Related Posts
How do start a new career at 50?
Additional Posts in Wine Club
Press like if you’re a fan of obscure varietals
NYC wine club meetup?
New to Fishbowl?
Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
Vieux Telegraph on CdP side
You're going to find better value in France. Stick to chateaneuf du pape and it's surrounds if you like that style. For CdP, I like Vieux Telegraphe and Clos du Caillou. Domaine de Pegau might bridge the French and American styles for you.
See if any wines from St. Cosme are available in your area. They have production in CdP and its surrounding appellations - Gigondas, Vacqueyras (also look up their côtés du Rhône village bottles) . All should come in at less than 100 a bottle, and drink well young with a decant.
Pro
Paradigm is lovely stuff.
https://www.merryvale.com/
Second this recommendation. My mother in-law likes this expression of wine and she gets both merryvale and Sullivan Napa cabs delivered. She also likes Turley old vine zins from Cali. https://sullivanwine.com
Caymus. Cade. Frank Family RHF.
Visual Storyteller
Caymus still holds a special place in my heart. Prefer to go with France these days but will buy a bottle or 2 of caymus a year still.
Mercury head and Blueprint.
If you like CdP I would also look at some similar blends in Paso — super high quality wine, lots of good stuff in the $50 - 100 range. Tablas Creek, Law, Clos Solene, L’Aventure, Linne Calodo, and many others have excellent GSM blends similar to CdP.
In CdP, agree that Telegraph is great, as is Beaucastel, and Clos des Papes.
!!Tablas Creek makes some of the best Grenache
Barnett Vineyards or Piña Vineyards for your CA cab, Chateau Beaucastle or Chapoutier for the CDP. Beautiful wines.
Check out Aonair, Dakota Shy, Reverie, and Behrens Family. These are bold Napa blends.
Corison is a fave for me, on the more elegant/restrained side of Napa wines but that’s all relative in a bold vintage, and prices don’t seem to climb as fast as some others.
Double diamond and something from family Perrin
Spring Mountain Estate has a really good library of Napa cabs, I personally prefer the 94’. Hyde de Villaine is a smaller Napa winery that makes Bordeaux style Napa cabs/Syrahs. Also love Chappellet.