Suggestion for a special white

Hello all --

I'm taking the wife to Guy Savoy in a week's time for a memorable evening, and they have a mind-boggling winelist. So I have a nice problem I'd like your input on.

The wife is not such a fan of red, which regularly breaks my heart, but we've found plenty of French whites we love together, like Condrieu, Carbonnieux, Didier Dagenau's Silex, and others. I wondering what you might propose for something special the night of -- perhaps a top flight Bordeaux? Our budget for a bottle at the restaurant is around 200 euros, but speak freely and don't forget to say which vintages you like!

Thanks --

PS: my thoughts are running to:

Lur-Saluces "Y"
Haut Brion Blanc
Pavillon Blanc du Margaux
Domaine de Chevalier Blanc
Chateau Pape Clement Blanc
Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc

??

I would go with a dry Loire chenin blanc from either Huet, Foreau, Baumard or Chidaine. Guy Savoy is bound to have at least one of them. Cannot go wrong!

I have no clue re Guy Savoy's list, so no specific suggestions. If you like white Bordeaux, 1994 and 2001 are probably my 2 favorite vintages. Haut Brion in those vintages is probably more than 200 Euros retail, and most top Paris restaurants aren't shy about markup. You might try the Pape Clement (the reds changed to a more modern style about '98, I haven't tried a recent white) or DDC, or a bit farther down the totem pole La Louviere or Carbonnieux.

Depending on your tastes and what you're ordering, another option might be a top Loire like a Vatan or Cotat Sancerre with some age, or a Huet Vouvray.

Oswaldo, great minds think alike.

Michael, all the wines you list could be impressive (though I've never tried the Ygrec). I will say that Pavillon Blanc always strikes me as good but a bit overpriced. I think it's straight SB, and doesn't have the complexity of a great Graves, but without the deep minerality of a top Loire SB. But that's just based on 3 or 4 tries.

Oswaldo, great minds think alike.

Michael, all the wines you list could be impressive (though I've never tried the Ygrec). I will say that Pavillon Blanc always strikes me as good but a bit overpriced. I think it's straight SB, and doesn't have the complexity of a great Graves, but without the deep minerality of a top Loire SB. But that's just based on 3 or 4 tries.

I didn't want to fuel Michael's white bordeaux inclination because most of the good ones (Carbonnieux being an exception) are so expensive that I was afraid the price tab might ruin the meal, as it almost did for me at Taillevent a few weeks ago. A dry chenin of comparable quality is not on hedge fund and "new money" radar screens and would cost so much less yet still deliver (perhaps even more) exquisite pleasure.

I'm totally at sea with the Loire wines, I'm afraid, so it's good to hear even a small concensus on this. Because I live in Languedoc I almost never encounter chenin blanc. I'm going to go look it up and learn more about it!

On a slight tangent: for floral and subtle, is there any white that gives Condrieu a run for its money? My wife loves Condrieu, but we always drink it out and I want to find something new and exciting ... Could a Chenin Blanc do it for her?

On a slight tangent: for floral and subtle, is there any white that gives Condrieu a run for its money? My wife loves Condrieu, but we always drink it out and I want to find something new and exciting ... Could a Chenin Blanc do it for her?

I would most emphatically say yes! It has the advantage of delivering white flowers and subtlety with more acidity than most condrieus. I don't know how your wife feels about acidity but, personally, I just experience that acidity as freshness, as part of good balance, so if she's not specifically averse, it may open a new field for her. And chenin, as a grape for the two of you to explore, has the advantage of being the only one in France offering the whole range, from dry to dessert, with in-between shadings. Good luck and let us know!

Ygrec will be special.

If you have enjoyed Silex in the past, I wd go with Pur Sang..