Buyer’s Guide to Vintages January 10th Release

Annual Smart Buys; The Recipe for Value, and Crozes Hermitage in the Spotlight

By John Szabo MS, with notes from David Lawrason, Michael Godel, Sara d’Amato and Megha Jandhyala

“Smart Buys” is the Vintages January 10 release theme, the focus of the first release of the year for as long as I can remember. There are a dozen wines at $14.95 and under, and 52 wines under $20. The average across all 87 wines in the release is $23.87 (skewed slightly up by two outlying icewines at $59.95 and $99.95). Most of the WineAlign Crü’s picks sit between $18 and $30, however, with one exception, a $14.95 red that garnered 88 points across the board, an easy 5-star value. In highlighting this wine, I share my not-so-secret “recipe for finding value,” the key business factors to look for when seeking out the best juice-to-dollar ratio. But remember that value can be found at many price points; we believe that all our picks offer favourable quality-price ratios, especially one very rare quintuple alignment in this release — also a pair of triples, and a handful of doubles. Read on for the highlights.

Elsewhere, Crozes-Hermitage, the northern Rhône’s largest appellation, is in the Wine Thieves’ spotlight, the podcast hosted by Sara and me. It’s our first new episode in two years, and we’re excited to be back with fresh interviews with leading figures of the wine world, in this case Daphné Chave and David Combier. Click through to listen.

The Rhône Valley (https://www.vins-rhone-tourisme.fr/)

The Recipe for Value

My top “smart buy” comes from a region long regarded as a source of excellent value wines, the kind you’ll always find on a Parisien bistro list (and elsewhere else): the southern Rhône. What makes the region such a hotbed for value? Is not such a complicated equation at the end of the day. The region simply enjoys many of what I consider to be the key structural factors to look for when searching for value in the world of wine. These are:

Production volume. With over 70,000 hectares planted, the southern Rhône is France’s second largest region, after Bordeaux, which makes it one of the largest appellations in the world.

Clement weather. The southern Rhône enjoys the textbook definition of a Mediterranean climate, ideal for growing grapes. Vineyards are often de facto organic, even if not certified. Large crops can be regularly ripened to produce rich, smooth reds, high-octane rosés and generously proportioned, satisfying whites at low cost.

Multi-generational, family-run estates. This is key. It’s estimated that there are a little more than 1,800 private wine-growing properties across the Rhône valley, the majority family owned and operated, often for more than a generation. These estates have, for the most part, already paid off their infrastructure and real-estate debts. Thus, the “cost of goods sold” comes down to annual farming and winemaking costs, plus some marketing budget. Essentially, you’re paying for the juice and the bottle it comes in. This is a huge advantage over start-ups that have to amortize the costs of land acquisition, equipment, infrastructure and the building up of markets in the price of a bottle of wine. In this case, you’re paying for far more than just for the juice — you’re also paying off someone’s debts.

I’d also add cooperatives to the category of value producers, of which the Rhône has over 100, as well as négociants (50-plus) who purchase grapes and/or wine, to bottle and sell. In both cases, there’s almost always an economy of scale that allows for minimizing the costs of goods sold and fully established winemaking infrastructure.

With these points in mind, it’s hardly surprising that the Lavau Family is able to deliver us a delicious red at under $15: Lavau 2024 Côtes du Rhône ($14.95). The story of the Lavau family and wine begins in Saint-Émilion in the 19th century, before continuing in Tunisia where René Lavau and his son transformed a small estate of vines and orange trees into the country’s biggest wine producer. Jean-Guy Lavau (René’s grandson) and his wife Anne-Marie returned to France in the 1960s and created Maison Lavau in 1965 in the village of Sablet. Some 30 years later, Frédéric and Benoît Lavau joined the family winery, and today Maison Lavau owns 140 hectares of vineyards and has partnerships with some 350 winegrowers across virtually every appellation in the southern Rhône.

David appreciates the wine’s “ample flavour and refreshment,” while Michael cuts to the chase, describing it as “stupidly affordable Côtes du Rhône.” There’s nothing special or pretentious here, just plump, highly drinkable red wine for immediate enjoyment, a sheer pleasure to quaff, such as everyone needs from time to time.

Another region that boasts many of the value factors is Chile’s Central Valley, and especially the Maule valley with its old, dry-farmed vineyards. Good weather, inexpensive land, and generational farmers add up to value. And here you can also add lower cost of living into the value equation, meaning lower wages (without exploitation) and thus a lower cost of production.

Torontonian Derek Mossman-Knapp spied the potential in Chile when he established the Garage Wine Co. in 2001 with partner Pilar Miranda, literally in his garage. “We revive old vineyards in marginalized Chilean communities to make coveted wines,” says Derek. “The wines are not made to be expensive per se, but they are found on the higher shelves — they need to command a price that allows for proper farming. What we have discovered is that the long-term practices of regenerative farming not only make for better fruit and thus more flavourful wine, but that such a business can become a force for financial, community and environmental good.”

But I’d hardly consider the Garage Old Vine Field Blend($24.95) to be a particularly high-shelf wine, rather a superb value, one which sings out its origins loudly. And if it supports good farming practices and a local community, so much the better. The wine is a “memorable expression of place,” according to Sara; while David describes it as “undisputably Chilean with that lifted almost spearminty/menthol greenness.” All five of the WineAlign critics had this on their list of recommendations, a rare occurrence indeed.

Other multi-aligned wines include Closerie Des Alisiers Petit Chablis 2023 ($29.95) — “downright proper and stony” (Michael); Tawse Quarry Road Pinot Noir 2023 ($35.95) — “savoir-faire dovetails with authentic sense of place” (Megha); and Prosper Maufoux’s Mâcon-Villages 2023 ($20.95)— “a serious white Burgundy with more rigidity and structure than many from warmer Macon” (David).

See buyer’s Guide below for all the picks.

Wine Thieves: Crozes Hermitage

It’s syrah-o’clock somewhere, and the Wine Thieves are back, exploring Northern Rhône’s largest appellation, Crozes-Hermitage — a tale of two distinct terroirs. To the north, steep granitic slopes yield structured, mineral-driven syrah, while the flatter, warmer southern plains produce fruit-forward, approachable styles. Joining us from Tain-l’Hermitage are rising “new generation” winemakers Daphné Chave of Domaine Yann Chave and David Combier of Domaine Combier, both carrying forward their family legacies while shaping the future of the region. We’ll dive into how their experiences abroad influence their winemaking, how syrah expresses the diversity of its terroir, the challenges facing the variety today, and the rising profile of Northern Rhône whites, marsanne and roussanne. Pour a glass of Crozes-Hermitage and join us for this Wine Thieves reboot episode! Listen to the episode.

Buyer’s Guide Vintages January 10: White & Sparkling

Megalomaniac Narcissist Riesling 2023, Ontario, Canada
$19.95, John Howard Cellars of Distinction
Michael Godel – Acidity strides side by side with high-quality fruit. A truly balanced riesling and because it activates a near dry style so beautifully there is great potential from Canadian varietal gravitas.
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There are 18 other Vintages recommendations this week that are currently only available to our premium members. This complete article will be free and visible to all members 60 days after publication. We invite you to subscribe today to unlock our top picks and other Premium benefits

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That’s all for this report, see you ’round the next bottle.

John Szabo, MS

Use these quick links for access to all of our January 10th Top Picks in the New Release. Non-premium members can select from all release dates 60 days prior.

John’s Top Picks – January 10th
Lawrason’s Take – January 10th
Michael’s Mix – January 10th
Sara’s Selections – January 10th
Megha’s Picks – January 10th

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