High-QPR Chardonnays

The following Chardonnays have been reviewed in this blog so far (from least expensive to most expensive):

2008 Bogle Chardonnay ($10)

2008 Beringer Napa Valley Chardonnay ($12)

2008 Clos du Bois Chardonnay ($13)

2008 Chateau St. Jean Chardonnay ($14)

2007 Chateau St. Jean Chardonnay, "Robert Young Vineyard" ($25)

2007 Beringer "Private Reserve" Napa Valley Chardonnay ($32)

Note that the above prices are list prices.  All of these wines can usually be found on sale or for discounted prices at a variety of locations.  The best value that I have seen, from a purely economic or QPR perspective, was when K&L Wines had the Chateau St. Jean Chardonnay on sale for $6.99 to clear inventory.

The Beringer "Private Reserve" and the Chateau St. Jean "Robert Young Vineyard" Chardonnays are excellent wines of the highest quality with good QPR value (and represent high-QPR wines if you can get either wine at a 20% discount).

2007 Beringer "Private Reserve" Napa Valley Chardonnay

Beringer's "Private Reserve" Napa Chardonnay consistently receives rave reviews.  It was #47 on Wine Spectator's "Top 100 Wines" for 2008.

Robert Parker gives it 92 points:  "The 2007 Chardonnay Private Reserve (always one of California's top Chardonnays) has toned down the toasty oak component, exhibiting excellent nutty, honeyed, buttery notes of orange marmalade, brioche, and spice.  This wine is full-bodied, rich and pure.  Beringer continues to turn out an impressive array of wines, proving that a gigantic global operation can be focused on quality and character.  The Private Reserve final blend is always the finest wine of the group.  This has been proven time and time again at tastings."

The list price for this wine is $32, but you can usually find it for less than $25.  It's the most expensive Chardonnay on this blog, but with a price under $25, I think the quality-to-price ratio for this wine is very high.

2007 Beringer's Napa Valley Chardonnay

From the winemaker, "Almost half the fruit for the 2007 Napa Valley Chardonnay is from Bertha's Vineyard, which consistently delivers rich citrus and apple flavors.  Lemon meringue, pear, vanilla bean, and toasty oak notes make this a richly-layered wine from the start.

Robert Parker gives it 88 points,  "Another remarkable bargain.  It exhibits crisp notes of pineapples and oranges, zesty acidity, a little oak, and a fresh, medium-bodied finish."

The list price is $12, but you can easily find this wine for under $10 with a little searching at Costco, Safeway, BevMo, Trader's Joe, Total Wine, or your local wine shop.  For $10, this is a high-QPR wine IMO.

Some More Whites

Here are some more white wines with good quality-to-price ratios IMO:

2008 Bogle Chardonnay ($10)

2008 Clos du Bois Chardonnay ($13)

2008 Chateau St. Jean Fume Blanc ($12)

2008 Clos du Bois Sauvignon Blanc ($14)

2008 Bogle Sauvignon Blanc ($10)

2008 Clos du Bois Pinot Grigio ($15)

Check for sales and you might be able to save 10% to 30% off of the above prices. For example, K&L recently offered the 2008 Bogle Chardonnay for $6.99.

2008 Chateau St. Jean Chardonnay - and 2007 Chateau St. Jean Chardonnay, Robert Young Vineyard (Alexander Valley)

My favorite value-priced chardonnay is made by Chateau St. Jean (Sonoma, California).  The price is usually around $12-14 (list price $14), but I've found it for as low as $9 a bottle (I believe it was at Costco or Safeway).

A more upscale Chardonnay is the 2007 Chateau St. Jean, Robert Young Vineyard (Alexander Valley) that sells for $20-$23 (list price $25) and is crisper, drier and just delicious IMO.  With some searching, you can usually find it discounted for under $20.

From Robert Parker, "Chateau St. Jean is an excellent source for value-priced, high-quality wines.  They are often considered primarily a white wine-producing estate because of the brilliant quality of their Fume Blancs and Chardonnays, but they also fashion very fine Cabernet Sauvignons as well as an excellent Bordeaux blend called Cinq Cepages."