With the latest news that consumers are hitting the brakes on spending, now seems as good a time as any for my semi-annual peek at high-quality value wines.
Given the current squeamishness over the economy, I will define ‘value’ for the time being as wines retailing for about $15 or less. My definition of quality, of course, is highly subjective, but in general I’m looking for wines in this price range to deliver good balance, at least some measure of complexity, and be ready to drink soon, if not tonight.
Once upon a time imported wines had it all over the domestics at these price points, but the weakness of the U.S. dollar abroad has leveled the playing field and given U.S. wineries a competitive edge.
Wines in this category are typically ‘branded’ wines that are produced in high volume. The best example of this is Gallo Family Vineyards. Gallo may be family owned and family run, but it is a behemoth of a winery; in fact, the largest in the world.
Gallo’s brands run the gamut from inexpensive jug wines to its very expensive ‘estate’ wines, but the ‘Gallo Family Vineyards’ wines fall nicely into the $15 price tier. I say nicely because these are some of the best wines at the price, particularly the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay.
Gallo achieves quality by purchasing grapes from excellent California coastal vineyards – it has the clout to lock-in vineyard contracts at favorable prices – and not skimping on the tools of the trade, such as barrels. These are consistently better-than-average everyday wines that over-deliver a level of quality that is remarkable for the price.
Gallo is hardly the only high-quality, high-volume domestic producer, however – just the most prolific and easiest to find.
Many of the finest producers of value wines are riding the crest of vineyard expansion in California’s Central Coast, particularly the Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties. These regions were heavily planted in the past decade, when land was relatively cheap and consumer demand was clearly on the rise.
It seemed like a good idea at the time. But too many wine growers had the same idea and a grape glut ensued. The result has been a wave of very good cheap wine from outstanding coastal vineyards between Salinas (Monterey County) and Paso Robles (San Luis Obispo County).
Here are four others to look for:
Hahn Estates
This Monterey County producer seemingly defies all logic, cranking out seriously good reds that compete successfully vintage after vintage against much more expensive options in the marketplace of wine. Most Hahn reds – its Meritage being the exception – retail for less than $15 per bottle, but even the pricier Meritage is a steal at $20. The Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah are all winners, and overshadow a reasonably good, well-balanced Chardonnay that seldom gets noticed because the reds are so delicious.
J. Lohr
Proprietor Jerry Lohr is something of an icon in Monterey County and the greater Central Coast of California, establishing a base of operations there long before the region became fashionable. He also made a statement about quality early on, making Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay for the masses without compromising flavor. The ‘Riverstone’ Chardonnay, ‘Seven Oaks’ Cabernet and ‘Los Osos’ Merlot are benchmarks for quality at this price level and have long had status as outstanding ‘value’ buys. All three are well-balanced food wines that almost never disappoint.
Ventana Vineyards
Not all of Ventana’s offerings fall into the value category, at least not in this price range, but the Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc and ‘Gold Stripe’ Chardonnay do. All three of these wines are winners, beautifully balanced and flavorful at affordable prices. Proprietor Doug Meador, like Jerry Lohr, was a pioneer producer in Monterey County and has always pushed quality, eschewing fancy packaging and wines that inspire sticker shock. His faith in Monterey and the Central Coast has been rewarded consistently with prestigious medals and other honors from a number of California’s top wine competitions.
Concannon Vineyards
This Livermore, California, winery is actually located north the geographic boundary of the Central Coast, but with vineyard sources in Monterey and elsewhere I generally think of it as a Central Coast producer. The Syrah, Petite Sirah and the red and white Rhone-style blends are exceptional and stupidly cheap. I mean that in the best sense. Concannon wines are well-made across the board and I can often find them for close to ten bucks a bottle, which is robbing the bank without the guilt!
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