Myth – all the great wines are expensive. Au contraire!

I subscribe to Wine Spectator and found ten great wines this past year for $15 or less. And the good news – I still find them on the shelves. But sometimes you must be resourceful.

For example over the holidays, Gillian and I were shopping at Bruno’s, our local lake house grocery store in Lakeport, California. Bruno’s has a surprisingly good selection of wines for Lake County. We found one of our favorite best value wines - the Columbia Crest Merlot, Columbia Valley Grand Estates, which sells for $7.79 at Costco. Both the 2003 and 2004 scored a 90 rating by Wine Spectator. The most recent release, the 2005, is not rated, but has been widely distributed and there it was on the shelf at Bruno’s. I dug into the back of the shelf and found four bottles of the 2004. I bought them all, excited that I had scored a 90 rated wine for $7.99.

Digging into the back of the shelf pays off a lot. The stockers are trained to rotate the old stock up front and place the new stock in the back. But quite often they are lazy and don’t follow proper protocol. I find treasures with this technique all the time. Even at Whole Foods this trick works. Recently, I found two bottles of the 2005 Yellow Tail Shiraz Eastern Australia, The Reserve for $10.99 (rated a 90 by Wine Spectator) shoved in the back of a row of 2006 bottles.

Here’s my current shopping list of 10 great wines for $15 or less:

1. Australian Domaine Wines, Shiraz McLaren Vale Alliance, 2004; $14; 90 rating; 4,000 cases imported:

   Focused, generous and appealing for its licorice-scented blueberry, plum and vanilla flavors, hinting at dried tomato as the finish lingers. Needs time to soften. Best after 2008.

2. Razor’s Edge Shiraz McLaren Vale (Australia), 2005; $12; 90 rating; 20,000 cases imported:

   Smooth and round, with ripe plum, blackberry and dusky spice flavors that just don't quit, lingering on the open-textured finish. Not a big wine, but flavorful and graceful. Drink now through 2012.

3. Jacob’s Creek, Shiraz South Australia Reserve, 2004; $12; 90 rating; 90,000 cases imported:

   Smooth and open-textured, with cherry and savory red pepper flavors that mingle effectively on the mineral-tinged profile, lingering against refined tannins on the long, expressive finish. Drink now through 2014.

4. Yellow Tail Shiraz Eastern Australia, The Reserve, 2005; $11; 90 rating; 50,000 cases imported:

   Bright, lively, harmonious and generous. A sleek mouthful of blueberry, currant and plum flavors, neatly packaged with hints of cream and spice as the finish sails on. Drink now through 2015.

5. Chateau St. Jean Fume Blanc Sonoma County, 2005; $13; 91 rating; 26,270 cases made:

   A textural delight, with fresh, vibrant white peach, melon and lemon-lime citrus flavors that are fragrant, fleshy and rich, with a whiff of fresh-cut grass and juicy acidity. The flavors echo on the long finish. Drink now.

6. Staete Landt Saugvignon Blanc Marlborough (New Zealand), 2006; $15; 91 rating; 6,000 cases imported:

   Wildly fragrant, with a bold burst of passion fruit, grapefruit, gooseberry and lime skin flavors. Grassy notes and vibrant citrus acidity pulse through the finish. Drink now.

7. Drylands Saugvignon Blanc Marlborough (New Zealand), 2006; $15; 91 rating; 18,000 cases imported:

   Exuberantly fragrant, bursting with luscious gooseberry, passion fruit, grass and grapefruit flavors. Concentrated, almost oily, with lingering citrus tanginess and mineral nuances. Drink now.

8. Quinta De La Rosa Douro (Portugal), 2004: $15; 91 rating; 5,000 cases imported:

   An extracted, intense style, with plenty of red raspberry, mineral and chocolate flavors that are fringed by exotic Asian spice notes. The mouth-filling finish echoes the fruit and spice flavors, topped off by some cappuccino notes. Drink now through 2012.

9. Bodegas Borsao Gamacha Campo de Borja Tres Picos (Spain), 2005; $12; 90 rating; 5,000 cases imported:

   Vivid and concentrated, yet still focused and nimble, this red delivers plenty of black cherry and raspberry flavors, framed by toasty, smoky oak. The tannins and acidity are both gentle, but there's enough to keep this balanced and lively. Drink now through 2010.

10. Columbia Crest Merlot Columbia Valley Grand Estates, 2004; $11; 90 rating; 140,000 cases made:

    Bursting with blueberry and currant fruit, this zips across the palate with a racy texture and refined tannins. Lingers enticingly with a hint of mocha on the finish. Drink now through 2009.li>

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Note: source of the reviews is Wine Spectator.