Top Wine Buys from Keith

White Wines for Summer. I plan on tucking into some oysters real soon. Here are two of my top picks that are also great deals.

Forjas del Salnés 2024 “Leirana” Albariño, Rías Baixas, ES. Avg. retail: $35. PA: $19.99.
Mineral-driven Albariño with the Galician snap that makes Rías Baixas compelling: citrus, white flowers, and a mineral edge. My favorite whites offer contradictions like this one: brisk yet concentrated, with saline tension, fine acidity, and enough complexity to move well beyond simple seafood-white territory.

Allan Scott 2024 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, NZ. Avg. retail: $17.99. PA: $12.99.
A textbook Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, led by key lime, passion fruit, pineapple, and sharp herbal lift (hello, pyrazines!) Vibrant and mouthwatering, with tropical fruit layered into the lemon-lime finish.

Pinot Noirs on Clearance. The PLCB has a few killer pinots from the Willamette Valley on major discount. They won’t be at every wine shop in Pennsylvania, but it’s very worthwhile to pick up if you find them.

Soléna Estate 2022 “Domaine Danielle Laurent” Pinot Noir, Yamhill-Carlton AVA, US. Avg. retail: $60. PA: $23.99.
This is the strongest clearance play of the Pinot set: a structured, age-worthy Yamhill-Carlton wine with cherry liqueur, wet stone, pine, tea leaf and floral notes. The palate is medium-bodied but serious, with grippy tannins, fresh acidity and the kind of mineral frame that makes the discount feel unusually deep.

Lange 2022 Reserve Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, US. Avg. retail: $45–$55. PA: $23.39.
At this price, this is almost absurd: a polished Willamette Valley Pinot with raspberry, cherry, cinnamon, orange tea and silky tannins. Reviews converge around generosity and elegance, with enough acidity and structure to keep the fruit lifted through a refined finish.

Hazelfern 2021 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, US. Avg. retail: $39. PA: $23.39.
Hazelfern’s style is fresh and lively, and this bottling is no exception, thankfully. Red-fruited Pinot character, floral lift and mineral detail. This offers up a graceful old-school Willamette profile rather than the generic luxury fat fruit that is so in vogue these days. Offers enough polish to justify the original price. 

Two Great Buys From Argentina. I never get tired of the decadence-meets-gentleness of the modern Argentine winemaker.

Bodega Piedra Negra 2020 “Gran Lurton Corte Argentino”, Los Chacayes, AR. Avg. retail: $30. PA: $13.99.
Mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, with spice, clove, toasted coffee and vanilla layered over a generous dark-fruit core. This is structurally complex but just on the edge of decadence,  with balanced tannins that keep the wine substantial without turning ponderous.

Bodegas Colomé 2022 Estate Malbec, Calchaquí Valley, Salta, AR. Avg. retail: $25–$28. PA: $13.19.
High-altitude Malbec is Colomé’s calling card, and this vintage shows the expected mix of dark fruit, violet, herbs, tobacco, earth and mineral tension. Dense and structured but lifted by acidity, with polished tannins and a long, savory finish. All hail the high altitudes!

My Current Favorite Wine for Grilled Lamb Chops. Grilled medium rare and finished with sea salt and olive oil, this is the perfect wine.

Agramont 2015 Gran Reserva, Navarra, ES. Avg. retail: $22–$28. PA: $17.99.
A decade of age gives this Navarra red the kind of development that is hard to fake: black currant, pomegranate, baking spice, coffee, chocolate, anise, and dried herbs. The structure is silky with elegant but intense tannins and a long, savory finish. Drinks expensive, even at retail pricing.