The search for good value Napa Valley wine

When the St Helena Star and Napa Vintner Tasting Panel gathered recently, they were delighted by the quality of the lower-priced wines they tasted.

There is no shortage of stories about the big price tag wines of Napa Valley. Scarecrow, Harlan, Byrant Family and more, still thrive here in northern California. But not everyone who wants to taste Napa Valley can plunk down triple digits for a bottle of wine.

There are less-expensive wines produced here but the big question is: do they live up to the Napa Valley appellation name?

The St Helena Star and Napa Vintner Tasting Panel decided to gather a number of red wines priced $25 and take a look.

Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese – they are all represented in this price category. At seeing the dozens of wines available, panelist and Master Sommelier Bob Bath stated: “I am delighted, this is really exciting to see.”

The full panel of 27 industry members tasted through four flights of six wines at The Culinary Institute of America’s Rudd Centre. US Congressman, Mike Thompson, joined the tasting panel, looking to see what was accomplished at these monthly gatherings.

Following the blind tasting of the wines, the panel discussed and answered that nudging question – were these value wines any good?

Bill Dyer of Dyer Vineyards started off the conversation emphatically. “No one was dumping poor quality wine”. Wayne Donaldson of Donaldson Wines agreed, noting, “The calibre overall was very good. Good concentration.”

Tom Simoneau, host of a wine program on Sonoma’s KSRO radio added: “The Napa blends in particular were fabulous.”

Bob Skupny, owner of Lang & Reed, a producer of respected Cabernet Franc wines, noted: “The quality represents Napa Valley even at this price range.”

From a retail perspective, Eric Carpenter of Dean & DeLuca wanted to see even more wines in this category. “A lot of people come in looking for wine for bocce or picnics”, Carpenter said, “We need more wine at these price points.”

As many panelists noted, there was not a flawed wine in the line-up. With so many winemakers on the panel, that is not common. There are usually numerous comments on how the wines could have been better. The panel indicated that the full range of wines was appreciated, but click through the pages to see which ones gained special mention.

Markham Vineyards 2009 Merlot Blend ($23). This is a lot of wine for $23—plenty of red cherry and raspberry fruit with vanilla and other spices. The oak is seamlessly integrated. Mostly Merlot (96%), this wine also has 3% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Petite Sirah. Kimberlee Nicholls is the winemaker.

The Ca Momi 2010 Rosso di Napa ($12.95), beat out the other wines in its flights, all twice the price. The wine is a blend of 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Zinfandel, 30% Merlot and 10% Petite Sirah. Ca’Momi – Momi’s Home – references the owners’ home in Veneto, Italy as well as the local Italian character Mom idea Bionda who roamed the property, shotgun in hand, just to scare away any potential grape thieves. While there are no shotguns in the Napa Valley vineyards, the grapes are considered just as sacred.

V. Sattui Winery 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon ($25). What can we say? V. Sattui has produced winning wine after winning wine at these panel tastings. Winemaker Brooks Painter has done it again. The Rosso di Napa has red cherry and plum fruit with an earthy character. It sips down silky smooth and tastes much more expensive than it is.

Summers Estate Wines, Villa Andriana Vineyard Charbono, 2009 Calistoga ($24.99). As the only Charbono submitted, the wine was placed with Zinfandels in the blind tasting. It won out as top wine of the flight with panelists enjoying its concentrated red brambly fruit and white pepper spice, all nicely balanced with the oak’s sweeter baking spices.