Today TastedOnline.com is celebrating it’s fourth anniversary. It was an unusual year for us because we spent almost six months in California and with that geographic change our wine drinking became more West Coast oriented than it’s ever been in the past. And, that wasn’t all bad, we had some great finds with California Rhone blends and Zinfandels we never would have uncovered if we were not living there. It was a good wine drinking year and 2016 provided countless memorable times sharing wine and food with good friends.

Again this year we are changing the presentation format for our year end review. In the list below you will find the best value wines we had in 2016. The list is alphabetical, and includes a wide range of wines from throughout the world and prices between $10 to several hundred dollars. So no matter what your taste or budget you will find some OUTSTANDING wines on our list. We have also identified what we thought were the Best-of-the-Best by setting them in Bold type¹…these were the wines we thought stood out and should have special recognition. Our pick for the very best value wine of 2016 was Domaine de Fenouillet Vin de Pays Du Vaucluse 2014². And last but not least, our pick for the best value North Carolina wine was Junius Lindsay Vineyard Syrah Reserve 2010³.

We drink a LOT of very excellent wines over the course of a year, so this list is significant and really separates the men from the boys…read our review to see if their “your” kind of wine, than buy and drink any of them and you will not be disappointed…GUARANTIED!!!

The wines that had Outstanding Quality and were the Best Value in 2016:
(in alphabetical order)

Ala Nera Terre Siciliane Nero D’Avola 2013 (Italian Nero D’Avola)
Aldo Rainoldi Rosso di Valtellina 2013¹ (Italian Nebbiolo)
Alla Costiera Prosecco 2014 (Italian Prosecco)
Badenhorst Secateurs Chenin Blanc 2014 (South African Chenin Blanc)
Bohigas Brut Cava Reserva (Spanish Cava)
Broadbent Vinho Verde (Portuguese white)
Broc Cellars Nero d’Avola Mendocino 2013¹ (California Nero d’Avola)
Capuchina Vieja Sierras de Malaga 2009¹ (Spanish blend of Cabernet Franc and Syrah)
Casado Morales Rioja Gran Reserva 2004 (Spanish Tempranillo)
Causse Marines “Les Greilles” Gaillac 2013 (French local Gaillac region grapes)
Chateau de Cugat Bordeaux Superieur 2014 (Bordeaux blend)
Chateau Jouclary Cabardes Red Wine 2011 (French blend)
Christophe Thorigny Vouvray Sec 2013 (Loire Valley Chenin Blanc)
Commanderie de Peyrassol Cotes de Provence Rosé 2015 (Rose from Provence)
Do Ferreiro Albariño Rias Baixas 2014 (Spanish Albariño)
Domaine de Fenouillet Vin de Pays Du Vaucluse 2014² (French blend)
Domaine de la Charbonniere Chateauneuf-du-Pape Curvee Vieilles Vignes 2012 (French Chateauneuf-du-Pape)
Domaine des Cassagnoles Gotes Manseng Reserve Selection 2014 (French Gros Manseng)
Domaine Dupeuble Pere et Fils Beaujolais 2014 (French Beaujolais)
El Maestro Sierra Pedro Ximenez Sherry, Bottled in 2016 (Spanish Sherry)
Francois Carillon Puligny-Montrachet 2013 (French Chanronnay)
G.D. Vajra Coste & Fossati Dolcetto D’Alba 2011 (Italian Dolcetto D’Alba)
Grapesmith & Crusher Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 (Washington Cabernet)
Kalin Cellars “Cuvée LV” Sonoma County Chardonnay 1995 (California Chardonnay)
La Bastide Blanche Bandol Rouge 2011 (Red blend from Provence, France)
La Bastide Blanche Bandol Rouge 2012 (Red blend from Provence, France)
Limerick Lane Russian River Valley Sonoma County Zinfandel 2013 (California Zinfandel)
Malvira Roero Arneis 2011 (Italian white)
Monier Perreol St Joseph 2012 (Northern Rhone Syrah)
Orben Rioja 2010 (Spanish Tempranillo)
Otto’s Constant Dream Marlborough New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc 2014¹ (New Zeland Sauvignon Blanc)
Penfolds Grange Bin 95 Bottle 93300 2005 (Australia Shiraz)
Pierre-Marie Chermette Cuvee Vieilles Vignes Beaujolais Primeur 2016 (Primeur Beaujolais)
Sommariva Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Brut (Italian Prosecco)
Tablas Creek Vineyard Esprit de Tablas Rouge Paso Robles 2013 (California Rhone blend)
Tablas Creek Vineyard Patelin de Tablas 2013 (California Rhone blend)
Tintero Grangia Blanco (NV)¹ (Italian white)
Turley Pesenti Vineyard Paso Robles Zinfandel 2013 (California Zinfandel)

The Best Value local North Carolina wine of 2016

Junius Lindsay Vineyard Syrah Reserve 2010³ (North Carolina Syrah)

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1. Our pick for the Best-of-the-Best wines. There are always a few wines that are extra special and we think these should be recognized. The wines that make this list are the ones that are way under valued, they are simply a fantastic buy for outstanding wines.
2. Annually we identify one wine as the Best Value wine we have reviewed over the past year. It’s usually a very inexpensive wine (around $10) that drinks like a wine that costs many times that price. These are wines every wine drinker, regardless of the price point you spend per bottle, can make a purchase and be assured it will be an outstanding bottle of wine.
3. The Best Value North Carolina wine. We have tasted a lot of North Carolina wines over the years and quite frankly we haven’t found many that were very drinkable, let along good. So this listing in the TastedOnline.com year end review is VERY significant. And, possibly even more noteworthy is that we identified Junius Lindsay Vineyard Cellar Select Roussanne 2011 as last years best North Carolina wine. Try either of them and you will have a whole new appreciation for Yadkin Valley, North Carolina wines!!!