Need to win a $50 max blind tasting red wine

any good ideas?

Friendly competition among friends.

thx

That is a tough question to answer. A wine that might wow one group could stand out as a confected oaky mess for another. Care must also be taken to not provide a wine that is way too young. Then there is the matter of varietal preference. Not many Pinots are going to impress a Cab crowd, and a stunning cool climate Syrah will be a turn-off for the inexperienced.

Can you give more background?

I’d recommend finding a 15-20 year old vine zin. Maybe something like 2002 Martinelli Giuseppe & Luisa Zinfandel on winebid for $45. If it doesn’t win WOTN, at least you’ll catch a buzz, alc 16.6%, lol.

Thx

Will be half men / half women. Would guess more of a cab crowd, but again guessing.

thx will look into!

2016 vieux donjon

Sauternes is a good choice too.

Montelfalco Rosso

Cab crowd? Bring Chappellet Signature from 2012 or before with the exception of 2011.

This could be a good play, love the 12 Chappellet, but unless you bought it on release, it’s probably more like $60+ on retail market.

Carlisle and Bedrock are excellent bets if going for a Zin. That should please a Cab crowd, and gets more bang for the buck.

Sounds like this group isn’t pros nor anti flavor wine elite. For people in that crowd I would recommend 2012 Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards Right Bank, a lush mouth-coating wine with a long finish: https://www.winesanywhere.com/sku19237.html

I just got a local newsletter offering it at $62 “on sale”.

Something with uniqueness usually wins these sort of things…a unique nose or flavor that grabs your attention quickly. I’d pick something like a Faury St Joseph VV with its blood iron and smoke…a Cote Rotie with amazing perfume florals from the viognier…or a Outpost Zinfandel which shows killer black pepper spice.

Marquis de Riscal Reserva would show well to a Cab crowd, although if you want to win empty the bottle and fill it with the Prisoner instead

Ridge Zin (lytton springs comes to mind -45$) I’ve had a number of WOTN’s with these…

My vote would be Bedrock Vineyard Heritage Red, Sonoma Valley. The 2017 is ~$45. It is ~55% zin, but is a ‘cab drinkers zin’. Its an interesting wine that appeals to many pallets in that price point. For what it’s worth, Parker routinely rates them 93-96 points.

I agree with B.Buzzini - go for something that will stand out. A big nose captivates attention in a crowded tasting.

For cab lovers, fully agree with a Carlisle syrah, Outpost zin, or consider a 2015 K vintners syrah. The beautiful is a ridiculously aromatic and tasty wine at $50-60. I’m a big fan of Pax but his wines can be a bit polarizing. Bedrock is great but the heritage needs significantly more time. The suggestion of 2016 Vieux Donjon is a great one too as young CNDP (<5 years) may be perceived as fresh and lively against a bunch of darker profile cabs. Although Aalto has been a textbook example of “modern” Tempranillo, the 2015 was very tasty, with bright red fruit and a more judicious use of oak. Spainish wines crush it in QPR in settings like this. Look to priorat which can have some of those violet, smoky aromatics as well

Well under $50 is 2009 La Rioja Alta Vina Ardanza. Really excellent traditional Rioja in a rich style.

I was able to taste a line up of K Vintner syrah including the 2015 Beautiful recently at a wine bar and agree with your post. Very expressive dark fruit with lush texture and easy to drink. Not something I seek out to purchase nowadays but I think it would do well with this type of crowd.

Funny, K Vintners The Beautiful and Ovide were going to be my recommendations. Or, to throw people for a loop, go with Guido from K Vintners, which is a sangiovese. Being that it’s a Washington sangiovese, it’s very interesting and it’s a flavorful crowd pleaser. I’m not sure where you shop, but Total Wine started carrying a few bottles of it towards the end of last year.