Wineloverspage.com's top cheap wines

This article from Wineloverspage.com has a list of top 2005 wines for $12 or less and $12 to $25. http://www.wineloverspage.com/qpr/index.phtml

From the cheapie list we have had the Laurel Glen "Reds" (see 12/23/05) and Cartlidge & Browne 2003 California Pinot Noir.

Alexander Valley Vineyards Chardonnay 2004

Here's one that's a definite cut above the average weeknight wine without jumping to the league of the Cakebread previously posted. It's described as having a "nose filled with green apple, citrus and ripe pear framed by creamy oak". What we liked about it was that the fruit and oak were present without overwhelming at all. Very nice balance of flavors here. About $15.

Shawn probably won't like (see 2/24/06) it because of the oak presence but would do well to try it to see what restrained oak is like in a chardonnay.

A Pair of Frenchies

We recently enjoyed a nice dinner out with another couple to celebrate my birthday. Mary brought a couple of bottles she picked up at Overton & Vine: a Sancerre and a Chateauneuf du Pape.

Sancerre 2004 Hippolyte Reverdy



Sancerre is a fine French white made from Sauvignon Blanc grapes. (I had to look this up but did guess the grape correctly.) It comes from the upper Loire Valley region. The style of this wine is crisp and acidic with various fruit flavors such as pear. It is said to complement seafood very nicely. I would definitely agree with this but should note it did well with all of our appetizers.

Vieux Mas des Papes Chateauneuf du Pape 2003



This is a lighter bodied CdP made by the same producer of Vieux Télégraphe. The vines here are 65% Grenache, 15% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah and 10% Cinsault and other grapes. Vieux Mas des Papes is a 2nd wine made from the youngest vines (about 20 years) and the part of the harvest which is not found good enough for Vieux Télégraphe. This means that the amount of production varies from year to year. The vinification is done in the same way for these two wines. Maturing at first takes place in concrete tanks for around 8-9 months and then in foudres (oak barrels) for 8-12 months. For the second wine in foudres for a shorter time.

We found it smooth and agreeable for all our entrees (pasta, scallops, shrimp, and pork). This is definitely more suitable to drinking young.

Peirano Estate Petite Syrah, 2003 Lodi

Excellent wine from the first tastes. Ordered this last night at Fire restaurant. It went well with all of our entrees: 1 lamb and 3 fishes. In looking through this blog's archives I was surprised not to find any other syrah entries. Mary and I have been drinking more of it in the last year but I guess not any lately. I looked in our wine rack to jog my memory and found a Novy ($17.99) and a Wild Horse. The Novy we have had and it is excellent. Grab yourself a bottle from a local store.

Winemaker's site says: "Ripe, dark fruits tempt the senses. The palate is filled with ripe blackberry, dark cherry and firm tannins."

I wonder about the availability of some restaurant wines in local stores. Do they order directly for their cellars? Will have to look for this one stores.

Evans & Tate Unwooded Chardonnay 2004

Welcome Home Chardonnay! For the past 5 years or so I have thought that chardonnay in general... blows. Is that too harsh for a wine blog? Should I be more refine? No. Face it. Chardonnay was my White Zinfandel. A semi-sweet wine that got me into other wines. I now prefer a drier white such as savignon blanc or pinot grigio. Lately I have heard of a trend away from the oakier chardonnays so I went in search of this elusive wine.

I went to Village wine shop in English Village and asked about it. They put me onto this wine from Western Australia. With unwooded in the name I figured I was on the right track. What a great wine! I drank it before, during and after a pork tenderloin dinner. The two things that stand out for me are the price and the top. The wine is only $9.99 and yes, it has a screw top. And you know how I am starting to love the screw top. I would like to tell you that the screw top kept the wine fresh for days but I'd be lying. Leigh and I drank the whole bottle.

Drink up.

Steele Cabernet Franc, Lake County 2002

As I was balancing my checkbook I noticed a business card that I had tacked to my cork board above my monitor and written on it was a very good bottle of wine. I had it at one of the Atticus Christmas parties which must have been in December 2004 at Bottega. The waitress suggested this. It was a very good bottle of wine and I haven't been able to find it but honestly I haven't searched very hard. Here is some iformation from the Steele web site.

"While we are not known as a Bordeaux/Cabernet kind of winery (we tend to make more Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel) our location in Lake County allows us to produce several of these varieties in styles which would make our neighbors to the south a bit jealous. One of these is Cabernet Franc. When we started buying grapes from the vineyard of Floyd Silva we found that he was growing some of the best Cabernet Franc that we had ever tasted. His vineyard is on a gravelly bench, which overlooks the Big Valley area of Lake County. The vines grow well but not too well and have a great balance of flavors, structure and tannins."

"While most people are not familiar with this variety, once we get them to taste the wine they are converts for life. This wine is a mouthful of pleasure: lots of fruit, medium tannins and a long lingering finish. We would recommend some cellar time for this wine if only to allow all of the great aromas and flavors properly meld."

"This is a very versatile red wine. You can serve it with a variety of traditional foods such as Beef Wellington, grilled steaks, or a bowl of beef stew. Or try something new like grilled Salmon, an assortment of cheeses or rack of spring lamb."

If you happen to find this in a local store, do tell.

ZD 2004 Pinot Noir, Carneros

Special edition from Park City, UT

On Saturday night my group of 4 ski buddies was wrapping up our trip at the Blind Dog restaurant. After starting with a glass of California Syrah I wanted to have a Pinot with my duck breast entree. The bartender recommended this ZD. It was an excellent match up ... smooth with hints of fruit complementary to the cherry reduction on the plate. About $30.

The Blind Dog was excellent, by the way. Eat there if you are in Park City. Our entrees included some very impressive NY strips, monkfish, and duck breast.

Cline Red Truck 2004

Found in the wine store in old town Park City, UT, this proves to be another good inexpensive red (about $10). Shawn says it can be found in Birmingham.

The winery's website describes it as a blend of Syrah, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Franc, Grenache, and Mourvedre. It's a product of Cline Cellars, located in the Carneros region of Sonoma County.

Duboeuf "Red" 2002 Vin de Pays d'Oc

This is a blend of 60% Syrah and 40% Merlot typical of blends from the Languedoc region in the south of France. It gets my positive recommendation as an "easy-drinking weeknight dinner wine". We received it as a gift so I'm not sure where it's available locally but web searches show it in the $9 range. The bottle has a striking group of red (mostly) and gold flowers instead of a label.

Bonus French lesson
Vin de Pays — A vin de pays is a higher-class table wine, from a particular region of France and with a specific vintage. The vin de pays is controlled primarily for the source of the grapes and also for the density of vines: the amount that can be produced per hectare. The region of a vin de pays can be very large or quite small.

In my memory, ordering a VdP in France will get you a good - but not fancy - wine from the local region.

Mmm ... France.

Don's Lodi Red

Woo-hoo! Another cheap red. I think I enjoy the typical table wines because I don't feel I need a special occasion to open. I don't even feel a need to finish it off. It only costs around $10. I bought this thinking it was from the same vineyard as the Laurel Glen 2003 "Reds" Lodi Red Wine that Rob had reviewed awhile back. I think I enjoy this a little more. The website says this about the wine:

"Carignane, Syrah, a splash of sweet Symphony and a dash of love are the main components of this wine, which was produced to honor and surprise our father, Don Phillips, on his 75th birthday. This is an atypical blend of red and white wines, with lovely fruity characteristics of Symphony added in order to please Don's amiable palate. This is an easy-drinking, everyday, great quality, red table wine. Or, in the words of Wine Today.com, the three stars Lodi Red is 'a great quaff at a bargain price.' "

Torii Mor 2004 Pinot Noir

N ot recommended.

Ordered this at Cafe Dupont Saturday night. (Food note: our first visit there since they opened downtown. Everyone agreed that it was an excellent meal.) We had 3 seafood entrees and 1 steak so it seemed like a good wine to suit everyone. I had not heard of it before and chose it mainly because it was from Oregon and the others were from CA. (Note: I like plenty of CA Pinots but being unfamiliar with all 3 on the menu I thought I tried the one from Oregon.)

Initial taste was strong alcohol with no fruit detected. The scent reminded me a little of rubbing alcohol but I figured it would open up in the glass. It did just that and the alcohol scent went away but I never picked up any of the fruit described below. It was completely drinkable but disappointing for not having any Pinot magic.

Here's what the winery's website says:

The aroma reveals earthy-meat, mushroom notes that blend in with boysenberries and both black and red cherries, all within a subtle jammy, sweet richness. The flavors show some real sweetness that carries all the way through the long finish. Loads of black cherries, raspberries and boysenberries followed by toasty oak and jamminess round out the flavors.

Black Opal Shiraz 2003

Very good value on this one from down under. Smooth with a bit of fruit - plum perhaps. Nice complement to lamb and beef kabobs we had at a middle-eastern restaurant last night. I don't recall the restaurant price but have seen online prices for $8 to $10.

Sterling Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc

I was making dinner for a "parents of a 3-year old New Years celebration." What does that mean? We stayed home and went to bed early. At the grocery store I picked up a bottle of this wine to complement the flounder I was preparing and was pleasantly surprised. I am a fan of the $10 bottle of wine. The downside is that they generally come with a bit of a bite at the end of the drink. This one was smooth all the way down. On top of that it only cost around $15. This wine has definitely moved to the top of my favorite sauvignon blancs.

2005 California wine harvest

Heard on Marketplace 12/29/2005:

California winemakers says the quality of this year's grapes is excellent, and the 2005 vintage should be very special. But a bumper crop doesn't always mean good news for grape growers. From Sonoma County, Patrick Hirsch reports.

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/

'04 Pillar Box Red

'04 Pillar Box Red is from Henry's Drive Winery in Padathaway, Australia. It is a mix of Cabernet/Shiraz/Merlot. I would say this is right along the lines of Big House Red and the Rosemount Estates Cab/Shiraz blend. A very easy drinking wine that cost me $9.50 a bottle. And yes it has a screw top. Say what you will but I am convinced that a good screw top wine will last longer that a corked one.

Party Reds

SEXTO / "Sixth" / 2004 TERRA ALTA, SPAIN

REDS Lodi Red Wine 2003 - A Wine for the People

We served 2 different reds at out Christmas open house this year. One was the Sexto (www.sextowines.com). It is from Spain and is a venture of Heron Wines in California. About $10.99.

The Wine: Sexto itself is a blend of six different grapes, Grenache, Carignan, Tempranillo, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and the ancient grape Lledoner Pelut Noir. In fact, it was the addition of that sixth varietal (a cousin to Grenache) that made all the difference.

REDS - Here's one Shawn will love because it has a screw top.

The blend: it is 60% 80 years old zinfandel , 30% carignane of a whopping 117 years, and 10% younger petite sirah. Very drinkable stuff at a good price.

Notes: restrained on the nose, with an core of intriguing licorice and Chinese spices. The mouth is pure warm, dark plums, supported by a refreshing acidity that makes it great with hearty dishes.

I think Scott Simon washed down at least 17 cranberry meatballs with it. What more needs to be said? $8.99 at Overton and Vine. Go get some!

Cakebread Cellars Sauvignon Blanc 2004

At our company "christmas party" at Hot & Hot Fish Club, we had a couple of bottles of this wine. One of the better white wines I have had lately. Very smooth and easy to drink. This is outside of my usual price range which is as cheap as possible. It was $48 on the menu which leads me to believe you can get it in the range of $24 at a wine store. Well worth it.

Goats in Villages?

It seems that the South African makers of the inexpensive (and not very interesting) Goats Do Roam have another flavor of this one called GDR In Villages. We had this Saturday night at a friend's house with hearty pasta and it is pretty good - significantly better than their basic offering. Buy one and try it and post your comment!

It is 74% syrah and 26% pinotage. Some notes from thewinebuyer.com: "An innovative blend of rich spicy shiraz and a brooding pinotage. Full bodied, ripe tannins with good length and structure, backed by careful oaking. This wine certainly has the structure and tannin to age for 3 - 5 years."

Seghesio Sonoma Zinfandel

Sonoma Zin consistently exhibits ripe, dark fruit qualities, with an inviting Sonoma briary/spicy varietal character, juicy richness and balance. Salute!

We were given our first bottle by Rob's niece. We have never been dissappointed with other bottles since December 2003! I don't recall the specific years that we have purchased. It typically is a medium bodied wine - easy to drink alone or with steak. The fruit opens up in the glass. The price range is in the mid teens.

Witness Tree Pinot Noir 2002

This is a Willamette Valley Oregon wine Mary and I had at Bottega recently. One had venison and the other had grouper but the wine went well with both. It goes for about $24 retail. Read more. Recommended.