Nice wine dinner with friends...

Had some wine drinking friends over for dinner this past weekend. Started with an Mumm NV Champagne which is always nice. Then with a salad and a shrimp/corn chowder we had the '11 O. Laflaive "Les Setilles", a nice well structured white Burg. I thought this might be a good night for a magnum (1.5) that I had been saving for a while, the '01 Les Grands Chenes, Medoc (13%). This was a top pick from Decanter in '03 or '04 and I think I picked this up for about $28. Opened mid-day and decanted about 2 hours before dinner, rinsed out the bottle and later put the wine back into the bottle and put outside to chill for about 30 minutes. It was delightful with a rack of lamb and potatoes, and did exactly what it was supposed to, as Dale would say, "A-/B+".
Marie made a burnt caramel custard for dessert and I opened an '03 La Tour Blanche Sauternes. It showed magnificently and was the star of the night.
It is always delightful when all the wines properly play their role.

Since discovering it several years ago, the Les Setilles has become an annual buy for us, kinda the house white burg

I also like the Les Setilles. How long do you think it can cellar from a good vintage?

JC: I remeber pulling a Les Setilles from the cellar about 2 -3 years after I bought it so probably 3-5 yrs post vintage..It was fine but I don't think it gained anything..I don't think I have held any for more than that..They seem to be be best, from my point of view, after resting in the cellar for about a year.

I also like the Les Setilles. How long do you think it can cellar from a good vintage?

The last thing you want to do is "find out how long it will go". That can be disappointing. I've always said if a wine is drinking well, drink the thing. You can usually tell when a wine is at it's peak and I'm not saying drink it every weekend until it's gone. But don't wait a year or two to see if it will get any better. That is what Cellar Tracker is for.
Les Setilles is also one of my favorites and I try to keep a case on hand. Vintage variation seems to be minimal. It is my go-to weekend white Burg, very reliable. And for a week day quaff I like DuBoeuf Macon-Village as well as other MV's. They are great values.