Red Wines

July 7, 2020

The Bear prefers red wine over white, and drinks mainly cabs, zins, and red blends. You can get a lot of good red wines in the $10-20 range, and The Bear has often been disappointed when he buys a wine that costs more than $25. So, this list focuses on lower cost wines that the Bear has tried and can recommend.

The first two numbers in each row are average customer ratings and the cost based on the Total Wine website. When there were fewer than 6 reviews, I used the median to minimize the influence of outlier ratings. When there were no reviews, I put in ?.?. The list is for the most part sorted according to customer ratings and price, but The Bear imposed his own judgment at times. The bolded wines are the Bear’s “go to” wines – ones he buys and stocks frequently.

Cabernet Sauvignon
5.0 $43 Peju Province Cabernet CA Napa Valley
5.0 $19 Kendall Jackson Grand Reserve CA Sonoma Valley
4.8 $20 Joseph Carr CA Napa Valley
4.8 $24 Sterling Cabernet CA Napa Valley
4.4  $23  Justin Cabernet   CA Paso Robles
4.6  $16  Ghost Pines Cabernet  CA Napa Valley
4.5  $18  Decoy (by Duckhorn)  CA  Sonoma Valley
4.8  $17  Simi   CA Alexander Valley
4.7  $14  Joel Gott   CA Napa Valley
4.7  $16   Raymond Cabernet Family Classic   CA Napa Valley
4.6  $12 Josh Cellars CA Paso Robles
4.5  $16  Z Alexander Brown – Uncaged  CA Central Coast
4.5  $22  Educated Guess  Cabernet  CA  Napa Valley
4.5  $14  Rodney Strong   CA  Sonoma Valley
4.5  $12   Liberty School  CA  Paso Robles
4.3  $13  J Lohr Cabernet Sauvignon Seven Oaks  CA Central Coast
4.3  $24  Beringer Knights Valley  CA  Knights Valley
4.4  $17  Uppercut   CA Napa Valley
4.2 $21 Rutherford Ranch CA Napa Valley
4.4 $20 Earthquake CA Lodi
4.4 $13 Dreaming Tree CA North Coast
4.3 $14 Coppola Diamond Claret CA Geyersville
4.3 $9  Los Vascos  Chili
4.0 $15 Chateau Ste Michelle Indian WellsWA Columbia Valley
4.0 $14 Hess Select CA North Coast
4.5 $8 Bogle CA Clarksburg
4.2 $39 Conn Creek CA Napa Valley
4.3 $17 Hedges Red Mountain WA Columbia Valley
4.2 $9 14 Hands WA Columbia Valley
4.0 $13 Broadside CA Central Coast
?.? $20 19 Crimes The sentenced Cabernet Sauvignon Australia
4.0 $11 Dynamite Cabernet CA 4.0 $11 Wolf Blass Yellow Label Australia

Zinfandel
4.8  $14  1000 Stories Zinfandel Bourbon  CA  Mendocino
4.6  $20  Earthquake  CA  Lodi
4.5  $12  Cline Ancient Vines  CA Contra Costa County
4.5  $14  Klinker Brick Old Vine  CA  Lodi
4.4  $15  Joel Gott CA Napa Valley
4.0  $18  Decoy CA Sonoma Valley
5.0  $11  Coppola  CA (based on only 2 reviews)
4.5    $8  Ravenswood  CA
4.2  $22   Seghesio   CA  Sonoma
4.2  $11   7 Deadly Zins  CA Lodi
4.1   $9   Bogle  CA  Clarksburg
4.0  $16   Alexander Valley Sin Zin  CA  Sonoma
?.?  $32   Hartford CA  Russian River Valley

Red Blends
4.6 $8 19 Crimes Australia
4.5 $10 D’Amati Pulgia Italy
4.0 $8 Menage a Trois
4.4 $23 Conundrum Red

Malbec
4.6 $12 Norton Malbec Reserve Argentina Mendoza
4.4 $7 Alamos Argentina Mendoza

Shiraz
5.0 $9 19 Crimes Australia
4.3 $20 Earthquake CA Lodi
4.4 $11 Layer Cake Australia

Merlot
5.0 $29 Peju Province (based on 3 reviews and personal experience)
4.4 $9 Columbia Crest Grand Estate

Pinot Noir
4.5 $43 The Prisoner CA
4.3 $26 Benton Lane OR Willamette Valley

Other
?.?   $25  Rocca delle Macìe Chianti Classico Riserva Italy

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Drinks Menu:  http://thebearknowsbest.com/drinks/