Maybe I'm weird, but...

[wondersofwine]

I lack experience with first-growth Bordeaux (although I recently plunked down my credit card for one bottle of Lafite from a less-than-toprated vintage--breaking my usual $50-$60 limit per bottle). However, I have tasted at least two Grand Crus red burgundies and several tastings of Le Montrachet (top white burgundy) and there WAS a clear superiority. While the Bonnes Mares or Clos de Beze were probably the best red wines I've ever tasted, I'm not willing to spend close to $200 to purchase a bottle. So I settle for the burgundies I can obtain for $50-$60 or less. But as WW said, the Grand Crus provide a benchmark for comparison--what great burgundies can strive to be. If it were a perfect world, the 1st growths and grand crus would be more available to the genuine wine lover and not just a status symbol or collectible to the wealthy of the world who may or may not know beans about wine. We owe a debt to dealers like Foodie and Roberto who are always searching out wines with good QPR (Quality to Price Ratio) and educating the public about same. And for the record, I have had some lovely wines from Sonoma Cutrer in the past (I think the one called Le Cutrer) but was NOT impressed with the Russian Rivers brand at the low end of their production.