Wine for a Fancy Dinner

A fancy dinner is being held as part of the AWS national conference next week in Baltimore. Ten of us who will be attending from our local chapter will have a table at the dinner, and each has been asked to bring a couple of bottles of wine.

Under instructions from my wife Nancy not to "cheap out", I'm willing to relax my $15 upper limit for a bottle of wine rule. The problem is that the over - $15 world is pretty much terra icognita to me. So I could use some help. If you were to spend, say, a total of $50 on one bottle of red and one of white what would you get? Of course, if you can suggest a couple of real knockouts for something less than that it would make me very happy indeed.

Dan - knowing that you like Vouvray, why not get a high end ($25?) one of those (avoid '03). Red? There have been several threads recently that have touted some CA and WA Cabs that are not over oaked and not high alcohol (>14%).

knowing that you like Vouvray, why not get a high end ($25?) one of those

Good idea. I have kept my eye on pricer Vouvray. Probably no better time to go ahead and splurge on a Huet.

Dan

If you're going for a Huet (good choice!), why not pair it with a red Loire? A great thing about red Loires is that the best wines are $15-40, not $400+. 2005 looks to be a great vintage- I've recently truly enjoyed the Filliatreau La Grande Vignolle- $14.

Masciarelli "Marina Cvetic" --$25 and about as good as can be done with Montepulciano di Abruzzo.
Viticcio Chianti Classico '01 -- $24 and a very respectable Chianti that is an easy food match.
Zind-Humbrecht Pinot d'Alsace -- $20 for a very fine Alsace white.
Chateau Vitalis Pouilly-Fuisse Vielles Vignes '04 -- $22 for an excellent unoaked Chardonnay from Denis Dutron, one of the great vignerons of the Macon.

Of course, if you really want to go to $50, you can slay everyone with a 1997 Fattoria di Felsina Berardenga "Rancia," a single-vineyard Chianti Classico Riserva. Just make sure rare steak and bitter greens are on the menu.

Also for $50 you can get a Guy Bocard Chassagne-Montrachet 2002, which should be equally impressive--classic white Burgundy.

i assume you've been to these before; but maybe not. there will be a whole lot of wine already on the table. i think if people brought one good bottle rather than 2 you would be better off. keep in mind the hospitality suites after the dinner!

i assume you've been to these before

Yes we have gone before. Wine is everywhere, so the first rule is be very, very selective.
Look me up if you will be there.

Thanks Howie, Dale, and Dave for your suggestions. The other day I went shopping with Huet in mind and a Loire red to accompany it. The only Huet I could find locally was $33. I had promised not too cheap out, but that seemed beyond the pale. Instead, I went for an '04 Hubert Veneau Pouilly Fume in the low $20's. I always pass over the Pouilly-Fumes and Sancerres so this was a good chance to get one. For a Loire red I got an '00 Les Petites Roches Chinon at about $17. I think both will be appreciated.