In my Creators Syndicate Wine Talk column this week I tackle value wineries. The emphasis is mine because my take on value might be considered somewhat out of the mainstream. I refuse to draw a dollar-line in the sand.
Even if I have an arbitrary limit of, say, $18 for a red and $15 for a white, I am willing to spend a bit more if I believe I’m getting a bang for the extra bucks. Value isn’t necessarily a synonym for cheap. Nor should it be.
So this week’s Wine Talk lists my Top 25 "Value" wineries from around the world. These are wineries that have impressed me over the past year, but as always the list is subject to change and will be updated as warranted over the course of this year.
I’ve posted the first five of the Top 25 here, but the entire list can be accessed over at Whitley On Wine.
1. Flora Springs, Napa Valley — No fair, you might think, because I lead off with perhaps the most expensive wines in the Top 25. Yet, the $26 price tag on the 2006 Flora Springs Cabernet Sauvignon this week was truly remarkable. Think about that. A solid Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from a big-time Napa winery for under $30. A few years back the regular Napa Valley Cab from Flora Springs very nearly won the award for best red wine at the Critics Challenge International Wine Competition. Enough said.
2. Clos de los Siete, Mendoza, Argentina — The great French winemaker Michel Rolland makes these wines, and they retail for less than $20. I’d put Clos de los Siete up against any $50 Napa red any day of the week. Might not win, but it wouldn’t be outclassed.
3. Truchard, Napa Valley — These guys grow their own grapes (selling much of it to other wineries that proudly tout the Truchard vineyard) in Napa’s Carneros district and make a handful of superb wines that retail in the $18 to $30 range, including dynamite Syrah, Merlot, Chardonnay and Roussanne.
4. Castello Monaci, Puglia, Italy — Recently refurbished vineyards are yielding exceptional Primitivo and Negroamaro near the southern Italian village of Salice Salentino. Except for the aggressively priced Primitivo Artas, all of the Monaci reds retail in the $13 range. Considering they mostly score 90 points or better when evaluated, these wines represent incredible value on anybody’s scale.
5. Ca’ del Solo, Monterey County — This is for all intents and purposes Bonny Doon Vineyards, and the Syrah at around $15 is one of the finest produced in the United States. I could say the same thing about the Albarino, but I hate to keep repeating myself!
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