Hi everyone, I’ve never spent more than around $200 for a bottle (and that only a few times). I’ve managed to have some wonderful wines and I have enjoyed immensely. But as is always the case, I’ve become curious about the next level up. A friend of mine and I are talking about splitting the cost of a bottle $500 or less. I was curious about what you would recommend.
We are looking for a bottle that is ready to drink now (no aging required to be at peak), has good reliability (White Burgundy is out, very old bottles that might be oxidized are out), and would prefer a wine with that indefinable “wow” factor (whatever this means). We both prefer wines on the more refined side (so Napa and Washington are mostly out). Things I’ve been considering; First Growth Bordeaux in an “off” vintage, Super Second in a good vintage, Soldera (can just barely afford a new bottling), Chave Hermitage, Bartolo Mascarello, Clos Ste Hune. As crazy as it sounds, $500 does not seem to be enough to get a top Burgundy. Would love any recs! Thanks! Noah
By the way, great idea splitting a trophy bottle with one or more friends. Frankly, you’ll get as much enjoyment from half a $500 bottle as drinking the full bottle yourself, probably more because you’ll be sharing it with your friend, at half the cost. People should do that more often.
To me, Haut Brion would be the wine. Especially if you prefer wines “on the refined side,” which I’m not sure what it means, but what could it mean if not Haut Brion, the silkiest, prettiest, most elegant Bordeaux of them all, plus a producer that makes a very good wine almost every vintage and tend to have a wider drinking window than other First Growths.
You can get good examples of Haut Brion for under $500. Flickinger has the 2004 for $395 (CT 93.0), Estate Wine Brokers and San Francisco Wine Consulting both offer the 2001 for $439 (CT 93.4), Joe’s Canal has the 2006 for $454 (CT 94.4), Naples Fine Wine has the 1996 for $460 (CT 93.9).
I’ve had the 2001 and the 1996 in the last year or two, and both show beautifully. The 1996 more mature and complex, the 2001 with a little more power.
But there are countless good options for a single bottle. It depends on what interests you the most. I’m just saying where I’d spend my money.
I’d go d’Yquem. Undoubtedly the best in its category and can shared easily at end of a great dinner with other wines leading up to it as the finale. I have no knowledge of vintages but a quick search finds plenty in the range.
To me, it depends on what wines you generally consider your favorite wines. In your range there a lot of great options - Mugnier Fuees, Allemand Reynard, an “off vintage” La Mission (the 83 is great), Raveneau MdT, a 96 Krug, etc.
I am sure that you will receive hundreds of recommendations for wines that have represented greatness to those who recommend them, but they may well be not to your taste.
How many times have you gone to a ‘great’ restaurant expecting an epiphany only to find that the experience didn’t live up to the hype?
I think that greatness in wine can have many forms. From the briny Chablis paired with freshly shucked oysters to the perfectly aged red caught at its peak. Sometimes the biggest surprises can be the most fulfilling.
There are a just a few wines that I have tried that I reckon most people would agree with me that are great- 96 Salon, 92 Coche Corton, 99 La Tache, but they are now in serious nose bleed category.
But to answer your initial question a couple of wines spring to mind, based on your criteria, I have some confidence that these two will deliver great pleasure. Whether they represent greatness, I am not sure. - 1978 La Mission Haut Brion and 2001 Cavallotto Vigna San Giusseppa,
I’d second the recommendation of Haut Brion and of the 2001 and 1996, but would also consider the 1994. Haut Brion tends to excel in less-renowned vintages and there is almost nothing else like it. I’d also consider a 1995 - 1998 Chave Hermitage.
I wouldn’t choose Yquem because I don’t think you would learn as much from it as from a great dry red. If I’m picking a dessert wine, I’m going for a 1989 Huet Cuvée Constance (and praying it isn’t corked), one of the 1959 Huet Premiere Tries, or a great Mosel TBA, which for my palate are better wines than Yquem.
Noah, it’s a great idea. About 30 years ago I did something similar. At the time I was buying lots of current release Napa cabs to cellar, but had never had an aged example. Got my favorite wine shop owner to sell me a 1974 Heitz Martha’s for $250. Let’s just say that it did not dissuade me from continuing to buy and cellar wine.
I would lean toward a Chave Hermitage, as Chave makes great wines even in off vintages, so you can afford to buy an older bottle of it in your price range. Maybe 1995, 1997 or 2000.
By the way, a friendly reminder you need to have your full real name in every post. Most people add it to their signature.
Good suggestions so far. Taking into account the areas you wish to skip (and good rationale there), and the fact a really wow factor mature Bordeaux (like 1989 La Mission or 1990 Lafite) is well above your $500 target- the three things that came to my mind were Rayas, Soldera and Yquem. I would suggest you give Clos St. Hune a miss. It is a wow wine- but it does not show well young and the 96-01 eras are very prone to premox (and I have heard of premox reports as recently as the 2008 from trusted tasters.) Plus you have to have a good tolerance for petrol. You can find the 1983 or 1989 VT for $500ish at times at auction- but the wine has been heavily traded relative to its rarity for a long time, so I would only go there if you can be REALLY sure the bottle was single owner and very well stored.
For Rayas- drop that one because in the year or so since I last had the 2003 which is a true wow wine, the price has ballooned. And that was the cheapest of the wow years at maturity when I last had it. Recent releases get mixed receptions and $500 would take some digging and luck.
For Yquem- I recently had the 2015 and it is magnificent. I prefer it to the 2001. It is not as big as the 2001 but it is more finessed and elegant, plus it is showing a lot of its savory delights right now. I have 2009 queued up to taste- but have not tried it yet. TNs from critics and friends I trust suggest it could be even better than the 2015. Right now you can still find the 2015 for just under $400 at many Total Wine Stores. The 2009 is in the $700+ range now for the most part, but you could get a half bottle.
For Soldera- the 2008 vintage is drinking beautifully right now and an excellent choice. Soldera does not- in my opinion- every really fully shut down, but it can be a bit dry and austere a few years after release and until it fully blossoms. The 2008 is not doing that- while it will certainly develop further with time, it is very approachable and quite a good vintage. When Soldera changed US distribution a couple of years back, a good bit of 2008, 2009 and 2012 got dumped at retail. 09 and 12 are largely gone from that selloff (there was a vandalism incident affecting 2008-2012 final production, with 2010 the hardest hit and 2009 and 2012 next hardest), but WS still shows a few retailers with the wine at or near $500. And I would spend the extra $50 or so if needed to get one. The 2013 and beyond full MSRP is $700ish (with a handful of retailers discounting to mid to upper $500s), but with 2015 being Gianfranco’s last fully completed vintage before he passed, the 2015 and older vintages can only go up, up, up even though there is no reason to believe the future will bring a lessening of the current quality standard.
Long story short- I would go 08 Soldera, 15 Yquem or perhaps 09 Yquem if you are ok with a half or find a good deal on a bottle.
$500 would get you not just an off-vintage Chave, you could go for 98 or 99.
If the wine can be on the younger side, I would go for the 2010 Bartolo Mascarello. Drank surprisingly well about 2 years ago, although I won’t touch my remaining bottles for a while… Or split it up between 2004 Giacosa Rabaja and a bottle of Krug 164
Other options I can think of are 96 Krug (maybe slightly risky), 98/99 Jamet (although they should be cheaper), or Allemand Reynard with a good amount of age (I personally prefer that over Chave).
If you want something young, vibrant and punchy, buy a bottle of 2018 Arnoux-Lachaux Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Procès. Charles Lachaux is making incredibly good red Burgundy. Plenty of whole bunch spice. Kind of like the poor man’s DRC. Prices are on the move so act fast!
Not sure on the price anymore, but 2000 Tertre Rotebeouf remains quite an amazing wine experience for me, more so than an off-vintage (e.g. 04) first growth, like 04 Mouton.
If you wanna have that next level wow factor, do not buy a First Growth from an off vintage. While these wines are certainly good, they don’t have that wow factor. In a hypothetical example a first growth can get you to 100 pts in a great vintage but only to 95 points in an off vintage (check Cellartracker scores, which nicely show that), which is still better than the more mediocre 90 points other good wines will achieve but still below that wow factor level.
I would go for a Margaux, Mouton or Cheval from one of the recent great vintages. These are usually more open in their youth than Haut Brion or Lafite. 2015/2016 are probably “just” 100-150 dollar above the 500 dollar limit but will deliver 5x more pleasure than any off vintage. Again, check Cellartracker scores first. For more immediate pleasure I would focus on the 2015 vintage as 2016 needs a bit more time.
Another great suggestion is Chave. Also here, absolutely focus on the great vintages: 2015, 2010, 2005, 1999 would be my picks.
Forget about Clos Ste Hune, while great, it’s never on the same level as the wines mentioned before.
@Andrew, depends on what you call an “off-vintage”.
I just grabbed some 2001 Haut Brion for $425. This is an excellent wine.
Gruard Larose 82 and 86 are “first-growth” level. Some 1980s vintages of Montrose and Lynch are as well.
Personally, I’d always grab a mature Bordeaux over a new release, even if the latter is rated more highly than the former. Maturity is the greatness in Bordeaux.
Off the grid a little, I like something a little geekier for that unique experience, say Allemand (almost any vintage), Jamet 98 or 99 are stunning, or some Rougeard. Crush has 2004 and 2006 Allemand for $3xx.
@Andrew, I do not think he ruled out mature bottles, he just said very old bottles and were oxidized were out. Perhaps the OP can clarify.
I have recently had again the following three château from the 1998 vintage in Pomerol, anyone of which I would take over a new release Bordeaux: Trotanoy, Vieux Chateau Certan, l’Evangile. And on the geekier side, The 1998 Magdelaine is outstanding. That is greatness to me but I’m afraid you will no longer find that type of St Em, given the way that region has turned over to the modernist consultants…
My personal view is you are on the right track with “off-vintage” 1st growths or prime vintage lower growths.
My recommendations:
1990 or 1996 Pichon Baron
2000 Chateau Pavie
2002 Mouton Rothschild – had this one year ago and was shocked how ready to drink and fantastic it was.
I think some guidance from the OP as to what he particularly likes would be especially helpful here. There’s such a wide range of styles that without more information there’s a fair amount of chance for disappointment. If I sent a friend with $500 to buy a “great” bottle of wine for current consumption I’d be absolutely delighted if he came back with some of the wines listed here…and mildly horrified at some of the other suggestions. There’s a lot of variation with palate preferences.
