Random thought- Thank you gifts for Recommenders

Hmmm I am not sure of any off hand, but you could buy a bunch and send them to me and I would be glad to offer a full review I can think of several other members on this board who would be glad to help out haha.

I would suggest this wine : https://www.beaumes-de-venise.com/mb-cgi/boutique/detail.asp?ID_Vin=4&Index=3

I have no idea whether it is avaible outside France ... and yes... it's not a red wine but it's a fantastic wine :D ... a Beaumes de Venise, a sweet, god honey white wine

Send scotch....or absinthe

This is a great topic!!!

Can anyone recommend some good cigars available in the US?

-Steve

I have not tried that wine before Fig. I'm generally not a big fan of Muscats.

If you are looking to give a sweet white, the Sauternes from '01 & '03 are excellent choices, especially '01 which will turn out to be one of the greatest of our lifetimes. Chateau D'Yquem is the best of the sweet whites (no debate about this really), but will not meet the $50 cutoff. The Rieussec & Suduiraut from '03 should still be below $50 and are incredible.

If you're giving wine, the choice will depend a lot on how much you know about wine, and how much your recommender likes wine. If they are wine-fanatics, do not think that you are doing them a favor by giving them wine. They probably will not have any use for what you get them. If they are casual wine afficianados, then a gift of wine might be a good idea.

For wine, I'd suggest any of the following:

Opus One - for someone who really went above and beyond, but make sure they are someone you know well. Giving this bottle to someone is a little over the top, and if they know their wines, they'll know it. So don't make it embarassing.

https://www.samswine.com/Products/Produc ... U=10042468

Isosceles (somehow samswine doesnt return an item!!)

Barolo (decent but not great)

https://www.samswine.com/Products/Produc ... U=10031205
https://www.samswine.com/Products/Produc ... U=10017501
https://www.samswine.com/Products/Produc ... U=10029601

Brunello Di Moltalcino - an excellent wine
https://www.samswine.com/Products/Produc ... U=10035689
If you want to drop a bit more - these are also excellent choices
https://www.samswine.com/Products/Produc ... U=10038962
https://www.samswine.com/Products/Produc ... U=10038963

And if you want to go with something they are more likely to recognize (probably what'd I'd pick)

https://www.samswine.com/Products/Produc ... U=10031512

If you dont want to do a wine, a port's always an option:

https://www.samswine.com/Products/Product.aspx?SKU=23630

Lots more options... If the above dont strike your fancy, let me know plenty other choices.

Personally, I'm waiting until my decisions are in to do the whole gift thing.

Ahhh... U are probably right here... Even if some people in France consider Sauternes a little overestimated ... I did not try yet the famous Yquem, it should be done one day

A little out of the topic but how would u compare the LA white wines to some sauternes... I heard only arguments against them such as the production is more important than the quality etc... I do not think this is real, what do u think?

A last question, do u hear about Alsace wines in the USA? which regions of France are well known on the USA market?

Now I feel like having a drink.
hah.

That's interesting that people in France consider Sauternes to be overrated. Kind of funny actually. Robert Parker (very influential wine critic, so much so that he was knighted by France) called Yquem the most inspiring of of all wines - probably the only wine from any region that literally has no peers. I recall the first time I tasted it. Oddly, it was at a "serve yourself" gimmicky place in San Francisco where you buy a card, and then go around to automated dispensers and serve yourself a little taste. It's a great way to try a lot of wine. They had Yquem for about $28 a taste (1 oz I think); most of the other wines were $2-3. Since tasting it, I have had a different view of wines altogether. Mind blowing (and it wasn't even a spectacular vintage).

The best known French regions in the US market are of course Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne. Burgundy has been getting more exposure in the mainstream lately because there is a Pinot Noir craze sweeping through the US. Sauternes is a sub-region of Bordeaux but it's kind of separate. Then there are the Rhone varietals, which I think are becoming very popular. You can tell because many US wineries that used to just produce Cabernet & Chardonnay are now growing Syrah & Viognier. Alsace is lesser regarded & lesser known I think. I believe that people that like rieslings tend to favor the German producers. I have not heard of many US producers growing rieslings (except for ice wine, yuck) so I think the region has a ways to go yet. I'm not very knowledgeable about the region.

What about good vodkas?

Heheheheeeee
Should be a Russian one, of course!
But not the notorious Stolichnaya

I also heard from many respected sources that a French Grey Goose vodka is a top-choice. Haven't tasted it myself yet...

Since Cubans must be unavalable in US your logical choice would be Dominicans.
Arturo Fuente Opus X is claimed to be one of the best. But there are many-many other excellent ones, Montecristo for example.

Nice discussion ... Thanks Pelihu

About Sauternes, it's the perception that, at a similar quality, the sauternes will always have a higher price. .. Or, the "recent" prices increase relative to other wines . To me, Sauternes wines are trully unique.

If I have the opportunity for it, which LA white (even red) wine should I try?... I have never seen some LA wine in France: the market is too closed But, I want to taste some of them ... Any suggestions?

Hi Fig, I was a bit confused when you first mentioned "LA wine" in your earlier message but now that you are asking a specific question about it, I must say I'm not sure exactly what you mean by LA wine. They don't actually grow grapes in Los Angeles (LA), I'm sure the smog would kill the vines instantly Are you talking about California? California has a wealth of outstanding appellations and I could definitely fill your head with discussion about Napa Valley wines. I live in the eastern part of the San Francisco bay area, so I'm about an hour and a half from Napa Valley.

I totally agree with you about the recent increases in wine prices. I understand that much of the increase is from new wealthy buyers in Asia, and since the ancient Chateaux cannot really increase their vineyard space for their Grand Vin, supply will be the same (dependent on growing conditions of course) while demand continues to go up, up, up. I was able to buy '00 and '03 Bordeaux futures, but the '05 are just too rich for my blood. I have a little stash of '01 & '03 Sauternes that will have to last me through business school.

Absolutly, your analysis is adequately fitted to the situation. I believe as u that "sadly" (depending on which side we are positioned) the demand is steadily inscreasing ... It does me think about a specific MBA progam dedicated to wine market

Thanks to relocate gently the postion of wines produiced in California. So it's Napa Valley. I heard about these wines several time and as other things that interest me, I do not have the time to spend on ... Feel free to suggest me some of them: I really appreciate the "inner" view

Have u the chance to possess, what I call perhaps wrongly, a spefic "wine cellar" to preserve your wines? To be clearer, a room under your house remaing at correct, constant temperature by natural conditions? (I must say it's a kind of dream for me )

I do not have an underground cellar - few houses in California have them. I have actually recently moved all of my wines to off-site storage. There are lots of specialty wine storage places that are temperature and humidity controlled around here. A popular feature of many ultra-expensive houses in this area is a "wine cellar", but they wouldn't be natural conditions. Generally they would be temperature and climate controlled with very fancy accoutrements.

I have thought about pursuing a career in wine, but the reality is that many of the wines that capture the imagination are more like art than business. If you get an MBA and go into the wine industry (it is big here), it would probably be with a huge beverage conglomerate and you'd be in sales or logistics; something like that. UC Davis (not far from here) does have a world class Viticulture and Enology major, but I'm not really cut out to be a farmer, and really, I don't want to make my hobby my business.

If you'd like recommendations on some California wines, the choices are extensive. You mentioned earlier that you wanted to find a white wine; I would recommend Kistler and Kongsgaard. They will give the best white burgundies a run for their money. Unfortunately, it may be nearly impossible to find them.

More mainstream wines that you might be able to find in France would be Stag's Leap Wine Cellars (they won the 1976 Paris tasting and put Napa Valley on the Map, google or wikipedia it), Mondavi, Shafer or Caymus. Opus One is a joint venture between Mondavi and Mouton (yes the premier cru). Christian Moueix of Petrus runs Dominus in Napa Valley.

Calfornia wines are referenced by winery name, then varietal; for example you might look for a Mondavi Cabernet. I wanted to point this out because it's obviously different in France. Some wineries will produce and sell Bordeaux, Burgundy and Rhone varietals - Pride is a good example of this. They make Syrah, Viognier, Cabernet, Chardonnay and Merlot (among others). The trend in Napa Valley is ultra-small production wines made to the highest possible standards. These wines (Harlan Estate, Screaming Eagle, Colgin, among others) rival premier cru Bordeaux in terms of price and quality at this stage in their development, but are available in much smaller quantities, maybe 500-1000 cases a year.

There is a saying that no matter how or where you start collecting wine, everyone eventually winds up in Bordeaux or Burgundy as they get serious. I think that is really true.

Very pleasant moment to read u, pelihu Thanks for your reply !

I notice your 2 recommendations Kistler and Kongsgaard... I keep a note of them Since more than 10 years now, I have a specific attraction for the white wine.... For the red wine, I have time (or it's what I say me :p)

I would be glad to have a better idea of what are the california wines ... The only way is the practice, the meetings and the readings.... By reviving an old passion, our discussion makes me want to go further on it

Among others, I preserve a 1981 sauternes bottle at my parent home. It's a Château Doisy Daene, more emotions on my side than prestige about this bottle I have it since 1993 and I think to open it in case of a good news such as the opened door of HEC