With 13.5% alcohol, the 2012 Casillero del Diablo Reserva from Concha Y Toro in Chile was at peak at almost a decade old. It scored 16+ points and cost under $16. Filled with apple, citrus, and mineral notes, it filled the mouth with creamy tropical flavors. This Chardonnay is one of the smartest best-buys I know.

Served with a cod sea-food dish and a salad filled with nuts and raisons help show-off the wine making the pairing an ideal one.

The name means “The cellar of the devil” and I took many of my Dionysian wine freinds down into it a few years back. Anne Vercelli of Sonoma said she liked the glowing red lights as we entered it, and that the wine had a lot of white Burgundy notes. The name was designed to scare off primitive farm workers. It worked. Seek some out for summer drinking in 2026 onward. In Vino Veritas.