of Coastview (Gabilan Mountains), Fogstone (SLH) and Pelio (Carmel Valley) and Spear (Sta. Rita Hills), the 2024 presses out layers of bitter lemon pith, yellow plum, chalk, fresh mint and sea salt. Cool-climate California in a glass.Vinous Media | 93 VM