So often these days as you scan the wine list each bottle you find you want to drink gets closer and closer to $100 - or well beyond. However, while searching for bargains on the list at Milos in Manhattan, out popped out the wonderful 2002 Savennières Domaine du Closel Clos du Papillon pleasantly priced closer to $50 than $100. This was a fantastic bottle balancing a tense minerality with notes of honey, a touch of Pineau des Charentes, citrus and toffee all tied together by a bracing acidity. Really fine stuff. However, it does not seem to be the hottest wine on the list as it took them about twenty minutes to find it all cold and lonely in the back of the cooler. Too bad, as this wine is clearly more exciting than most of the wines on the list selling for double the price. Of course, the fact that no one, including the staff, had any idea what this wine was is the only thing keeping the price down.

Considering the general character of the list at Milos, I thank Joe Dressner for talking someone into buying this wine. However, I think its time for a wait-staff training on Savennieres if he wants sales to pick up. I am not in Manhattan enough to make an impact by myself.

Another outstanding Savennières bargain recently was the superb 1996 Clos de la Bergerie, Roche aux Moines, which was selling for $44 at the excellent Bayona restaurant in New Orleans. Really a stunning wine mixing rich caramel and honey notes with a steely acidity followed by lingering flavors of mangos, vanilla blended with a firm clean stony finish.

At the exciting No. 9 Park St. in Boston they offer the 2001 Savennières, Becherelle also from Joly also in the $40 range. Already browning, it almost reminded me of a Gravner and is sure to be controversial. Overall I liked it, but it was not in the same league as the first two wines. The richness and acidity never seemed to work well together and sweetness dominated the finish a bit too much. Still all-in-all a decent wine.