A little help from the wine pro's please..
 

I'm sneaking this one in but I'm desperate. I'm trying to buy a bottle of wine for my husband for Christmas, but I can't remember the year! It's a Joseph Phelp's Cabernet, should run about $90-$100, but I can't remember the year (maybe 96 or 97?). Does anyone know what year I would be looking for in that price range, and where I might be able to find a bottle at a good price in the NY metro area? Thank you, I know this isn't a travel question, but I also know that there are some real wine aficianados here who can help me.

Try Le Mistral or a '99 or '98 Backus.<BR>If you need to research more, there is a site for Joseph Phelps..try putting it into Google and see what you can find. Have fun!

http://www.jpvwines.com/<BR><BR>Joseph Phelps Vineyard site.

Thanks wife, I know you share my burden.

You are probably looking for the Insignia Cabernet which is a cab blend and their high-end offering. You can pick up the 1997 Joseph Phelps Vineyards Cabernet Blend Insignia for $99.99 at K&amp;D Wines at 1366 Madison Avenue, NYC. You can also find it at Diplomat Wines at 939 Second Avenue, NYC but they're selling it for $149.99. The '97 &quot;outrates&quot; the '96 per most professional reviewers, but it's really just a matter of preference. Good luck!<BR>

Thank you Snowflake! That's it! You've just made my life easier.

Glad to help! Happy Holidays.

You can also try Sherry Lehman on Madison. I believe they deliver.

Technically Insignia is a blend or Meritage. They do not call it a &quot;cabernet blend.&quot; It is the 97 that had a very good review (as most 97's did) but the 98 is not a bad choice either. Cheers!

Thanks. I am looking for someplace that ships. I was going out today, but since it's now sleeting, I'll order in!

I would also look at Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon &quot;Backus Vineyard&quot; as it is a delicious wine and worth every penny compared to Insignia.

Wino: 1997 Joseph Phelps Vineyards Cabernet Blend Insignia is the way it is listed on wineaccess.com . . . I pulled it from there. Never mind, Opus One is my blend of choice anyway ;-)

Yes, I understand that but many sites list Blends, Meitages and Cabs incorrectly. Technically it is a cab most years, if not all, because of the % of the blend but they prefer to think of it as a Bordeaux blend so it doesn't compete with their single vineyard Cab. Opus is also technically a cab most years as well.

&quot;Wino&quot; is correct. And to add more confusion not all blends can call themselves a Meritage, only those that meet the criteria and then also pay a fee to the Meritage Association to use that term. J. Phelps chooses not to.

I wanted to add that if you are a fan of J.Phelps wines be sure to pick up a bottle of their Merlot. It is yummy!

I love this site. I learn new stuff all the time. And are you pulling my leg with the Meritage classification being a proprietary name per an Association? So Cain Cellars or Merryvale pay an Association money for the privilege of using that word?

If you're into the $100 price point, you can do better than a CA cab, Phelps or no.<BR><BR>Pardon my pith, but the joy of wine is not going to be grapsed by anyone who gets on Fodors and announces they have $100 to blow on wine, and wants some help with the label.<BR><BR>Go telephone Sherry Lehman and talk with the sales staff. They'll take your hundred and give you whatever you want.<BR><BR>Gadzooks! The wealthy make one yearn for the sun and an end to this stupid icy rain.

Yes. Here is a site with more info.<BR>http://www.meritagewine.org/

There is a site for it. Just go under Google and do a search.

Oopps. I didnt see that Wine lover found one. Sorry. Thanks.

It does not surprise me one bit that a California Cab goes for over a hundred, especially a 1997 which is an out vintage and is no longer in stores, and was an extraordinary year.

There are some great Cal wines out there and many are certainly worth what they charge but many are not. IMHO J Phelps is a very good house and produces outstanding wines most years.

Here is another good site I find very helpful. http://travelenvoy.com/wine.htm

Just to clarify,this wino is not my husband:D<BR><BR>With the miserable weather we are having today, isn't it just grand that you can call up a store and have them deliver your Christmas shopping? Another reason to love New York!

x, I don't have $100 to blow on wine. My husband is a wine collector, and is looking for a specific wine to add to his collection. I'm trying to buy him a gift. I'm not some idiot who wants to throw $100 at someone and just say &quot;here, pick something out&quot;.<BR><BR>Wine is my husband's hobby, and we've been to Sherry Lehman many, many times, but he is the one asking for what he wants, not for help from the sales staff. If the gift weren't for him, I wouldn't be asking for help from Fodorites, who, by the way, have been very helpful with the exception of one nasty individual.

And your right x, $100 wine would be wasted on me, since I'm not the connoisser my husband is, but then again, the wine isn't for me, is it?

Absentminded, don't let the Grinches in the crowd put a damper on the day. I think it's great that you are putting an effort into finding the perfect gift for your husband. Job well done! <BR><BR>

Absentminded,<BR>I have my own tastes in wine, learned from living many years with a real wine expert. But when it comes to buying them wine as a gift, it is always daunting! Sherry Lehman and the better wine stores are worth the money when they help with the choice. <BR>This year for my husbands birthday (a week before Christmas) I got him a set of Reidel glasses. For Christmas, I am giving him a case of Perrin Cote de Rhon that is already hard to find. <BR>My choice was based on his loving this wine at a restaurant, so I took the name of the wine and went to the local wine shop. Wives of winos learn to be sneaky:)

I agree! Have a great holiday!

I agree! I learned something new!

The Joseph Phelps Cab thats runs that much is probably Backus Vineyard Cab. It is outstanding!

Yes indeed, there was only 1 nasty poster. The rest were all very helpful. Now I really have to go and do some Christmas decorating. Thanks again for all the suggestions, I'm sure my husband will enjoy the wine.

Let us know what you find! Happy Holidays!

Yes it looks like most of fodors' housewives are logging off to do some Christmas decorating about now. Interesting or just coincidence?

I noticed none of you heeded my words, but nonetheless I will give you an idea, since it's the season - E. Cuigal, a 2000 Rhone, for $30 a bottle - just named Wine of the Year by Wine Spectator. You do know what is being said by Parker et al about the Year 2000s, I assume. You need not waste your $100 on a cab from a greedy winemaker in CA who raises his prices simply because the Bordeaulais do! Get your hubby into a different direction. And when they tell you the '97 CA cabs are extraordinary, remind them of 1994, and the fact that the CA winemakers have been claiming every year for the last five have been extraordinary. What they really are saying is their wines are all in danger of becoming a like. Appararently terroir remains an alien concept on our left coast

and do not bother to flame me, I am signing off with the other housewives to get the place decorated for my lover boy who arrives this afternoon with some of my favorite sauternes to sip.

If you haven't been go to First Ave Wines, on 1st Ave between 22 and 23rd Sts.<BR><BR>They have a wonderful collections of wines from all over and the &quot;back room&quot; has some amazing wines. They have one of the best wine lists in the city and very good prices.<BR><BR>They also do special events and tastings in the back room, invitation only, so your hubby would probably love it there.<BR><BR>Maybe you can arrange for a special tour of the backroom for him.<BR><BR>Have a wonderful holiday.

Another thing you can do that is fun is to pay a visit to Vintage in Soho. They only sell NY wines, and are they only place in NY allowed to sell wine on a Sunday. They have a wine tasting bar in the back that is a great place to taste the NY wines and meet some interesting people at the same time.

Taking a break from eau du Frazier Fur for a moment, and I'm glad to see this thread still here. I was thinking, since so many of you know so much about wine, if you could recommend a Cabernet, Merlot or Syrah for less than $50 a bottle? Is it possible to find a Brunello in that range? Something really outstanding in that price range would be nice.<BR><BR>x I know you just recommded a Rhone, but I just had some (maybe not a good one), last Saturday night and I couldn't even finish it. Just didn't appeal to me. So, any other recs.? As it happens, my husband's birthday is this weekend, so maybe I'll surprise him with a wine that he didn't have to hint at, and maybe he'll even think some of his wine knowledge is rubbing off on me.

Ellen, Had no idea that Vintage in SoHo sold wine on Sunday! What a great thing to know! Thanks for the tip.