2007 Domaine Chatelain "Les Vignes de St. Laurent L'Abbaye" Pouilly Fume, Loire Valley

The Loire Valley in France produces excellent white wines.  The Pouilly Fume wines are usually made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc grapes, and they are typically more expensive than Sauvignon Blancs from California or New Zealand.

The 2007 Domaine Chatelain "Les Vignes de St. Laurent L'Abbaye" Pouilly Fume has a list price of $22, but K&L Wines is offering the wine at a discount for $9.99 a bottle while it lasts.  Made from 30-year old vines, this wine is a clean, crisp Sauvignon Blanc with aromas and flavors of citrus fruits.  Although it represents only average QPR at $22 a bottle, I think this wine advances to a high-QPR wine with the reduced price of $9.99 per bottle.

From K&L, "Bright attractive nose of lemon, melon, tropical fruit, and soft chalky minerality.  The palate is clean with little wisps of grass, stone and good weight which carries the bright juicy acidity all the way through to the finish."

2005 Chateau Puy Arnaud Maureze, Cotes de Castillon, Bordeaux

Every Wednesday my local wine shop in Santa Rosa, Bottle Barn, has an advertisement in the local newspaper.  Yesterday, they featured the 2005 Puy Arnaud from Bordeaux -- on sale for $9.99 a bottle (list price $22).  Chateau Puy Arnaud Maureze is 100% Merlot, and the 2005 vintage was one of the best for Bordeaux wines.  Cotes de Castillon is one of the up-and-coming areas of Bordeaux, only a few miles east of St. Emilion, one of the prestige appellations.

I bought a bottle and thought the QPR was very good for $9.99 a bottle.  If you're looking for a value-priced, Merlot-based wine, check this one out and see what you think.  I think it's substantially better than the typical California Merlot you can buy for $9.99.

Note that this wine is not the 2005 Clos Puy Arnaud which is also from Cotes de Castillon.  The Clos Puy Arnaud is about 65% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% other grapes.  From Robert Parker, "Clos Puy Arnaud is a seriously-run property that consistently produces one of the top two or three wines of the Cotes de Castillon.  It has been very strong in recent vintages."  Clos Puy Arnaud usually sells for $30 or more a bottle.

2008 Chateau Ste. Michelle Pinot Gris

Chateau Ste. Michelle is the largest winery in the state of Washington.  From Robert Parker, "Their portfolio of value-priced wines is exceptional.  The Pinot Gris offers up earth notes, melon, and a hint of peach in the background.  Just a touch off-dry, it has lively acidity, excellent balance, and a sprightly finish." (available for $10-$13 a bottle)

2009 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, Marlboro, New Zealand

This is another Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand which is widely regarded as setting the global standard for this varietal grape.  Perfect cool growing conditions combine with the dry and moderate climate of the Marlboro region to produce a crisp, dry wine with citrus aromas and flavors.  From K&L, "This is a crisp and powerful, well-balanced wine with intense aromas of gooseberry, passion fruit, and citrus flavors.  This light to medium bodied aromatic wine matches well with salads, seafood and vegetarian dishes, and it is a perfectly acceptable quaffer." ($14.99 at K&L Wines)

Robert Parker on "Wine Bargains"

America's foremost authority on wines offers the following on wine bargains:  "One of the most gratifying aspects of being a wine critic is discovering those under-the-radar, superb wine bargains that taste as if they should cost two or three times the price but don't. ...  The myth is that wines that cost $25 or less are worth just what you pay for them and are never terribly interesting.  This is totally untrue, and with work, one can unearth these small treasures that deliver seriously good wine at remarkably fair prices." [Robert Parker, "Parker's Wine Bargains: The World's Best Wine Values under $25"]

I obviously agree with the points made by Parker, and I strongly recommend his book (list price $17.99, published in 2009).  He provides a price range (under $15, $16-20, and $21-25) and a two-sentence description of the general characteristics of each wine, but he does not offer point values for specific wines and vintages in this book.

He includes over 2,500 wines under $25 from all regions of the world:  Argentina, Australia, Austria, Chile, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, and the United States.  Of the 497 page book, 178 pages are devoted to French wines, 58 pages to Italian wines, and 40 pages to U.S. wines.

Although most wines listed in Parker's book are still under $25, the prices of some wines have risen, and it may be difficult to find selected wines still selling for under $25.  And the prices can vary widely according to vintage.  For example, one of the best value-priced Bordeaux wines is from Chateau d'Aiguilhe (Cotes de Castillon).  The 2006 and 2007 vintages were both priced $24.99 at K&L, while the superb 2005 vintage was $37.99 for a bottle of d'Aiguilhe.

For a much more detailed review of wines globally, see "Parker's Wine Buyer's Guide" (7th edition, 2008) which includes point values for specific vintages of thousands of wines.  For an in-depth overview of the world of wine with discussion of countries producing value-priced wines, see "The Wine Bible" by Karen MacNeil (2001).

2008 Etude Carneros Pinot Gris

This wine is an excellent Pinot Gris and is available for $19-22 a bottle.  I have to thank our neighbors, Shirley and Bob, who introduced us to this wine.  From Robert Parker:  "Crisp, with surprising fruit intensity, good texture, and a dry finish."  From K&L:  "The 2008 Etude Pinot Gris opens with inviting aromas of key lime, wet stone minerality, orange blossom, and hints of white peach.  The pure flavors carry over on the palate and mingle with subtle cardamom and jasmine notes.  The wine is fresh with bright acidity and a richness that begs the next sip."

2008 Brancott Estate Reserve Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough

From New Zealand, the 2008 Brancott Estate Reserve Sauvignon Blanc Marlboro is one of Wine Spectator's "Top 100 Wines of 2009" and rated at 92 points:  "This is crisp, offering a lively mouthful of peach-accented grapefruit and mineral flavors, all hanging on effortlessly through the long, graceful finish.  Drink now."  Available for $13.99 at K&L.  IMO, crisp, dry, medium-bodied, delicious and very high QPR.