Tilia Wines has all of the right messaging and eco-savvy practices mixed with beautiful packaging and value-driven pricing to make a splash during its US debut. Alas, the wines fall short, even at the low price of $11 per bottle.

Whites
85
Tilia Wines 2020 Torrontés 13% $11
Exotically aromatic, this wine is sure to be polarizing - may even be so for Torrontés fans, which is really saying something. (Mind you, I am a fan of Torrontés and other dry, wildly aromatic whites.) The nose is a combination of yuzu, hedgerow and lychee. They're all delightful smells but the fusion and profusion of them - even in a crisply dry wine - border on overwhelming. Nonetheless, the wine is medium in body with good juiciness framed by a straight spine of acidity and a lightly palate-tugging, moderate finish.
Drink: 2021-22 

81
Tilia Wines 2020 Chardonnay 13.5% $11
Strongly reserved on the nose, even after 15 minutes in the glass, the palate offers a bit more insight. There are notes of buttered biscuits, bitter almond peel and apple sauce. The fruit tastes a bit flat and lacks vibrancy, despite the harsh back palate acid. Plus, the pithy tannins layer over to the awkward acidity and give the wine a discombobulated feel. The sweet oak influence seems to leave an oiliness on the fast finish. (This was fermented in stainless steel but aged in French oak for three months.)
Drink: Through 2021 

Reds
84
Tilia Wines 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon 13.6% $11
While stubbornly reserved on the nose, the palate is - surprisingly - the more open of the two reds. Tasting of classic black currants with hints of underbrush, earth and fresh herbs, the acidity is lifting and fresh. The fruit is youthful and the dusty, vaguely drying tannins are integrated fairly well.
Drink: 2021-22 

83
Tilia Wines 2020 Bonarda 13.5% $11
Reserved on the nose, this Bonarda opens a bit more on the palate to show black currants and black cherries complimented by a strong, underlying earthiness. The structure is slightly awkward with firm acidity clashing with drying, stringy tannins that cut off the chocolate notes on the grinding, modest finish. The wine benefits greatly from air, which also unleashes an unpleasant rubber note.
Drink: 2021-22 

83
Tilia Wines 2020 Malbec 13.5% $11
Aromas of mulberries, red plums, leather and earth lift easily off this wine. The palate tastes similarly but adds some blueberries and chocolate tones. Alas, the palate feels similar to the taut, tough texture of the Chardonnay, and it mimics its curt finish. While the acidity is nicely placed to frame the full body, the tannins are austere and stringy, leaving an unpleasantly dry palate with modest fruit and flavor concentration to curtail the sensation.
Drink: 2021-22