SUMMER 2008

 

It has never been easy to find Californian wine bargains in the UK, but with the declining value of the US dollar against most other currencies, it has now become a more frequent occurrence. Mind you, with the pound now tanking in tandem with the dollar, there could be considerable more scope over the next few months!

 

The Californian Wine Institute’s annual UK bash took place in the spring and whilst there were several superb wines at £50 plus, my quest for good wines at under £10 needed quite a bit of digging out. Not that there were not many wines retailing at under that £10 mark, it was just that so many of them were really not very good.

 

Nevertheless, once again, your intrepid hero went and asked each importer to give him their “best shots” at under £10, and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised with some of the results.

 

Best of the bunch

White

 

Camino Cellars Californian Chardonnay 2006. This has been put together nicely. A well balanced wine with not too much oakiness and a creamy finish. Very good for the price of £7.50. Details of stockists from Fields, Morris and Verdin, Southbank Business Centre, Ponton Road, Vauxhall, London SW8 5BL. Tel: 020 7819 0360

 

Cline Cellars California Viognier 2006. There are good varietal flavours here, peach, apricot and honey, as well as being quite weighty in the mouth. RRP£9.75. List of stockists from the importer, The Wine Treasury Ltd, 69/71 Bondway, London SW8 1SQ. Website www.winetreasury.com.

 

Wente Family Vineyards Morning Fog San Francisco Bay Chardonnay 2006. A fruity and medium-bodied Chardonnay with good balance and reasonable length on the palate. RRP £8.00. Details of stockists from Stevens Garnier, 47 West Way, Botley, Oxford OX2 0JF. Tel: 01865 263300

 

Wente Family Vineyards Riva Ranch Arroyo Seco Chardonnay 2006. A step up in quality here from this single vineyard Chardonnay which has good fullness in the mouth and a long and smooth finish. RRP £9.00. Details of stockists from Stevens Garnier as above.

 

Francis Ford Coppola Bianco Pinot Grigio 2006. The famous film director’s entry level white wine, but it’s a pretty slick bevvy showing a little bit of spiciness and nutmeg over the gentle fruit of the Pinot. RRP £9.00. Details of stockists from Mentzendorff, Prince Consort House, 27-29 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TJ. Tel: 020 7840 3600

 

Cartlidge and Browne Dancing Crow Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2006. Cartlidge and Browne are noted purveyors of bulk wines at very reasonable prices and this Sauvignon Blanc from an organically farmed single vineyard in Lake County displays gentle and unagressive fruit not always found in inexpensive Californian Sauvignons. In a way, it’s one of their flagship wines and excellent value RRP at £8.75. The problem is, that they don’t have an importer as such in the UK, but the likelihood is that one of the multiples will import direct. If you email peter@CandBwinery.com, you may get some answers.

 

Mission Bell Private Selection Chardonnay 2006. Round and fruity Chardonnay, judiciously oaked, with reasonable complexity. RRP £9.99. Details of stockists from Constellation Europe, Constelation House, The Guildway, Old Portsmouth Road, Artington, Guildford, Surrey GU3 1LR. Tel: 01483 690 000

 

Bonterra Sauvignon Blanc 2006. An organic old favourite, this displays delicious fruit – a little residual sugar makes this an extremely quaffable wine and takes away the aggressiveness you sometimes find in Californian Sauvignons. RRP £9.99. Details of stockists from Brown-Forman Wines, Grove House, Orange Street, London WC2H 7ED. Tel: 020 7478 1300.

 

Red

 

Delicato Family Vineyards Gnarly Head Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel 2006. Good Zinfandel here – full of brambly fruit and a long finish. RRP £8.99. Details of stockists from Bibendum, 113 Regents Park Road, London NW1 8UR. Tel: 020 7449 4136

 

Marmesa Central Coast Syrah 2005. Big fruit here, juicy and spicy but not jammy. RRP £9.99. Details of stockists from Bibendum as above.

 

The Hess Collection Monterey Syrah 2005. This is a chunky wine with good, toasty, varietal flavours. RRP £9.49. Details of stockists from Enotria Winecellars, 4/8 Chandos Park Estate, Chandos Road, London NW10 6NF. Tel: 020 8961 4411

 

Beringer Vineyards Founders Estate Merlot 2004. There’s lots of ripe, juicy fruit here, too, and with nice complexity on the finish. RRP £8.99. Details of stockists from Foster’s Emea, Regal House, 70 London Road, Twickenham, Middx. Tw1 3QS.Tel: 020 8843 8399.

 

Cline Cellars California Zinfandel 2006. This is an old favourite of mine. Cline have consistently made value-for-money wines and this, their entry level Zinfandel, mainly sourced from North Coast California, displays typical fruity, chewy characteristics but with good structural balance which would prevent it from being classified as a “fruit bomb”! RRP £9.95. List of stockists from The Wine Treasury as above.

 

Jewel Old Vine Zinfandel 2004. This is a soft and supple wine, with brambly fruit and a nice long finish. RRP £7.99 Details of stockists from World Wine Agencies (Bath) Ltd., 12 Avon Road, Keynsham, Bristol BS31 1LJ. Tel: 07738 013 269.

 

Hahn Estate Pinot Noir 2005. Good Pinot here – savoury and soft, but with a reasonable amount of backbone. RRP £9.99. Details of stockists from Patriache Wine Agencies, 4 Rickett Street, London, SW6 1RU. Tel: 020 7381 4016

 

Fess Parker Winery Santa Barbara Syrah 2004. Very chewy and juicy with typical tarry and spicy varietal flavours. It doesn’t take any prisoners! RRP £8.99. Details of stockists from Playford Ros, Middle Park, Sowerby, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 3AH. Tel: 01845 526 777

 

Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Pinot Noir 2006. This has good structure and fruit – very commercially produced to make this an extremely quaffable wine – and why not? RRP £9.99. Details of stockists from John E. Fells & Sons Ltd., Fells House, Prince Edward Street, Berkhampstead, Herts., Hp4 3EZ. Tel: 01442 870 900

 

So even amongst “expensive” Californian wines, there are good wines to be had at under £10 and I hope that this has helped to show you the way to find them. If I had to reduce the list to the ones that were really top quality, (approaching 4 stars), they would be as follows:

 

White Wines

Wente Family Vineyards Riva Ranch Arroyo Seco Chardonnay 2006

Bonterra Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2006

 

 

Red Wines

Gnarly Head Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel 2006

The Hess Collection Monterey Syrah 2005

Fess Parker Winery Santa Barbara Syrah 2004