Chateau St. Jean, California (United States) 2010

 A couple of nights ago I tasted a selection of California red wines priced at $15 and less.  Most were Cabernet based, and most of them were, well, not exactly exciting.  With one or two exceptions they were perfectly fine, drinkable, pleasant wines (at least for my palate, it’s rare to find real excitement in California reds priced under $20-25).  One of the best of the bunch was Chateau St. Jean’s eclectic blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Syrah and Malbec was relatively rich and savory, and attention-worthy for its dark ruby and garnet hues.  With its diverse and seemingly random selection of grapes the wine was relatively well balanced given the bedlam that might have resulted in the hands of a less skilled winemaker.  I might have liked it even more with a tad more restraint on the oak.