Our Big Fall Roundup of Wine Stores’ Best Buys

It’s easy to buy good wine if you’re willing to spend a lot of money. Doing it on a budget is the trick.

The wine trade is even more aware of this. That’s why good wine stores are just as proud of their reasonably priced little gems as they are of their blockbusters.

We asked owners and buyers at some of the better wine stores around Southern California last week for the best wine value they had in stock. The answers varied from $4.99 reds ideal for everyday drinking to $20 Barolos that taste like twice the price.

Bristol Farms, Michael Cristillo: 1999 Sierra Cantabria “Codici,” Rioja, $6.99

“This is a Spanish wine made from old-vine Tempranillo. It’s got great fruit--there’s kind of very forward fruit in it--and it’s not hindered by any oak to the point where it tastes more of wood chips than fruit. It’s very bright and vibrant ... and it marries beautifully with food, like grilled sausage, grilled meats, veggies, anything that’s got some substance to it.”

Various locations.

Cardiff Seaside Market, Steve Ark: 2000 Vina Alarba Grenache “Old Vines,” Calatayud, $6.99

“I really like the Spanish Grenache. It’s from 40-to 50-year-old vines. I like Grenache because of the red fruits, and the old vine wine has underlying pepper and spice, a jammy quality, not heavy by any means. This one’s better than $15 Rhones, and it competes with $20 Chateauneufs.”

2087 San Elijo Ave., Cardiff. (760) 753-5445.

Cost Plus, Mark Albrecht: 2000 Zenato Pinot Grigio, Verona, $5.99

“This is the best Pinot Grigio I’ve tasted for under $15. It’s crisp; it’s floral; it’s got great acidity; it’s refreshing. It’s the epitome of what a Pinot Grigio should taste like. And for the price, it’s a steal.”

Various locations.

Duke of Bourbon, David Breitstein: Long Vineyards Red Table Wine, Napa Valley, $17.99

“It’s a blend of ‘97, ’98 and ‘99--three vintages--and it’s Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese. It’s delicious. Long makes one of the best Cabernets and the best Sangioveses, so they put them together. They only made 200 cases.”

20908 Roscoe Blvd., Canoga Park. (818) 341-1234.

Hi-Time Wine Cellars, Jim Duane: 2000 Agricola de Borja “Borsao,” Campo de Borja, $4.99

“It’s a blend of Grenache and Tempranillo. It’s a medium-rich fruit bomb. It offers a lot up front, it’s easy drinking and has accessible fruit. For just $5, it’s a wine you want to have around. There are really good buys coming out of Spain right now--it’s like Italy was 15 years ago.”

Hi-Time Wine Cellars, 250 Ogle St., Costa Mesa. (949) 650-8463, (800) 331-3005.

Los Angeles Wine Co., Steve Bialek: 1997 Stefano Farina Barolo, $19.95

“If anybody knows anything about Barolo, this is a spectacular vintage and a very good small producer. Most of the average stuff out there is $35 to $55, so at this price, this wine is a mind-blower. We’ve sold more than 100 cases. It’s full-bodied, with great depth. It’s got some of the boldness and traditional bigness of Barolo, but not the old-style bite. It’s appalling that this wine is so vastly under-priced.”

4935 McConnell Ave. West Los Angeles. (800) 854-8466.

Topline Wine & Spirits, Gene Bialek: 2000 Basa Rueda, $5.99

“This is a great Sauvignon Blanc from Spain, I think it’s a real value. It’s a great bottle. People that try it come back and buy a case. It’s perfect for hot weather. It’s very fresh, very tasty.”

4718 San Fernando Road, Glendale. (818) 500-9670.

Trader Joe’s, Chris Condit: 1999 Black Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, $5.99

“This has probably been our most popular wine for almost a decade. It’s a Trader Joe’s label, which means that it comes from a winery we’ve made special confidential arrangements with. But I will say that it comes out of the Central Valley. It’s designed to be deep and rich and have all the characteristics of Cabernet, but it’s a much more up-front kind of wine than most Cabs. I guess you could say it’s user-friendly. It’s got a lot of depth and character, but they make it so you can buy it today and drink it tonight.”

Various locations.

Wally’s, Christian Navarro: 2000 Laetitia Vineyard & Winery Chardonnay, San Luis Obispo, $12.99

“This wine is very rich and full-bodied and it’s got layers of flavor that glide along the palate. For lack of a better term, it’s like a mini-Meursault. It’s getting harder and harder to find really high quality Chardonnay under $20, and we feel really lucky to have found this one for under $15.”

2107 Westwood Blvd. West Los Angeles. (888) 992-5597.

Wine Cask, Doug Margerum: 2000 Wine Cask Super Deluxe Red, $9.95

“Every year I go up and see Jim Clendenin [of Au Bon Climat] and he lets me taste through all his barrels of stuff, and we make different blends. In this case, it’s mostly Carmine with some Refosco. It’s a big, slurpy, delicious, mouth-filling, rich, dark red wine, perfect for fall. It tastes nothing like grand cru Beaujolais, but it has that same kind of fruit concentration with low tannins.”

813 Anacapa St., Santa Barbara. (800) 436-9463; https://www.winecask. com

Wine Club, Brian Holowka: 2000 Falesco Merlot, Umbria, $13.99

“The nose is this intense black cherry graphite. It’s a big fruit bomb, but also has structure and complexity that is really only seen in Merlots from the Pomerol region of France or really super-boutique California wines, which are usually $40 to $60. It’s really got the goods.”

2110 E. McFadden Ave., Santa Ana. (714) 835-6485, (800) 966-5432.

Wine Country, Randy Kemner: 2000 Terra Noble Sauvignon Blanc, Maule Valley, $5.99

“This is a Chilean wine that I think is nothing but baby Sancerre, with all the minerally character and crisp acidity and the wonderfully tangy flavors that really appeal to me in Sauvignon Blanc. It’s very fresh, no oak. Usually when you get a wine at this price, you’re expecting something to fall off somewhere--you don’t expect the same thing from $6 wine as a $16 wine. But I kept waiting for something to fall away on this wine and it never did. I was shaking my head, it’s so good.”

2301 Redondo Ave., Signal Hill. (562) 597-8303.

Wine Expo, Robert Rogness: 1999 Saladini Pilastri Rosso Piceno Superiore, the Marches, $8.99

“This is a wine from the Marches that is a completely organic blend of Montepulciano and Sangiovese. It tastes like a $25 riserva Chianti. We’ve been pitching for a long time that Tuscany is the Bel-Air of Italy; it’s the place with big houses and staff issues. On the other side of the boot they do exactly the same wines for one-third of the price.”

2933 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica. (800) 946-3397.

Wine House, Chip Hammack: 1999 Domaine Laroche “Saint Martin,” Chablis, $13.99

“This is classic Chablis: clean, fresh fruit, green apple with a little bit of peach, and it’s got a really clean mineral finish. It really catches the flintiness of classic Chablis. It’s more delicate in style than most California Chardonnays and it’s not at all oaky.”

2311 Cotner Ave., West Los Angeles. (800) 626-9463.

Woodland Hills Wine Co., Kyle Smith: 2000 Marquis-Philips Shiraz, $13

“These are new wines that are just hitting the shelves. Marquis-Philips makes four different wines--a Merlot, a Cabernet, a Shiraz and a blend of all three. It’s an Australian wine. Sarah and Sparky Marquis, more known for labels like Fox Creek wines that get huge reviews, have partnered with Dan Philips, who lives in L.A., an Australian importer. The best is their Shiraz. Other than the obvious rich fruit, the main thing about the wine is the texture--it’s incredibly smooth, soft, almost a cushiony feeling on the mouth, that’s all done with pretty savvy use of the introduction of oxygen during critical times of fermentation. The texture of the wine will set it apart ... but it maintains varietal character.”

22622 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills. (818) 222-1111, (800) 678-9463.