See, I think a celebration should be shared. I would invite my best six friends and with the $300 find three (3) bottles of Myriad Dr. Crane. The best bang for the buck and you have about 15 glasses of the juice.
Krug was what I was thinking. I would choose the '96 over the '88 to drink right now, but it may be too expensive- I haven’t looked in a while.
I would think that a Faiveley Clos de Bèze from 1990 would do the job.
Older ('71, '78, '64)… Barolo can be had for well under your price range. I think they tend to be much more consistently reliable than older Burgs.
1992 Dominus - a phenomenal wine currently uncontested on WineBid for $140 - and $160 to spend at a fantastic restaurant that allows corkage.
Where can you get a 75cl Yquem for under $300??
First 4 1/2 pages on wine-searcher for “d’Yquem” and “Bottles” suggests that a few places might have it.
With $275, Dusty, if you read this far, consider getting a couple of bottles. As a red, considering your interest in Pinot, look at a super premier Burgundy - say Clos St. Jacques - with some age on it, which are available at auctions for about $100 - 2000s and 1998s are said to be drinking well now.
Start with a nice Champagne, say Ulysses Collin at around $70, finish with a half bottle of a good German or Austrian TBA. You’ll have a great series of wine with your meal, and some pocket change left over for a fancy desert.
Consider buying from a local retailer you know, especially if they can source the older Burgundy for you. That way, if one of your special bottles is corked or flawed, you have a reasonable chance of reimbursement.
Most of all, relax: the best wine won’t make you happy, but even just decent wines can enhance the experience of your success and the company of your closest friend. And, as Tom pointed out, there isn’t a reliable linear relationship between cost and quality in wine.
Congrats and good luck with the results from your exam. Taking mine was one of the hardest things I’ve done and I’m glad I passed the first time!
CJ
Good advice here as well ![[welldone.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/f/fc9709a841aa9379fd892a9cf0b535b05f473b86.gif "[welldone.gif]"){kind=small}
I am in dayton as well, this has potential to create an offline tasting sometime soon…
Thanks everybody! I considered maybe trying to get a 1984 Dunn Howell Mtn, but not sure if it would be ready yet from what I hear about Dunn’s. I also like the idea of getting a 375 of d’yquem and maybe a Clos St. Jaques or Beaucastel, etc.
To answer questions, I can buy direct from (most wineries, some notable exceptions) and at online retail. BYOB is technically not allowed in Ohio, but I have a few “preferred” restaurants that leave a corkscrew and glasses at the table once in awhile.
My prize bottle in my cellar currently is an 89’ Pichon Baron, but I think I’ll save that to drink if I fail the test and have to use my fund to re-register.
I would love to attend Chicago Berserkerfest, but have so much going on right now, there is no way to get out of town (except for work) for the next couple of months.
I certainly understand the risks associated with older bottles, and dropping more money on a “risky” old bottle than I would normally on a bottle at release is something I need to get past, but in general if the bottle I take to dinner is at all questionable, I will bring a somewhat lesser bottle as backup.
I always prefer to buy from my local retailer, but he doesn’t seem to have much ability to get older bottles with any regularity for some reason.
I would love to try any of the Guigal La Las, as a final note, but aren’t they usually well above this price range?
As far as older bottles are concerned, is there any more or less risk associated (in your experience) with Barolo vs. Bordeaux vs. Burgundy vs. Rhone/Spain/Cali Cabs etc?
Personally Guigal’s Collection of cote rotie’s is a perfect example of where the (lack of) correlation between wine “wow-ability” and price is anything but linear. I am not a fan of the vener of new wood lacquered on the wines. Buy a bottle of Jamet’s Cote Brune for a hair raising cote rotie experience.
Winemakers used to leave bottles of Barolo on their rooftops to allow the sun to soften their tannins. Barolos are sturdy and tend to withstand any punishment they may have witnessed over the years. That said I would buy from someone who has a good track record for dealing in older wines. Chambers Street in NYC? Obviously auctions are attractive for the deals they offer but that isn’t a big surprise since price usually does retreat as risk advances. Be aware of Provence to the best of your ability. Opening a corked bottle is a big buzz kill.
More fun to cook for yourself, anyway; that’s where the champagne really pays off, too (while cooking).
I have found the greatest variability with (1) White burgs (premox) (2) Spanish Reds, esp. Riojas/Lopez de Heredia (Though I do like those wines) and (3) German Rieslings.
I would avoid Dunn Howell. They can be really overly bretty. As has also been mentioned, Guigal’s LaLa’s are disliked by quite a few people. There are lots of good suggestions, though. I would read up on the styles of some of these wines and see what seems most appealing. As a counterpoint to the suggestions to get 2 bottles, I would go with 1 bottle since I’d be more likely to be truly wowed by something in your price range than half that. At least it would open you up to a whole lot more possibilities. I think as long as you get it from a reliable source, the chance of letdown won’t be too high, so worth the risk.
Oh, and as to the question of risk, I think aged red Burgundies can be extremely variable.
It’s an interesting question, maybe for a separate thread, about what aged wines are more and less risky with advanced age.
My sense is that sweet wines are especially good bets for aging, and of dry reds, Barolo is particularly good. I do get a higher-than-average incidence of corked wines from Italy as compared to other places (maybe just coincidence, I don’t know), but aside from that, I think it’s very rare that an older Barolo fails to deliver. My guess is that the wines have so much tannin and acid that they are more durable than other categories of dry reds.
Where’s all the southern shone lovers? The usseglios and janasses make amazing wines for well below 300 bucks . I drank an 98 mon Aeiul and a 03 janasse deus freres that were both amazing.
With the plethora of great wines from the rhone over the last few decades there is a bonanza of amazing wines available at auction or retail, and it’s seems to me that the prices have been on a slow decline,even the top level wines like Capo and Hommage seemingly coming back to earth.
How about an '01 Rayas?
P Hickner
Experience?
A 750 of 2001 Château Suduiraut, a tin of quality foie gras pate, a fresh baguette, and a lovely young lady, in bed.
I was just at Turley and the 2010 Turley Zinfandel Ueberroth Vineyard is fantastic and available. Any Saxum you can lay your hands on is a mind blowing experience. I love 05 & 06 Broken Stones.
Also we were very impressed by the 2010 line up at L’Aventure, especially Optimus and the Estate Cuvee.
A mind blowing experience some years ago was a 1994 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Clos Windsbuhl Vendange Tardive.
I don’t think Rayas is in the range, but 2001 Chateau des Tours would be very, very nice. I think Charvin is worth looking for. I really liked 1999 Beaucastel recently, but it is an atypical vintage, lighter than most really good ones. What to the 1990 and 1989 go for these days?
Barolo is very sturdy, but storage has historically been an issue.
What about Monte Bello?