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Find character and value in this reliable California red blend

3/30/2013

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Usually the first week or two of spring has us looking for white wine values. But the ground hog was wrong this year, and we’re still reaching for hearty reds to ward off the lingering chill.

Among our favorite value reds is one that defies the rule of thumb often repeated in this column: that California is not a great source of good, inexpensive wine. We’ve frequently chided California for its low-priced Cabernet Sauvignon – better values can be found south of the border – and inexpensive chardonnay – typically and overoaked and unexciting. But we’ve always been fans of the state’s kitchen-sink red blends.

Sacred Stone Master's Blend, St. Francis RED Sonoma County, Ledgewood Creek "Owl House Red" California and Snap Dragon California Red are just a few of the “field blends” that defy California’s well-earned reputation for making lots of good, expensive wine, but generally turning out lackluster, generic-tasting wines at affordable price points.


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    Author

    Rob Garretson is an award-winning journalist, who remembers the bottle of Burgundy that converted him from a wine drinker to a wine enthusiast. He maintains a 400-bottle wine cellar in his home outside of Washington, DC, yet upwards of 350 of those bottles cost $9.99 or less.

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