Wine Find: Recommendations for value wines
10:41 AM EST, January 23, 2012
Wine Find: 2009 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay
From: Napa Valley, Calif.
12:31 PM EST, December 2, 2011
Wine Find: 2009 Drouhin-Vaudon Chablis Premier Cru
The good name of Chablis was virtually ruined for a long time by American winemakers who hijacked the name to slap on their cheapest white wines. But there is a real place called Chablis in Burgundy, and it produces chardonnays with a distinctive style — of which this is a sterling example. Spared the heavy-handed influence of new oak, the pure flavors of the fruit and the soil come through crystal clear. There are hints of lemon, orange, green apple, minerals and subtle spices. It's expensive, yes, but this is the real deal, the product of a great vintage and an excellent gift for a devotee of fine dry white wine.
January 10, 2012
Wine Find: 2011 Colome Torrontes
From: Gran Altura, Valle Calchaqui, Salta, Argentina
4:00 PM EST, December 9, 2011
Wine Find: Bordeaux Superieur
The 2009 red wines I recently sampled from a group called Planet Bordeaux are a great omen for devotees of these great wines. And the Lauduc Prestige was the best of the group, with lush, ripe flavors and a concentration and complexity unusual in wines that carry the less-than-exalted appelation of Bordeaux Superieur. It's lovely now, with its gripping black cherry and black currant flavors, but should develop well over 5 to 7 years. Its little brother, the 2009 Chateau Lauduc Classic Bordeaux Rouge, is less complex but a fantastic value at an estimated price of $8 if you drink it over the next year or two.
7:32 PM EST, November 12, 2011
Wine Find: 2008 Castello di Gabbiano Chianti Classico Riserva
OK, pardon the movie reference: This "good kee-AN-tee" would go well with any excellent cut of simply prepared red meat, and maybe pasta dishes as well. (Turkey? Maybe.) It's a full-bodied, structured red wine with a complex mix of black cherry, earthy and herbal flavors, with a touch of chocolate. It's drinkable now but should mature beautifully over five to 15 years. Not cheap, but worth the price.
1:37 PM EST, December 23, 2011
Wine Find: 2010 Palacio de Bornos Verdejo
This dry Spanish white wine from the underappreciated verdejo grape is an outstanding value — with complexity found in few chardonnays or sauvignon blancs twice the price. It's a very fresh wine, with an exotic mix of mineral, pine, mint, lime, pear and apple and pineapple flavors. Imported by Kysela, this verdejo moves crisply across the palate and finishes strong. These days Spain (verdejo and albarino) and Argentina (torrontes) are truly the places to look for inexpensive white wines with character.
10:10 PM EST, November 18, 2011
Wine Find: 2008 Kendall-Jackson Vintners Reserve Summation
This red wine blend offers impressive complexity for the price and is widely distributed by K-J, which may lack in snob factor but makes quite reliable wines. The winery calls this wine a "renegade" because the blend includes both Bordeaux varieties and other grapes, including zinfandel, syrah and petite sirah. I'm not sure that makes it all that revolutionary — California produces lots of offbeat blends — but it's very tasty. It offers pure, penetrating black cherry, black currant and herb flavors and is smooth, balanced and ready to drink.
4:35 PM EDT, November 4, 2011
Wine Find: 2008 Chateau Ste. Michelle Ethos Reserve Late Harvest White Riesling
If you're looking for a bargain, check back another week, If you're looking for a superb dessert treat to follow the Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, this decadently wonderful wine justifies its price tag. It's patterned on the rare and wonderful beerenauslese dessert wines of Germany, and if it's any consolation, it's cheap by comparison. This nectar is packed with flavors of honey, winter spices, apricots, pear, apple and pineapple — then followed with penetrating acidity that keeps the fun going.
3:42 PM EDT, October 23, 2011
Wine Find: 2010 Cliff Family 'The Climber' Red Table Wine
From: California
9:41 AM EDT, October 31, 2011
Wine Find: 2009 Edmeades Zinfandel
Call me a throwback, but I still like these big zins that are so oafish to those afflicted with sensitive Euro-palates. At least when, like this well-crafted wine from Edmeades, a high alcohol level (15.5 percent) is concealed behind gobs of fruit. This full-bodied red boasts intense flavors of blackberry, cassis and chocolate that combine to give it a Porto-like character without the sweetness. Somehow its manages to be burly and smooth at the same time. Serve it with food with the muscle to wrestle with it.
11:20 PM EDT, October 9, 2011
Wine Find: 2010 Bodega Elena de Mendoza Red Blend
This blend of malbec, syrah and the little-known red wine grape bonarda has yielded a smooth, ready-to-drink but complex and full-bodied wine with a lot of character. It offers rich blackberry fruit with notes of herbs, Asian spices, vanilla and a touch of pine. It's a great value in this price range.
7:09 PM EDT, October 16, 2011
Wine Find: 2007 Yarden Pinot Noir
This Israeli wine isn't full-bodied, but it punches above its weight class with great flavor intensity and a finish that just won't stop. It's a complex red wine that offers well-focused flavors of cherry and wild berries, with an earthy, gamy overtone that traces its heritage to Burgundy. The alcohol level of 14.5 percent isn't geared toward French-style palates, but fans of good California pinot noir will feel right at home. For those who need to know, it's kosher for Passover but not mevushal.
4:02 PM EDT, October 2, 2011
Wine Find: Domaine Ste. Michelle Brut
This is hardly the greatest sparking wine on the market. But there's a good case to be made that this is the best widely distributed, reasonably dry bubbly in this price range. It's not as dry as most brut Champagnes, nor is it as complex, but it's a well-made, toasty, crackling wine that doesn't insult the palate — as cheap sparklers often do. It competes well with many of its counterparts in the neighborhood of $20. You could call it frugality with some class.
3:36 PM EDT, September 26, 2011
Wine Find: 2010 Stags' Leap Winery Viognier
From: Napa Valley, Calif.
2:49 PM EDT, September 16, 2011
Wine Find: 2009 Paraiso Pinot Noir
The Santa Lucia Highlands area of California is an increasingly reliable source of fine wines, including pinot noir. This well-made example offers full-bodied, lush fruit with hints of black cherry and blackberries. Its creamy texture is very Californian, but it has earthy, herbal notes that hark back to Burgundy.
3:00 PM EDT, September 5, 2011
Wine Find: 2008 Vina Zaco Tempranillo
The full-bodied Rioja red perfectly captures the sweet-but-not-sweet paradox of a really ripe, juicy young red wine. It just bursts with wild berry, cherry and blackberry flavors — with hints of herbs and anise — and goes down oh-so-smoothly. This exuberant red is a total pleasure bomb that can be drunk now. Will it last? Yes, but why delay gratification?
3:16 PM EDT, September 8, 2011
Wine Find: 2009 Cellar No. 8 "eight" Red Wine
This skillfully crafted blend of eight red grape varieties — most of the heavy hitters of the Rhone plus cabernet, sangiovese and zinfandel — provides great value. It's a medium- to full-bodied wine with the appealing flavors of wild berries, blueberry and chocolate. Complex? Nah. But very appealing and easy to drink.
9:28 AM EDT, August 3, 2011
Wine Find: 2010 Toad Hollow Unoaked Chardonnay, Francine's Selection
As a general rule, it's best to steer clear of wineries with cute animal names and logos. Many have a certain "eau de zoo." But this oak-free chardonnay from Toad Hollow is too well-made to ignore. It's also a reminder that many of the chardonnays that are thrust into oak aren't improved one bit. This is a crisp, stylish wine with plenty of lemon, peach, apple and grapefruit flavor and a bright, lasting finish. It's a delicious wine for summer sipping, and there's no reason to hang on to it when you can enjoy it now.
10:00 AM EDT, July 26, 2011
Wine Find: 2010 Matanzas Creek Sauvignon Blanc
Here's an intense, no-holds-barred sauvignon blanc that isn't for folks who are ambivalent about this bold white varietal. It's very dry, intensely herbal and fresh. There's a complex mix of flavors of figs, grass, lime, minerals and smoke. Wisely bottled under a screw cap. Best drunk over the next year.
2:18 PM EDT, July 1, 2011
Wine Find: 2010 Torres Sangre del Toro Rose
The name is familiar, the price is inexpensive, it has a screw cap and there's a little plastic bull hanging from the neck. Does that mean this garnacha-mazuelo blend is just a flighty little pink wine? Hardly. It's bone dry, very serious and up there with the best rose wines on the market. The wine has a deep raspberry color and a floral aroma to go along with flavors of strawberries, cherries, rosehips and tropical fruits. It's best drunk this summer but will probably hold up better than most pink wines. But why wait when the summer is the perfect time to drink it?
3:41 PM EDT, August 26, 2011
Wine Find: 2007 St. Francis "Old Zines" Zinfandel
This is not a wine for people with delicate Euro-palates. It's a full-throated, concentrated, ripe (15.5 percent alcohol) red zinfandel with a distinctive old-vines character. It offers deep blackberry fruit, hints of chocolate, coffee and herbs and more than a suggestion of vintage port minus the sweetness.
4:17 PM EDT, August 15, 2011
Wine Find: 2009 Carmenet Reserve Pinot Grigio
This wine came as a big surprise. Usually, a California pinot grigio is better at a year old than two. But this full-bodied white wine from Carmenet — a once-prestigious label that seems to be undergoing a revival — is surprisingly complex and outstanding for its type. It offers an appealing and mature mix of lemon, apple, honey and spice flavors — far beyond the typical, fairly neutral pinot grigio. This sleeper wine punches way above its weight class. Drink it up this year.
4:16 PM EDT, June 3, 2011
Wine Find: Domaine Ste. Michelle Blanc de Noirs
This dry sparkling wine was my favorite of several well-made bubblies from this large Washington state producer, whose high-quality products are widely distributed nationwide. This wine has a very pale blush of pink, good intensity and just a hint of the flavor of pinot noir grapes. It has classic notes of toast and yeast, and a long, clean finish. It might not have quite the refinement of Champagne, but when you consider it's about one-third the cost, you'll appreciate how close it comes.
2:42 PM EDT, June 24, 2011
Wine Find: 2009 Joseph Drouhin Macon-Villages
White Burgundy (Bourgogne) is one of the world's classic beverages — with a style that California aspires to imitate but seldom gets just right. (When it does, the results can be amazing). There aren't that many white Burgundies that offer both classic style and an affordable price. This is one that delivers — with excellent balance, hints of apple, lemon and nuts and a subtle toasty quality. It's a lighter style, hardly a blockbuster, but it works on many levels.
11:51 PM EDT, June 17, 2011
Wine Find: 2009 M. Chapoutier 'Belleruche' Cotes-du-Rhone Blanc
This dry white wine — a blend of grenache, clairette and bourboulenc — is on the full-bodied side and offers intense flavors of tropical fruit, pear, apricot and spices. It shows a complexity and length that are unusual for its price range. A fine value from an exceptional producer.
9:43 PM EDT, July 16, 2011
Wine Find: Sokol Blosser Evolution American White Wine
This multistate blend of nine varietals from a renowned Oregon winery is a pleasing take on a full-bodied white wine that is not a chardonnay (though it's likely a component). Fruity but dry, it delivers a charming mix of tropical fruit, pear, apricot and citrus flavors — seasoned with a little nutmeg and clove. A wine that's more for pleasure than contemplation.
12:32 AM EDT, April 30, 2011
Wine Find: 2010 Paul Jaboulet Parallele 45 Rose
This crisp, dry, impeccably clean and intensely flavored rose is one of the world's great pink wines — an often underestimated category. In addition to good length and penetration, it offers vibrant strawberry, cherry and rosehip flavors. This is an excellent wine to serve outdoors during the spring and summer months, served very cold.
August 3, 2010
Wine Find: 2009 Saintsbury Garnet Pinot Noir
Garnet is Saintsbury's lighter pinot noir, but this is no lightweight in terms of flavor appeal. It's a succulent, medium-bodied red wine with pure, vibrant pinot noir flavors, including black cherry, wild berries and earth. Garnet has consistently been a top value over the years, but the winery considers its 2009 one of its best ever. I concur.
6:37 PM EST, February 11, 2011
Wine Find: 2008 Fortress 'Musque Clone' Sauvignon Blanc
"Grass is for Cows" is the motto of this producer, and it delivers a sauvignon blanc that is notable for its lack of grassy, herbal notes. Neither is it overly fig-flavored — the extreme some producers veer toward. It's a subtle, smoky, mineral-infused wine that reminds me very much of a good Graves from Bordeaux. It seems to be structured for longer aging than most California whites, and could develop very nicely with a year or two aging — something I rarely say about a sauvignon blanc. It's complex, persistent and very dry — all good things at the table.
April 27, 2010
Wine Find: 2006 Franciscan Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
The Napa Valley's reputation is not at all exaggerated when it comes to cabernet sauvignon. It is arguably the best place in the world to grow the noble red grape, year in and year out. Not surprisingly, it has become expensive. And a top-quality caberrnet with real Napa character, such as this one, is a good deal at $28. It's a full-bodied, complex red with penetrating blackberry, black cherry, chocolate and cedary flavors, with short-term smoothness and long-term durability. Maybe you can find better if you spend twice as much, but chances are it won't be much better. --Michael Dresser
March 3, 2010
Wine find: 2007 Ca' Montini 'L'Aristocratico' Pinot Grigio
From: Trentino, Italy Price: $15 Serve with: White-fleshed fish, shellfish
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