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by Fred McMillin
for August 2002
How Good Are Those Australian Merlots?
"I see a lot of Australian Merlots at low prices. How good are they?"
—Bob Henning , Merlot fan
THE ANSWER
To find out, we paired nine Australian Merlots under $16 with California bottles of the same vintage and price. Edgar Vogt wrapped the bottles for the blind tasting, and here is the winner of each pair. The highest-rated winner is listed last. That is, the further you read, the better the wine.
THE WINNING MERLOTS
Australia Versus California
Rank—Region—Wine
9th—California—$11 1996 Robert Mondavi Coastal
8th—Australia—$14 1998 Barwang, Coonawarra, Importer—Geyser Peak
7th—Australia—$8 1999 Alice White, Importer—Canandaigua
6th—California—$10 1999 Fetzer Eagle Peak
5th—Australia—$9 1999 Barwang, Importer—Geyser Peak
4th—California—$10 1998 Monterra, Monterey
3rd—Australia—$10 2001 Yangarra Park, Importer—Kendall-Jackson
2nd—California—$15 1997 Charles Mitchell, El Dorado
1st—California—$9 2000 Bogle
CONCLUSION
The imports from DOWN UNDER won four of the nine matches, and were less expensive by nearly a dollar a bottle. TRY 'EM!
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About the Writer
Fred McMillin, a veteran wine writer, has taught wine history for 30 years on three continents. For information about the wine courses he teaches every month at either San Francisco State University or San Francisco City College (Fort Mason Division), please fax him at (415) 567-4468. |
This page created August 2002