Choosing an expensive wine for a special occasion

If you have never had a chance to taste, and for you it is a major purchase, how would you decide what to buy? Ratings, a particular critic, a wine store, someone on the berserker board or classification etc?

Pedigree.

Say I want to buy mature Bordeaux from 1982, 1961, etc., from a chateau trhat I have not tried in such a year.

Then would check out recent notes from people I trust, which you may chuckle, but on old classic Bordeaux, Leve’s site and search here.

Most here have had a chance to learn their own preferences and found some favorites. It’s not difficult to identify the most celebrated wines and “unicorns” of a given genre…based on scarcity, price, reputation, word-of-mouth (retailers, wine professionals, publications, friends, wine group, wine boards, etc.). Deciding on a “major wine” purchase has a number of additional factors…access, perceived value/quality, label status, provenance, expectations, etc.

For me, I don’t trust my ability to regularly differentiate between excellent and profound…with a price difference that can be several hundred dollars or even thousands. Buying a reportedly profound wine is no guarantee of quality, although the odds admittedly increase. The demand and prices for the highest quality usually exceed what I consider rational. Deciding on a major purchase is mostly based on a gut check…and mostly the answer is “no”.

RT

I go with what I know and buy from someone I trust.

This board has the most knowledge… Also, so many of the notes are of wines that are drunk, not tasted.

For many an old wine, I do believe that the critics’ and the board members’ notes share confluent streams. They begin to diverge, in my opinion, from the mid to late '80s onward!

For me, I would look for well stored bottles of Bordeaux of Burgundy from 1955…

CellarTracker

Great reply!

Here. I would (flawed) poll the board.

If I were choosing an expensive wine for a special occasion which I had never tasted before it would be something I was familiar with either from other vintages or other wines from the same producer. For example a 1961 Bordeaux if I loved the wines from the 70s, or a grand cru from a producer whose premier crus I love in the same vintage.

Find a good local wine store (not Total Wine, Costco, etc) . Talk to the most experienced wine person at that store, tell her/him your situation and your price range. Nine times out of ten you will be satisfied! For your situation, don’t do the research you will drive yourself crazy. Unless of course you think you will enjoy the research. Good luck.

I would buy my birth year 1974 Heitz Marthas if I could afford it! Aside from that probably an aged Bordeaux that has a history of not being flawed and in it’s drinking window, probably by viewing recent notes on cellar tracker.

I would purchase champagne.

Assuming provenance is ok, I find it to be a more consistent product. It doesn’t “shut down” as much as some other wines, most houses simply don’t produce tete de cuvees in poor vintages so there’s less vintage variation at the bottom end, and it ages very reliably. There’s also enough production so that it’s usually possible to find recent and reliable notes on specific wines.

Also I like it and it feels appropriate for celebration.

Bingo. I’d find something I love, then find a more exalted version of it–grand cru instead of premier cru, famous vintage instead of a merely good one, etc.

If your looking for an expensive wine this normally means your looking to impress non wine people with brand identity, so just go with the obvious well known brands like Lafite, Margaux, Mouton, Krug, Screaming Eagle etc.

You never mentioned that you want the best wine for the occasion

Interesting question. In my case, it would most likely be at least an acceptable vintage from a producer I am familiar with and favor (particular appellation included). For example, I like Hudelot-Noellat’s RSV; so I’d choose a good vintage that I haven’t yet tried of that.

Trust you to come up with a nasty and completely wrong assumption. In this case, a friend is going to a major BYO, and needs a bottle.

But only to impress non wine people, right?

If this is the case why didn’t you ask this in your original question (instead of being general and elusive)?
If he is your friend, I’m sure you can cost him a bottle from your stash.

I did, but that is not the point. I am asking what most people would do if faced with the question.

Knowing you a little from this place: you should pick the wine for him, maybe even gift it to him.

If I had a friend going to an event like that, assuming he is not a major wine nerd like we are, for a big BYO…I’d have him take a “bigger” wine that will gather attention compared to the other wines that will likely be there. Some of the SQN wines might win him the night, if that’s in budget. Saxum, as well…geez, I sound like Jay Hack!

Cayuse, No Girls, that long-skin-time Herman Story wine…also thinking of wines that the main group of attendees might not know, yet would score him insider points.

Aubert chard or pinot from a magnum might be in budget and act as good palate catchers, as well.

If there is time to hit Wine searcher or Wine Bid, maybe an early 2000’s Williams Selyem.

The more I ponder “major BYO,” magnum enters my cranium.

What’s the time frame?