Looking for ideas outside the box, anyone who likes subtle/mature/balanced/delicate/harmony or any other such term please stop reading now.
Im looking for the worlds biggest wines
I dont know world wines that well so i would start with some of the Bedrock or Carlisle zin/syrahs, what would anyone else suggest. Im guessing that Priorat, Bandol might be in there
The kicker is they cant be to jammy like Aussie Shiraz gets or just so big they become port like, they must maintain a semblance of acidity and dryness to make them still respectable food wines
I’d look for grenache, CdP, or the American equivalents.
Oak, tannin, and alcohol can make a wine’s midpalate seem bigger, and I wonder if your quest might end up with a wine with one or more of these in excess.
Priorat (whites and reds) and Monstat, Ribera del Duero, Cava sparkling wines (some Sumo ballerinas, I like to call them) from Spain.
Champagne (Krug), Burgundy Chardonnays (ask the experts), Loire whites (only a few), maybe Gigondas, from France.
Washington Rhones can be large and in charge. Red Mountain and other areas in the state can balance fruit and earth, alcohol and acidity.
I will have to jog my memory. I have been working in tunnel-vision in my recent wine drinking. I know that rich, full-bodied wines can be produced without RS, excessive alcohol, bleeding off juice.
Last night I opened the 2012 100% Grenache from d`Arenberg. The Custodian qualifies as rather a big wine, grin. Some of the vines are 70 yrs old, think it will age quite nicely.
See if you can find some 2007, though more recent vintages will do. I served this wine Saturday to my Cali-loving friends, in a line-up of some big Cali Cabs like Ovid and Kenzo Ai, and they all loved it. Big, but still packing Provençal character, whereas the Cabs were like a brick in my mouth. I popped a couple mature Bordeaux, including a lovely 1982 La Louviere for me…
Is there a reason why you want to submit yourself to this? A short list could pull up wines above 14%ABV and then you could weed to take out notes of fig, jam, conserves, sweet, molasses,etc. Are you tired of the sam-o, sam-o?
Alan, go for a mountain Cab. 2009 Frias Family from Spring Mtn is overpowering with fruit. 2010 Mt Brave is another, but might be harder to find under $50 yet will be close. Arrowood’s 2007 Lasseter is the next step up the price ladder but I recall one being on Hart Davis Hart close to your budget. If you get lucky you could find a 2012 Hill Family Estate Atlas Peak near $65. Any of those 4 will knock your socks off.
This is where it gets tricky. These wines literally taste like liqueur to me. I find them very boozy, unbalanced, and extremely jammy, not to mention a sensation of sweetness due to very high pH and possibly some residual sugar. I can appreciate flavorful reds (even thought they’re not generally my preference), but I have no idea how far it could go if these fit your description and some wines don’t. I don’t mean to knock your preferences at all. We all have our own, and yours are correct for you. I’m just making the point that it becomes so subjective that I honestly don’t know what you would consider jammy and what you wouldn’t. My best guess is El Nido Clio, which is widely available for under $50. Aalto Ribera del Duero might be another good option.
I purchased a couple HS Nuts an Bolts on a lark and brought one to a dinner with Jay Hack where the theme was “big reds” and I knew it was the biggest red in my cellar.
While the wine was quite big, I did not find it boozy or sweet, and I’m generally quite sensitive to both. Moreover, it really became a much more nuanced wine on day two (open for about 24 hours) – still big, but less brawny and more refined. While I would not call myself a huge fan, I think that they pull off the muscular wine thing quite well, if you like the style.
El Nido Clio. Not in my wheelhouse or anywhere near it. But it fits your request.
15.5% abv
24 months in new French and American oak
Label warning: Do not open or consume near an open flame
Also, what about Musar? Young I feel like they are certainly powerhouse wines, but the tannins and such might get in the way of what you are looking for.