Di Giorgio Carlos Serres Best Wines Under $50

Carlos Serres is a bit of an OG - one of the few Rioja producers with a century of winemaking behind them. Carlos was actually named Charles, a French Winemaker who left Bordeaux, fed up with dealing with phylloxera riddled vineyards, landing in Spain. He founded the first winery in Rioja with export certification and applied French winemaking techniques to Rioja fruit. Pretty soon, there was a demand for Rioja in the rest of Europe and the US.

Carlos Serres Crianza is 100% Tempranillo and spends 14 months in a combo of French and American oak. Being 'Crianza', the wine has spent a year in barrel, and another on bottle prior to release. Typically aged in older oak, Crianza can have quite assertive tannins and fruit which is intense whilst retaining great freshness. This is a particularly good example, packed with red fruits, cherries, spice, oak and nervy acidity.

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An outstanding chardonnay, offering stonefruits, grapefruit, brioche, honeydew melon, spice, flintiness, great texture and length. If only all Chardonnay was like this. Learn More

Medium-bodied, off-dry and complex. This is a blend of 2019 Shiraz aged in oak and 2021 Shiraz aged in stainless. Both vintages were exceptional. The 2 were then blended and a fairly small dosage for sweetening was added. This is spiced, aromatic, plummy, and Christmas cakey all at once. Lovely. Learn More