What is a good expensive wine to buy?

Question

I just listened to the audio version of Julian Curry's A Guide to Wine. He suggests splurging occasionally on a really expensive wine and says it will be well worth it. I'm not sure I want to try it, but in case I feel adventurous, does anyone have any recommendations?

Answer 1

My recommendations:

a. Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalta Colchagua 2003 $65 (94 Points)
-Loads of ripe fruit, with plum, blackberry and boysenberry flavors pumping through, backed by suave, mocha-infused toast, mineral and spice notes. Long, fleshy finish has some serious grip. Carmenère and Merlot with Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2007 through 2012 (from winespectator)
-This wine has a lot of potential. I just drank it, and I think it needs to be put away for awhile and opened a few years down the road to fully appreciate its characteristics.

b. Joseph Phelps Insignia Napa Valley 2002 $165 (96 Points)
-Won wine of the year 2005
-A rich, polished, seductive style with layers of complexity built around a dense, concentrated mix of currant, blackberry, plum and exotic mocha- and cedar-scented oak. This mouthcoating young wine is powerful, yet elegant and deftly balanced, finishing with a long, succulent aftertaste. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Best from 2008 through 2014. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. (from winespectator)

c. Concha Y Toro Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon Puente Alto 2001 $45 (95 Points)
-4th Wine of the Year 2005

d. Chateau d'Yquem Sauternes 2001 Bordeaux $400 (100 Points)
- I've tasted this and this was by far the best tasting wine EVER. I thought I was drinking a wine drank by the Gods. Very pricey, but if money was no object, I think it's worth the price tag.

Opus One used to be good, if you can find old vintages then go for it, just make sure it hasn't peaked its maturity. Other than than, I think it's too overpriced and overhyped.

***I just reread your question, and I guess I mistook it for wines that you would like to keep and then open for a few years down the road, because that was what I had in mind when I posted my answer. On that note, it really depends on what you want to do with the wine. Do you plan to keep it and enjoy it later? Is it for a special occasion or just something to sip during casual, everyday meals? What's the setting? Drinking in a restaurant or drinking at home? What is expensive to you? How comfortable are you with wines? Are you brand-, points-, budget-, or taste conscious? The reason for such inquiries are, there are absolutely a smorgasbord of wines out there that would suit every palate and budget.

I recommend visiting wine stores like Binny's (if you like in Chicago) or wineries (if you happen to live near one), that offer free wine tastings. This would give you an idea on which wine would appeal to you the most without having to spend a a lot on a wine that you wouldn't otherwise enjoy.

Wine is a personal thing. What taste good to me, may not taste good to you. What the winespectator deems good, maybe crap to me or vice versa. I happen to like highly-rated, obscure (unknown to the public), and affordable wines. I also happen to like really heavy, dry, spicy red wines and balanced white wines.

So with your question in mind, here are a revised answer to your question. In addition to my prior answers, check out these wines, as well.

Whites
a. Grgich Hills Chardonnay
b. Louis Jadot white
c. Gunderloch Riesling Kabinett or Auslese or Spatlese
d. Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc
e. Conundrum
f. Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc

Sparkling Wines/ Cava/ Champagne
a. Krug
b. Vueve Clicquot
c. Charles Heidsieck
d. Seguras Viudas Brut Aria
e. Perrier-Jouët Brut
f. Gloria Ferrer Blanc de noirs

Red
a. Rosenblum Zinfandel Rockpile Road Vineyard
b. E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Landonne
c. Castello Banfi Brunello Montalcino
d. Domain Chandon
e. St. Supery
f. Cakebread Cellars
g. Buehler

In the end, you have to go with what you like the best. Use other people's recommendation as just that, recommendations. So Drink up and Enjoy!

Answer 2

It depends on what you like to drink, reds, merlot, cab, white or zinf.

Last two I went above and beyond for were a fabulous California merlot by Atalon vineyards...by far the best I have had in a long time.

For Zinf try Ravenswood vineyards presidental- It is the wine bottled and served at Regan's first state dinner and got raves reviews.

Cab I would go a lttle wild and try the Dynamite 03 or 02. Fabulous with Fish or pork when you don't feel like a white wine.

I dislike the undertones of many Whites so I don't have a recommendation on this variety but all the suggestions above should cost under 75 and you splurge, enjoy and wont cry over the money spent.

To those that posted not sure where to find some wines- look up the vineyard online almost all of them have web sites and you can purchase online for 3-5 day delivery.

Answer 3

First, if you are getting wine advice here, don't go for anything top dollar--we are clueless in that neighborhood. If you are buying $10 wine, try something on the $20 rack. Anything above the $40 stuff essentially means you are either throwing money away or have long-honed tastebuds that can actually discern the difference--which most folks are not practiced at or even able to do. Save a little money.

I do have this, in the area of scotch. I splurged on some of the blends like Chivas, but at a friend's recommendation tried Glen Livet. It is worth the extra bucks. The same friend says Glen Fiddich is better but it also cost more than I could afford. But then that was the last I drank and that last happened some twenty years ago, though I suspect the quality hasn't suffered in the meanwhile.

BTW, not all wines are made in France or California--some really good stuff is made in Italy and even local producers in places like Missouri have some respectable stuff, so broaden your experience with something different those ways too.

Answer 4

Bernie B's advice is alot better than any of the other advice on here. Asti Spumante? Anything from "cote de boan" (sic)??Ravenswood??? lol.

The first thing you have to ask yourself is what is "really expensive" to you? Is that $50, $100, $200, or $500, because we can find something for you in each category.

The next thing you have to ask is what kind of wine do you like/want? If you only like "sweet" red wines, then you are most likely a novice and you shouldn't spend more than $25 on a wine right now, until your palate develops a little bit. If you only drink whites, then your options are more limited. If you prefer Arbor Mist or White Zin, splurge on a nice Ice Wine - don't buy a $200 Sassacaia, I promise you won't like it.

To respond to some of the other answers, Opus One is now sailing on name alone, in the opinion of many wine drinkers. Their bottles are incredibly overpriced for the quality you get. Dom Perignon and Cristal are the same way. Don't waste the extra money on these.

For under $100, my favourite wines are:

Boroli Barolo 2000 ($50)
E Guigal CDP 2001 ($45)
Archery Summit Arcus Estates Pinot Noir 2003 ($75)
Domaine Drouhin "Laurene" 2002 ($60)
Twomey Merlot 2002 ($65) {This is rated extremely low from Wine Spectator, but is truly a tasty wine, even for the price. I don't think they gave it a fair chance}

I personally have many of these in my cellar and enjoy them when the mood suits me or with company.

There are also many Raymond Generations that are fabulous, and believe it or not, many of the upper end Beringers are good as well! However, you may overpay because of the Beringer name (you think they'd cut some slack with all the white zin they sell!!).

If you are interested in Bubbly, Schramsberg's J. Schram is the way to go. It regularly beats out french champagnes in competitions and costs half of what many of similar quality cost.

If you want white, try the Paris Commerative Grgich Hills Chardonnay. It's around $60 a bottle, but it's one of the few whites I would actually pay that for.

Hold off on doing anything over $100 until you get a good idea of the types of wine that you like. If you love big Italian Reds, get a tignanello, sassacia, or a 2000 Barolo/Barbaresco and sit on it for 5-10 years. If you want something drinkable now, go to a wine store and tell the person what you like and that you want to be able to drink it tonight. They may recommend a Caymus, Ernie Els, Stag's Leap, Duckhorn, Far Niente, Silver Oak or other similar wine.

Good luck to you!

Answer 5

The very best wine I have ever had the complete pleasure of drinking was a Cakebread Cellar's from Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2003. You can buy it directly from them on the web for $58.00. This is just delicious. I normally drink more reasonably priced wines ($20 range) but this Cakebread cab is one I feel good about splurging on.

Answer 6

Just because a wine is expensive doesn't mean it is good. Someone else might consider a wine good that you don't like the taste of. For example I recently bought my girlfriend a bottle of wine that I don't like but she thought was really good, the bottle only cost me $9.00. There are a lot of factors for determining a good bottle of wine. I suggest that you try to find a wine tour in your area and figure out what type of wine it is that you really like. Once you know what you like find a wine of that type with a high point rating. www.samswine.com has a huge selection and gives ratings on almost all of their inventory. Hope this helps.

Answer 7

WOLF BLASS BLACK LABEL $89.20cdn in B.C.

93/100 Wolf Blass Cabernet Sauvignon Black Label 1998
Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia
Produced By: Wolf Blass Pty Ltd
Distributed By: Beringer Blass Wines Estates
Foster's Wine Estates
Small amounts of shiraz and merlot from Langhorne Creek and McLaren Vale were added to this predominately cabernet wine. Look for a big intense sweaty leather and vanilla nose with super ripe blackberry jam and black pepper. Fabulous rich soft ripe berry fruit. Dense smoky fruit with vanilla and black pepper. Long and intense in a very oaky finish. It’s Blass and its Barossa.

Answer 8

I love this merlot by Hope winery in France. I don't know where you can get it, I can't even find it. This happens a lot with wines, if you see something in print and think, 'hey I want to try that', good luck findning it.

Answer 9

Inniskillin is THE BEST. Like liquid of the gods.

Opus One is known to be 'the best' but frankly, I thought it sucked.

I second the motion for Cakebread Cellars. YUMMMM...

I also love:

Rosenblum Zinfandel.

Cadillac.

Chateauneuf de papes.

ANYTHING from cote du boan.

Answer 10

ahh, wine advice, one of the hardest things to give....but in my opinion...opus one is up there, but there are so many types that excede expectations for the price you pay for it, so others think that you paid much more for it....those can range from yellow tail {in the 5ish dollar range} to beringer knights valley cabernet sauv, joseph phelps innisfree line, to wines made by pine ridge vineyards, to the aforementioned cakebread to robert mondavi oakville cab..if i were you i would narrow it down to what type of wine i liked best and go from there...have fun