Wine: Tops of the pops

Gimmicky labels shouldn’t chase you away from some surprising wine bargains.

Gimmicky labels shouldn’t chase you away from some surprising wine bargains, said Kara Newman in Slate.com. You don’t have to be a Duck Dynasty fan to appreciate the “creamy butterscotch notes” of the chardonnay sold under the show’s banner, for instance. I recently tried 13 such wines, and, to my surprise, “none of them sucked.”

2010 Fifty Shades of Grey ‘Red Satin’ ($18). This nicely balanced California blend tops my list. It offers “lots of rich raspberry and black cherry notes” and “an elongated finish.”

2009 Star Trek ‘Mirror Mirror’ ($25). Close behind was this Sonoma red. Though “bursting with bright fruit,” it has an “earthy and plummy” nose.

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Duck Commander ‘Wood Duck’ Chardonnay ($10). Edging out a Downton Abbey entry, my favorite white married butterscotch and ripe apple notes with “just enough acidity to keep things interesting.”