We’ve definitely been on a roll lately with a number of a fun value packed wines that offer a nice glass of vino at a great price. And this week is no exception. This weekend I found one of those truly enjoyable wines that not only easily mambos in under the $15 dollar mark, it actually falls freakishly close to the super value category closing in on 12 bucks a bottle.
As we mark the half-way point of 2012, I can say with little hesitation that the 2010 Alexander Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon will likely make this year’s top ten list of great reds under $15 (I could be wrong, with 6 months to go and dozens of bottles yet to be tasted one never knows – but from where I am sitting tonight, this baby is taking home the medal).
The 2010 Alexander Valley Vineyards comes from the Wetzel Family Estate and lets you know right out of the bottle that this little Sonoma treat has something up its sleeve. After cracking the first glass and recognizing the unmistakable and perfectly balanced variety swirling around my glass I flipped the bottle over to discover that what it was hiding was a great 5 Bordeaux blend of primarily Cabernet balanced with 7% Merlot and just a touch of Malbec, Petite Verdot and Cabernet Franc.
As I drank the wine while preparing dinner (spaghetti with homemade sauce) I couldn’t help but enjoy the irony as I added a little bit of everything from my kitchen that I knew would come together perfectly in the pan. The 2010 Alexander Valley Vineyards was a perfect paring as it comes with “a little of this and a little of that” resulting in what my Italian great-grandmother would cheerfully proclaim to be “molto bene!” (very good for those non Italian readers out there).
Honestly, if I paid $8 a glass for this wine at the restaurant I would feel like I was being treated right. For a few dollars more you can enjoy the entire bottle for yourself. And the good news is that the 2010 is widely available at your local Albertsons or Ralphs. Enjoy!
— Dallas Lawrence
The Cork Scrooge 
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