Top 100 Cellar Selection #12 / 10 Wines Under $50 Perfect for Your Cellar

Combining an irresistible pairing of earthy elegance and age-worthy structure, this fragrant, focused red boasts heady scents of smoke, wild berry, pipe tobacco, sunbaked earth and rose petal. The taut linear palate shows lovely tension, delivering juicy Morello cherry, crushed raspberry, baking spice and licorice framed in youthfully firm but refined tannins. Fresh acidity lends balance and energy. Drink 2022 - 2035. Dalla Terra Winery Direct.

Pianodario is the coolest and highest of the three vineyards, at 800m above sea level. Terraced with dry stone walls to enable farming on the steeply sloping terrain, the soils are shallower here and rich in minerals consisting of volcanic sands, small- to medium-sized rocks, and pumice. The average temperature is 3˚C lower than in the Rampante vineyard, and the wine is marked by higher acidity and tannins – a marked austerity. Vinified in the same way as Rampante, with 12 months in Slavonian oak, this is fresh, cool, aromatic and tightly mineral, displaying characteristics of rose petal and redcurrant. Fantastic length and power.

Subtle and complex with cooked-apple, pie-crust and biscuit aromas and flavors. Full body. Extremely creamy and beautiful with plenty of cooked apples, light pears and light honey at the finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.

10 STELLAR PIEMONT REDS AT 90+ POINTS  

High-toned black currant, black cherry and violet aromas and flavors are accented by vanilla and toast notes in this suave red. Supple and intense, with a lingering aftertaste of dark fruit, licorice and spice. Drink now through 2024. 6,000 cases made, 3,000 cases imported. ~ Bruce Sanderson    

Another beautiful Barbaresco with bright florals, ranging from fresh hibiscus to fruit tea and raspberries. Fresh stems and a mowed-lawn note are also somewhere in the mix. The same transparency cuts through with brilliant minerality on the full-bodied palate and firm, slicing tannins. Drink from 2021.    

Aromas of blueberries, sliced strawberries and peaches. Full body and firm, chewy tannins that are polished and velvety in a refined way. Better after 2022

This is a very impressive nose indeed for a Barbera, dripping in smoke, dried lavender, licorice, elderberries and herbal liqueur. Despite the exuberant initial impression, the palate is polished and suave, casting a web of neatly arranged tannins amidst plush dark fruit. Drink from 2023

What happens when you blend the indigenous grapes Mammolo, Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Ciliegiolo, Colorino, Foglia Tonda, Malvasia Nera, Sanforte and Pugnitello? You get the 2015 Montebello. This is a beautifully intense and curious wine in that it challenges you to come up with precise clues to identify the individual grapes. The bouquet is broadly projected like a wide-screen television, with cherry, blackberry, spice, tar and licorice. The depth and complexity of this vintage is particularly attractive. There is crisp acidity at the end of this mid-weight delivery that makes this wine great for fatty cuts of beef or lamb. This wine may not be for everyone, but I definitely got a charge here. Only 6,800 bottles were produced. - ML