I need advice to buy french red wine?

This is a gift, but I have no idea what French wine is good. My price range is $100 - $150





Thanks.I need advice to buy french red wine?
OK, I really had to try not to laugh about the guy who suggests getting a 1982 bordeaux for he price range your able to afford.





For $100-150 I recommend 1996 Pichon-Lalande (a Pauillac - left bank red primarily cabernet sauvignon). It should cost about $140 in most wine shops. If you have time to buy online and have it sent I recommend K%26amp;L Wines in CA or Pops Wines in NY. If I recall, it got 95 points from Robert Parker.





Pichon-Lalande is generally a great value compared to 1st cru bordeaux. The reason is that it is technically 2nd cru but only because when the 1st cru wineries were selected in 1855 they only wanted five wineries. Pichon-Lalande got the short end of the stick. Otherwise, it rates as good or better than most 1st wines.I need advice to buy french red wine?
You must check for two things when buying a bottle of wine.


First, for the place where it comes from, then for the date of production.


It depends on what kind of wine you prefer. I love wines from Bordeaux, but some stronger wines can be found in Bourgogne. Of course you can always buy Champagne.


My recommandation will be a Bordeaux, and I'll take a ';Chateau Margaux';. The years are really important too. 1982 is one of the greatest. 1983, 1998 and 2000 are good years too. Ask for advice in the shop...
Ask a sommelier. Or just go your local liquor store and ask the owner.
The french have a government quality rating which will make your purchase easy. Buy a Grand Cru. Or if you have trouble with that the second level is called Premier Cru. They will say this on the lable. Ignore the rest of the information on the lable. every single well made wine has style and nuance that will be well recieved by a wine drinker.
Go to a really nice liquor store and ask for advice on French wines. They know more than anyone what they have stocked and why it is good. My personal advice is if this is a gift, the French wines have been proven to be worse than the American red wines due to several years of a bad fungus on the grapes over there that blighted the grapes and so there are some really great wines from America and other countries that as far as the taste is concerned are actually rated better. Go for the ones that have actually won awards for taste, not what country they come from and the person who recieves this wine will be impressed with your effort to get them something different.

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