Open Mike: Fave bargain wine of late?

[Jenise]

Yup, Johannes Leitz's entry level Qba from the Rudesheimer Drachenstein vineyard (hence Dragon stone). Usually delicious pop-and-gulp though it'll go a few years, and he makes a trocken version from the same vineyard that he calls "Ein, Zwei, Drei" for those who like dry rieslings.

Thanks, Peter. Good to see you around again!

[Jenise]

That's criminal! Even in the best restaurant that wine wouldn't get much more than $25 for the bottle. Not knowing anything about the economy in Canada I hope the salaries reflect that kind of pricing.

Drew

It's like that all over BC, and only slightly better in Alberta whose import system is less draconian. It's why whenever we dine up there we tend to order very low end wines. 4x U.S. retail is commonplace, 2-3x is low.

My most consistently reliable QPR bargain is Saumur-Champigny from René-Noël Legrand. This is most frustrating for those outside France because his wines are hardly exported though there is one sales point in California. Even British Loire experts like Jim Budd and Chris Kissack hardly seem aware of his wines.

He is about the most uncommercial grower whom I have met and is shy about presenting his wines even as close to home as the Angers Wine Fair but he is extremely friendly and communicative whenever I visit. Alas I fear that he may have retired for health reasons because he was muttering about it on my last visit and no longer appears in the Bettane/Desseauve and Hachette guides where he was a regular for at least 15 years. I think that only one of his cuvées costs more than €10 ex-cellars whereas several of his peers are charging almost double that for no better quality.

His wines can be somewhat tough in their youth which leads some tasters to dub them rustic without letting them develop. They rapidly acquire great personality, however, and are amongst the most instantly recognisable wines, which I know, for their tangy savoury fruit, a lot of raspberry, earthy minerality, a lot of clay, discreet leather and for their firm structure. With more age, they can acquire real distinction and elegance in the best vintages and I have posted elsewhere today a WTN on his 1985 viewtopic.php?f=3&t=27124 . His 1989 is even better, perhaps his best ever, and his 1982 was just as good a few years ago but is now on the downwards slope.

His 1989 is even better, perhaps his best ever...

That's sad. What do we have to look forward to!

Undoubtedly my bargain wine winner of the year thus far was a 2001 Alain Graillot Crozes Hermitage. It just keeps improving over the years and was fantastic this summer. It has everything I love in a Rhone and was under $25 on release. I cannot wait to try the "La Guiraude" of the same vintage that are on deck.

2008 MONTGRAS RESERVA CARMENERE COLCHAGUA VALLEY CHILE was one of the fifteen or so unexciting South American wines poured at a merchant's tasting this Saturday in Seattle, none of which tempted me to buy but my wife liked this one, so what could I do but buy a bottle, for $10.99. Surprise! At dinner the wine turned out to be a remarkably enjoyable cheapie. The tomato and spice flavors in the Carmenere blended perfectly with the tomato and spice in a penne arabiata we had that night, and what wine was left over proved lovely with tonight's chicken thighs in a mushroom sauce.