Gil Kulers' Wine Pick: 2007 Château de Parenchère, Bordeaux Supérieur, France

Straight-forward aromas of raspberry, tobacco, milk chocolate and eucalyptus.

Simple, medium-bodied flavors of blackberry, blueberry, mocha with a light touch of spicy cinnamon.

A lot of people think Bordeaux wines are expensive…and they’re right. Wine from the top estates garners breathtaking amounts (think a thousand bucks or more a bottle) and auction prices for classic vintages are tracked like blue-chip stocks.

Believe it or not, this not a bad image for a wine region to have. After all, in most people’s minds high prices equal high quality. Take Australia as a counter example. Most people equate the land down under as a source for inexpensive, everyday wine. There are, in fact, many producers that make lovely, exotic, hypnotizing wines that are worth every penny of their $100 and $200 price tags; but they tend to be a hard sell in the face of Australia’s discount image.

Bordeaux also makes a whole lot of wine and most of it is pretty inexpensive, even in this day of the diminishing value of the dollar. Château Greysac has always been a favorite of mine. It typically goes for about $15. Château Bel Air, Haut-Médoc, is another reliable, under-$15 fave.

In a couple of months, the ridiculously priced first-growth Bordeaux from the 2009 vintage will hit the market. I’ve seen pre-release prices for these wines well over $1,500 a bottle. While everyone is discussing what price is too high to pay for a bottle of fermented grape juice, raise a glass of 2007 Château de Parenchère (a recent discovery) and toast to substance over sizzle.

Gil Kulers is a certified wine educator with the Society of Wine Educators. You can reach him at gil.kulers@winekulers.com.

Note: Wines are rated on a scale ranging up from Thumbs Down, One Thumb Mostly Up, One Thumb Up, Two Thumbs Up, Two Thumbs Way Up and Golden Thumb Award. Prices are suggested retail prices as provided by the winery, one of its agents, a local distributor or retailer.