On Apr 10, 12:31�pm, "DaleW" > wrote:
> On Apr 10, 11:11?am, "Dee Dee" > wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Apr 10, 10:58 am, "DaleW" > wrote:
>
> > > On Apr 9, 10:56?pm, "Gary Childress" > wrote:
>
> > > > Today at Costco I spent $35.00 for a bottle of Franciscan Magnificat.
> > > > The most I've yet spent on a bottle of wine. ?I sure hope the stuff is
> > > > good!!
>
> > > I've spent $300-325 twice, but in neither case was I buying solely for
> > > myself. For a 1986 Bdx horizontal, I bought an '86 Marguax, but was
> > > splitting it with 4 others (those that were bringing less expensive
> > > bottles - I was bringing the Leoville Barton - chipped in so we
> > > weren't pikers next to those bringing the 1sts, LLC, etc). For a Cab
> > > Franc themed tasting, I got the '83 Cheval Blanc (sticker shock, it
> > > was $200 not long ago), but we all contributed to expenses.
>
> > > I've purchased wines in the $130-170 range a few times ('01 Haut Brion
> > > -anniversary wine, plus some '59s for Betsy's birthday, etc).
>
> > > Those are the rare exceptions, however.
>
> > Was the $300 bottle and the other $130-170 bottles what you expected.
> > Did you realize (by taste) that you were drinking a fine(r) wine?
> > Could you have done a taste test with, say, a $50 vs. a $100 bottle in
> > the same category and feel like you could discern?
>
> > Thanks.
> > Dee- Hide quoted text -
>
> > - Show quoted text -
>
> I bought the '83 Cheval Blanc because I had tried before and felt it a
> top example of what was in my opinion was the finest predominantly
> Cabernet Franc wine in the world (and one of the 4 or 5 best bottles
> I've ever had). This bottle lived up to my expectations, actually
> surpassed. My note from last year:
> I had chosen the Cab Franc theme as an excuse to get this bottle,
> which had stunned me previously. That's a recipe for disappointment,
> but not this time. Rich, vibrant, and young, with powerful blackberry
> and black cherry fruit, some light mocha notes, and a clean long
> finish. The nose becomes more exotic as it sits in glass, with coffee
> and sandalwood curling around the solid fruit base. Great great wine
> for my tastes. A+
>
> I think most agreed. Two members of my group are professional wine
> writers, one declared it better than the more expensive 1982 CB
> he'dhad the previous week, The other I believe gave it a 97 (very hard
> grader, as high a score for a Bordeaux as I remember him giving).
>
> The '86 Margaux was not one of the brightest stars that *night, but
> more a question of tightness than lack of quality:
> 1986 Ch. Margaux
> Tight, brooding, monolithic. I had double-decanted this about 6-7
> hours
> before (giving it half-hour in a decanter as I was cleaning bottle
> and
> other chores)- it wasn't giving up much then and it wasn't giving
> anymore now. Big, needs time (25 years!). Think it will eventually be
> amazing, seems to be a lot hiding there. Saving some in my glass
> eventually resulted in a big powerful cassis-driven wine. A-/B+
>
> In both cases I was glad I purchased.
>
> In general, most of the over $100 bottles I've purchased have been
> because I've tasted them.The exceptions have been things like 2001
> Haut-Brion (I bought for 20th, 30th anniversaries based on my love of
> HB) and a pair of '59s (Sauternes and later harvest primitivo) I
> bought for Betsy's 50th.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

I'm not sure if Dee Dee was asking if the wines were worth it or if
one can tell the difference between expensive bottles and inexpensive
bottles..or both. In either case, I taste a lot of wines blind and
have been fooled more times than I'd like to admit, however, generally
speaking I can usually tell the difference between $10 and $100+ and
given that in any week I might taste between 30-50 wines in the $30
and under category you get a feel for the flavor profiles of
inexpensive red wines versus pricier red wines. The trick is to find
$10 wines that smell, taste and feel like $50+.