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by Fred McMillin
for July 2005
Our 20 Best Buys of 2005...So Far
Prologue
Northern hemisphere money is being pumped into southern hemisphere viticulture, where wine quality is rising faster than costs. Hence, we expect our list to show plenty of...
Down Under Thunder
So here are the winners, the top Chardonnay bargain, the top Merlot, etc. The wine with the most bang for the buck is listed last. (Name of importer is shown in parentheses.)
All results are coded, so like you, I have no idea what we'll find.
Our Top Twenty Bargains
| Rank | The Wine | |
| 20th | Viogner, Don Miguel Gason, Argentina, (Pasternak), 2003, $12 | |
| 19th | Gentil, Hugel, Alsace, France, (Wildman), 2003, $11 | |
| 18th | Rhone-Style Red, Cotes Du Consumnes, Charles Mitchell, Paso Robles, $9, (A 1997 from my cellar) | |
| 17th | Pinot Noir, Rincon Privado, Argentina, 1999, $10 (Gaucho) | |
| 16th | Pinot Grigio, Meridian, California, 2000, $11 | |
| 15th | White Rhone, Cotes Du Rhone, Louis Bernard, France, 2001, $11, (Boisset) | |
| 14th | Rioja, Campo Viejo Crianza, (Allied Domecq), Spain, 1999, $10 | |
| 13th | Tawny Port, Benjamin, Australia (Beringer Blass), Non-Vintage, $12 | |
| 12th | Semillon, Jacob's Creek, Australia, (Pernod Ricard), 2003, $8 | |
| 11th | Merlot, Barton & Guestier, Pays d'Oc, France, 2002, $7 | |
| 10th | Shiraz-Cabernet Blend, Jacob's Creek, Australia, (Pernod Ricard), 2002, $8 | |
| 9th | Vouvray Chenin Blanc, Georges Meugey, Loire, France (Boisset USA), 2003, $11 | |
| 8th | Mourvedre, Chateau La Paws, San Francisco Bay, 2002, $11 | |
| 7th | Chenin Blanc, Bogle, Clarksburg, 2003, $7 | |
| 6th | White Dessert, Rudolf Muller Spatlese, Germany (Winesellers), 2002, $9 | |
| 5th | Cabernet Sauvignon, Reynolds, Australia, (Trinchero), 2002, $8 | |
| 4th | Barefoot Bubbly Chardonnay Champagne, California, Non-Vintage, $7 | |
| 3rd | Chardonnay, Falling Star, Argentina, (Wildman), 2004, $5 | |
| 2nd | Sauvignon Blanc, Crane Lake, California, 2003, $4 | |
| 1st | Shiraz, Leaping Horse, Ironstone, Lodi, 2001, $5 |
Comments
Six from Europe, seven from California, and seven from the southern hemisphere, four Australian and three from Argentina.
Last year our list had only two from below the equator. Those investments are paying off!
And a Parting Chuckle
Sign on a wine delivery truck: The driver carries no cash. He is MARRIED!
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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 2005
Copyright © 2005
electronic Gourmet Guide, Inc.