Llano Estacado Signature Red Meritage ($7) I was having a steak at Cagle’s in Lubbock (yummy stuff) and decided to pick a wine. Unfortunately, in this beer-centric restaurant, they had only one red wine choice: Llano Estacado Signature Red Meritage. At the time, I had never tried it, but I had basement-level expectations. When they brought it, I was stunned. It was a young and fruity wine with a silky mouth feel and enough richness to make you wonder how they could do it for the price. This is one of those wines that we live to discover: cheap and delicious. That word “Meritage,” by the way, rhymes with “heritage.” It is not French. Try it with a thick ribeye steak fresh off the grill.
Pepperwood Grove Syrah ($7) I love this winery. They are making several wines that compete directly with wines costing twice, even three times as much. It’s owned by Don Sebastiani (ex-CEO of Sebastiani Vineyards) and his brother-in-law, Roy Cecchetti, and they both seem committed to staying at this price level. Their wines are not complicated or particularly multifaceted, but they offer a lot of honest-to-the-grape flavor. Their Syrah is soft on your mouth and filled to the brim with black cherry and plum flavors. It’s nearly impossible to beat for the price. A perfect match for pork tenderloin in a peppery sauce sprinkled with currants.
Vina Morande Pionero Syrah ($8) Here is another Syrah, and this one is even better than the Pepperwood. For your extra dollar, you get some added complexity. Besides the black cherry and plum flavors, you can also smell a little black coffee, cloves, and even a smidge of chocolate. It’s not quite as rich as the Pepperwood Grove, but that actually makes it easier to match with food. This would be great with grilled lamb chops.
Ravenswood Vintner’s Blend California Zinfandel ($8) About six weeks ago, a group of friends got together to blind-taste all 14 of Ravenswood’s Zins. The wines ranged in price from $8 to $50. None of us had a clue which wine we were drinking. Sorry to tell you, a $50 wine won (Dickerson Vineyard Zinfandel). What shocked everyone was that the Vintner’s Blend, Ravenswood’s least expensive, came in second. And that’s no cut to the other wines. This stuff is classic, old-style California Zin, filled with black cherry flavors and vanilla aromas. The winery’s motto is “No wimpy wines!” and that pretty much tells the story. People are always asking me what wine to serve with a hamburger or barbecue. This is it.
This article appears in September 6 • 2002.
