Opus one, Quintessa, Rubicon, realm the bard, mercury head, have them, burnt out. What’s the next level? Thanks so much!
Image Unavailable, Please Login Marquette, my bad. I had attached another image at the time but I guess it did not upload. The wine is Sine Qua Non. It seems that you like California reds and this could be a slight step up staying in the California region.
Got some Piece de Resistance a little while back from a friend who has an allotment, haven't opened mine yet but I've had it before and it's one of my favorites. Might be worth a try if you haven't had it. Otherwise just the usual stuff. And this just came in today, but QC has been hit and miss with their last few releases so I've lowered my expectations for their wines. I'm not an expert by any means so I usually go to vinfolio and use their guidance for what to buy.
Serge, you bought the wrong Quilceda Creek "P" and "G" (your pic) are waaaay overrated. Their big Cab and CVR ("cheap stuff") are the only ones worth buying I had a "G" the other night, no different from the CVR at 1/3 the price Bill
Screaming Eagle still a thing? Only tried it once, and wasn't particularly bowled over. DID love the crate of Chateau Margaux my ex & I went through, a decade or so back, but can't even remember the vintage. These days? My tasting notes are long expired, and I'm just fine quaffing what most would call "plonk."
Expand your mind beyond the New World. Get into Bordeaux. If you're ever done with that, move on to Italy.
You know, seeing all that opus one and what the heck. You Americans are funny. You think the bigger the name, the pricer the bottle. The better it is. I would still bet that an average temperanillo from Spain, let's say a Protos crianza for 15 bucks can hold against a freaking Napa what the heck. But hey, it's a Ferrari board. Image Unavailable, Please Login Sent from my Pixel 3 using FerrariChat.com mobile app
What an odd thing to say. Just because you might prefer something doesn't make it better, equal, or worse than something else. Some people prefer a Supra to a 458, that doesn't make it the better car. Vintners take decades, sometimes centuries to develop their reputations and blends ... the quality of their wines dictates whether they are desirable or not by the consumer and rated by wine experts. Quality and desirability dictates demand which in turn dictates prices, set either by the vintner or by the open market on places like Vinfolio. And yes, open markets are a very American thing. Your personal taste aside, I can assure you that if your Spanish wines were as good and desirable as some of the ones mentioned in this thread they would fetch similar high prices, that's how that works. This isn't to say that there aren't some great $25 wines out there that many of us enjoy, and there are many $400 wines that are terrible ... wine lovers enjoy the process of seeking the former and avoiding the latter. BUT, the process is always relative to the price, meaning that a great $25 bottle of one is relative to the fact that it only costs $25, and will never be as good (even though one may prefer it) as a great $400 of wine. Same way the Supra may be a great car for its price but that don't make it a Pista. Are there people who don't know a lot about wine who approach it with veblenism and only go by price? Sure, that's the case with a lot of material things, especially cars and watches. But oddly enough wine is one of those things where pricing is generally pretty good in dictating quality, especially at the higher price points. There aren't many $400 bottles of wine the one is going to spit out in disgust ... if there were they wouldn't be $400 for long. The real trick is knowing what to get when confronted with a thousand options of $75-$125 wines and discerning quality and preference in a price range that includes exceptional, terrible, and everything in between.
That's not what I said. But to kick off with Opus one and such, my experience is that many people that know these names usually know them only because of the price tag and exclusivity that comes with it. I collect wine, I have more than 1000 bottles currently and yes, I know the difference between a 400 usd and a 25 bottle. My point is, and I'm up for a competition. I take one 25 to 50 bucks bottle from Spain or Italy that easily compete with the big flashy fancy names from Napa. But sometimes that's not important I know. The name is, otherwise Moet would be bankrupt already. And this wasn't meant to be personal (bc I don't know you) I truly wish and hope someone that drinks opus one would really understand these things. My experience is, stereotype, a lot of people just through this stuff around to pretend they know. I just said what I said in reply to the question, what is next level? Next level is, understand temperanillo, understand Amarone and Barbera. If you go white, understand a real Riesling. That would be my advice (like the guy said before me) before asking "for the next level" Sent from my Pixel 3 using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Chris When I asked for the next level, I didn’t mean cost or price point....but next level of experience. I completely agree the more expensive the wine doesn’t translate into a better tasting experience. I’m all about value... if you would kindly recommend some of your favorite wines, I would love to try. My wife loves white, this a recent find. Highly recommend. Image Unavailable, Please Login
I'm not an expert. I just buy the wine I like and it's really up for the mood I'm in. For instance on the white side, if I have my raw seafood graving I need to have Meursault on hand, https://www.vinatis.com/27871-meursault-1er-cru-genevrieres-2015-louis-jadot Or as mentioned before, some chips with olives and some Protos from Spain. Its not just the wine and the ranking, I lived 2 years in Spain. I traveled all over the ribera de duero. I'm often in France. I've been to Margaret river. And yes, I was also in Napa. But Napa compared to, let's say Riberia de duero is a freakshow. One superlative after the other. Sold out wines, waiting lists, all that crap. Just bc of all the people throwing money on things, glueless. Like buying a Pista...haha. Maybe it's bc of I was born in communism or whatever it is, I get annoyed very quickly with all that shi shi and Blabla. A good old wine, some cheese, some jamon and live is good! Yes, sometimes things are complicated and yes, I also buy online. But there is nothing better than going to Auge in Paris, Blv Hausmann and dive in for 2 hours. Bc of my approach I miss out a lot, like Italian, Southamerican and Southafrican,... I'm starting on italian wine recently but don't know much about it. Wine is more like, getting to know the areas, the culture, the people. And than of course, per region there are some treasures. Like the Meursault at my link. Or a Keller Kirchspiel Riesling, Germany's absolutely, by far best white. Or a mataromerra gran reserva from Spain. Roda 1, Vega Sicilia, Flor de pignus,... Best Sent from my Pixel 3 using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Totally depends upon what you like of course...so perhaps some description of what elements you enjoy in red wine... That said, - for the majority of folks that "get into wine" - the transitions go something like this: Cali cab --> Bordeaux --> Rhone --> Burgundy (with detours to Spain and Italy) Give us some idea of that you like (and a bit of why/specifics) and we can make some recommendations. Oh, need price level too, in order to make meaningful recs.
Please say hi to the wife and try to source these ones 1. http://www.fx-pichler.at/ Steinertal, Smaragd Riesling 2. https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/donnhoff+dellchen+riesling+grosses+gewachs+nordheim+nahe+germany 3. Vincent Dauvissat, Petit Chablis 2015 3 different countries, 3 different approaches. number 1 and 2 are top rieslings, number 3 is a "cheaper" alternative to Meuresault for the oyster bar.
Since this is an Italian car site- Amarone. I’ve never had a bad one - just very very good to outstanding- Cesari, Masi, Bertani and finally Dal Forno and Quintarelli. And when you really want to blow your mind-Alzero by Quintarelli-it’s a Cabernet franc that competes with and beats the best reds out there Sent from my iPad using FerrariChat.com mobile app
This is exactly what I was hoping..... learning from others vast experience. Thanks all. Keep the recommendations coming [emoji16]
Wine is a very subjective thing, there is much merit on what has been said here. Just because you may not like a big Cali Cab, like the ones shown here doesn't diminish their quality/pedigree. They are well made wines. Are some wine overpriced? or are not a value? of course, but that is a function of the wine market. Supply/Demand/Ratings. ie: was at a Brunello only tasting, most every producer was present, and the topic of the 2014 vintage came about. Some houses didn't produce any 2014 Brunello others did. Critics panned the vintage year as being very difficult growing season. I tasted some 2014 from solid producers and they were quite good. Drink what you like, and try many things to find your palate
Screaming Eagle is still a thing. I imagine the waitlist is quite a few years. Not sure what list price is but it brings big money on secondary market. Sine Qua Non (SQN) waitlist is around 10 years until you are offered an allocation. Prices for SQN have softened on the secondary market. I don't drink it until it has at least 8 years of age on it. I love Margaux and recently drank through an 82, 86, 90, 96, 00 and 02. All were fabulous. To the op. use wine-searcher for pricing, cellar tracker is a good resource for pricing and tasting notes, wine berserkers is an active wine forum. I will be selling some Schrader, Scarecrow, Harlan and SQN soon. Too much of some wines and some things are not my style. Buying some more First growth BDX and Rhone.