Lot 15
2003 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

California is Awash in Wine Bargains At the Culver City Costco in Marina Del Rey, Wellman recently snapped up a bottle of private-label Cabernet Sauvignon from the highly regarded Stags Leap District of Napa Valley for $13.99. Wine from that area often costs triple that amount. Wellman's purchase was "way better than what I usually get in my $10-to-$20 price range," he said. Thanks to last year's record grape harvest, good California wine is flowing like water. Famous vineyards are selling their excess juice to intermediaries that are selling it under their own names or as house wines for retailers. Oenophiles like Wellman are getting better juice for their buck, uncorking fine vintages at prices not seen in years. Finding the bargains can sometimes be a daunting quest. Costco says it takes mere days to sell wines made by Cameron Hughes, a San Francisco wine trader who buys excess vintages from prominent vineyards and blends them to sell under his own name. Using Costco and the Internet, Hughes sells wine labeled simply as a "Lot" with a number accompanied by the variety and geographic origin. When the lot is gone, he moves on the a higher number for the next batch. At a Costco in Torrance recently, Dowd Walker was hunting for wine deals. The 38-year-old Toyota manager drew rave reviews when he took a $9.99 bottle of Cameron Hughes "Lot 15" Napa Cabernet to a tasting party recently. Wine that good usually sells for $20 to $30, he said. Now, Walker is looking for more. "I went back right after I bought the first bottle and Costco had not restocked it," Walker said. "I'm heading back this weekend." Finding the bargains can sometimes be a daunting quest. Costco says it takes mere days to sell wines made by Cameron Hughes, a San Francisco wine trader who buy excess vintages from prominent vineyards and blends them to sell under his own name.

Cameron Hughes Lot 17 2004 Sierra Foothills Barbera. Barbera is an Italian variety, very commonly planted in Italy. This is grown in California, at 2500 feet, full of the very rich flavor of black currants, sweet berries and black tea, with sturdy tannins, and a long enjoyable finish. Clear, with a slightly purple cast to deep garnet color, because it's still a young wine. Only available through the internet sales @ $14 per bottle. Less than 300 cases left. A Great buy. Although some barberas are known as lighter body wines and in Piedmont some barberas are made in a blanc, frizzante (slightly fizzy) style, this is a full bodied, structured wine with a little more body than a pinot and just less than a Cabernet; still a big wine with over 14% alcohol. The 'slacker comes through with his promise to share his impressions of the Stag's Leap District 2004 Cabernet, Lot 16. This is a different wine entirely from the exhuberent Lot 15. At first, you might be just a little disappointed. But, hang in there. This beautiful wine will grow on you. Let it breath a little. Swirl it in a big glass and stick your nose in there. It's slightly buttery and plummy, in the nose, with a hint of cedar. The color is a warm ruby. On the tongue you taste black currents, silky smooth tannins, unsweetened dark chocolate and sour cherries. After a long, delicious finish you may catch just a hint of herb; sage maybe? This is a fabulous wine. Big, but sophisticated and elegant. The 'slacker takes his hat off to Mr. Hughes. May I have some more, Sir? Cameron Hughes has hit a grand slam. Lot 15, an explosive, slightly rustic juice bomb, as Parker might say; Lot 16, Dark, silky, sophisticated; Lot 17, enjoyable, accessable, a really serious alternative to the Cabernet/Zinfandel routine. All way under $20, for us joes and josephines with collars of blue to enjoy with the Republicans. Lot 15, 4 of 5 stars possible. [see the October 19th post for review of Lot 15] Lot 16, 4.5 of 5 stars for exceptional value and quality. Lot 17, 4 of 5 stars possible. You cannot go wrong with any of the three. Period. But, you could pay a lot, lot more.

Cameron Hughes Wine, newly released to Orange County at Costcos in Fountain Valley and San Juan Capistrano, is a must-find for value-conscious wine connoisseurs. Cameron Hughes, who refers to himself as the Robin Hood of wines, is a wine trader of high-end wines that sell for incredibly low prices ($7.99 to $13.99). His secret: Hughes seeks out small lots of super and ultra premium wines and bottles them under his own label. Wines are assigned a lot number. Cameron Hughes recently introduced Lot 14 Napa Valley Merlot, Lot 15 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon and Lot 16 Stag's Leap District Cabernet. These premium appellations normally demand premium prices, and yet Cameron sells them under his label at bargain prices. Hughes aim is high. He wants to wine enthusiasts to stop overpaying for wines. The principle behind Hughes's concept can be compared to the Charles Shaw's "Two Buck Chuck" phenomenon where wines are sold directly to a major retailer, cutting out distribution costs. But unlike Charles Shaw, Hughes deals only with high-end wines. And if you're not a Costco member, Cameron Hughes Wines can be ordered easily online. And if you sign up for the mailing list, you'll be pre-notified by e-mails when wines are coming out. Costco is at 17900 Newhope St. in Fountain Valley and 33961 Doheny Park Rd. in San Juan Capistrano.

May your cup runneth over with this innovative company's bounty of delicious -- and affordable -- domestic and international high-end wines. Great for holiday or hostess gifts and even better as your house red and white, Cameron Hughes Wine definitely has a "lot" to be desired.

The continued evolution of the global wine marketplace has made many things possible for many people. Small regional wineries that couldn't survive, let alone exist twenty years ago are now thriving because there are folks out there like me and you that are looking for just the type of wines they are producing. Likewise, the proliferation of estateless wineries (bonded, licensed wineries that own no land and may even rent their winemaking facilities) has exploded in California in particular. Finally, a relatively recent phenomenon for California and the US (though old news to the negociants in France) has surfaced in what I will call surplus winemakers. These folks don't buy grapes to make into wine, they buy wine to make into wine. ch.logo.pngMany consumers are unaware of the large amounts of wine that get made but never get bottled and sold to consumers. This wine is instead sold, by the barrel, so to speak, to other businesses who do everything from make vinegar to make those hotel branded bottles you will sometimes get in your suite. Increasingly, however, there are a whole class of folks who are searching out that surplus wine and turning around to bottle it themselves. Cameron Hughes is exactly that type of guy. He's got a long background in wine sales, and has lots of connections to wineries as a result. Over the years he heard many times from winemakers who had multiple barrels of finished wine that they couldn't sell for some reason -- either there was no demand in the marketplace for it, or for some reason the winery ended up with more wine than they wanted. At a certain point the message sank in -- there was lots of wine out there, and some of it was really good wine, and it was available dirt cheap. So what's an enterprising guy to do? Cameron decided to start a label to sell these wines at what he calls an "extreme value level." Though he won't ever advertise them this way, in public hell affectionately refer to them as "ten buck chuck." His wines, made from vineyards and wineries that by contract cannot be disclosed, and blended by winemakers who by contract cannot be identified, are designed to have an extremely high QPR -- or Quality-to-Price-Ratio. Typically, the wine that Cameron bottles would sell for two to three times the price he puts them on the market for. Cameron has been so successful with these wines that he has now gotten to the point where he's not only being opportunistic and snapping up wine when he hears about it, but is proactively working with winemakers to arrange for their excess juice, and to have some of them help him with final blends. Sound too good to be true? Well, there's a slight catch to all this. You can't exactly run down to any local wine shop and pick these wines up. Most of Cameron's inventory is sold to Costco and to other large retailers in Chicago and on the East Coast. And are the wines any good? This is the second batch of Cameron's wines I've tasted, and I continue to be amazed at the value his wines present. These wines are mostly jammy and fruit forward, which is a conscious choice on Cameron's part, and which may be responsible for why they fly off the shelf at Costco, but they may not be to everyone's taste. Compared to nearly every other wine in their price range at your local supermarket, however, they are truly excellent buys.

The continued evolution of the global wine marketplace has made many things possible for many people. Small regional wineries that couldn't survive, let alone exist twenty years ago are now thriving because there are folks out there like me and you that are looking for just the type of wines they are producing. Likewise, the proliferation of estateless wineries (bonded, licensed wineries that own no land and may even rent their winemaking facilities) has exploded in California in particular. Finally, a relatively recent phenomenon for California and the US (though old news to the negociants in France) has surfaced in what I will call surplus winemakers. These folks don't buy grapes to make into wine, they buy wine to make into wine. Many consumers are unaware of the large amounts of wine that get made but never get bottled and sold to consumers. This wine is instead sold, by the barrel, so to speak, to other businesses who do everything from make vinegar to make those hotel branded bottles you will sometimes get in your suite. Increasingly, however, there are a whole class of folks who are searching out that surplus wine and turning around to bottle it themselves. Cameron Hughes is exactly that type of guy. He's got a long background in wine sales, and has lots of connections to wineries as a result. Over the years he heard many times from winemakers who had multiple barrels of finished wine that they couldn't sell for some reason -- either there was no demand in the marketplace for it, or for some reason the winery ended up with more wine than they wanted. At a certain point the message sank in -- there was lots of wine out there, and some of it was really good wine, and it was available dirt cheap. So what's an enterprising guy to do? Cameron decided to start a label to sell these wines at what he calls an "extreme value level." Though he won't ever advertise them this way, in public hell affectionately refer to them as "ten buck chuck." His wines, made from vineyards and wineries that by contract cannot be disclosed, and blended by winemakers who by contract cannot be identified, are designed to have an extremely high QPR -- or Quality-to-Price-Ratio. Typically, the wine that Cameron bottles would sell for two to three times the price he puts them on the market for. Cameron has been so successful with these wines that he has now gotten to the point where he's not only being opportunistic and snapping up wine when he hears about it, but is proactively working with winemakers to arrange for their excess juice, and to have some of them help him with final blends. Sound too good to be true? Well, there's a slight catch to all this. You can't exactly run down to any local wine shop and pick these wines up. Most of Cameron's inventory is sold to Costco and to other large retailers in Chicago and on the East Coast. And are the wines any good? This is the second batch of Cameron's wines I've tasted, and I continue to be amazed at the value his wines present. These wines are mostly jammy and fruit forward, which is a conscious choice on Cameron's part, and which may be responsible for why they fly off the shelf at Costco, but they may not be to everyone's taste. Compared to nearly every other wine in their price range at your local supermarket, however, they are truly excellent buys.

Lot 21, Amador County/Lodi Zinfandel 2004 arrived Tuesday. With trembling hands the Wineslacker received the vaunted bottle from the hands of "Chocolatea" Lorri K., Erotic Chocolatier Extraordinare. Driving home, he shivered with anticipation for the moment of revelation, the unveiling of yet another possible triumph for the California phenom of wine, Cameron Hughes. Already the 'slacker had trumpeted the virtues of other CH winners; Lot 15, a jammy blend of Napa County Cabs; Lot 16, the sophisticated Stag's Leap district Cab., and the buoyant Lot 17, heavenly hillside California Barbera. And then the lovely Lot 23, Meritage; what a bargain. Available to 'slackers and 'slackettes of all economic strata, thanks to Cameron's right on market target, all under $20. We ripped open the capsule and pulled up that cork with abandon. Pouring out the silky juice, we noted the clean, deep garnet color. A couple of quick swirls of the glass and we stuck our curious nose within. A sweet mixed berry bouquet with a plummy nose. So far, so good. Knocking back the largish German glass, we took a bit on the tongue. Hmmmm, balanced fruit with, with, something very out there; something vegital, something slightly asperagassy. Odd. Yet again. Yes, there was the fruit, the fine structure as promised, and now this unusual green grocer thing. Bell pepper? "Well", the 'slacker thought, "it's got some wild layered thing happening, kind o' like Ridge Zins, with their herbs and twigs." Interesting. In something of a hurry that night, the Wineslacker made his notes, pushed away the glass and headed for dreamland; morning approaching far too fast for extensive wine exploration. What to write... The next night, after a long, long day at the foundry, the 'slacker headed home. It struck him that perhaps his first taste of Lot 21 was too much in haste. We should have given the thing a few moments in the open air. Make a short story even shorter; we gave it a new trial, after a night of being opened and it was a new wine. The veg taste, what ever that was, was temporary. Open this baby up, leave it by itself for an hour or two; or, decant; whatever, and it rights itself like a well spun top. It lives up to it's promise and, while maybe a tad more conventional than one might be hoping for, it becomes one very honorable Zinfandel; well balanced, structured, very flavorful, with some pleasant minerality and a fine long finish. Maybe just a touch of black tea at the very end. And, once again, one exciting value. The lovely dinner companion and The Wineslacker entertained with the well regarded Rosenblum low end Vintner's Blend last weekend and it could not hold a candle to this fine bottle, just about the same price. Just take a little time to breath before beginning. We mention the following, for the sake of complete transparency; Lot 21, unlike the other Cameron Hughes Wines reviewed herein, was provided by the producer. Get it at Costco, soon, or, directly from the classy website of Cameron Hughes, himself.

The continued evolution of the global wine marketplace has made many things possible for many people. Small regional wineries that couldn't survive, let alone exist twenty years ago are now thriving because there are folks out there like me and you that are looking for just the type of wines they are producing. Likewise, the proliferation of estateless wineries (bonded, licensed wineries that own no land and may even rent their winemaking facilities) has exploded in California in particular. Finally, a relatively recent phenomenon for California and the US (though old news to the negociants in France) has surfaced in what I will call surplus winemakers. These folks don't buy grapes to make into wine, they buy wine to make into wine. Many consumers are unaware of the large amounts of wine that get made but never get bottled and sold to consumers. This wine is instead sold, by the barrel, so to speak, to other businesses who do everything from make vinegar to make those hotel branded bottles you will sometimes get in your suite. Increasingly, however, there are a whole class of folks who are searching out that surplus wine and turning around to bottle it themselves. Cameron Hughes is exactly that type of guy. He's got a long background in wine sales, and has lots of connections to wineries as a result. Over the years he heard many times from winemakers who had multiple barrels of finished wine that they couldn't sell for some reason -- either there was no demand in the marketplace for it, or for some reason the winery ended up with more wine than they wanted. At a certain point the message sank in -- there was lots of wine out there, and some of it was really good wine, and it was available dirt cheap. So what's an enterprising guy to do? Cameron decided to start a label to sell these wines at what he calls an "extreme value level." Though he won't ever advertise them this way, in public hell affectionately refer to them as "ten buck chuck." His wines, made from vineyards and wineries that by contract cannot be disclosed, and blended by winemakers who by contract cannot be identified, are designed to have an extremely high QPR -- or Quality-to-Price-Ratio. Typically, the wine that Cameron bottles would sell for two to three times the price he puts them on the market for. Cameron has been so successful with these wines that he has now gotten to the point where he's not only being opportunistic and snapping up wine when he hears about it, but is proactively working with winemakers to arrange for their excess juice, and to have some of them help him with final blends. Sound too good to be true? Well, there's a slight catch to all this. You can't exactly run down to any local wine shop and pick these wines up. Most of Cameron's inventory is sold to Costco and to other large retailers in Chicago and on the East Coast. And are the wines any good? This is the second batch of Cameron's wines I've tasted, and I continue to be amazed at the value his wines present. These wines are mostly jammy and fruit forward, which is a conscious choice on Cameron's part, and which may be responsible for why they fly off the shelf at Costco, but they may not be to everyone's taste. Compared to nearly every other wine in their price range at your local supermarket, however, they are truly excellent buys. Full disclosure: I received these wines as press samples. TASTING NOTES: 2003 Cameron Hughes "Lot 11" Petite Sirah, Paso Robles Dark garnet in the glass this wine has a warm nose of roast fig and leather aromas. In the mouth it is jammy with flavors of fig newtons, dates, and stewed prunes. The tannins are subdued for a Petite Sirah, and grip ever so slightly on the moderate finish. Score: 8. Cost: $10 2003 Cameron Hughes "Lot 12" Syrah, Sonoma Mountain Unfortunately this wine was not available for tasting. 2003 Cameron Hughes "Lot 13" Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Medium to dark garnet in color, this wine has a chocolaty, tobacco laced nose that also incorporates floral and oak aromas. In the mouth it is balanced with a decent acidity and primary flavors of cherry. The classic green bell pepper signature of Cabernet creeps in a little, making for a slightly less desirable flavor profile through the finish, but many will hardly notice this light element among the mix of classic Cabernet fruit. Most of the fruit comes from Dry Creek Valley. Score: 8.5. Cost: $10 2003 Cameron Hughes "Lot 14" Merlot, Napa Medium ruby in color this wine has a delicious nose of plum and chocolate aromas. In the mouth it is smooth, with a nice mouthfeel and primary flavors of plum and cherry that lead to a straightforward but pleasant finish. This is a well balanced Merlot that is polished and while not complex, certainly tasty, and an unbelievable value at this price. Score: 8.5/9. Cost: $10 2003 Cameron Hughes "Lot 15" Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Medium ruby in color, this wine has a somewhat subdued nose of mineral aromas, black cherry, and hints of wet coffee grounds. In the mouth it presents linear black cherry and plum flavors that are uncomplicated, well groomed and hard to argue with. Most of the fruit comes from Rutherford. Score: 8.5. Cost: $13 2004 Cameron Hughes "Lot 16" Cabernet, Stag's Leap District, Napa Medium ruby in the glass, this wine has a slightly odd nose of caramelized apples and onions, with hints of cherry aromas peeking through the more savory scents. In the mouth the wine is pure cherry shot through with a green wood character that comes close to overwhelming the pleasant fruit. Not my favorite of these wines, but it has just been bottled, so there's a chance that it may improve with a little time. Score: 7.5/8. Cost: $14 2004 Cameron Hughes "Lot 17" Barbera, Lodi Medium purple in the glass this wine has a slightly reductive, raisined nose of dried currants and dates. In the mouth it is soft and velvety with flavors of light plum, raspberry, and other red fruits. This wine is slightly over-ripe to my taste, but not flawed. It too has just been bottled and some of the cooked character may have been emphasized by bottle shock. Score: 8/8.5. Cost: $9 WHERE TO BUY: Check your local Costco if you're a California resident. You can also purchase some of his wines on the Cameron Hughes Wine web site, or if you're really interested, I suggest you contact Cameron directly at 1-800-805-197.