What wine for $300 budget

[itsstillmatt]

Originally Posted by gomestar

me too.
+1

 

[kwilkinson]

Originally Posted by iammatt

+1

I guess that means next bottle's on me?

 

[gomestar]

the elders pay.

 

[Girardian]

There's an option I prefer to "going over the wine list" when with friends ... that's participating in wine dinners. We recently hosted two at the Bohemian Grove.

Some excellent wines are poured, from respective collections of the participants, paired with cooking that we do and planned around the meals. (I won't proclaim the dining to be 'Manton cooking,' but the participants are all accomplished home cooks in one respect or another, the meals play off of the strong suits of the cooks, and the dinners are always on par with "very good" restaurant food.)

We also occasionally go out, opting to not cook but to bring wine and pay corkage, but my strong preference is to cook and drink in a home. This typically also allows for cigars and lingering over post-dinner drinks.

While these events don't require particularly fancy food or over the top wines, they tend to migrate in that direction, in part because the participants have wines they want to share and are looking for an excuse to open.

 

[GQgeek]

Originally Posted by Girardian

There's an option I prefer to "going over the wine list" when with friends ... that's participating in wine dinners. We recently hosted two at the Bohemian Grove.

Some excellent wines are poured, from respective collections of the participants, paired with cooking that we do and planned around the meals. (I won't proclaim the dining to be 'Manton cooking,' but the participants are all accomplished home cooks in one respect or another, the meals play off of the strong suits of the cooks, and the dinners are always on par with "very good" restaurant food.)

We also occasionally go out, opting to not cook but to bring wine and pay corkage, but my strong preference is to cook and drink in a home. This typically also allows for cigars and lingering over post-dinner drinks.

While these events don't require particularly fancy food or over the top wines, they tend to migrate in that direction, in part because the participants have wines they want to share and are looking for an excuse to open.

Can we be friends?

 

[Sic Semper]

Didier is legit.

Get some vintage grower Champagne to start things off. Find a good store with Terry Theisse's portfolio. It will be drunk be first and your contribution remembered. It's easy to get lost in the red sea.

 

[SField]

Ordered a 2004 Didier Silex. Very excited. May order more.

 

[gomestar]

Originally Posted by SField

Ordered a 2004 Didier Silex. Very excited. May order more.

Awesome pick, Manton and I sipped that very wine over a two hour period. Incredible. Be sure to serve no colder than cellar temperature and then let it warm up to reveal everything inside.

 

[runner-guy]

Yeah I'm totally clueless when it comes to $300 bottles of wine. I'm usually satisfied going to some wineries around Traverse City with the wife and spending $10-15 per bottle. Congrats on the purchase.

 

[Cary Grant]

Originally Posted by gomestar

Awesome pick, Manton and I sipped that very wine over a two hour period. Incredible. Be sure to serve no colder than cellar temperature and then let it warm up to reveal everything inside.

Is this a wine, or a first date?

 

[gomestar]

both

 

[SField]

Originally Posted by gomestar

Awesome pick, Manton and I sipped that very wine over a two hour period. Incredible. Be sure to serve no colder than cellar temperature and then let it warm up to reveal everything inside.
Ok so here's something for you... the other two wines I know of are an 82 and an 83 Chateau Margaux. We'll start with a 88 Pol Roger Churchill that I have lying around. In some ways I think this is almost too much. The champagne will get killed right away, and while we always do taste the other wines over a few hours, I'm not sure as to the temp of the Didier. Will it really get up to room and still be ok? I am quite knowledgeable on food but not so much on wine. Is there a good article you guys can provide me with on temp and decanting?

 

[gomestar]

I'll check for an article shortly (bogged down with work), but my ideal situation is a room temperature Didier. In fact, I drink nearly all of my whites at room temperature, as long as the room isn't too hot. The only wrong answer is too cold ... I will flog you for drinking a Didier at 45 degrees.

You can't go wrong with cellar temperature but it will absolutely still be ok at room temp. No question! There is a friendly divide among wine people, at least in my observation. Cellar temperature whites tend to be slightly more pleasant to some (and they like), but room temperature allows you to experience the wine in its fullest expression (which others like). If you watch Wine Library TV, Gary insists on room temperature whites and he always seems to ask his guests what they prefer. One of the great producers from the Loire only liked room temperature, while Kermit Lynch (on the latest episode) likes his a little cooler. It all comes down to preference.

If I were you, I'd think about cellar temperature (58 is good) and just letting it warm up over time. The evolution is part of what makes Didier great. And don't worry about being overpowered ... it's a white, it's Sauv Blanc, but it's a big one.

 

[Manton]

No need to decant the Didier. Gome and I did because we had a flaky cork and wanted to strain out the cork bits.

We brought it home from the store at room temp, put it in the fridge for an hour or so before drinking. It was maybe 50 degrees when we started. As it warmed up the flavors changed, or at least the wine revealed different aspects of itself. I definitely recommend that.

You will definitely want to decant the two Margaux because there will be loads of sediment in them. How long a decant is a tricky question. I would guess that the '83 is fully mature and has been for a while so it won't need long. The '82 is still huge and could take hours to fully open. But old wine can be tricky. The flavor can "vaporise" quickly. So decant, and taste a little. If it seems tight, wait. If it's perfect, drink up.

 

[username79]

Originally Posted by gomestar

Awesome pick, Manton and I sipped that very wine over a two hour period. Incredible. Be sure to serve no colder than cellar temperature and then let it warm up to reveal everything inside.

Chatroulette?