Wine for Weekend Party - PnP - Please help

I have ended up with a last minute party for 25-30 people. Most are Red wine drinkers, with about 10-12 very active in wine collecting etc. I’m estimating I need 2 cases for this crew and I do not consume a lot of PnP.

I’m hoping that some of you have run across some good Reds that are readily available. I’m looking for something that has the depth to please the more serious drinkers and the approachability for the more casual consumers attending. It would be great to stay $30-$50 range.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions! And yes this is absolutely a cellar defending move, ha. Thanks!!

It would help to know where you live and shop for wine. Berserkers often provide very specific recommendations to requests such as this.

It’s important to defend the cellar! Depending on what style most people like, in similar situations, I’d grab something like Ridge Lytton Springs or Geyserville. Widely pleasing and show well for the casual and more serious drinker.

I’m in Knoxville, TN. Thanks!

I was gonna suggest some ridge bottlings too. in a similar vein, bedrock is a good one here too. If you wanna go old world, considering something like a good producer’s rosso di montalcino, chianti classico riserva (I can always find Monsanto CCR here for a pretty good price), or langhe nebbiolo (Ive always enjoyed PnP with produttori and Vajra) wouldnt be bad options.

any local wine shop to trust for advice ?

Hmm - Knoxville wine stores don’t seem to put their inventories on-line. Can you get Baudry Chinon? Edmunds St. John El Jaleo? Cru Beaujolais?

Educated Guess cab…

Austin Hope 2015 Cab

Great suggestions! I’m going to check around town today & tomorrow. I know I’ve seen the Ridge & Austin Hope. I’ve had Ridge, but no Austin Hope any tasting notes on that appreciated. Thanks!

Approachable 2014 Bordeaux: Ch. Talbot, La Croix Ducru Beaucaillou, Cantenac Brown, La Dame de Montrose, Meyney

If I were in this situation I would get 5 bottles of zin, 5 bottles of Cab /Syrah/CdP and 5 bottles of Pinot. I would start at Costco to see what they have. They usually have something that would meet your criteria. And if they don’t have a suitable wine head to your LWS to see what they have to offer. As others have said Zin would be a likely choice. In addition to the Ridge wines consider Seghesio’s Sonoma which is widely available.

If you have a cellar I would add a few bottles of wines with some cellar time as a contrast to what is available at retail.

I just did this for a family event. Bought the Ridge 3 Valleys and a very nice prosecco (the name escapes me) and every drop got consumed. The Lyton would be a step up; the Geyserville a big additional step. For value whites I almost always look for the best Italian I can find in the price range. So many delicious wines to choose from. Arneis, Verdiccio, Soave, Vermentino . . . I’d go to a store with a decent selection and ask for some guidance on their stock

2014 Bordeaux

Dr. Loosen Dr. L if you can find the 2016. Crowd pleaser.

Every average wine drinker I have poured the Charles Smith Substance Cab has loved it. Around $13 in Minneapolis market.

White wine drinkers come out of the woodwork at parties… I’m always shocked at how fast the Whites disappear in a crowd that i thought was into Reds. be sure to grab some crowd pleaser whites, like Kim Crawford SB, village White Burg, etc. or Etna Bianco (eg Benanti) if you can find some!

For reds, I love the idea of Ridge Geyserville, but the Three Valleys would save some money and also be good. Alternatives would be Hudelot-Noellat Bourgogne Rouge, Vajra Barolo Albe, Bouchard Beaune du Chateau Premier Cru, Drouhin Chorey les Beaune or Chateau Potensac.

For a white, how about NV Taittinger - Brut La Francaise. Or, Christian Moreau Chablis or Bernard Moreau Bourgogne Blanc.

Is this a 5-6 hour bender and everyone drinking heavily? 2 cases for 30 people would be overkill for most parties. Unless it is strictly heavy drinking guys, I would think 15-18 bottles would be plenty for a mixed crowd.

Thanks for all the suggestions! I’m going to mix it up with a lot of these. I was going to deep on one style. I also agree with the 15-18 and grabbing some white. Thanks again everyone!!

If you can find any Walter Hansel Pinot Noir you’ll be off to a good start.