Excellent wines at fair prices treat your palate and your wallet

Jingle bells, Jingle bells, typing in the snow. Who’da thunk we’d be watching the flakes swirl after Christmas week’s springlike weather? Best to all for a much better new year. Please don’t make any resolutions you have no intentions of keeping. Sadly, in too many cases, failure often leads to eating more chocolate cake or drinking an extra Port, which may lead to weight gain just in time for bathing suits. Just a caveat, and no, I’m not body shaming!

I’ve been sitting on a wide array of wines that are excellent choices at fair prices. Priest Ranch Napa Cab 2019 and ‘18 under $50, 90 McD, are excellent choices. The ‘19 is a new release and may not be on every shelf. Blended of Somerston Estate-grown juice of 24 separate blocks, then aged 23 months in 50% new and once-used French barrels with lees stirring in the first year, both are well nuanced. The wine was bottled unfined. If cellared, this may result in sediment. I believe this adds character and flavor. The ‘19 is still closed, but look for cherry, cola, vanilla and barrel notes. Nicely balanced young wine with slightly pronounced, smooth tannins. A year or so will improve. The ‘18 is beginning to be ready. Look for blackberry, cherry, oak, vanilla, some tobacco and leather aromas. Medium tannins are incorporating. On the palate, blackberry, cocoa and tobacco. Drinking well but a year should complete integration, 91 McD under $50. For 2018, Napa Cab Trinchero Mario’s Vineyard 2018, Martin Ray Diamond Mt; Lail Blueprint, and Trefethen Oak Knoll are all worthy and fairly priced under $50.

Would you rather see a $10 million, original, famous artwork once in a gallery, or own a top-flight reproduction on your wall, for $1,000? Just to illustrate how crazy the Chardonnay market has become, I just read that 2018s Kongsgaard The Judge, $970, and Coche-Dury Corton Charlemagne, $5,831 (that’s per bottle), both rated 97 points, are available. Dury’s price jumped from $3,004 in April 2021 to $7,098 in December. We can buy Ramey’s 96-point Ritchie or 95-point Rochioli Vineyards under $75, Hope Well Oregon, 95-point under $80. Or we can be tricked into name brands like Helen Turley’s Marcassin Estate Chard, 2014, latest release, $700. I love Turley. Her wines are from top vineyards; her production methods are meticulous and properly aged before release. She doesn’t trust us to cellar properly. So, while I get it, and the wines are above reproach, I question paying for time value of storage; I say 95 McD points, RP says 100. For Peter Michelle Point Rouge, RP says 100 points, loves this guy; 96 McD, $470, rather than his Belle Cote, 97 RP at $123. Both of these for many reasons are superior to The Judge and Dury in value, for dough not for show. I’m directing you toward value. Those who enjoy big, old-style Chardonnay can pick up Chev 2018 made by Michael Browne, former Costa Browne owner/winemaker, under $80. Browne has definitely not lost his touch. May be tough to locate but definitely worth the search. Like lean and floral with bright acidity? Look for Dutton Goldfield Rued Green Valley, $45. Visit the tropics with a $45 bottle of Hartford Courts Four Hearts. I enjoy this, 93 McD for its trop fruits, citrus, toasty, buttery, hazelnut profile. On the snide and thrifty, look into La Crema Sonoma Coast 2019, 88 McD, under $18 gets a price point. 2018 is not as good. Jackson Family-owned, large production. Oranges, tangerines peach, hazelnuts and mildly grassy licorice. This is a pleasant, everyday Chardonnay.

A few weeks back, Marsha wrote to ask, “Hey John, where did you learn about Kosher and Mevushal wines?” During my time as restaurant owner, in response to a substantial Jewish clientele, I asked a local Salisbury, Md. rabbi to help me. This was early ‘70s and at the advent of the computer age. I bought my first, an Osborne Executive 360 K (can you believe it) in 1983; we used CP/M Bios, Mbasic, SuperCalc, Wordstar, all discs. If I remember, it had 124KB memory and a printer port, plus two serial ports. Anyhow, he directed me to several resources. I think your best bets are websites named Chabad.org and kosherwine.com/discover/what-is-kosher-wine.