Originally Posted by
bhrubin
So don't pay more than $100! I'm not trying to tell you what to buy or spend.
For aging, there are better wines (in my opinion) that we like better. What it's worth is relative. Compared to the comparable ageabilty of French wines, ours are much less expensive. Only American Pinot Noir IMO can't quite compete with the French red Burgundies; but other top New World wines can compete quite easily and at better price points.
Before you judge us as preferring "labels" I think you should consider the wines below--most of which I'll assume most people have never heard of before. We switch to new wineries only when we like their wines more consistently for many years more or with better prices. Whether you approve or not, these wines have tremendous history and ability to age, and that is important to us. In my opinion, top California Cabs/Syrahs age as well if not better than most Bordeaux, so we save money by sticking with California for the most part.
We also have visited every one of the below wineries as part of our extensive wine travels, as I love to see the places from where the wines come that I like to drink. I also am enrolled in the winemaking certificate program at UC Davis, so I'm a fairly serious person about wine--making it as much as drinking it.
Our wines include:
Cabernet/blends: Pahlmeyer $125, Peter Michael $175, Hundred Acre $275, Abreu $325, Colgin $350, Bryant $425, Harlan $550, also Meerlust (South Africa) $45, Woodlands (Margaret River Australia) $90
Syrahs: Saxum $85, Alban $120, Sine Qua Non $160.
Chardonnays: Aubert $80, Kongsgaard $75-175, Morlet $90, Peter Michael $100-175, also Pierro (Margaret River Australia) $75
Pinot Noirs: Aubert $90, Pahlmeyer $80, Morlet $90, Sea Smoke $65, also Felton Road (New Zealand) $65
Malbecs: Vina Cobos $100-180 (Argentina), Achaval Ferrer $125
I appreciate that not everyone spends for wine like we do. Not everyone appreciates or enjoys aged wine as much as I do (even more than my husband). Fair enough. But no need to cast stones.
I've actually heard of ALL of those wines, and tasted most of them. You should probably put a bit more care into shopping. The Achaval Ferrer single vineyard Malbecs are easily found for $85-90. You might also try their Quimera, which is a blend that costs under $50, and IMHO, is at least as interesting as the single Fincas. The top Cobos wines can also be found for $60-80 a bottle. I could also name about 20 other Malbecs that you can get for $30-50 that I think are every bit as distinguished as the Achaval Ferrer and Cobos wines - and BTW, Achaval Ferrer is my favorite winery in Argentina, but I've never paid more than $90 a bottle for any of their single vineyard wines. - and I invariably prefer their Quimera for $40-50 a bottle. I also would recommend some other top Argentina domaines: Diamandes Winery, Bodegas Giminez Riili, Mendel, Colome, Bressia, and Altocedro. All of these are making wines at the level of Achaval Ferrer and Vina Cobos, and most of their top wines are selling for $30-60 a bottle.
As far as Syrahs go, I'd stack the Foxen or Andrew Murray single vineyard wines, which cost about $50 a bottle, against any of those you listed, for complexity, character, and ageworthiness. I might also suggest that you try a winery called The Farm Winery - which is a boutique winery in the Paso Robles area that's the pet project of Santiago Achaval, from Achaval Ferrer.
The Sine Qua Non wines, along with Colgin and Bryant Cabs, are textbook examples of wine that taste more like the barrels they are made with than the grapes. Those are three of the wineries I had in mind when I referred to labels rather than wines (I do like Harlan, though, but it's simply not worth the money they charge). I'm surprised to not see Screaming Eagle in your list as well. Give me a Chateau Montelena Estate Cab over any of those - as well as Pahlmeyer, which is another wine you're paying too much for - it can easily be found for $80 or so. I'd also prefer Dominus to any of those on your list.
I'll cut you some slack on the Pinot Noirs, because they are small-lot artisnal wines - and I do like Sea Smoke - but I'd suggest that you explore Oregon for some really fine choices that can easily be found for $60-80 a bottle. I'd start with Christom. I am also a big fan of Foxen and Dierberg in the Santa Rita Hills area, if you're a fan of Sea Smoke. Again, you can generally get some really GREAT pinots for $50-60 a bottle.