My oldest turns 21 in a few months and I’ve not been into nicer wines for long enough to have a “birth year wine” to open on her birthday. (Heck I was in grad school at the time and drinking yellow tail)
We actually have been fairly strict about under age drinking and she had had a mixed drink by the beach when we are in 18 yr old legal countries and sips of our wine with dinner (usually west coast cabs) which she overall has liked (plus whatever has happed at college…which i don’t actually think has been much…yes, I know that may be naive)
Suggestions for a birth year wine for a 2003 …both what style you suggest for us to enjoy together as a 21’yr old who hasn’t had much wine other than sips (I’m pretty sure a Riesling was my “gateway wine” bc it was nice and sweet. But she doesn’t seem repulsed by my reds…she had a sip of my 2013 Montez purple angel a few months ago and said it was “pretty good”)…and then next question is what bottle…and then where to get it (I’ve not really done the “after market” sites for older wines)
So I guess my question is if you could buy one 2003 ($100-200 price range) to enjoy with your wine naive daughter at her birthday, what would it be?
Luke, plenty of California wines should be drinking well now. Or a 2003 bordeaux would be an easy choice. A wine like Leoville Barton is actually a nice meld of California and more traditional Bordeaux in the 2003 vintage, you can find that wine easily in your price range.
What about a vintage dessert wine? I recently had a 2003 Chateau Suduiraut which made me very happy. It’s not a break-the-bank wine either, so you could have a second 2003 wine with dinner.
I would go with a less expensive bordeaux, something like La Lagune or Grand-Puy-Lacoste (both now on winebid for under $70). Appreciating fine wine requires context, which your daughter does not have, so I would not splurge on something like Montrose (or even Leoville). In time, if she continues to enjoy wine, you can splurge for higher end birthday wines.
The challenge there is that 2003 was a baked vintage. I’d stick to top flight, classic producers. Montrose and Leoville Barton are best of class outside of first growth in this vintage, imho. The good news is, I like your choices as well, generally, just don’t know how they performed in 2003 now 20 years out.
I also like the sweet dessert wine suggestion. Seems most likely to please you AND your daughter. Appreciating a 2003 red wine might be too much to expect for a beginning/developing wine drinker, no matter how good your intentions.
In any case enjoy the birthday celebration!
I love Rieslings, but I remember the impact on me when I had my first really good dessert wine (which actually happened to be a Riesling, a 20-y-o TBA that I had at a graduation dinner). It was one of those change-your-life moments.
I’m sorry for your oldest. We got married in 03 and have had a struggle finding wines actually enjoyable.
The best ones we’ve had were this year - Krug Clos du Mesnil and Château Latour. Absolutely splendid, both, but sadly not cheap. Also DP P2 was really good and I bought cases to drink over the next couple of decades.
Before that we had others that were disappointing. Pavie. DRC RSV. Marc Colin Monty. Prüm WS Auslese. Jadot Musigny. Even Petrus was less than great.
Pontet-Canet and Cheval Blanc were less disappointing than most and I have a few for future anniversaries. But I’d still rather drink something else.
I have heard from very reliable sources that Sociando Mallet is a good selection. I have a few, but haven’t popped one yet.
(Totally kidding of course).