Often the greatest influence on how we rate wine is the price! It’s hard to believe that something so detached from the actual taste can weight heavy on our experience and perception, but it’s true. Several studies have shown a correlation between cost and wine rating; sadly, price point is a dramatic factor on how we perceive the quality of a wine (you know… how good it tastes).
When I go wine tasting, I immediately hide the provided tasting menu (the company’s notes) and open my wine notebook to a blank page. I also try to avoid any marketing or price material hanging nearby. I do this specifically because of the known connection between price and rating; I want to limit all outside factors influencing my tasting!
After the taste, I write down what I would pay for it – what the wine is worth to me – then look at the listed price, and compare the two. 95% of the time the listed price is above what I would personally pay.
There have been two wineries so far, where the price points were well below what I would pay across the board. Oh, and they also have some really amazing wines!
Chatham Vineyards on Church Creek
(http://www.chathamvineyards.net/)
Located on the quiet Eastern shore of Virginia, about a 45-minute drive north of Norfolk and Virginia Beach. You can tell they’re a small operation because their equipment, barrels, and tasting area is all under one roof (and it is stacked high with barrels). They have a beautiful property against a serene creek, with a turn of the century brick house that adorns the farm.
They grow and produce all of their wine, and have both a kid-friendly toy area and a pleasant outdoor sitting area, for the adults to enjoy a glass out back.
1) Wine = 4.1
2) Price Point = 4.8
3) Service = 3.2
4) Decorum / Scenery = 3.6
5) X factor = 3.8
Overall: 3.97
(0-5 scale, anything above 2.5 you will have a good time)
My tasting included:
2017 Church Creek Chardonnay -Steel Fermented $21
2016 Oak Chardonnay $20
2017 Church Creek Rose (50% Merlot, 50% Cabernet Franc dry) $20
2014 Merlot $18
2017 Cabernet Franc(91% Cabernet Franc, 9% Petit Verdot) $22
2016 Vintner’s Blend (red blend) $22
Every single wine was, without exception, priced well below what their quality would suggest. They had very solid wines across the board!
The wines which really caught my attention where their Oak Chardonnay, Merlot, and their Cabernet Franc. Their best seller is their steel aged Chardonnay, and it’s very appealing – but their oak Chardonnay is one of the top two I’ve tasted outside California (if that puts it into perspective for you… and trust me everyone is making Chardonnay nowadays).
It has a deep long-lasting nose, and hints of gardenia and slightly salted butter. It’s a very nicely done Chardonnay which hosts many flavors a classic California wine simply wouldn’t offer. Their Merlot has deep dark fruit flavors, levels of plum, and this scrumptious aroma of milled rustic corn. It’s slightly lacking in the middle of the taste, but makes up for it in the beginning and in the end.
Cabernet Francs in Virginia have been lacking for me, but Chatham cuts theirs with a small amount of Petit Verdot, which softens the flavor profile, and makes a very solid wine with levels of strawberry and aromas of wet gravel, and many other hidden flavors that you need to discover for yourself. Overall a fantastic East Coast winery!
Shale Canyon
(https://shalecanyonwines.com/)
Their vines are located in the Arroyo Seco AVA in California, but unfortunately you can’t go visit them there. They are 100% off the grid. That’s right – they use all solar power and gravity feed irrigation!
Fortunately for us, they have a fine tasting room in Carmel by the Sea, along the Monterey Coastline in Central California.
1) Wine = 4.6
2) Price Point = 4.7
3) Service = 3.3
4) Decorum / Scenery = 2.4
5) X factor = 3.9
Overall: 4.0
(0-5 scale, anything above 2.5 you will have a good time)
My tasting included:
2013 Mourvedre $30
2013 Merlot $30
2014 Zinfandel $30
2014 Cabernet Franc $30
2012 Cabernet Sauvignon $30
2013 Malbec $32
2013 Tempranillo $30
2013 Petite Syrah $32
Once again, all of their wines were very good and listed below what I would have paid for them. They had some real ringers on their tasting menu!
The Mourvedre was delicious with flavors of cocoa, smoked meat, and sweet tobacco mixed with vanilla. Their Cabernet Franc is among the top three I’ve ever had – it’s deep and complex, with a long lasting flavor. Their Malbec had cherry plum with an earthy middle, and finished silky smooth. I am literally ordering a case of their wines as I write this article!
I have visited over 100 wineries, and price-point wise these are my top two! I was willing to pay an average of $10 more for each of their wines (this almost never happens). Finding a fantastic $30 bottle of wine is way more satisfying (and not mention easier on the bank account) than something mind-blowing at $200-$300 bottle.
Ah, the classic cost conundrum: is it better to have 4 bottles of solid wine or only 1 bottle of amazing wine? I guess it depends how thirsty you are!
(Feature image sourced from chathamvineyards.net/)