Napa Valley Bargain Wines

BARLOW
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2001 Merlot, $29

Merlot (crudely maligned in the hit movie, Sideways) makes the list with an entry by Barlow. This smooth Napa Merlot is perfect: the clean, approachable roundness is evident from the first diminutive taste. This wine brings memories of hot valley summer days, cool evenings, pleasant conversions and opening yet another bottle of Barlow. If you enjoy a good Merlot, you will assuredly appreciate this one. The 2001 Barlow can be enjoyed immediately, but will mellow even more over time, based on the firm tannin structure.

BEAULIEU VINEYARD (BV)
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2001 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon, $25

Here is a firm investment at an affordable price. Long on the tongue and smooth in the finish, this wine exhibits typical ruby reflections and slight black cherry/brambleberry aromas. Rutherford dust mineral tannins are alive and well, sparking renewed interest within this wine. Note the balanced oak. This wine drinks well, but could use a little time to sit and mature gracefully. Still, a fine value and the best of its breed.

This serious wine is a magnificent chess game of flavors. Hearty intense cherry notes, dark plum and diverse oak tendencies (25 months) leave the drinker in wonderment at the winemaker’s art. Combining 59 percent Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and a morsel of Syrah, this wine is talkative, yet never verbose. This is a complex wine, more so than the average bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. Bring out other wines for the relatives, but save Generations to share with your best, wine-appreciating friends. This $35 bottle is worth double the price.

CLIFF LEDE
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2002 Claret, $32

Here is a wine so full of flavor that somehow gets better and better as the minutes pass. Strong, mid-palate sensations combine with a mild, elegant finish. Unassuming, gentle and understated at $25, this wine rocks—and knows it, too, you can tell. Examine the fathomable clarity, and think back to why the English loved Clarets so. This blend of 70 percent Merlot, 28 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 2 percent Cabernet Franc exemplifies the sensational Stag’s Leap District terroir, but without the massive oak and "look at me" pretension. This is an excellent, worthy value. Cliff Lede’s newly rebuilt Yountville winery, (formally S. Anderson) is also a fun stop for the uninitiated.

DUCKHORN VINEYARDS
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2001 Paradux, $43

This marvelous Duckhorn blend continues with the usual Mallard stamp motif, providing customers with an intriguing Zinfandel/Cabernet Sauvignon blend; the result is another crowd-pleasing winner. Sourcing fruit from various up-valley vineyards, Paradux has a tantalizing color, pours deliciously smooth and tops expectations. This wine is comforting to those who appreciate Duckhorn’s strong, structured approach and powerful qualities. Yet Paradux is surely worth the price tag, costing far less than many comparable wines. This wine should age predictably for many years, but drinks well now. This Napa Valley duck gives plenty of bang for the buck.

FRANK FAMILY VINEYARDS
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2001 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, $35

Ebullient fruit crafted with care and borne of strapping grapes. This Cabernet is what all New World Cabs vie to be: solid citizens, tall, wearing hats and pressed trousers. This wine opens delightfully with a playful roundness, slight aromas of blueberry and cherry and finishes strong, crossing the line first. Though the Frank Family Cabernet should age well, it’s drinking like a champ already. You cannot possibly go wrong enjoying this fine wine—a firm value at this price.

GREEN TRUCK CELLARS
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2002 Napa Valley Pinot Noir, $35

Here is a local Napa Valley Pinot Noir that makes a statement and says, "See my autumn leaves, smell my barnyard oats, taste my green apples, white truffles and mint. I dare you." This wine delivers its characteristic Pinot Noir nose, but carries an inimitable easy body. Grown in the cool Green Island Vineyard region, in the American Canyon area of lower Napa Valley, this Pinot ranks with many of the finest from Burgundy and Oregon. Go ahead, try it and find out for yourself. True Pinot lovers will go gaga over this wine.

RAVENSWOOD
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2000 Napa Valley Zinfandel, $15

Here is one reason that Napa is known as the country’s premier winegrowing region: Ravenswood Napa Valley Zinfandel. This wine combines Napa's polished raspberry-cedar character with a hint of French vanilla, giving this wine the delightful balance that comes with superior breeding. Pleasing bright, ripe plum flavors with fine tannin structure are followed by a lingering finish that tastes of raspberries, cloves, cardamom and vanilla. Enjoy this full-bodied, intense offering now, or age for seven years—either way it’s a mighty (and we mean mighty) good wine.

WILLIAM HILL WINERY
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2001 Cabernet Sauvignon, $22

William Hill Winery wines focus on the cooler growing areas of Napa, which provide lengthened growing seasons. The moderate and stony soils of hillside Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards allow the grapes to ripen past the fruity flavors of warmer climates into the berry and spice range. The result is a full-bodied, fruit-driven wine with aromas of cassis, dark plum and blackberry. This is a rich wine with a polished texture and an earthy body. Try it with roasted prime rib in cracked pepper crust or alongside a tender lamb chop. Scrumptious!