Wine Talk by Robert Whitley

I know some of you view large wine companies in something less than a favorable light. It's much more fun to delve into the "romance" of wine when there is a charming back story, such as that rich industrialist who decided one day to ditch the corporate life, move to the Napa Valley and plant a few grapevines.

Can you say "cha-ching"? Those stories abound and you, too, can live vicariously the gentrified good life, providing you have the serious coin needed to buy into the corporate biggie's stash.

Now, back here in the virtual life, we have a car, a mortgage, the Nordstrom's bill and numerous other obstacles to wining and dining on a grand scale. That's where those evil giant wine companies start to look and sound a bit better. They're the ones who make the wines most of the world can afford to drink on an everyday basis.

That would be wines that hover in the $10 neighborhood, sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. Generally speaking, inexpensive wines are produced in such volume that the wineries that make them can factor in economies of scale to hold the price down.

These are not necessarily inferior wines. Connoisseurs sometimes frown upon them because they often have a generic taste, a sameness that reminds you there is no hunched-over farmer plucking grapes one by one with his gnarly hands, so that you might have a religious experience while consuming a bottle of his lovingly crafted cabernet sauvignon.

And some of them are pretty darn good. I've compiled a list of the handful of producers I believe do an excellent job with wines they produce in huge volumes. There are no doubt others, but these are the value wineries that have impressed me in tastings and with their performance in the leading wine competitions throughout the past year.

This could be useful information as you shop for decent but inexpensive wines to serve through the holidays:

Hahn Estates — This Monterey County producer uses a combination of estate vineyards and wines purchased in bulk to make the Hahn line, which retails for anywhere from $12 to $20 throughout the U.S. These are excellent wines, always flavorful and well balanced, and frequently selling for below the suggested price. In recent years, the Meritage, syrah, cab franc, chardonnay and merlot have all won top honors as best red or white wine at major international wine competitions.

Concannon Vineyards — An historic producer in the San Francisco Bay area, Concannon sources fruit from throughout California's Central Coast and makes outstanding wines — particularly good is the petite sirah — that it sells at what I consider below-market prices given the quality of the wines.

Bogle Vineyards — Chardonnay lovers should have Bogle on the radar if it's not already there. The Bogle Chardonnay for $10 is consistently delicious and a repeat medal-winner at major international wine competitions over the past year.

Ventana Vineyards — Ventana is the sleeper in this crowd, for it possesses large estate vineyards in the heart of the Salinas Valley, and thus can make great wines that it sends to market for incredible prices. Most of my favorite Ventana wines retail for $18 or less, but I predict the price will rise in the near future as the quality becomes more widely known and demands outstrips supply. Wines to look out for are the riesling, the red Rhone-style blend "Rubystone," syrah, gewurztraminer, pinot grigio and pinot noir.

Montecillo — Whenever anyone asks me for a great $12 red wine, I have one word. Montecillo, an exceptional bodega in Spain's Rioja district. The Montecillo Rioja Crianza is a beauty, with smooth tempranillo with plenty of fruit and exquisite balance. Should your budget permit, the Montecillo Rioja Reserva is generally a couple of dollars more, but the upgrade is worth it.

Barefoot Cellars — In my neck of the woods, Barefoot retails for about $7 a bottle, regardless of grape variety. Barefoot Bubbly is about the same. I would especially focus on the Barefoot Bubbly this holiday season in the event you want or need the sparkle but have budget constraints.

I absolutely loathe the packaging, but the wines are good. You might even be surprised at how much you like the Barefoot Bubbly Sparkling Pinot Grigio.

Jacob's Creek — This Aussie powerhouse makes seriously good reds and whites that are priced, for the most part, at well below $20 per bottle, though it should be noted there are excellent Jacob's Creeks wines at higher price points, too. Look for wines that are the reserve riesling (about $14) and the various iterations of shiraz with cabernet sauvignon or merlot, or both. The Jacob's Creek reds are renowned for their balance and elegance, and are not so in your face with high alcohol and jammy fruit, as so many Australian reds are.

BEST BUY

Wines are rated on a 100-point scale. Wines are chosen for review because they represent outstanding quality or value.

Byron 2007 Pinot Blanc, Santa Maria Valley ($18) — Back in the day of Ken "Byron" Brown and the upstart Santa Barbara County winery Byron, I was firmly of the opinion Byron made one of California's finest Chardonnays — easily as good as anything coming out of the more glamorous (at the time, more than 20 years ago) northern California regions of Napa Valley and Sonoma County. Brown is long gone, but Byron remains, and my new favorite wine from this iconic Santa Maria Valley producer is Pinot Blanc. That's not to say this is Byron's best wine by a long shot. But the Pinot Blanc is pure magic in a bottle, and very few domestic producers have ever taken Pinot Blanc to such heights.

Before you go get excited thinking it might be made in the oily, rich style of Alsace, forget about it. It's not. What I loved about the '07 was its firm structure and underlying richness that was held in balance by the bracing acidity. The fresh, vivid aromas of stone fruits and citrus are penetrating and clean, unencumbered by the smell of wood despite being aged in 100-percent French oak. If you've ever had one of those bland, flabby California Pinot Blancs and wondered why bother, come again. Byron will certainly alter your mind on this often neglected but beautiful white grape variety. Rating: 93.

TASTING NOTES

Terlato 2006 'Devils' Peak', Napa Valley ($48) — It is one thing to aspire to stand alongside the great growths of Bordeaux, quite another thing to deliver. Terlato's Devils' Peak — a Bordeaux-style blend along the lines of the giant of St. Emilion, Cheval Blanc — does so in stunning fashion with a blend that is dominated by Cabernet Franc. Sixty-six percent to be precise, with 23 percent Merlot and the remainder bits of Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec.

Aficionados may recall that a typical vintage of Cheval Blanc is roughly two-thirds Cab Franc and the remainder Merlot. The similarity hardly ends there. Devils' Peak is the epitome of elegance, exhibiting exceptional balance, with firm structure and length, gorgeous notes of blueberry and spice and a subtle whiff of violets. There is a back note of vanillin that hints of the oak without overwhelming the fruit. Well done. More wines like this, please! Rating: 94.

Flora Springs 2008 Soliloquy Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, Oakville ($20) — There is something about the Flora Springs Soliloquy that has changed, and it's more that the updated label, which for the first time proclaims Soliloquy is in fact a Sauvignon Blanc and that it's a vineyard-designate from the recently minted Oakville sub-appellation of the Napa Valley. The '08 is the 19th vintage of Soliloquy, and it's still made in the same way it was when the first vintage was produced in 1989: fermented in stainless steel tanks and aged sur lie in 1600-gallon Slovenian oak ovals. The wooden tanks are neutral and do not impart any of the flavors associated with oak aging, so Soliloquy is the same fresh, crisp, clean Sauvignon now as it was then? Not exactly.

The aroma profile, to my palate, has changed. Once upon a time, there was a strong fig and melon component to Soliloquy that was unique for a Napa Sauvignon. This new edition of Soliloquy delivers far more appealing white peach and mineral notes that are in keeping with the trend in the valley toward Sauvignons that reflect more of a Graves (the region in Bordeaux famous for its white wine) style. This places Soliloquy squarely at the top of the Napa Valley's Sauvignon Blanc camp, alongside other notable Sauvignons such as Spottswoode. It's fresh and clean and elegant, with exceptional mouthfeel and a long, lingering finish. Perhaps there have been changes in the vineyard. I don't know. What I do know is this is the finest Soliloquy I have ever tasted. Rating: 94.

To find out more about Robert Whitley and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2009 CREATORS.COM.