Prologue
Should I buy the French or the California wine? Both bottles are
the same price, the same year, and pretty much the same
varietal makeup...say, $15, 1997,100% Chardonnay, one from
Burgundy, the other from the Russian River Valley. My panel
tasted 12 pairs, and when we pulled the winners from their
sacks, here's what we found. The wines that won their match
by the largest margin are listed last.
| |
Winner |
Winning Margin
(votes) |
Price |
Year |
The Wine |
| 12th |
- |
Cal. |
1 |
$15 |
'96 |
Chardonnay by Jekel, Monterey |
| 11th |
- |
France |
2 |
$20 |
'95 |
Chateau Magnol, Haut-Medoc
|
| 10th |
- |
France |
5 |
$14 |
'97 |
Vincent Saint-Veran, Burgundy
100% Chardonnay (Wildman) |
| 9th |
- |
Cal. |
6 |
$11 |
'97 |
Chardonnay by Hahn, Monterey |
| 8th |
- |
Cal. |
10 |
$7 |
'94 |
Cabernet Sauvignon by Stone
Creek |
| 7th |
- |
Cal. |
11 |
$28 |
'97 |
Chardonnay by Rosenblum, Loan
Oak |
| 6th |
- |
France |
12 |
$9 |
'98 |
Rosé of Syrah, Chateau Miquel,
Languedoc (Wildman) |
| 5th |
- |
Cal. |
13 |
$11 |
'95 |
Cabernet Sauvignon by Charles
Mitchell, El Dorado |
| 4th |
- |
Cal. |
14 |
$7 |
'97 |
Cabernet Sauvignon by Monterey
Vineyard, Monterey |
| 3rd |
- |
Cal. |
17 |
$16 |
'97 |
Meritage Red Table Wine by
Oakstone, El Dorado |
| 2nd |
- |
France |
23 |
$19 |
'97 |
Pouilly-Fuissé by J.J. Vincent
Burgundy (Wildman- pictured) |
| 1st |
- |
Cal. |
26 |
$12 |
'97 |
Syrah by McDowell, Mendocino |
Comments
1. California won this contest, eight matches to four.
2. The Golden State's superiority was greatest in
the lower price range. There were six pairs of
wines under $14, and California won five of the six.
3. Conversely, there were three pairs above $18,
and two of those three matches were won by FRANCE!
|
