Best Possible Wine Experience for $250-$300?

WINE TALK
41

OK, here goes…

I went to http://www.nywines.com and clicked on “Browse”. Then…in the “Region” section, click on “Show All”. Then click on “Red Burgundy”.

Then on the next page displayed, go down to “Wine List” and where it says “Order by…” click on “Vintage Ascending”. This will show you the older Burgs first.

The one(s) I think might be approachable and good bets …

1990 Clos de Beze, Faiveley $300. This could be big and a bit unready yet, as Faiveley made very “solid” wines then, and the Clos De Beze is a top Gevrey Grand Cru. Would likely need a lot of breathing time. Maybe the Roty or Anne Gros listed below would be a better bet for current drinking.

1993 Clos Vougeot, Drouhin $200. Drouhin is a negociant, but their wines are generally quite good. 1993 is a strong vintage and many examples would be very young yet but Drouhin’s style tends to be more “feminine”. Clos Vougeot is also very variably in quality level, as there are many owners and the vineyard is large, and not all plots are of equal quality. Still, this looks like a decent price “bet”, as Drouhin is generally dependable I think. So this is not “top” grand cru Burgundy maybe, but halfway there anyway?

I am leery of the Clos Vougeot from H.Jayer, as it should be much more expensive! Suspicious.

1995 Romanee St. Vivant, Jadot $175.
1996 Charmes Chambertin, J. Roty $300.
1996 Clos Vougeot Anne Gros $240.

The '96s are still a bit youthful to me, and I wouldn’t go with anything younger for current or near-term consumption where you are aiming at an “experience”. Any of the three above “might” be outstanding though. 1995 and Jadot might combine to produce a wine that is still on the hard side though. The Roty should be excellent, and the Anne Gros too. Those would probably be my “best bets” from this list. But read on…

I hope you get a good experience! Make sure to serve gently cool. This is Extremely Important. Also, with older Burgs, I generally don’t decant now, but stand up the bottle for 7 - 14 days, pull the cork about 6 - 8 hours before serving (even longer for a bigger, denser vintage or producer style), take a very small initial taste to enlarge the surface area a bit for better breathing, and to get an educational look at the “starting point”, and then WAIT!!. Decanting an hour before serving is OK if the wine is still on the youthful side, but with something that is “older” it can provide more oxygen than is ideal, in a too abrupt manner, which can tend to blunt the wine’s vitality somewhat. In any event, keep the wine gently cool. Serve with something not highly seasoned. I like something like simple grilled filet mignon, mashed potatoes, mushrooms in a cream sauce, simple mixed vegetables, etc. Bon Chance!!

42

Whatever you do, I would get two bottles. Too many things can go wrong with putting all your hopes in that one great bottle.

43

I’m on both the “go with age” and “have two bottles” bandwagons.

If CA is your choice, get a 20-30 yr old Stony Hill Chard from a better vintage which you should be able to do for $50-70. Spend the remaining $200 on a well aged 20-40 year old Mayacamas Cab from an exceptional vintage.

If Italy, source two Rinaldi or Borgono (or one of each) barolo from the 50s, 60s or 70s. Should be able to get each bottle for $150ish each.

As stated multiple times above, try to ensure impeccable provenance, serve correctly (ample time for bottle to stand, proper temp and requisite decant/ox), and, equally important to the wine and company, have a great meal!

44

buy a bottle of krug!

45

Right here, for starters:

FS: d'Yquem - Commerce Corner - Wine Classifieds - WineBerserkers (No affiliation, but those are great prices.)

The 2004 is quite good, and the 2003 is more highly regarded, but I haven’t had it and am leery of the vintage for white wines given my jones for acid.

But I wouldn’t have suggested d’Yquem for this occasion – a 750ml of it can be fatiguing for 2 or 4 people at dinner. Now, if you bought that 375ml of 2003 for $125 and had $175 left for a great red wine, now you may be on to something.

46

Good suggestions re age and multiple bottles, but two young wines I tasted in the last year still have me thinking about them, months later. First, 2010 Clos de Tart. Very perfumed, with gorgeous fruit and complexity. Very wow. May stretch your budget a bit but simply dreamy Burgundy.

Second, 2010 Ducru Beaucaillou. So perfumed in the glass, that I checked twice to see if someone around me was wearing perfume because I couldn’t believe it was all coming from the glass. Ripe and delicious on the palate too.

47

Gaja, Dal Forno and Schrader seem to deliver the wow on a fairly consistent basis.

48

1988 Krug or…
1976 Taittinger - if you can find a well stored bottle

49

For something recent… How about 1998 or 2000 Quintarelli Amarone? Or for a third of the price, his 1999 or 2002 Rosso del Bepi? 1985 Krug? Coche-Dury Meursault vintages which are between $150-215… But really, you could also find plenty of old vintage claret and burgundy 1950’s to 1970’s well under your price point. Old, obscure red burgundy can be amazing experiences at relative bargains.

50

Agree with the maturity over status mindset.
Old vintage Madeira (with plenty of decant time) is probably the most reliable for a WOW. Another option is a good 70’s era California Cabernet.

51

I agree with 2 bottles and going for maturity.

If you like Barolo/Barbaresco, you could get a '67 and a '70 Burlotto from Chambers St., for example, for less than your $250.

Or you could get a '67 Ceretto Montifico and a '79 Ceretto Asili for the same price.

These are just examples, but are great wines for the price. With two bottles, if one is bad, you always have the other. If both are great, then you can compare and contrast.

Just a thought, but that is what I would do. At the minimum, it would be a unique drinking experience that is hard to replicate.

52

I was thinking 88 Krug or 88 Cuvee Winston Churchill but didn’t see it anywhere for under $300…or really $400. Could do a 1995 Krug though, or a 1998, though you can probably find better champers than those for $300.

53

1964 or 1969 Burgundy - still some floating around at auction - and if you spend some time on it - you can usually find some decent bargains - hell, I had a 1959 Pommard from a so-so negociant firm (Calvet) that was just divine last year - and it cost me 50 boneroneos -

54

This is NY Wine Warehouse which has been recommended by some high profile WBers. I am just in the middle of my first purchase from them but I wanted to pass on a note on their attention to bottle condition. I ordered two bottles and they mailed me back to say that when they inspected one they decided they couldn’t sell it to me in good conscience, and they gave some details of fill and color. It’s really nice that this didn’t have to happen on my end. So far I’m very happy with them.

55

Paul, I bet that’s Haegelin-Jayer.

56

Chave Blanc. 1992 from woodland hills in Cali. $90 a bottle. Red…Mascarello. Bartolo to be precise. But when I feel like getting my socks knocked off by a bottle I go with bubbles. Selosse with +5 years of bottle age. An Initial that was disgorged 5 years ago would be stunning.

If you must go with Bdx go with Montrose. 1996. Vieux Chateau Certan if you prefer the right side of things in that area of the world. Meylet 2001 or 1998 is drop dead gorgeous but difficult to find. PM me and I will mail you one.

I fell in love with wine on an 83 Mouton (perviously suggested on this thread by another member). If you find it at your strike price it is marvelous.

As a fellow engineer I salut you. Licensing is a rough exam. A WELL DESERVED good bottle will be in order. Make that “a great bottle”.

57

My thought as well. You don’t have to worry about provenance (a real issue for an older bottle) or being oxidized since these are oxidized when made and indestructable. You don’t have to worry about the right amount of decant time, or decanting. Just open the bottle 48 hours or more beforehand. And if you don’t finish the bottle that night (you probably won’t ) it will drink well for weeks or months to prolong your celebration.

That said, not everybody loves Madeira, but it is unique, and will be an experience you’ve not had.

As for specific wines, for me it would be D’Oliveira 1922, but that’s above your range at $375 at Rare Wines. You could look at their other offerings.

Charles

58

The Barbeito Sercial 1917 is a good choice, and within budget at $295.

59

Vintage Port.

Absolutely the best BFYB (bang for your buck) in the wine world IMHO.

I’ve had plenty of high scoring VP’s (by my scores) for Ports that cost in the $70-$180’ish range.

Not only that, you can get quite old stuff (50’s, 60’s and 70’s are still around), and the bottles generally hold up well, as port is quite robust (although good provenance is preferable of course…).

Also a great way to end a meal, and always a hit with those that like any kind of red wine…

60

For a bottle that would be the most reliably great I would suggest:

1990 Pichon Baron or
1990 Angelus