Hi i’m constantinbaum master of wine and We’re all looking for great wines that Don’t break the bank this is why i asked Leon to prepare blind tasting for me of Wines from the wine spectator top 100 List that retail for 30 us dollars or Less so that i can find the best of the Best Let’s go [Music] The wine spectator is one of the if not The most widely distributed wine Magazines in the world and they’re Putting together a top 100 list every Year they don’t just include all of the Highest rated wines in that list but Select the ones based on the following Factors quality value availability and Excitement whatever those really mean The list normally includes ones that are Widely available so you should be able To get them in your own market leon Picked ones that are 30 us dollars or Less and i will blind taste those wines Try to identify them and i will rate Them so that you get the selection of The selection the best of the best the Creme de la creme the pick of the litter Well let’s just taste but before i jump Into this lake of wine if you’re new to This channel and want to learn more About wine then please do subscribe it Really helps me out and now let’s taste All right we’re starting with wine
Number one And wine number one is a white one This is good this is really good stuff It smells of lemon zest but also Rosemary and there are some herbaceous Notes coming through it’s quite complex There’s a bit of lime as well It’s Very very nice on the palette it’s quite Rich and grippy there’s good acidity Good freshness there it’s quite lively Quite intense But really balanced i mean there’s good Body but also lots of freshness this is Not easy for me this is quite burgundian In style it’s quite rich and complex it Doesn’t have all that much oak there’s a Little bit of it but not too much so it Feels quite fresh and vibrant more Yeah on the lively side but for me this Doesn’t really smell like chardonnay There’s this funny mintiness coming Through so it’s quite difficult to Pinpoint that this should be another Slightly neutral grape variety not Necessarily something That i taste a lot of because It doesn’t jump at me it’s more In a way Reminds me a little bit of chenin blanc Or Maybe albarino Maybe Garnacha blanca white grenache so it’s
Not necessarily Something very opulent in flavor But yeah i really struggle putting this Down Somewhere Quite difficult what i can say though is That it is really good it’s quite Complex it’s Very animating very yeah very Interesting nose on the parrot it’s Concentrated but also fresh and vibrant Really complete wine I would rate this 91 points i think it Is really really good Now let’s check out what it is So this is monte del fra car del mar Coustroza superior I have no clue What this is so one spectator rated this 90 points and it retails for 22 us Dollars and i think this is a damn good Wine really Really good Really interesting it’s a caviar of gaga Niga trebiano cortese and chardonnay so There’s a little bit of everything in There but all of those grape varieties Are more neutral grape varieties And Yeah so i wasn’t completely wrong but There’s no way that i could have Identified this wine sorry so now let’s Continue with wine number two One number two is also not super
Aromatic it’s Golden in color it smells of ripe apple Lemon zest Lemon tart so kind of similar to the Previous wine there’s not this much Herbaceousness there it’s more fruit Driven there’s also some flavors coming Through that remind me of leaves so the Context of yeast that’s why i get lemon Tart so there’s more like a creamy Dimension to the aroma as well on the Palette it’s really Grippy fresh vibrant textured it’s quite A lively wine it has good acidity it has Good grip It’s quite complete in my opinion this Could be shenan blah it could also be Kuna feltlina but i think it is albarino A great variety that is quite widely Planted on the western side of the Iberian peninsula so it produces really Interesting lively stimulating wines That go really well with seafood and i Think this might be it tasting it again I kind of think it could also be chenin Blanc it has this Slightly um Yeah slightly funky flavor that turner Sometimes has It’s tricky but i’m going to go for Albarino and i think this is really good Again i would rate this 91 points it’s a Really complete Refreshing mouthwatering wine
No matter what it really is But let’s find out What so this is chardonnay that’s Weird but this is not a good start That’s not how i wanted this to go But it’s a good wine For sure doesn’t really feel 100 like a Chardonnay to me but It is all right this is the de vets hoof Bon valon chardonnay from robertson in South africa It received 99 points from wine Spectator and it retails for 24 us Dollars and it has lots of medals check This out Quite special I’m not a big fan of those metals but Hey if you if you like them then put Them on your label that’s fine so we’re Moving on to wine number three and There’s quite a lot of co2 in that Wine so that might mean that it’s a Young wine but it doesn’t really tell me Anything else about the wine really the Nose and the palette really tell me a Lot though about this wine this is quite Classic i would say it smells of lime a Little bit of rubber it is quite Aromatic quite intense on the palate it Has a high level of acidity there’s also Some residual sugar so There’s a good balance between the fresh And vibrant acidity and The slight sweetness there so this
Reminds me of riesling but not riesling From germany Or the others it’s more Like a riesling from a new world region A new world region that is maybe a Little bit hotter a little bit more Sunny Than what we’re used to back home in Germany um i think this smells like Claire valley riesling it could also be Washington riesling so from the pacific Northwest of the us They they can be very similar in style In my opinion um Tricky however this is an american Magazine so Let’s just say it’s from washington State it could just as well be from Claire i confuse the two wines quite Frequently i think they are very similar In style very often But as this is an american publication Maybe they are more likely to include an American riesling But i’m sure about the riesling I hope That i’m right though I’m not sure well i’m sure Am i Don’t know Let’s open it all right Ah i’m back baby so this is the heroica Riesling from washington state it’s a Cooperation between chateau san michel
And ernie lawson dr lozen from germany And they make that wine over there It is slightly off dry Um i think Yeah well it doesn’t say how much sugar Sugar it has but it definitely has some Sugar and it’s quite a quite a nice Riesling i forgot to rate it and i would Rate this 89 points this is pretty solid It’s not the greatest riesling of all Time in my opinion but it’s pretty good Wine spectator rated it 91 points and it Retails for 20 us dollars and i’ve been To the winery and chased the wine there And i thought it was quite interesting i Think it’s a great door opener for Riesling in general if there is a big Producer getting behind this varietal It’s interesting that shuttle so Michelle is the biggest producer of Riesling in the world at least they were The biggest producer of riesling in the World a winery from the us is the Biggest producer of riesling That will shock some german wine makers For sure so wine number four and it Looks really dark Quite a dark wine golden this is a Fascinating wine a slightly more neutral Style of wine again it smells a little Bit of Apple juice it smells also of lemon Juice It’s
Quite refined fresh Lively It feels a little bit natural And i have no idea what it is on the Palette it’s quite Big Without being fat i don’t think there’s A lot of alcohol here but there’s quite A lot of concentration there the acidity Is fresh quite grippy this is bone dry Feels even drier after the riesling Interesting there’s also this hint of Reduction there And this all kind of reminds me of again Those grape varieties alberino shenan Blonde bruno feldlina It’s I hope not again in chardonnay i don’t Think it’s a chardonnay it’s Yeah but it’s really difficult To grab it i Really struggle here i’m going to go Again to albarino to the western coast Of the iberian peninsula i think It is Difficult i i’m really not convinced That i’m right but it feels a bit like One of those wines i actually think that Winemaking plays a big role here as well This feels very hands off low levels of Sulfites And yeah just let the wine do what it Does So this could be like a natural
Wine it was picked by leon so of course It’s a natural one Let’s have a look What ah Easy the one is the 2019 nossa calcario It’s a bikal that’s the grape variety And it’s from balrada and the winemaker Here is felipe pato one of the most Famous winemakers in portugal i rate This 91 points wine spectator rated it 93 points it retails for 29 us dollars And Am i beating myself up about the fact That i didn’t identify because Not really But it’s pretty good one i would Recommend this moving on to wine number Five The first red wine this is really dark It’s Yeah difficult to see your fingers Through it so it’s really dark wine the Wine smells of blackberries blueberries It’s quite intense quite brooding There’s also some spiciness coming Through on the palate it’s really rich And grippy there’s quite a lot of Tannins there But good freshness too so there’s Structure and concentration but it Doesn’t feel alcoholic for me this is Difficult it feels like the old world It’s not really a new world style of Wine but it feels like it’s from a warm
Climate in the old world somewhere in South europe so Spain Portugal Southern italy come to mind i think this Is probably where this wine is from the Absence of obvious oak points more Towards italy or maybe portugal it Doesn’t have like the vanilla flavor That you get in most Concentrated rich Spanish wines so It Feels a little bit more fruit driven it Could be something from sicily but not Really something from the italian Mainland it could also be sardinian Grenache noir that is usually a bit more Structured than what i know from the Southern roman for example But for me this is more Portuguese i think because it’s a bit Yeah quite quite clean fruit flavor Quite a lot of concentration But i couldn’t really say where in Portugal this is from it could be from The duro it could be from the dao Kind of difficult leon is really not Making my life any easier Um Yeah Thank you leon i think this is a good One but it’s not as good as some of the Whites that we had so far i think
For me this is 88 points it’s Not amazing i think there is Something missing to make it really Great wine but it’s very good Let’s have a look All right so this is from the duro from Portugal it’s called shisto limitado it Was rated 91 points on wine spectator And it retails for 27 us dollars and i Think out of the bunch so far this is The wine that i like the least it’s not A bad wine but it’s not really Super interesting moving on with wine Number six wine number six is definitely Quite a bit lighter in color it’s not as Concentrated i can actually see my Fingers through the wine but where could This be from i think this doesn’t feel Like the southern rhone it doesn’t have The roundness and richness It doesn’t feel like the new world i Think it should be from europe Um it could be priority for example but Pirouette is also a bit more generous For me terra alter would be an option That’s a region that specializes on Ganache and they are quite high at a High elevation so the wines are a bit More structured a bit more grippy it Could also be kind of no that i Mentioned earlier the Grenache version from sardinia But Yeah i i think this could be terra elta
In spain but it is quite rustic i don’t Think it’s a very Harmonious wine I think this is A bit tough I rate this 85 points I don’t think It’s that good Well let’s have a look at what it Actually is Ah damn it I was there and then i went somewhere Else it’s kanono di sardinia So it’s grenache from sardinia it’s the 2018 reserva from seller a mosca Wine spectator rated this 90 points Which is a bit high in my opinion and it Retails for 18 us dollars so let’s move On to Number seven Lucky number seven isn’t it Let’s hope this is a lucky wine so this Brings me Straight into the new world It’s quite aromatic quite intense quite Juicy quite round It’s well made there’s also A spicy dimension to it But it’s quite a fruit driven bread it Smells of cherries blackberries Cassis there are also flavors of pepper And a little bit pencil shavings coming Through and the palette is really rich
And round but there are grippy tannins They’re just covered by this velvety Texture and the alcohol is fairly high i Would say it’s 14 14 and a half percent So yeah pretty high for me this melts And tastes like a bordeaux cuvee and That doesn’t really limit my options in The new world too much because pretty Much every new world winemaking country Also produces a bordeaux cuvee Bordeaux cuvee is a blend usually of Cabernet sauvignon merlot maybe cabernet Farm maybe malbec So i think there’s a bit of a mix of Different grape varieties going on here It feels pretty high end so As we are only tasting ones that are 30 Or less i don’t think this is from napa I don’t think it’s from Any premium wine growing region focusing On those grape varieties in australia or In new zealand i actually think it’s Argentina or chile and it feels more Argentinian in a way it’s kind of more Ripe and brown and rich whereas chili Would be a little bit more minty a Little bit more refined usually shall we Have a look let’s open this I got it 100 points for me not for the Wine but For my Guests i guess It’s the 2018 claude de los yette From argentina mendoza in argentina
I didn’t rate this i would actually rate This 91 points It’s really good it’s quite complete There’s a everything is kind of in the Right place it’s a pretty good one wine Spectator rated this 90 points and it Retails for 20 us dollars which is Pretty cheap i think i mean this is a Solid red wine this is not a classic Bordeaux cuvee there’s also Involved in the plant the rest are the Classic Bordeaux varietals malbec cabernet Sauvignon cabernet franc mellow so I was Yeah pretty damn right here i gotta tap Myself a little bit on the shoulder After all those failures the last wine Wine number eight Wine number eight has a medium intense Color it smells of cherries a little bit Of Like dust and ash And maybe even a little bit of chocolate But just a tiny bit it is really good it Feels very much old world and star it Feels like it’s from a cooler Central european place so it doesn’t Really have the concentration And richness of southern europe but it’s Also not a lighter pinot noir from Germany for example so There is Quite a great balance here this could
Maybe be a gummy from beaujolais it Could also be Something from austria for example at Spygelt But For me this feels quite a bit Like pimont it feels a bit like barbara Could also be dolcetto but it has this Really fresh and vibrant acidity that Torchetto doesn’t necessarily have man It’s long it’s like a really really good Cherry juice it’s Super fresh It’s really really nice this should be a Great wine with food if you have Something A little bit greasy and richer this is The wine that breaks up everything i Rate this 91 points it’s a delicious Wine Doesn’t really have the concentration And seriousness to be rated much higher Than that but it’s really really good It’s a beautiful one and i hope it’s a Barbara barbara dalbra i guess Let’s have a look I did it again Pochezzare Barbara dalba 2019 This was rated 92 points by wine Spectator and it retails for 27 us Dollars and this is a great bargain pio Chaser is one of the top producers from The region especially well known for the
Barolos but this is a beautiful Beautiful wine and i think at this price Point you can’t go wrong here this is Good okay this was a fascinating tasting I think we have some amazing wines here On the table and i gotta say the white Ones again over performed white ones Tend to be really really great when it Comes to this value category they tend To be undervalued so you get some really Good stuff At below 30 us dollars my favorites of The tasting were the first the gustosa Which was just beautiful And i also really like the nosa calcario When it comes to the red ones i gotta Say the pioches are they and the claw de La Were my favorites I didn’t love those two wines they kind Of know in particular but they were in My opinion not that interesting not that Great in quality so thank you for Watching i hope you enjoyed this video If you liked it then please like it down Here subscribe to my channel if you Haven’t done so already my question of The day is what is your favorite wine Under 30 us dollar please comment down Below let me know And i hope i see you guys again soon Until then stay Thirsty [Music]