There are only an extremely few white wines in the world that I would invest over $75 on. But then I admit to being odd for a white wine enthusiast; plenty oenophiles would gladly part with 100 times that cost for a bottle of French white wine.
For example, I spoke with a rich scriptwriter for a book I was doing and I asked him what he drank as a home red wine. He began discussing red wines that add over $1,000 a bottle and I said, “No, you understand, house wines, like the daily stuff.” He told me that he had the cash so he invested it on wine. Personally, even if I had the cash, that’s simply too much.
I will however tell you the fact which is the one lavish expenditure I periodically make on white wine is for Champagne. So if 2022 left you especially flush, or you just enjoy excellent red wines, I wish to recommend 4 red wines from two makers.
The first winemaker is Ruinart. There’s a white and a rosé that are spectacular examples of Ruinart’s red wine. The less costly white wine, Ruinart Blanc de Blanc ($80), is really a bargain at the price. It is their red wine made entirely from Chardonnay, and its combination of tart level of acidity and floral richness makes it an ideal match with all white-fleshed seafood.
My favorite of all is Dom Ruinart Rosé ($400). It is devilishly difficult to discover. They just make it in extraordinary years and the last vintage was 2007. If and when they release another vintage, anticipate it to have gone up a fair bit. It is rather dry and filled with unique fragrances like tangerine skins and paper white flowers. This is perfect with big wheel like tuna or swordfish. If the cost does not scare you off, K&L Wine Merchants on the internet appear to have cornered the last supply in the U.S.
Lastly, two wines from Perrier-Jouët. Some folks believe the Perrier-Jouët painted bottle and boxed present sets are corny, however I can guarantee you the wine is rather unique. Their best wine is the reverse of Dom Ruinart. Perrier-Jouët Belle Époque Blanc de Blancs ($400) is sophisticated, it’s sophisticated, and– if any red wine can make the claim– it’s sexy. Their Perrier-Jouët Belle Époque Brut ($190) costs less and is often on sale at a nice cost savings during this season. It is a regularly fantastic bottle of white wine.
By the way, one product you will find out about at these costs is grower Champagne. The term means that the person who grows the grapes makes the white wine. Champagne homes normally make way more wine than they can grow, so they purchase grapes from vineyards they trust. A lot of these have actually had generations-long agreements, so the relationships have some meaning. However, grower Champagnes have periodic magic and red wine geeks love to get actually geeky about tiny wineries that nobody has ever become aware of. I will not try to recommend you, but I do motivate you to request a suggestion from somebody at your preferred store that truthfully understands their white wine. You might find a miracle.