Lots of ardent millionaires can make a fine, expensive wine—purchase and plant expensive vineyards in Napa or Sonoma, build a multi-million dollar winery, hire a team of famous winemaking gurus, put the resultant wine in a bottle that weighs as much as an anvil, and, voila, a $200 bottle of very good wine, we hope! I more admire the wine folks who can make a very good bottle of wine that is eminently affordable.
Recently, we took a look at the fine bargain wines of France, Argentina, and Spain (“Wine Wisdom,” January 2009). This month we look at bargain white wines from the West Coast—really good wines for $20 and, often, far less, starting at, let’s say, $2 a bottle.
I know you’re waiting for it, the mention of the wine bargain of them all: Charles Shaw wines, affectionately dubbed Two Buck Chuck (TBC) because they sell for $1.99 per bottle. Wine snobs wouldn’t be caught dead with TBC on their lips. However, if you’re a true wine snob, you’ve already turned the page.
The Charles Shaw brand began in Southern California in 2002 and is only available at Trader Joe’s. About two years later it was selling between five and six million cases a year. While a lot of writers were making TBC the butt of wine jokes, about three years ago the TBC chardonnay won several gold medals and was awarded “best in state” at the California State Fair. (TBC shiraz won a double gold medal in a big wine competition back East, and wine guru Robert F. Parker gave it high praise, saying that many of his friends thought this was a nice Côtes du Rhône. End of TBC jokes, thank you.)
How can Bronco Winery owner Fred Franzia do it? He buys grapes cheaply—very cheaply. There are a lot of good grapes out there begging for a “home.” While Napa grapes may price between $2,000 and $4,000 a ton or more, Franzia buys his at around $200 a ton. When his TBC came on the market, there were many moans and groans in top wine circles; it’s the end of the wine world, and all that. A wine maverick, it was music to Franzia’s ears.
The least expensive game in town for sure, TBC is not the only find out there. For California whites, try these: the always-favorite sauvignon blanc from Geyser Peak, as well as those from Raymond Estates and Chateau St. Jean. Look for chardonnays from Edna Valley Paragon, Bogle, Hess, Kenwood, Heron, Gallo of Sonoma, Esser, Blackstone, Kendall Jackson, Beringer Napa, Acacia (“A”), Napa Ridge, Round Hill, Grayson Cellars, and Wente.
There are more rewards if you jump to other white varietals. There are several fine chenin blancs to be enjoyed, especially from the Clarksburg area. The ones from Dry Creek and Ehrhardt Estates are excellent; dry and refreshing.
You really should try some of the fine California Rieslings on the market. Great wineries such as Stony Hill and Trefethen Family Vineyards are experts with this varietal, along with Beringer, Claiborne & Churchill, Gainey Vineyards, and Navarro. And for a real change of taste, gewürztraminers from Fetzer, Scheid Vineyards, and Hook & Ladder will delight.
Lesser lauded vineyards in Washington state also make many memorable wines; in 2007 Food & Wine magazine named Long Shadows Vintners “winery of the year.”
When we think of this state, our thoughts may turn toward wet Seattle, and not the favored vineyard areas east of the Cascade Mountains. You likely have read about some of the best-selling Washington wine brands—Chateau Ste. Michelle, Columbia Crest, Hogue, and Washington Hills—but there are many small producers making great names for themselves.
Some of the standout whites from up north: Columbia Crest Grand Estates Chardonnay, Holy Cow Chardonnay, Seven Hills Viognier, Efeste Sauvignon Blanc, and the much rewarded Chateau Ste. Michelle “Dr. Loosen” Riesling, often listed as one of the top ten wines in the United States.
TASTING & EVENT NOTES
2006 Patz & Hall Zio Tony Ranch Chardonnay—One of the best chardonnays I’ve ever tasted; vibrant, focused, delicious, elegant, and sublime—“thrilling” sums it up.
2005 Lieff Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Rutherford—A lively, elegant, beautifully rounded wine, classy and classic—think Fred Astaire putting on a top hat. Lovely to drink, and from one of the great terroirs in California.
Maestro Dobel Tequila—This is a beautiful spirit. The makers call it “silver aged”; what comes out of the bottle is a pure, spice nose to savor, and rich, complex, lingering flavors, nurtured by six generations of Tequila experts. This one is to enjoy on the rocks and say, “Wow!”
Next month, I travel to Tequila, Mexico, and tromp the rich earth in the state of Jalisco where agave cactus grows. Making great tequila is tough work; drinking it is a blast. Tequila is wildly popular, but some farmers are turning away from cactus growing to…well, read about it next month.
