Interestingly I pretty much avoid all of them if possible.
http://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2014/03/americas-most-popular-wine-list-brands
With some of these it just depends what specifically the bottle is and what alternatives there are or aren’t available. I’ve had some good Frank Family and some good Jordan’s.
Billecart beats out Moet and PJ?
Jordan while being a darling of the steak houses can be a good wine. I have had a few different vintages of the Cab that for my taste are really quite nice for the price.
When I was working at Antoines NOLA in the mid 80’s, two YEARS before they had any wine to sell, Sonoma-Cutrer was sending out elaborate press kits telling you how good it was GOING to be. Most intense on premise marketing I’ve ever seen.
I find Sonoma Cutrer perfectly fine. It’s not what I go buy at Hi Time out of all the options, but it’s not a bummer to drink that with a casual dinner somewhere. When I’ve had it, it’s a fairly balanced chardonnay, neither a butter bomb nor a fruitless style.
But it would be interesting to know how they’ve been so successful positioning themselves in the restaurant world, given how many options there are out there.
Glad to see the first wine that came to mind on the list… Silver Oak!
The usual suspects. Personally, I don’t mind Billecart and rarely see it on lists in my area.
+1 At steakhouses and on expense reports nationwide.
I don’t think anything is actually wrong with those wines, they’re reliable and well made. Most people want that in their wines, especially at restaurants.
I figured Caymus would be on there too.
Huge +1. They deliver a (relatively) consistent style vintage to vintage and they’re very well-liked, even if they aren’t AFWE. 
Agreed. The AFWE crowd was the first group I thought about. These are a collection of wines that most people enjoy and are willing to pay restaurant prices. May not be my favorites but very drinkable and popular.
There are a couple of wines on the list that I would purchase if the appropriate vintage was available. I’ve tasted some older Jordan’s that were very nice and Stags’ Leap produces a decent PS. But since I pack my own wine I don’t have to worry about drinking plonk with my meal.
The list has Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, cab specialist. You mean Stags’ Leap Winery who makes the Petite Sirah, yes?
Maybe Mike Steinberger needs to take a look at the the top ten and see if he still thinks these are great times.
You are correct Roberto; I made the assumption it was Stags’ Leap since they are really lower priced than the original Stag’s Leap. Aren’t they?
I guessed 3 of them.
I thought cliquot, Kim Crawford, and KJ chard would be top 10.
I would have guessed J. Lohr Cabernet - I see that on every mediocre wine list out there.
Mediocre lists? I haven’t even glanced at the link yet – still jotting down my predictions – but I think of J. Lohr as being on the list that comes on the card in the plexiglass stand up thingy beside the dish of sweet and low packets. And KJ same thing except bigger plexiglass stand and maybe a tablecloth.