96 cabernets and 99 prices

[Van The Man]

I was talking on another board about this exact, same topic on another board.

There was an interesting article in a wine rag called Decanter, which is a UK based magazine. That article basically said that the California Cabernets are decent, good and even very good wines but that the prices they are commanding are very high relative to overall quality and ageing protential. One of the writers even stated that "California vintners seem to ask 'how much money can I make with these grapes' as opposed to "what's the best wine I can make with these grapes." And as another person stated in their response here, the magazine said the same thing: "Look to South America and South Africa."

I personally do not buy California Cabernet any longer except for the occassional bottle and/or something I've been collecting and want to keep buying for sentimental reasons. I just can't justify the prices these wines are commanding. Good values are VERY difficult to find.

And that's okay. Heck, if it were my business, I too would make as much money as I could. And I'd say that a wine which sells out, no matter what the asking price, is priced to the market.

However, it does mean that we all need to think outside of the box and find wines from sources we may not have though of originally.