As some of you may know, I've become a big fan of California wine. I think they are a great alternative for collectors to the more (VERY) expensive wines from France. Most of the great Bordeaux's are now priced at $500+ per bottle. California offers some great highly-rated alternatives.
Here are the top 10 most frequently sold US wines at auction based on the number of lots sold in the first half of 2006 (regardless of vintage and bottle size):
- Harlan - Proprietary Red - 454 lots
- Opus One - Proprietary Red - 240 lots
- Dominus - Proprietary Red - 219 lots
- Screaming Eagle - Cabernet Sauvignon - 175 lots
- Araujo - Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard - 166 lots
- Bryant Family - Cabernet Sauvignon (Pritchard Hill) - 159 lots
- Caymus - Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection - 146 lots
- Colgin - Cabernet Sauvignon Herb Lamb Vineyard - 127 lots
- Mondavi, Robert - Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve (Unfiltered) - 127 lots
- Dalla Valle - Maya - 121 lots
In particular, I own a few Opus One and Caymus, although my favorite lately is a bit more affordable. The Ridge Monte Bello... its priced right at about US$100... I recently drank two bottles of the 1990 which is just perfect right now, and have stashed away a bottle of the highly-rated 2002 (Robert Parker rated it a 96) which I won't be opening for another 5+ years.
