Help an amatuer impress his wife?

WINE TALK
21

If I went on a vintage car board and asked for something from 1978 that my Pinto and Gremlin-loving wife would like, I would probably learn pretty quickly that I was in the wrong place. And a number of folks made suggestions. I don’t really know what else would have been expcted

22

agreed

23

Don’t bring me into this Peter…

24

I’m not sure how useful suggesting a vintage port is as a gift to a white ZIn lover.
I don’t think she would like it, other than the vintage on the bottle.
Sauternes is more likely to be enjoyed imo

25

Are we really that tough? All the guy wants is a 40-year old white zinfandel and we cut him to mincemeat. Have we no shame?!

26

DRY WHITE

Robert Mondavi I-Block Fume Blanc

Available only from the winery
https://www.robertmondaviwinery.com/I-Block-Fume-Blanc
TASTING NOTES BY VINTAGE
Search tasting notes for 'Robert Mondavi Winery Fumé Blanc To-Kalon I Block' - CellarTracker

DRY RED

It has to be the 1978 Mondavi Reserve.

1978 Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/mondavi+reserve/1978/usa
TASTING NOTES
Search tasting notes for '1978 Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve' - CellarTracker

SWEET WHITE

2015 was a dynamite vintage in Germany, and I would look for an Auslese from JJ Prum or Donnhoff; these wines are about $40 for a 375ml half-bottle, and they are still widely available in the marketplace.

2015 JJ Prum Auslese
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/prum+auslese/2015/usa
TASTING NOTES
https://www.cellartracker.com/list.asp?Table=Notes&szSearch=2015+auslese+j+j+prum

2015 Donnhoff Auslese
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/donnhoff+auslese/2015/usa
TASTING NOTES
Search tasting notes for '2015 donnhoff auslese' - CellarTracker

SWEET RED

1998 is halfway between 1978 and 2018, and it was a dynamite vintage for the Italian off-dry red, called “Amarone”.

Nice bottles start at about $80.

1998 Amarone, all USA listings
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/amarone/1998/usa

TASTING NOTES: 1998 Tommaso Bussola
Search tasting notes for '1998 Tommaso Bussola Amarone' - CellarTracker

TASTING NOTES: 1998 Allegrini Amarone
Search tasting notes for '1998 Allegrini Amarone' - CellarTracker

etc

27

I think we, as a community, tend to jump to conclusions very quickly with newbies. He said “connoisseur” - and we don’t know what that means to him. Perhaps to him, his wife is a connoisseur - and happens to like White Zins. For us, the word connoisseur may mean something entirely different. Sometimes, we need to take a step back and realize that this community is probably the 0.1% of wine drinkers / collectors.

And yes, Jay was being sarcastic - but we know him; we, who have been on the Board for a long time. He has no idea who Jay is and his sarcasm.

28

Quick name all the connoisseurs you know that like white Zinfandel best.

29

One thing needs to be said just in case. Very few wines from 1978 are still alive. For example, White Zinfandel needs to be drunk very, very young for its fruit. Please don’t buy a 1978 White Zinfandel. I highly recommend that if you buy a 1978 (and frankly I think you are wasting your money) that you find a good local retailer for help. If you want help identifying such a store, please tell us where you live.

30

Thin skin considering how helpful people have been.

A ‘78 Auslese or BA or even TBA from MSR is probably his best bet. Hard to find. Or like mentioned above, a ‘78 Sauternes. I’ve seen them around. I have also seen ‘78 Vouvray Moelleux but even rarer.

Stylistically a Banyuls Colheita may be nonanalogous but work. Or Madeira. Doesn’t everyone love Madeira?

31

When your white zin loving wife sells some Petrus to pay off your debts, she deserves a birthday surprise (and you lurkers in your mothers’ basements can’t stop them).

32

Edan,
I was thinking the same thing

33

When I was a beer drinker only and my girlfriend at the time liked wine, I would joke that she was a connoisseur or whatever because I had no clue in the least bit anything about it. A great bottle for her would have been KJ I think at that time. I think he could just mean he sees her as the connoisseur in the relationship due to his knowledge which is obviously nil. I didn’t see it as him calling her an expert.

34

That was awesome. Actually laughed out loud

35

Connoisseur=Lush?

I did not think the responses were mean at all.

36

Yeah… until now. [snort.gif]

37

Maybe Mark Squires was right after all …

[stirthepothal.gif]

[ducking]

38

I agree with Juyuan - we don’t know what the word means to him and really, he may have thought that white zin was quite something.

However, the others have a point - we didn’t know him but he didn’t know us either, did he? And he had a better opportunity - he could have and likely did poke around the forum a little bit to get some kind of idea - how else would he even have figured out how and why to post? So if he can’t take the equivalent of a raised eyebrow, when he could have guessed before posting that he was likely to find more than one, that’s on him.