Ok, all you wine conisseurs...

[mjr]

Question...

The Mrs. and I have our 10th wedding anniversary coming up, as some of you know.

I'm considering buying a good wine (or sparkling wine) from 2004 (the year we got married).

Our "wedding" drink was Moet & Chandon White Star from 1996. I'd like something similar.

Anyone got any good suggestions for a wine like this?

I don't really know much about wine, at all. All I know is that at this point it doesn't matter the "color" of the wine, or whether or not it is sparkling. I'm more interested in what might be good from 2004.

[TheSHAD0W]

I dunno about that fancy bottled stuff, but I've discovered the stuff that comes in a box works pretty well and you can afford lots of it!

*runs away!*

[NorthernZel]

I just looked up the vintage of 2004 in Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Guide, and he says that this particular year is a bit of a minefield - there are some good wines (especially in the more expensive price range), but also a lot of lousy ones.

If there's a respectable wine store in your area, I'd suggest consulting them for some advice.

If you choose to skip the vintage and go for the bubbly, I'd reccommend a bottle of Charles Mignon Brût champagne. A bit cheaper than the more known brands of champagne, but still very good.

[Jester]

I'm pretty sure that the last time I bought some of my favorite wine, I saw some bottles from 2004.

My favorite wine is a Spanish red, Marques de Caceres.

Their base is the Crianza Rioja, and down here it goes for about $14 a bottle.
Then there's their Reserva for about $20.
And then, my friends, a little slice of heaven, their Gran Reserva for about $30.

Remember, these are Key West prices, which tend to be higher than other markets, so your prices may vary. But even at these prices, I find it to be one of the best wines, pound for pound, for the really low price.

[wolfie]

One possible issue for you is what jurisdiction you live in. Some are more liberal regarding availability of alcoholic beverages, while others clamp down. Something I've read here is that (for example) Pennsylvania has VERY poor selection (if one wine store doesn't carry it, none will), and in all cases there are significant legal hangups to bringing in "out of jurisdiction" booze. It might help if people knew what jurisdiction you were in, since that could affect which 2004 wines you can get.

[mjr]

It might help if people knew what jurisdiction you were in, since that could affect which 2004 wines you can get.

I'm in Texas, and fortunately, it seems that I actually can have wine/sparkling wine shipped to me. I've done it before, legally. So I don't know what options I have, but given the (oftentimes unfair) reputation that The Lone Star State has, I'd guess my options would be pretty open.

[KiaKat]

Vina Ardanza Reserva Rioja, 2004. One of Wine Spectator's Top 100, with good reason. Should run you in the 30's. Champagne is the other safe bet, if you can find Vilmart & Cie, that's a fav, so is Pierre Peters. Avoid most 04 vintages, though, as they just didn't hold up.

EDIT: slight correction to the above- I do have ONE bottle of an 04 Morey-St-Denis at home from a small producer, and it's definitely held up, but I don't think that producer is available outside my store. Pretty sure I haven't seen a shipment from them in years.

SECOND EDIT:

I'm in Texas, and fortunately, it seems that I actually can have wine/sparkling wine shipped to me. I've done it before, legally. So I don't know what options I have, but given the (oftentimes unfair) reputation that The Lone Star State has, I'd guess my options would be pretty open.

Just saw this. Shipping to TX is legal only for wineries that aren't already carried by the liquor authority, and only by shipping through the authority. It's a pain. Some stores have found loopholes in shipping laws, but they're finicky and one screwup can result in the loss of one's liquor license.

[mjr]

EDIT: slight correction to the above- I do have ONE bottle of an 04 Morey-St-Denis at home from a small producer, and it's definitely held up, but I don't think that producer is available outside my store. Pretty sure I haven't seen a shipment from them in years.

Our "original" (i.e. newlywed) bottle of champagne was Moet & Chandon White Star from 1996. I think we paid something like $55 or $60 for it. I don't really recall.

I did do a search on a wine site for that Morey-St-Denis, and found a number of them from 2004. It says they ship to Texas.

I'd really like to stick with a sparkling wine or a champagne, but if I can't, I think a nice red would do the trick.

I know little to nothing about wines, except that I generally like sweeter/fruitier wines.

[KiaKat]

MSD is a village within Burgundy- the producer matters when it comes to quality and longevity. The one on my rack is Lignier-Michelot. Probably would run a couple hundred, given that it's a Premier Cru vineyard (Les Faconnières).

Anything red which is that old is going to be more in the earthy range. If you're willing to shell out for a demi-sec Champagne, go for that. Or maybe a sparkling Vouvray, though finding a 10 year old Foreau isn't easy.