QPR in CA was French Plonk

in California. account

??? I thought you hailed from Mbuttachusetts or thereabouts. Or is that the other Mark Lipton? ;^)

What about BV, Mondavi, Charles Krug, Louis Martini, K-J and dare I say it(!?) Gallo? They all make pretty decent stuff for ~$20 (or less).

Where are the light reds from CA that compete with

Does anyone really care?

Where are the Chardonnays that compete price-wise with

Frankly we don't make anything here in California that compares to Chablis. Our unoaked Chardonnay just isn't as interesting. As for the others, I was in Maui recently and drank a whole bunch of different California Chardonnays that were pretty darn nice, and all below $20 - most of them closer to $12. Bear in mind that's in Maui dollars, which are closer to comparable to the Euro. Some names: Meridian, K-J, Gallo, BV Coastal, BV Carneros, Edna Valley Vineyards, Mondavi. Of course none compared to Château Burbank, but I didn't see that on the shelves over there. :^

Where are the Pinots

I don't know if they're directly comparable, but all the above wineries make decent Pinot Noir - most for well under $20.

Where are the Zins that compete

I didn't know they made any Zin in France. ;^D

Perhaps on the very lowest tier, but not once you get much above that.

Whereas in the regions I cite above you