Originally Posted by
lhrsfo
No. I've tried very many US wines over the years and only liked a handful, all at the most absurd price points - in the order of 3 to 10 times the price of wine of equivalent quality from elsewhere. Whether it's the $40 wine at the cheap end of a California wine list - almost undrinkable -, a $10 bottle from Costco - filthy when a similarly priced Italian wine is perfectly ok - or a $100 bottle from a Napa or Sonoma tasting room, where I'd prefer a $10 wine from the Languedoc, I just don't like them.
There are exceptions - Hanzell and Ridge (Santa Cruz Mountains) spring to mind but they're still triple the price of similar quality from elsewhere. Which of course is why they can't export the stuff.
While I agree that the asking prices and degree of oakiness of some high-end Napa cabernets have gotten out of hand, I would suggest that you try some of the quite exceptional and well-priced cabs coming out of Washington state, as well as any number of Rhone varietals and blends coming out of the central coast region of California as well if you want some high quality dry U.S. wines. It's actually rather difficult to find a less than good quality Rhone blend from California or Washington in the $20-40 range, and many are quite outstanding.