Screw the QPRs at $25-$50 and the occasional mid level tier of $50-$125. In fact lets get right past the insane wines that we know every producer has some kind of reserve or single vineyard or solo barrel blessed by Jennifer Lawrence and harvested by dryads during eclipses and charges $150-175 for it. (I stole that part from another thread). We all have five or ten of these anyways. Lets get that bottle of wine at the $250ish range that is just plain “killer” and you must have it once a year.
Where should I turn to other than Shafer, Schrader and Harlan?
Are these $250 wines really going to be better than Ridge Montebello or Chateau Montelena? Why not get one of those with some age on it. How much is a 1991 of one of these going for right now.
If you are willing to go to older, maybe I can find them wines, it blows the whole question out of proportion. I had an 81’ Ridge Monte Bello Jimsomare (supposed to be MB young vines I think) with a $7.99 price tag on it from 85’ that blew away almost any other Cali Cab I’ve had (old Diamond Creek notwithstanding).
Yeah, I was just thinking that I can buy aged Diamond Creek in this price range. I wouldn’t consider buying young CA Cab instead for this kind of money.
Hillside is the last one for me at 250, Schrader’s not there yet, but I’ll probably keep buying that one up to 250.
Last year, I also bought Ovid at 250. There’s something distinct about it ~7-8 yrs from vintage. Alas, I’ve dropped everything north of 250 except Hillside so everything else had to go.
fwiw, I think Harlan is at the uncommon price of 800 now, and I think Abreu is in the 3 or 4’s.
I tasted the 2012 AO Era from the barrel about 6-8 weeks ago.
It was good, but not $225 good. (I believe that was the price). My friends wanted to split a 3 pack, since you must buy in sets of 3s… I said no thanks and their jaws dropped. “You spend more on wine than any of us!”.