My buddy turns 50 later this summer (August) and I wanted to buy a bottle or two to help him celebrate. He is a big fan of everything Cakebread but more generally California with a recent nod to Super Tuscans following a vacation to Italy (~80% of his 300ish bottle collection are Napa/Sonoma).
His two recent favorites were a 2009 Kosta Browne Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir and a 2001 Penfold’s Grange.
I would love to buy him a bottle of each of these but combined they are well out of my price-range (mostly because of the Grange, but Kosta is high-priced in most of the Boulder area shops >$100 /bottle).
My question for anyone who cares to opine:
Do you have suggestions that might approach a similar drinking experience as the Kosta & Grange while keeping the price in check (I am budgeting $75 per bottle but would happily spend less)?
Specific vintage doesn’t matter (aside from ensuring it is in the drinking window and available), but I’d like to keep Pinot Noir and Syrah/Shiraz as the varietals of focus. If I just walk into a wine shop, I would likely buy a 2008-2010 Burgundy Premier Cru, and a 2005-2006 in the Rhone (Cornas, St Joseph). (Maybe these vintages aren’t necessarily the right window of time, and perhaps going Old World isn’t the right approach…I lean towards Old World with my wine drinking).
I don’t have a lot of experience spending >$30 per bottle, and since I haven’t had the opportunity to experience either of these (Kosta/Grange) I can’t take personal experience into account in my decision making. My goal is to enlighten him to Old World potential when compared to his New World experiences.
I’d suggest going on the hunt for something from the 1965 vintage. If he’s drinking Grange & Kosta Browne it sounds like he gets himself higher end wines. The birth year wine would be pretty memorable. Rare Wine co, Chambers Street & K&L would be some good retailers to check out to see what might be available.
1965 is a rather weak year in France, so to make a gift of a wine of this year will require a higher budget.
It is a better year in Spain, in Portugal.
It is a decent year in Napa.
The best wines of 1965 that I have drunk have a budget which exceeds your limits.
And for a lower budget I would prefer not to offer a 1965 wine.
Personally after reading what he likes, I would call Arcadian and get an early 2000s Pinot and Syrah. It will be right in your budget, and show extremely well.
Mark- for Pinot search for 2012 Sojourn Gaps Crown Pinot or other SVD pinot. Rivers Marie would be another good choice but may not see that one at retail.
Grange pricing has gotten insane. I have 1 lone bottle of 2001 I traded for a few years ago. I’d go Northern Rhone.
After reading the 1965 thread, I came to the same realization that as cool as it would be to open a birth year wine, it was either going to be out of my price range or a disappointment. I’m still open to the idea and I will certainly look to the websites suggested (K&L, Rare Wine, Chambers Street, etc) to see if perhaps I can find something in the Iberian Peninsula or even a Barolo given my time available to find something.
For those suggesting Arcadian, I haven’t tasted these. Would you advise these over a 1er Cru, or is your recommendation because of my buddy’s preference for California (kind of a back door path to Burgundy)?
The rest of the suggestions will take some time to absorb & research. I appreciate the thoughtful responses and I am open to additional comments/advice.
I would not recommend old world wines as a gift for someone who clearly seems to like big and bold wines. Stay away from Burgundy as it is very difficult if not impossible to find something suitable. You need to know his palate really well and also know Burgundy really well to have any chance. Even then the QPR sucks (and I say this as someone with a large Burgundy collection). Stick to a Cali or Oregon PN would be my suggestion.
For the Shiraz I would strongly recommend the 2001 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz. This is an iconic Australian Shiraz and is available at or below $75 in the USA according to Wine Searcher Pro. If he likes Grange he will love the Basket Press. The 2001 is drinking really well right now and has a lot of character and flavour. This is a classic Aussie shiraz that is big and ripe but not over the top and surprisingly moderate in alcohol level
If he drinks Kosta Briowne and Grange, I can’t understand recommendations for Arcadian and Texier. Same grapes, polar opposite styles. If someone came here looking to buy a wine for someone who likes Arcadian and Texier, would anyone seriously recommend KB and Grange?
For Pinot, I’d look for something from Loring, which also tend to the riper style. For a Grange substitute, maybe something else from Australia, or a Washington Syrah. I tend to dislike Cayuse and K Vintner wines for the same reasons I dislike most Grange, though Grange is much better made than the few detestable examples I’ve had from K Vintners. Saxum and Alban Syrah may also work.
And the idea would be to introduce him to something new?
BTW, we’ve been following a bottle of 2009 Gouges Porrets Monopole all day [we’ll probably keep following it for most of the week], and I’d be strongly tempted to gamble on the 2003, at $73:
It’s ok Mike, I don’t understand how anyone would place Loring in the same quality tier as Arcadian or Kosta Brown.
I maintain an early 2000s Pinot from Arcadian will be a nice next step for anyone who likes Kosta Brown, and for the money, it would be hard to find a better aged Pinot.
While not quite a 65. A 66 krohn colheita would be a treat. And can be had for around $125-150. It’s different. It’s old. And best of all it’s delicious.
The “next step” mindset is what I’m objecting to, as a lot of the recommendations seem to be about what the gift recipient should like, not what he does like.
If someone knows that I like Texier and gets me a Guigal Chateau d’Ampuis, I’ll try to be gracious and not show my disappointment, but I won’t be thrilled at the choice. If I find that people claiming wine knowledge made the recommendation, then I’ll conclude they are idiots who deserve a punch in the mouth, which would still be less painful than drinking the Guigal.
I’m sure there are people who like both Texier and Guigal’s abomination, but a preference for one is not a clue that one likes the other, any more than a love of Grange suggests an appreciation for low alcohol Cote Rotie. If someone loves Chablis, would you recommend a Kongsgaard chard?
OTOH, I think Nathan’s L’Aventure rrecommendation is spot on, as I don’t tend to like them for the same reasons I don’t generally like Grange (though the 1971 is an exception that I’d drink all day long if I ever got another chance to try it).