= Keep looking = Worth your money = Better than the price = A Steal Gerard Bertrand Chardonnay Vin de Pay d'Oc (France) 2000 This is really the steal of this month's top 9 - hopefully it's available in your market. Bananas and baked peaches on the nose. In the mouth the wine is medium light in body, but offers up multiple layers of complex flavors such as brown sugar and fig, and it has a slight smoky character to it all. This chardonnay has a great finish leaving you with a lingering flavor of melon. This wine loves Provolone! Cost: $9      Marques de Arienzo Rioja Rioja (Spain) 1997 Don't expect to dump this into your glass and see black and purple juice. The wine pours out a bit light in color, but is well put together with a nice mix of cherry and pitted fruits. Very attractive price for this bottle. Cost: $11      Penfolds Chardonnay Koonnunga Hill (S.E. Australia) 2000 The oak is immediately noticeable, but seems to be in-line with the body of the wine. The winemakers have done an excellent job to create unique Australian chardonnay with flavors of pear and apricot. Cost: $12      Valentine Bianchi Sauvignon Blanc Mendoza (Argentina) 2000 Very expressive, high-toned, almost floral nose to this wonderfully round sauvignon blanc. The fruit is medium bodied, very clean with citrusy grapefruit notes subtly hiding in the background. The silky texture of this sauvignon blanc makes me wonder if another grape was snuck in here in some small quantity. Cost: $11      Domaine Garrique Cuvee Speciale Vaqueyras, Rhone Valley, France 1999 Some very spicy elements of the wine jump out to greet your nose with cinnamon dominating. The wine tastes of firm tannin, dark fruit with lots of rosemary and pine notes as secondary flavors. Cost: $13.00      Falesco Vitiano Umbria (Italy) 2000 From equal parts Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese, this has to be the best wine value in the world. Vitiano is a wine of terrific quality that one can afford to drink on a regular basis. What more can ya ask for? Soft, fruity, full-bodied with super concentration and uniform structure. It pairs well with mushroom risotto or chilled avocado soup, but take a good swing at this one, it can handle just about any dish that would make you think "red wine". This will only get better over the next 2-4 years. Cost: $14      Gini Soave Classico Superiore Veneto, (Italy) 2000 This is a tremendous effort year in and year out, and easily one of the top 3 Soaves on the market. Soave, made from mostly garganega with a splash of trebbiano, has carved out its own little niche as the white wine of the Veneto. The grapes for this version are harvested late, giving the fruit more concentration and body. The 2000 edition: what can we say, the Wine-Rhino loves a good Soave light, fresh and crisp with a sound structure. Enjoy with fresh fish (ah, Miami!), any variety, any preparation style or try with that crisp summer salad also, a wonderful Weber grill wine! Cost: $12      Hyatt Cabernet/Merlot Yakima Valley (Washington) 1999 So this is the second Top 9 in a row with a Washington State merlot. Well all right, this is a cab/merlot, but you should still be getting the hint-Washington Merlots will rock your world and not your wallet. This wine has a bit more spice than last month's selection and offers up just a bit more earthiness in the mid palate. There even seems to be a slight hint of apple on the nose - ah Washington! Cost: $15      Nugola Vecchia Super Tuscan Tuscany (Italy) 1999 This Super-market Tuscan is well worth the six bucks you'll spend on it. The wine is meant to be consumed now. It serves up some really vibrant sweet cherry fruit with a nice roasted meats characteristic backing up the wine. The wine is 90% sangiovese and 10% merlot. I found my bottle at Trader Joe's. Cost: $6