CheapWineFinder Podcast
Talking about remarkable wines that pair nicely with your wallet! Because we like to keep it cheap but excellent.
CheapWineFinder Podcast
Markham's Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc: The Sleek Sophistication
Unexpected wine bargains are emerging across the market, and our latest discovery proves that premium quality doesn't always demand premium pricing. The Markham Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2022 typically commands around $25, but we tracked it down for significantly less during a flash sale, opening a window into what happens when historic winemaking meets value opportunity.
This elegant white comes from a property with roots stretching to the mid-1800s, revitalized when Bruce Markham acquired it in 1973. While their Merlot earned them early recognition, this Sauvignon Blanc reveals equal mastery. What distinguishes Markham beyond their centuries-old heritage is their pioneering role in female leadership – both production and vineyard teams are women-led, breaking Napa's glass ceiling long before diversity became industry standard.
The wine itself defies typical Sauvignon Blanc expectations. Unlike its grassy New Zealand relatives or mineral-driven French counterparts, Markham's expression shows remarkable restraint and sophistication. Subtle notes of melon, dried anjou pear, apple and muted tropical fruits are complemented by interesting spice components. Most striking is the wine's elegant texture, impressive length, and refined acidity – qualities that typically separate everyday bottles from premium offerings. When our winemaker friend from Burgundy states that "great acidity and excellent length" represent the highest compliment, this bottle effortlessly achieves both benchmarks.
Current market conditions have created a fascinating phenomenon where even premium producers are offering significant discounts through flash sales. We encourage you to stay vigilant with your local wine merchants – established wineries that rarely discount are suddenly appearing at dramatically reduced prices. Whether you find Markham at sale pricing or its standard retail cost, it represents the perfect "next step" for Sauvignon Blanc enthusiasts looking to experience what happens when a winemaker with 25+ years of experience crafts an estate-grown white from one of the world's premier wine regions. Have you discovered any unexpected wine bargains lately? Share your finds in the comments!
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Hey, welcome to Stillman Dave Cheap Wine findercom. We've got a little bit of a different wine here to talk about today. It's a wine that normally is a little bit out of our, you know, we usually do under $20. And actually I bought it under $20, but you typically can find it closer to $25. It is the Markham Anapa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2022.
Speaker 1:The Markham property has a long history in Anapa Valley. It was originally a winery in the 1800s, like the mid-1800s, and Bruce Markham purchased the property in 1973, I believe, and released his first wine in 77, if I'm not mistaken, and they quickly became an elite Merlot producer. If you're looking for Napa Valley Merlot, they're not a bad choice. I'm going to take a sip. The winemaker has been with the company since 1993's. In both the. The production and the vineyard team is dominated by women and led by women, which is they're kind of proud of that in the Napa Valley. They were the first you know, the first one to kind of break the glass ceiling there. Nowadays women in wine is kind of common, but they were doing it before it was common, and they have a wine team dominated by female female professionals not that I ever can tell the difference between a male or a female line. That's not really the point, I guess. So this isn't really nice when it turns out. I had never. Grapes do make a really nice wine. It turns out high in napa. Grapes do make a difference.
Speaker 1:This wine does not taste like the lower valley in France. It does not taste like New Zealand. There is a calmness to it, a subtleness to it. It's smooth, it's sleek. It's smooth, it's sleek, it's um.
Speaker 1:Let me take a sip and we can maybe get a little more in detail. It's got length. You know, um, I always tell this story. We're talking to, uh, french, uh, winemakers from burgundy. If, if you tell them the wine's got great acidity and excellent length, they're so happy because that's what they're looking for. Well, this wine's got excellent acidity and great length. The flavors are maybe some melon, maybe some tropical fruit muted. Nothing jumps out, nothing's grassy. You got anju pear, not ripe juicy pear. Tropical fruit muted nothing jumps out the nothing's grassy. You got hands. You pair not. You know not ripe juicy pears more than drier pears. Apple lemon, interesting spice. It stays with you, stays with your pal. It's got good acidity. It does, it's not.
Speaker 1:I sometimes like that kind of a city that makes you want to take another sip. But I actually think that is a little bit too much acidity. A well-made wine probably shouldn't do it, but it's awful fun when it does happen, where where you're just sipping it because the acidity is like it's like lemonade on a hot day. This is not this. This is more elegant than that. And it's not because of the snap of belly that I think it's elegant. No, it's just because it has that sleekness, that length that you don't always get. Value price wines are usually really tasty but you don't always get some of the extras on that. You don't always get the great length you don't always get. You get good acidity but you don't get the next level of acidity you don't get. And it's not because it's because they got to make a wine for a price. And if you got to make a decision, go for flavor. I always say we can take another sip of this.
Speaker 1:And why did I find it for $10 off? And it was a one-day flash sale at one of our hipper local. You know, actually they're fairly large wine shops and there's been wine problems with wine all over the world and there's been like hey, you know bargains here and bargains there and moving wine that haven't been moving and good wines aren't moving. It's not just the dogs aren't going, everything has been so there's. Keep an eye out, watch your stores. There's going to be like flash sales, where you go in there and all of a sudden you see crazy wines. I just read something about Costco and not all Costco's habit, but a like a storied winery that's usually sells for 30 or 40 bucks or selling their wine in Costco for $10. And it was. It wasn't advertised, but it happens. Keep an eye out.
Speaker 1:This is a Markham vineyards, napa Valley, and it's a. You know, it's one of their estates, but the other wine and I can't keep, I can't remember the arm, the name of the vineyard, because this one's a little cannon. The other one's a carpenter vineyard, but that's, that's a state vinegar for somebody else. So you're getting a state where they control everything. You're getting a winemaker who's been doing this for 25 years and knows the grapes inside and out and knows every conceivable wine or weather. Was it hot? Was it cold? Was it partly hot, partly cold? You know, it's all those things and you get it in your glass, which is what good wine is all about. Let me take another sip and close this one up.
Speaker 1:If you're looking for or maybe not looking for, but you really like Sauvignon Blanc, and maybe you're interested in what's the next step, well, the Markham Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2022 is a good entry to that next step. It is quality Sauvignon Blanc, well-made, even at the original price. I've seen it on the Internet as low as $18. I've got what was it like? $14? $4 is a good price to make, but it's usually over $10 off. This is the next step. Give it a try. So, adios, keep it cheap. Domain day for cheapwinefightercom. I've got two other wines from the same sale, so we're going to be talking about a little bit more expensive wines going cheaper and some good thoughts on what to buy. So I'll be talking to you in a day or two. Bye-bye.