I am not an expert, just a discerning wine lover or amateur de vin (as the French say), but everyone has a different palate, likes and dislikes so it must be understood that any of my recommendations are personal. I just hope that you find them useful or at the very least - interesting. I also hope you enjoy my photos. It is more fun sharing then keeping them backed up on a hard drive.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Super-Value QPRs from California

Just off a trip to Napa and Sonoma, I feel overwhelmed. There is so much to write about as I had many excellent wines, many that were perfect value for their price-point.

I am still tying to decide how I will report that back all the great wines I experience. Not wanting to delay, I have picked the low-hanging-fruit (pun intended) by starting with the wines I thought had seriously accessible price points for the quality, making the value quite obvious.

I am sorry Canadian friends & followers, if you have trouble finding these or any others I encountered on my visit. I promised myself I would not go to all the usual suspects, but that may mean these wines are harder to find.

CLINE CELLARS - Carneros/Sonoma, CA
2010 Mourvedre Rose - $12.00 - Cherry & pomegranate on the nose with lovely sour cherry and a long lime blossom finish.
2009 Ancient Vines Carignane - $16.00 - Red fruit, spice and a slight pepper finish. This medium-bodied wine is a gem.
2008 Heritage Zinfandel - $20.40 - this is an end of vintage sale but I marvelled at this beautiful blend of single vineyards with its blackberry spice and a tempting hint of eucalyptus on the nose.

http://www.clinecellars.com/index.cfm?method=storeproducts.showList&productcategoryid=e14acfc0-954e-b954-14f9-2354d3d7e436

FLORA SPRINGS- Napa, CA
2008 Sangiovese $20.00 - This is a beautiful wine, and still very memorable for me. It surprised me coming out of the heart of Cab Country! Cherry, balsamic, and a hint of tea on the nose. Fresh well-integrated wine.

https://www.florasprings.com/store/index.cfm?fuseaction=productdetail&product_id=365



SAUSAL VINEYARD & WINERY- Alexander Valley, CA
2007 Private Reserve Zinfandel - $24.00 - No wonder this got 92 Points in the Wine Enthusiast. I loved, loved, loved this!  Juicy cherry and slight vanilla with a hint of chocolate. Nicely structured & balanced.

http://www.sausalwinery.com/Wines/

V. SATTUI WINERY - Napa, CA
2009 Muscat - $22.00 - Apricot, peach and white blossom on the nose. Follows through on the palate. This sweet desert wine has a nice clean acid to balance it.

http://www.vsattui.com/Shop/Dessert-Wines

2 comments:

  1. I've had the 2001 Ancient Vines Carignane from Cline Cellars back in 2006 and recall it was fantastic. Tasting note from my database: Cedar, oak aromas. Raspberry, cedar flavours. Ripe.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Different vintage of course, but still quite fantastic. A data base? I'm impressed!

    ReplyDelete