Help me buy wine!

Cafe Society
1

I find myself in a complicated situation.

I have a good friend. Call her Sally. Sally is the mother of the former student of mine. Since her daughter’s graduation, almost 4 years ago, I’ve been in the habit of going over to Sally’s after school (she lives near the school) one every week or two for a glass of wine and a nice little gossip session.

Now then, I am solidly middle class. Teacher salary, little house, low-end sedan type life. Sally is Wealthy. Like, net wealth in the several-to-many millions. This has never, ever been a problem, but every once in a while it will emerge in very different assumptions. Now then, it has vaguely bothered me over the last year or two that I have drunk an awful lot of what I suspect is very nice wine over the years. I don’t think we are drinking $100 bottles of wine, but I am pretty sure they aren’t $8 bottles, either. I just drink what she hands me and I like it all.

Anyway, Sally is moving into a new house this week. I’d like to buy her a housewarming gift, and a couple bottles of wine seems like a good idea, but I have no idea what sort to get–something $20-$30 a bottle seems about right, but it has to be something someone who really knows wine would like. She strongly prefers whites, and I think we tend to drink domestics, but I don’t know anything else. So, sophisticated dopers–what are some respectable wines?

2

I’m no wine snob, and my favorite wines tend to be in the $10-$25 price range, but I’ve been to Napa and Sonoma, and some of my favorite white wines are found at Grgich Hills, Sterling and Chateau St. Jean. Each of these wineries produces very good bottles of white wine that will be recognized by someone who enjoys and is knowledgeable about California wines.

Other California wineries that I’m familiar with that I know have good white wines in the price range you mentioned:

Foxen
Coppola
Chalk Hill

3

Thanks!

And I can’t believe the typo in the subject line. Could someone report my post so that a mod can fix that? I feel dumb!

4

Sonoma-Cutrer Russian River Ranches Chardonnay. Should be $25 - $35 a bottle.

Rock solid; market wise. :wink:

5

Changed thread title from “Help me by wine!” to “Help me buy wine!”

Gfactor
Moderator

6

Not sure of your location and access to wine shops, other than a grocery store or what have you. However, if you can find them I would strongly recommend either of the following:

Smoking Loon Viognier - runs about $10 in the Houston area

Cousino Macul Sauvignon Gris - $15