Budget Friendly Choices On Wine Spectator's Annual Top 100 Wines List

Over at the Wine Spectator, the wine magazine with the largest circulation in the world, they've just published their Top 100 Wines of 2006 list this week. It's always a one-two punch for me: the release of the juicy, low-cost Beaujolais Nouveau on the third Thursday, followed shortly thereafter by the list of wines I can't find and can't afford. Even though I try not to be influenced by these annual top wines list, like most serious wine lovers I find it impossible to avoid them. So rather than sticking my head in the sand I thought I'd face the list and see what it offered.

PS. As I caught up on my wine blogging reading, I discovered that Winehiker and Tom Wark over at Fermentation have both posted some pretty hair-raising stories about the impact this little list has on the world of wine consumption and production. Really makes you pause and reconsider how we run around like crazy people after some wines and not others based on media attention. Maybe the world of beaujolais nouveau and the world of the Top 100 aren't that different??

The 2006 list seemed pleasantly different to me than those of past years. 30 of the top 100 wines were $25 or under--nearly 1/3. I haven't done the math on the last 5 years' list, but my sense was that this year there were more options for those of us who put ourselves on stricter wine budgets, and fewer bottles retailing for over $100. While the average price for a bottle on the list was $49 (up from $43 last year), many of the more budget friendly wines this year are not limited production bottlings, but wines that are readily available from makers like Kim Crawford, Jacob's Creek, and Greg Norman.

The highest ranking bottle under $25 came in at #16, and was the 2004 Langmeil Shiraz Barossa Valley Valley Floor. ($23) I got a lot of hits for this wine when I searched for it, suggesting you can still get your hands on it. The next budget friendly selection was at #36, the 2004 Hess Collection Napa Valley Chardonnay ($20). You have to shop carefully for this wine, since Hess has both "Selection" and "Collection" labels, but it was available in lots of outlets for $18.99). Other budget-friendly highlights included the 2005 Matua Sauvignon Blanc Paretai Estate Series ($17) at #37, the 2006 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc ($17) at #40, the 2004 Chateau Ste. Michelle Canoe Ridge Estate Chardonnay ($20) at #62, and the 2003 Jacob's Creek Shiraz South Australia Reserve ($13) at #64.

I even discovered I owned two of the top 100 wines: the 2005 Elk Cove Pinot Gris Willamette Valley ($18) at #77, and the 2003 Ch. Lafaurie-Peyraguey Sauternes ($43/750 ml) at #6. I bought this sauternes last month at Beverages and More in the half bottle size for $23.99. So if you're out shopping on Black Friday, and pass a BevMo, you might want to see if they've got some bottles on the shelf to put away until Thanksgiving 2010 and beyond.

These are just the highlights, so do go over and check out the whole list, paying particular attention the wines from #50-#100, where most of the under $25 wines can be found. Even if you don't subscribe to the magazine or the online site, you can download the whole list in PDF by clicking here.

Dr. Vino Goes LA

As many of you know, I live in the LA area and regularly post reviews of wine stores and tasting bars. There are new options opening all the time, and it's helpful to get the suggestions of other wine lovers before you schlep over on 5 different freeways only to discover that the shop you are trying out only has Napa cult cabs. Dr. Vino has just posted an interactive map of LA area wine stores for your shopping pleasure and driving ease. It's got great range from the west side all the way over to Pasadena and beyond. All my favorites were on it (I'm guessing yours are, too) and some new shops that I'm looking forward to checking out. Dr. Vino is based in NYC, and his LA map is the latest addition to maps for wine lovers covering NYC wine shops, NYC Wine Bars, Chicago wine shops, and Chicago BYOB restaurants. Dr. Vino is also one of the web's best wine bloggers, so if you haven't done so already, swing by his site and take a look.

2005 Pomelo Sauvignon Blanc

We're up on the Sonoma Coast for Thanksgiving week--which is reason enough to give lots of thanks this year! After safely transporting two dogs and four humans into a cabin in the redwoods near the sea, it was time to flip open the windowseats and see what we'd stashed in them over the summer and forgotten we had. Our windowseat storage area has nearly perfect cellar conditions--dark, about 57 degrees and 68-70 percent humidity--and it's where we put wine that isn't quite ready to drink.

It's grey and rainy up here, and as soon as I saw the sunny Pomelo label, I knew this was the wine to go with our citrus chicken tagine with couscous. With a fire roaring in the woodstove, the dogs passed out, and the chicken bubbling away in its lemon and orange liquid, we unscrewed the cap and started celebrating the holiday week.

This sauvignon blanc is a bottling of Mason Cellars from their Kelseyville Vineyards in Lake County, CA. Mason Cellars are a family owned and operated company, and they produce merlot, sauvignon blanc, and cabernet sauvignon. Their Pomelo Sauvignon Blanc is named after a large citrus fruit that is ancestor of the more common grapefruit, and that citrusy flavor profile is expressed in this wine.

The 2005 Pomelo Sauvignon Blanc ($8.39, Surf Supermarket in downtown Gualala; available all over for around $10) is a light and refreshing sauvignon blanc with loads of grapefruit aromas and flavors. With an impression of sweetness, and a touch of bright lime to give it some zing, it is not at all harsh or acidic. This is my third bottle, and two of them had a little bit of spritz to them. This third bottle did not.

This sauvignon blanc is a tasty wine with very good QPR. A bit one dimensional, with its dominant citrus varietal characteristics it will be a great favorite among those who prefer their sauvignon blancs citrusy rather than herbal or grassy. This wine is not subjected to any oak, so is free of any smoke or vanilla processing flavors. It pairs well with a wide variety of chicken and seafood dishes, especially piccata and scampi or grilled fare.

Ice Wines Roundup from Wine Blogging Wednesday #27

Kitchen Chick rounded up all the wine tasting notes on ice wines from WBW#27. They can be found by clicking here, and then following all the links. There are lots of notes, all fun to read and informative, for these delicious dessert wines. The success of this WBW is a testament to Kitchen Chick's great theme. I know I learned a lot from the tasting, and from seeing what others tasted. Thanks again to Kitchen Chick, and don't forget: Wine Blogging Wednesday #28 returns on December 13 with Sparklers, hosted by Seattle's Culinary Fool.

Celebrating Beaujolais--Nouveau and Not

It's the third Thursday in November.

That's right, it's Beaujolais Nouveau day. Mom and Dad were arriving at LAX, providing me with the perfect opportunity to stop by the Wine House and to pick up some Beaujolais Nouveau so that we, along with many other people all over the world, could join in the fun of this harvest celebration.

Now, I love all the wines of Beaujolais, including the Nouveau wines. The latter are perfect for served slightly chilled with (among other things) Thanksgiving leftovers. The crus are lovely, low-alcohol reds that are fruity, uncomplicated, and excellent value. Earlier this fall I reviewed a cru beaujolais, a 2005 from Pierre-Marie Chermette (see my earlier post). Cru beaujolais are aged wines, which come from specific sub-appellations within Beaujolais. Beau over at Basic Juice posted a great story yesterday about the area which I encourage you to read if you are only familiar with Beaujolais Nouveau. He's right that people drink the Nouveau wines and think that all Beaujolais tastes like this--which is a shame.

The 2006 vintage is being hailed s the best since 2003--which was very good and produced cru Beaujolais wines that had staying power. You could keep those wines for a few years and they tasted like baby Burgundies--all silk and raspberry. Most Beaujolais wines (and certainly the Nouveau wines) are made to be drunk within a few months to a year. My dad is fond of saying "Beaujolais Nouveau should age on the back seat on your way home." But keep in mind that it's worth talking to your wine dealer and doing some research to discover if the cru Beaujolais you've bought is likely to last if you store it properly. Older cru beaujolais (like the 2002 Georges Duboeuf Fleurie that was in my Thanksgiving recommendations) can be suprisingly complex for gamay wines.

So why drink Beaujolais Nouveau? For me its about participating in a wine ritual of harvest and early sampling of young wines that is not part of most people's lives. I read about Bordeaux barrel tastings in the wine mags, but hey, I'm not likely to go to participate in such an event any time soon. But I can go to my local wine store and buy some young Beaujolais wine. And this is, in my opinion, the real reason to drink Beaujolais Nouveau. They are not great wines--but sometimes they contain hints of the great cru Beaujolais wines that will be released in a few months. Once every year ordinary joes and janes get a glimpse into the process of wine-making. They get to taste young, unfocused wines and try to imagine what some of the grapes will become.

We decided to do a blind tasting, paper bags and all, of the 3 Beaujolais Nouveau wines I purchased. After all was said and drunk, there were differences among the wines and we enjoyed comparing what we tasted and which wine we preferred. Here's how the tasting unfolded:

Wine #1 turned out to be the 2006 Joseph Drouhin Beaujolais Nouveau ($13.99, The Wine House). This was the least favorite among the three we tasted. It was very aromatic, with bananas, raspberry preserves, and a metallic, tinned tomato-paste smell. The flavors were smooth raspberry with an underlying meaty depth and a slight banana extract edge. This was a smooth, moderately flavorful wine despite all the aromas that had preceded it. Given its price, and the fact that you can get cru Beaujolais for less money, I decided this was poor QPR.

Wine #2 turned out to be the 2006 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau ($9.59, The Wine House). This was the favorite for two of us. There was much less aroma then in the Drouhin, and what was there was raspberry and spice. On the palate this wine had more freshness and even some soft tannins, with silky strawberry and nutmeg flavors. Again, given that you can get more complex cru Beaujolais wines for about the same price, I decided this was good QPR.

Wine #3 turned out to be the 2006 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau Chateau des Vierres ($9.99, The Wine House). One of the drinkers thought this was the best wine (and I admit I had really looked forward to this wine because it had a chateau designation). It was similar to the regular Duboeuf BN with moderate aromas of raspberry, but in this case there was an undertone of rare beef. This one had the most acidity, but less tannins, and flavors of banana, strawberry, spice, and even a hint of citrus or green grapes. I will look for this wine when it is released as a cru Beaujolais because I think it may be excellent with some age. For now, it's good QPR.

Because the wines of Beaujolais are not fashionable at the moment--undeservedly so, in my opinion--you can get most cru Beaujolais for about the same price as Beaujolais Nouveau. But there is no media hype when the crus are released. They simply slip onto the shelves of your wine store, overlooked by most people as they head for the merlots. Beaujolais shouldn't just be on the table on the third Thursday of November. Drink your Nouveau now, but don't forget about the wines of Beaujolais next spring and summer.