Wine Tasting Advice

[hhhanson]

My wife and I are having a pre-dinner wine tasting event at our home later this month. 10 total people attending, all enjoy wine, but my wife and I are the only wine nuts in the group, and I want to educate a bit. My idea is to have 5 reds to drink blind, have each person jot down simple impressions, which one they liked best and least, and how much they think it cost. I'm planning on having one really cheap wine, a couple of widely recognized ones, a personal favorite, and one high dollar (50-75) that really knocks the socks off. I know there are many wines that knock socks off that are cheaper than that, but part of the intent of this event is to taste wines from a variety of price points. So, I'm looking for recommendations for the higher end. I'd like to stick to Washington, or maybe California wines, and probably a knock out Merlot as I'd like it to be approachable now. Any Ideas?

Harry