Wood on Wine

Bang for the (wine) buck
© by Linwood Slayton
I decided to "get more bang for my buck" this week and purchased 12 botttles of wine-none of which cost more than $15/bottle. My goal these days is to find "good" wine at bargain prices. It is easy to select a top shelf quality wine which has been highly rated and pay from $25-50 for the bottle. It is far more challenging to discover a "steal" and then to share it with others. Here are the bottles I selected this week-let's see if they become a "Best Buy":

• EOS Paso Robles Zinfandel 1997 $13.99 (Calif)
• Indigo Hills 1997 Pinot Noir $9.99 (Calif) This bottle was quite decent; it took a good while to open up. I let it sit and breathe for about 30 minutes after the first taste; it proved to be smooth and went well with a steak cooked on the grill with a lot of spice and pepper) my rating: 85
• Pietra Santa 1997 Chardonnay "Sasso Banco" (Calif)
• Chateau St. Jean 1998 Chardonnay Sonoma Co. (Calif) This is a good bottle of wine; it has a smooth taste, hints of apple and pear; time in the glass smoothes it out significantly; my rating: 88
• Rancho Zabaco 1997 Zinfandel Sonoma Co. $9.99 (Calif)
• La Vignee 1997 Bourgogne Pinot Noir $9.99 (France)
• Chevaliere Reserve Syrah 1998 $7.98 (France)
• Albente 1998 White Table Wine $9.99 (Italy)
• Santa Julia Mendoza Torrentes 1999 $6.99 (Arg.) White, very pale straw-like color. I didn't especially care for this one; it has a rather strong bite and has a distinctly different flavor- I can't place it; leaves a vivid aftertaste; not so bad I'd toss the bottle; consider the cost; my rating: 78
• Valentin Bianchi 1998 Chardonnay $12.99 (Arg.)
• Alamos Ridge Malbec 1998 $9.99 (Arg.) This wine is surprisingly smooth and soft after a few minutes of breathing. The flavor is crisp and fruity. The aftertaste is slight but pleasant. My rating: 88
• Hill of Content 1998 OldVines Grenache Shiraz $12.99 (Australia)
• Black Opal 1998 Cabernet/Merlot $8.99 (Australia)

July 28, 2000