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by Fred McMillin
for July 2003
What are...
The BEST BUYS of the year... so far?
Current "On Wine"
Wine Archive
Prologue
What Does "BEST" Mean?
The Wine Spectator: "Best" means the most exciting. Wines of quite limited distribution are not included.
The Wine Enthusiast: Our list of "Best" is not a compilation of wines that scored highest during the year. Some of the highest are omitted. For example, if one producer is over-represented at the top, not all of those wines are selected.
The Global Gourmet: "Best" means the highest scoring wine in its category. For example, the Merlot listed below is the top tasted; no bottle was eliminated because it was not exciting or because the producer was over-represented.
Our Best Buys
Here is our list of best of each varietal costing no more than 10 or 11 dollars. The highest scoring wine is listed last. That is, the further you read, the better the bottle.
| Rank | The Wine | Winery, Etc. | |
| 19th | - | Pinot Noir | Rincon Privado, Argentina, Importer—Gaucho, 1999, $10 |
| 18th | - | Mead | Bargetto, California, Made 100% from honey, $11 |
| 17th | - | Sangiovese | Chateau Julien, Monterey County, 2000, $10 |
| 16th | - | Chardonnay | Tapiz, Argentina, Importer—Kendall-Jackson, 2001, $8 |
| 15th | - | Syrah | B&G, Vin de Pays d'0c, 2000, $7 |
| 14th | - | Bright-lighter white blend | Handley, Anderson Valley, 2001, $11 |
| 13th | - | Cabernet Sauvignon | Vina Santa Carolina, Chile, Importer—Canandaigua, 2000, $8 |
| 12th | - | Rhone Parallèle "45" | Paul Jaboulet, Importer—Wildman, 2000, $10 |
| 11th | - | Zinfandel | Woodbridge by R. Mondavi, 2000, $7 |
| 10th | - | Malbec | Tapiz, Argentina, Importer—Kendall-Jackson, 2001, $8 |
| 9th | - | Sauvignon Blanc | Fetzer Echo Ridge, California, 2001, $8 |
| 8th | - | Gewürztraminer | Hogue, Washington State, 2002, $9 |
| 7th | - | Red Muscat Electra | Quady, California, 2002, $8.50 |
| 6th | - | Pink Catawba | St. James Winery, Missouri, Non-vintage, $6 |
| 5th | - | Merlot | Calina, Chile, 2001, Importer—Kendall-Jackson, $8 |
| 4th | - | Cabernet Shiraz red blend | Alice White, Australia, Importer—Canandaigua, 2002, $8 |
| 3rd | - | Johannisberg Riesling | Woodbridge by R. Mondavi, California, 2001, $7 |
| 2nd | - | Chenin Blanc | Covey Run, Washington State, 2000, $7 |
| 1st | - | White Muscat Electra | Quady, California, 2002, $8.50 |
Ouch! Watch Out, California...
The four most important wines on the list are Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir. What do the picks for these have in common? All four are from SOUTH AMERICA! The wines of Chile and Argentina are providing some fine buys.
And a final wine smile...
A British connoisseur was asked whether he preferred wine or women. After a long pause he replied, "It depends on the vintage!"
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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 July 2003