Wine Gal recently called my attention to the 90+ Cellars label. 90+ Cellars describes its offerings as “wine with a pedigree of high ratings from the world’s most respected wineries that you can buy for a fraction of the original cost.”

It works like this: the team at 90+ Cellars searches the world for great wines (red, white and sparkling) that other producers can’t sell and need to move. They then buy that surplus wine, “white label” it with the 90+ Cellars name and sell to customers at a significant discount price. While you’ll never know the pedigree of the particular wine you’re drinking (apart from the vintage and country/region of origin), 90+ Cellars only carries finished wines that have received a gold medal or a 90-plus rating in a past vintage from a wine industry trade publication such as Wine Spectator. So you know you’re drinking the good stuff. Sounds like a fantastic formula to me.

My introduction to 90+ Cellars came in the form of two French wines.

The first is what they call their 2011 “French Fusion, Lot 65” from the Languedoc region in the south of France. French Fusion is a blend of the Vermentino (50%), Marsanne (20%), Rousanne (20%) and Viognier (10%) grapes. 90+ Cellars describes the wine as such: “Like a summer breeze in a glass, this white is full of brisk citrus fruit mixed with hints of peaches, lightly roasted almonds and wild herbs.”

The wine was a bright yellow gold in the glass, with a nice mineral finish. The description made me think the wine might be on the sweet side, but I found it to be relatively dry and nuanced. I’d love to try it again on the patio this summer.

90+ Cellars retails French Fusion, Lot 65 on its site for the bargain price of $11.99.

My second 90+ Cellars experience was with its 2011 “Cotes Du Rhone, Lot 30.” The wine is a blend of Grenache (75%), Syrah (20%) and Mourvedre (5%) grapes hailing from a vineyard in the south of France. The wine was a gorgeous ruby red in the glass, with excellent tannins and a long finish. 90+ Cellars says, “In the nose, you’ll find concentrated aromas of wild cherry and blackberry fruit alongside more exotic flavors of anise, white pepper, cocoa, and fig. Full but firm in texture with a burst of berries and spice on the palate.”  I do love a spicy red!

The Cotes Du Rhone also retails on the 90+ Cellars site for $11.99.

I’ve spotted the 90+ Cellars wines at shops throughout the Greater Boston area, including Arlington’s new Mystic Wine Shoppe. 90+ Cellars’ wines can also be purchased online. Shipping is free if you order at least $300 worth of wine and case discounts are also available. I’m really looking forward to sampling more of their varied selection in the weeks to come.