QPR 2001

New Year's Day is a time for both gazing forward and peering back, and as I review my wine diaries for 2000, I'm amazed to see how much time I spent traveling on Wine Lovers' Page business: Three trips to the San Francisco Bay Area and wine country; two ventures to New York City and one each to Los Angeles, Ann Arbor, Saint Louis, Boston, Philadelphia and Florida. I enjoyed two weeks of wine-tasting tours in Italy and France, several days in Canada's wonderful ice-wine country in Ontario, and a three-week wine-judging and tasting tour of New Zealand and Australia, and it was my great pleasure to meet quite a few of you along the way.

All this wine travel took me away from home for 75 days, and gave me the opportunity to taste more than 1,000 wines at wineries, wine shows and sociable dinners with online friends. Add in several hundred more wines sampled at local trade and restaurant tastings here in Louisville, and it's surprising that I stayed home long enough to sample 262 wines in the comfortable environment of my dining room.

It's those wines that form our focus here, though, as these are the wines I buy for the specific purpose of reviewing and making recommendations. As I customarily do at the end of each year, I've gone back over all my tasting notes to single out the year's best wines of exceptional value or "quality-price ratio," known as "QPR" for short.

So, the list below features the two dozen best wines of the year that I was able to buy for US$12 or less. (And therein lies a cautionary footnote: Last year I was able to come up with that many excellent wines for less than $10. With the continued increase in price of quality wines that exceeds the rate of inflation, I had to add $2 to the cutoff point in order to come up with enough selections to make a good list.

For more details on specific wines, every entry below is hotlinked to my complete reviews with label images.

Pepperwood Grove 1997 California Pinot Noir ($6.49)
Quality Pinot for a single-digit price is a near impossibility, but this one surprises. It's no Burgundy, but it indisputably ranks as one of the best Pinot buys.

Domaine Cauhape 1996 Juranēon Sec Chant des Vignes ($6.99)
This one's for the "anything but Chardonnay" crowd: A crisp, dry white that's dry and rich, clean and lasting: a low-price treat.

Tiamo 1998 Rosso Puglia ($6.99)
Ripe sour-cherry aromas with spicy notes of chocolate and cinnamon make this cheap Italian red a well-balanced table wine and a very good value.

Chateau Mas Neuf 1997 Costieres de Nīmes ($7.99)
Full-bodied and bright, a good, rustic table red, fine with food.

I Campetti 1998 Monteregio di Massa Marittima Rosato ($7.99)
Dark, flavorful and mouth-filling - a darn good rosé.

Laurel Glen 1998 "Reds" ($7.99)
Surprising depth and earthy flavor complexity in a lovable Mediterranean-style table red from California.

Santa Lucia 1998 Castel del Monte Vigna del Melograno ($7.99)
Unusual complexity and flavor interest for an inexpensive wine.

Vino de Eyzaguirre 1997 San Francisco de Mostaxal Cachapoal Valley Reserva Especial Cabernet Sauvignon ($7.99)
Standing out in its familiar burlap bag, this modest Chilean red could pass for an everyday Bordeaux.

Achaia Clauss non-vintage Imperial Mavrodaphne of Patras Red Dessert Wine ($8.79)
Plummy fruit and a luscious flavor of sugar-sweet black raisins make this warm, full Greek dessert wine a low-end alternative to Port. Try it with chocolate!

Alvear's Amontillado Montilla ($8.99)
Technically not a Sherry but a Montilla, even the most skilled connoisseur would be hard-pressed to discern the difference. Light and appealing scents of pecans and walnuts elevate a full-bodied, dry aperitif.

Thomas Mitchell 1998 South Eastern Australia Marsanne ($8.99)
Luscious fresh melon and mango aromas highlight this stylish Australian take on an aromatic white Rhone variety.

Abbaye de Tholomies 1994 Minervois Réserve ($9.99)
Earthy and complex aromas and flavors in an accessible but ageworthy table red from the Languedoc.

Altesino 1998 Rosso di Altesino Toscana ($9.99)
A wild blend of rustic aromas and fruit-forward flavors add interest to this good country-Italian red.

Château Cardus 1995 Médoc ($9.99)
Surprisingly complex, more "rustic" than elegant, this modest Bordeaux is a highly enjoyable wine.

Chateau la Roque 1997 Pic Saint Loup Coteaux du Languedoc Blanc ($9.99)
Tasty aromas of melon and subtle wildflowers in a stylish, crisp and citric white.

Cline 1998 California Zinfandel ($9.99)
Year in and year out, this basic Zinfandel stands as a benchmark, a good, clean textbook example of the variety.

Faustino VII Cosecha 1998 Rioja ($9.99)
An accessible, quaffable Rioja, made for drinking soon.

Frescobaldi 1997 Remole Chianti ($9.99)
Very spicy, crisp and tart, a benchmark Chianti at a very fair price.

Maculan 1999 Pino & Toi ($9.99)
Herbal and intensely aromatic, redolent of delicate white tropical fruits: An exceptionally interesting Italian white.

Wyndham Estate 1996 South Eastern Australia Bin 444 Cabernet Sauvignon ($9.99)
Quaffable, fresh fruit and sweet oak make this mass-market Australian red a good buy.

El Coto 1997 Rioja Crianza ($10.99)
Good structure and balance make this a winning table wine, with potential for improvement over time.

Champalou 1999 Vouvray ($11.99)
This just off-dry Chenin Blanc from France's Loire Valley offers a delightful alternative to the ubiquitous Chardonnay.

Giesen 1998 Canterbury (New Zealand) Riesling ($11.99)
A totally different take on Riesling than you'll find North of the Equator; so delicious and approachable that you want to gulp it down.

Martin Codax 1999 Rķas Baixas Albariño ($11.99)
Crackling and fresh, peach and almond aromas and flavors with a crisp citric snap; a truly refreshing white wine.

A word about availability: I purchased all these wines at retail wine shops in and around Louisville, Ky., and the prices listed are the actual retail price I paid; pricing may vary in other parts of the world.

I have no way of knowing their availability in other parts of the world or from online merchants; but in seeking any wine of interest, I always recommend starting with a good wine shop in your own community. Don't be shy about asking the management for help. A friendly and knowledgeable wine merchant can be your best friend in your effort to find any wine of interest.