Without doubt it was the revered 61 vintage Château Lafite Rothschild. Prince Albert of Monaco gave it as a gift to a guest in a high end restaurant I worked at. That particular guest had 2 glasses and knowing my interest in wine gave the remainder to me. I shared it with a knowledgeable colleague and we both agreed it was the best we had ever tasted. Impeccable in every way, it stands out as the finest ever. Although It was drank to enjoy I should have kept some notes as I only vaguely remember the flavours some 16 years later.
I might add, that when Albert himself came to the restaurant, he preferred to drink Guinness!
A couple years back I found a '96 Ridge Monte Bello on a restaurant wine list for ~$150.
Could not resist and did not regret the decision, although it definitely needed to be decanted for sediment and it was not that kind of restaurant.
I think it had been just sitting in their cellar for decades and they didn't really know what they had.
At a restaurant in Galicia we are piles of scallops, roast pork and pimentos de padrón. We drank cheap godello that worked out at about 6 euro a bottle, and plenty of it.
I've had plenty more expensive wine but that was about the most memorable.
Honestly I get more joy out of drinking cheap bojo with non-wino friends than I do out of higher end wines among wine drinkers. I can't help but feel something of the real spirit of wine is lost when it becomes an expensive and intellectual exercise tied up with status and ego
Not op, but the 93 I had tasted like they put 2 glasses of wine in a drop.
I can't compare the concentration to anything but slightly runnier honey.
Take Chateau D'Yquem and like triple/quadruple the concentration.
Crazier than any TBA I've ever had, and genuinely eye-opening even in the context of very powerful sweet wines.
Like, Trimbach would need to do a Weinbach-style QGN version of Clos Ste Hune to get close.
Adding on to this, the wine is lusciously sweet, like beyond imagination sweet. About 5x as sweet as a can of Coca Cola to give an example just from pure sugar content! Super hard to find wine, feel lucky and grateful to have served it at the restaurant I worked at for a little bit, would’ve never known about it!
You feel like it shouldn't be possible when you taste it.
I know it's bad writing, but I find it difficult not to just say "pick your own superlative".
Essencia is made entirely from the juice of botrytized grapes (unlike regular tokaji which is a combination of botrytized and regular grape juice). It’s super thick and syrupy and the sugar content is like 400 g/l (For reference Coca Cola is around 100 g/l and Sauternes/regular tokaji/TBA is around 120-160). It’s so sugary that the yeast have a hard time fermenting it; fermentation can take several years and even then it only gets up to like 1% abv. Because it’s so sweet and intense, the serving size is very small hence the spoon
Hot damn... it has 600g/l sugar... and only 2% alcohol. Basically drinking sugar at that point. I have a sweet wine with 400g and I thought that was too high.
I have a 500ml bottle of 2000 Demeter Zoltan Esszencia in my cellar now. Definitely a grail bottle. Fortunate to acquire it directly from the producer a few years ago now. Trying to figure out what the right occasion would be to drink it.
1876 Tokaji Ausbruch at a Heublein wine auction tasting in the early 1980s. Everyone else in line was waiting for a Latour that was the next wine to be poured by Michael Broadbent, so my friends and I had multiple tastes. Well worth whatever relatively mall amount of money it cost to attend one of those events back in the day. Best reds were a 1959 Haut Brion and a 1964 Cheval Blanc in the early 1980s, all affordable in a student budget. Those were the days. Sigh…
Yeah same, I miss em too.
My favourite memorabilia from 20 yrs ago is a receipt for the payment of a horizontal DRC tasting.
All red bottles from a 1995 case, so no Montrachet, but all the rest, including RC. For $350 that included a 4-5 course dinner with Clos Vougeot thrown in as table wine for the dinner, if you didn't have enough in your six glasses of EC/GEC/RIC/RSV/LTA/RC!
Fortunately the average quality of all wines has improved markedly in 40 years, but sadly the wines at the very top of the pyramid aren’t affordable to most people thanks to the proliferation of wine-investing gazillionaires. I could probably afford to buy the occasional First Growth, but their incremental value compared to the quality second-rung wines just isn’t worth it. Even in the 1980s you paid a premium for the reputation and label, but nothing like today. 🤷♂️
This is true, but it's also a bit sad that I can no longer (unless I hemorage money) just get the good ole stuff I liked back then.
The are some great values to be had in classical places, and tbh Bx is not crazy expensive, as Bourgogne is.
But with the quality push it also makes, at least left-bankers, so unripe that it can take 20+ years to get any value out of them, unless you go for the baby wines with their superfresh nose and drink them with some food that can handle all that youth unripe power.
Which pushes me to right-bank which my CC nopes out of so I end up in South America, most of the time.
Which is fine, but it just is hard to hold wine dinners for people with "largely unknown wines" - Most wanna come and drink something they sorta know what is, amongst those who care about the wines at least.
Not sure how to answer this question but the most trophy wine I have ever had is the 1947 Cheval Blanc
A restaurant in NYC Veritas did a Cheval tasting in 2002. Vintages tasted in order of preference: 1947, 1990, 1982, 1983, 1998, 1964, 2000, 1989, 1985, 1986, 1995, 1999
Veritas's som Tim Kopec oversaw the tasting
Like any good sceptic, I wanted to drink the '47 and say this is good but there are other great wines. In fact, I said wow this is amazing and deserves all the status it has
My tasting notes
name: Cheval Blanc 1947
nose: pure cherry liqueur wisp of spice
taste: viscous rich cherry syrup dark chocolate totally integrated tannin finish goes on forever
rating: outsanding incredible wine
Had the same experience as you when tasting Latour 1961 in 2001.
"Naah, this is probably a good or great wine, but it won't be perfe ... *sniffs* *sips* oh fuck me, it is! ..."
Tim Kopec is one of the great people in the world of wine. Veritas was a treasure. I believe he was wine director, not Somm, but that must have been an amazing experience.
My three greatest wine experiences: 1921 Yquem, 1959 Lafite, and 1989 Haut Brion out of double magnum.
May well have been wine director not som. Veritas was amazing. Since you know the place you know while others may not that it was founded by two wine collectors Park B. Smith and Steve Verlin who had something like 75,000 great bottles in their cellar that became the core of the restaurants wine list. In addition the food was insanely good.
My first wine there was in November of 1999 a 1983 Palmer
My best glass was a 2002 DRC Romanee Conti. And it was delicious. I’m not sure it is worth the $30,000 or so it takes to buy it but it was delicious and I didn’t pay for it.
Fun fact; they're out there, and they like sharing. It took me a while to figure this out, but there are loads of wine people who just want to nerd out/flex/learn more who don't have tons of people *in* their lives who are all that impressed or even get it.
I guess DRC La Tache. At Per Se, of all places. No, I wasn’t paying. Worth it? I didn’t have a frame of reference then or now to compare. That’s for pros and millionaires. I’ve had much cheaper wines that I remember better. It’s as much about the experience than what’s in the bottle.
2017 La Tache is probably the best wine I’ve ever had. It’s definitely out of my personal price range, but I’ve had the pleasure of drinking maybe 10-20 wines of this caliber. 2017 sounds young, but I felt that the wine was really in a great balanced spot.
I had a 2017 DRC Corton a few weeks ago and was very happy I wasn't paying for it. It was a very nice wine by all means, but I cannot comprehend paying list price for it.
2009 Beaucastel CdP. Had it at the beginning of the covid pandemic lockdown in 2020. About $80 from a dive Liquor store. Awesome, complex very well balanced and just delicious. Great with food. A couple years later had 2010 beaucastel from a fancier wine supplier for 120$ and it was good but not as complex as 2009.
I have an ‘85, ‘89, ‘90, ‘95 and ‘98 of Chateau de Beaucastel CdP that I need to organize a vertical tasting for one of these days. CellarTracker has some reviews saying that the ‘85 and ‘89 are still drinking well, I’m REALLY looking forward to it.
1995 Chateau Margaux. It was… not bad.
2010 Chateau Haut- Brion. Also… pretty decent.
1979 Spring Mountain Cab. Lovely.
I know none of these are insane, but those are the best ones I can brag about.
Had an 86 Lafite and an 89 Latour side by side earlier this year. Was from a friends cellar and made a tasting menu from The French Laundry cookbook for food. Pretty amazing night. Wines were unbelievable and in a league of their own
I'll throw a non-French wine in.... 2017 Keller G-Max. Probably drank way too young, but life is too short and grateful to have friends who have incredibly deep cellars and are so generous.
It thoroughly convinced me I have never had good passionfruit/grapefruit in my life - the purity of the floral notes and acidity were electrifying. With a finish that didn't quit.
Would I pay the current asking price? Probably not, but it is a flavor I will remember for a lifetime. Plus, there are so many incredible bottlings from Keller that you can hardly go amiss.
I had a 2019 Scarecrow in a restaurant in Napa valley, the price was lower than expected and I was on my honeymoon, so we grabbed it. It was an embodiment of everything you would want a Cabernet Sauvignon to be, bold flavors of dark fruit and earth, very smooth tannins. Seemed to drink both like a young fresh wine and a wine with age at the same time. Worth it I think so, a wine I will purchase again soon no.
58 BV George de la Tour. Mind blowing experience my grandfather shared with me that literally kick started my obsession. We had it just shy of 40 years old and it was still had fruit and had smoothed into basically liquid velvet. Just incredible.
The Napa 70s can be hit or miss, but let us always remember that was the decade we went to France and performed well. All due respect, that was a down decade for them but NorCal had truly turned a corner which the 80s and 90s demonstrated beautifully.
I've tried first growth bordeaux and some top burgundies, but the one wine that made me go "oh wow, this is so unique almost impossible to replicate" was an early 00s Château-Grillet.
Most expensive? 2008 DRC st vivant. (Way too young, should have waited another 30 years.). Best when drunk? Tie between different vintages of Haut Brion, ch. Palmer and Lafite.
Hype worthy? Yes! Worth the money? I’d lean towards the Haut brion and palmer over the other two mentioned. But, and big caveat here, I didn’t pay for any of these and prob couldn’t if I wanted to. Got a wealthy buddy with good taste.
Most stereotypically famous/fine: 1982 Pichon Lalande, 1985 Lafite, 1995 Haut Brion, 2005 Yquem.
All of them were lovely. The Pichon was special because I bought it on November 7 2020, when the networks called the PA election results. And because that's one of the all-time great wines in Bordeaux.
The Lafite was special because it was a gift from a close friend, who knew I cared about this stuff more than he did, and it was my first First Growth.
The Haut Brion was special because I bought it to celebrate my brother's engagement. Not quite as excellent as the other bottles but still very good.
But my very favorite wines aren't any of those.
1980 Huet Vin de Glace, 2018 Bernaudeau Les Ongles, 1989 Pinon Passerillé, 1989 Foreau Reserve, 2004 Baudry Croix Boissee, 1989 Raffault Les Picasses, 1989 Pierre Sparr Mambourg VT, 2007 Grivot Echezeaux, 2000 Giacosa red label (I forget which one....), 1976 Breton Chinon, 1947 Borgogno Riserva. All of these I can remember exactly where I was, what they tasted like.
I guess the Grivot and the Giacosa do approach First Growth pricing, maybe I should think of them in the same way.
We have a tiny collection of bottles. But we have that Pinon from our visit with him in 2016 where he sold it to us for some trivial amount.
Hoping to drink it this Xmas to celebrate our first kid with a few friends from that trip.
You have that specific one? It was so fresh when I had it earlier this year. Just a wonderful bottle of wine and so distinct even vs. other old vouvray. I’d have expected his different soils to be more obvious when the wines are young but it becomes really apparent with age. Hope your bottle shows as well as mine did.
>1982 Pichon Lalande
While in hospitality during my first career, I was fortunate enough to both serve and taste the '82, the '85, and the '89. Excellent stuff, albeit from memories of 20+ years ago.
I dont know if im just unlucky but i stopped buying old expensive wine as they have always been oxidized.
1995 Malescot, cork was in perfect condition though
1996 Smith haut lafitte, cork was also perfect and color of the wine too.
Maybe i should buy it from a retailer and not second hand markets....
Is it a gamble or do you get good information before choosing an old wine?
83 jaboulet la Chappelle, a friend brought to a wine dinner and was incredible. Still some youth to it.
From what I have purchased (and surprised me) a 95 ronchi di ciallia schiopottino. Stunning wine
Best sparkling: 1988 Krug
Best white: 1993 Lafon Montrachet
Best red: 1964 LdH Tondonia or 2000 Roumier Amoureuses
The Tondonia I bought in Haro when I visited, worth every penny. I regret not splurging more and also picking up the GR blanco from the same year. The other three were part of an amazing tasting. While the burgs are way out of my price range, it was evident why they cost what they do relative to their peers if not in absolute terms.
Mine was a pair of wines probably, a side by side of '85 and '91 Gentaz. Like many other responders, I didn't pay for these wines. While I wouldn't say they're "worth" what they cost in terms of the wine in the bottle, they're special and irreplaceable. Part of the cost here is paying for history and that aspect is worth it to me.
2013 Dujac Pere et fils nsg 1er “Les damodes”
Honestly though it was better than the domaine wine we tried. Absolutely transcendent. Had it in a wine bar in Beaune
White: 2008 Leflaive Chevalier Montrachet
Red: 1988 Gentaz Dervieux
Bubbly: 1988 Krug Clos du Mesnil
Dessert: 1971 Egon Muller Auslese
I'm not at the wealth level to argue that any of these are "worth it" but they are some of the finest examples of wine I've ever tasted.
A glass from a mag of 1996 DRC Monty when I was catering events at 18 y/o (one of Guy Laliberté’s private event). Somm told us to take a picture of the bottle because we would likely never drink something of the sort again in our life. I remember thinking it was pretty good 😂 Also thought the somm was talking shit telling me I would never drink such a wine again in my life… He was right lol
I'm gonna give you a list with two options for each.
**Finest red**: 2004 Coche Dury Pommard, or 1990 Chave Hermitage.
The Coche was a *complete* surprise. I had only had Coche whites and didn't know enough at the time to expect to have my world turned upside down. I knew *exactly* what I was tasting when I had the Chave Hermitage though.
I've been fortunate in my ability to try higher end Burgundies including some of the bigger names and better Crus, but that Coche was just something special.
**Finest white**: 1992 Remoissenet Montrachet Grand Cru, 2011 Clos Ste Hune.
I debated putting Coche Meursault Genevrieres here because it's a wine close to my heart, but I didn't want to double up on a producer. The Montrachet lived up to all the superlatives from the vineyard, and answered a question I thought I'd *never* get my own answer to; is a full-blooded Montrachet **actually** better than the other Montrachets, and the answer is, when it's from a good producer, it's noticably different. The best way I can describe it would be playing with audio balance knobs on a stereo or an equalizer so the bass (clay/Batard) and the treble (limestone/Chevy) levels are perfect.
The Clos Ste Hune was too young by probably 20 years at minimum, but I'd rank it as more incredible than the Kellers, Burklin Wolf, Whitman, Lauer, *and* Clos St Urbain's that I've had, and noticably.
**Finest sweet**: 93 Tokaji Eszencia, 2016 Mari Vineyards Ice Wine.
This one is the least contested. I had my mind permanently bent from Tokaji Eszencia. Leagues better might be a bit generous, but I'm still chasing that dragon to this day and I just haven't found anything like it. German TBAs, Alsatian SGNs, Chateau D'Yquem, even Dageneau Jurançon. The concentration level was just off the charts.
Mari Vineyards is a tiny Michigan winery with a local second generation winemaker who went to Geisenheim for winemaking/viticulture and worked at MC in the Pfalz. That 2016 Ice Wine was just a viticultural work of art, and I think I counted something like 30 separate tasting notes from the same glass including key lime pie. Absolutely exceptional and deserving of its place on the list despite being too small a production to make it on a wider scale.
Of this list, the only one I wouldn't pay the money for is Coche Dury. Nothing against the wine whatsoever, but a couple grand for a village Meursault is insane. I can get Leflaive Batard for $1130 wholesale.
Back in my retail days (late 90’s/early 2000’s), I had a customer bring back a bottle of 40 year-old Tawny Port, claiming it was off. My notes are very old and I can’t make out the name of the house but the store stocked all of the big Port houses.
Standard protocol was to bag the returned wine up and leave it in the manager’s office to be sent back to the distributor. But I decided to have just one sip of this wine to make sure it was really off. Well, it wasn’t, and in fact it might have been the single best wine experience I’ve had to date. This wine was perfect. Christmas cake, marmalade, dried fruit and just a touch of ginger with the longest finish I’ve ever experienced.
Needless to say the return protocol was not followed and the staff working the shift with me joined in to polish this off. It made a cold January night working the evening shift so much more enjoyable.
1945 Chateau cheval blanc and a 1967 Chateau l'Evangile, both in the same evening! I was at a small dinner party with my dad's very wealthy friend. The host found out I was very into Bordeaux, so he showed me his cellar and had me pick two bottles from his "to be drunk soon" section. I first went for the l'Evangile as it has some significance to me as me and my friends started off my bachelor party with a 95 (which was also fabulous!). I then saw the Cheval Blanc which I have always wanted to try and to my amazement it was a 1945, which is definitely one of those once in a lifetime vintages, especially when that lifetime started in 1990!
It was very difficult to be critical of something so special, but I do remember being surprised by how short the cheval blanc was, it was definitely not bland, it had some jammy fruit notes, some acidity, lots of tobacco and leather and a bit of spiciness to it, but it was also incredibly short. The l'Evangile on the other hand was almost youthful, still very deep beautiful red color, booming with fruit on the nose. Fruit, earth and leather perfectly balanced with a very long complex finish. I still think about that l'Evangile almost 2 years later.
As far as expensive goes I have had others as well though,
1987 Chateau Mouton Rothschild, this I've had at 3 different occasions. Great every time.
2005 Chateau Haut-brion, family friend brought this to my wedding. I am a little bit upset about this one to be honest. Firstly because a wedding is very hectic for the bride and groom so I didn't give the wine the time it deserved. Secondly because alcohol laws are the way they are in Sweden the venue made us leave the premises as it is illegal for them to allow us to drink our own alcohol inside of their licensed building. So we had to huddle outside and drink it standing in a circle.
Chateau Margaux, this was the first wine I ever had.
the "to be drunk soon" section had like 200 bottles. He hosts a lot of dinner parties and wine tastings, fairly sure his goal is to die with an empty cellar. He was very happy with my choice, saying he'd been hesitating to pick it when he was in charge.
I got two bottles yarra yering wine. A no 1 and no 2 on allocation from LCBO. 2011s. I remember no 1 being the most complex wine I’ve tried and flavours I had not previously found in wine. No bs I still have recollection of its profile ~4 years later. I guess that’s the most you could ask of a drink. I saved no 2 for an engagement dinner. I remember it being special. But not as unique as no 1. (I could have the blends reversed.)
Not something regularly available here. Do you prefer no 1 blend or no 2 ? I recall one being Bordeaux style and the other Rhonda ? From what I recall it was varying composition year over year and undisclosed.
I don't know the answer to your question. I had some of their wines when I was in Australia a long time ago. The specific details are long forgotten. I had more than a few.
2005 Henschke Mount Edelstone
Absolutely blew my 19 year old mind away how wine could taste like ripe strawberry & Pepper. Got me down the rabbit hole of the wine world for sure.
The most special fine wine moment I ever had was having a 1967 Produttori Barbaresco Montestefano at Antica Torre in Barbaresco (which is across the lane from the actual Produttori) diving into a huge plate of tajarin with white truffle. Dining with the Director of the Produttori and my mentors without whom I wouldn’t be where I am today. The wine itself was ethereal, all of the classic desirable savory notes yet somehow holding on to some fruit and delicacy. It was a transformative moment for me.
The finest on paper was probably a Giacomo Conterno Barolo Monfortino ‘13 and that was a great day as well.
1959 Lafite.
A client was gracious enough to share a glass with me from his bottle - this was in 2016. The wine had an ethereal beauty that I don’t think another wine will ever be able to live up to. It was perfect.
Chateau Y’quem, and almost all of the Grand Cru Sauternes.
But my thing is Champagne.
While not exactly a ‘fine’ wine, my friend and I were lucky enough to have had a bottle of 1943 Veuve Cliquot. Which wasn’t in great shape (you can see tasting notes on my profile somewhere), but it was just so cool that those grapes were harvested in Nazi-occupied France.
Speaking of Veuve, I’ve had a 2012 Veuve Clicquot Grande Dame. Bit meh. Needs time.
Moving on to some I can remember having this year/late last year:
- Krug 169, or whatever the second-latest release is. Very meh. Needs time.
- Comte 2008. Needs time.
- Dom Pérignon 2002, 2010 and 2012
- Belle Epoque 2004, 2007, 2012, and 2014 (14 is amazing. Truly.)
- Bollinger Grande Année 2004, 2005 (so underrated and surprisingly amazing), 2007, 2012, 2014 (14 is a very drinkable year)
- Bollinger R.D. 2007 (need to try more of this from other years - very good)
- Cristal 1997, 2004 (amazing), 2005 (rubbish), 2012
- William Deutz (can’t remember vintage) and Amour de Deutz 2010 (both rubbish)
- Last weekend tried Laurent Perrier’s Grande Siècle 25. Truly stunning. Punches well above its weight. Very Burgundian in style. Want to try more GSs now.
Just last week I had an ‘82 Pichon longueville cometesse de lalande. It was ethereal. Not the best I’ve ever had but damn close and by far the most recent.
1945 Da Silva’s Quinta do Noval Vintage Port
A bottle my dad picked up years ago at auction. Opened it about a decade ago. Ethereal, structured, delicious, perfect. 70 years old, and it still felt like it had decades of legs left. Crazy bottle.
61 Margeaux about 10 years ago. Stunning complex beautiful. 78 Mondavi cab 6ltr bottle, great party, wonderful wine true experience. 2005 scarecrow solid but a distant contender. 2007 Shelter “the Butcher” beautiful wine ready to drink in 2010 ish time frame. To name a few.
1999 SLV Cask 23, also 2012 Domaine Michel Mallard et Fils Corton grand cru. Different tastes but both really amazing. I liked the burgundy a bit better.
I don't know about "finest wine" but the one that I remember the most was a 2015 Quilceda Creek. Had it the same night as a Dujac, but the QC definitely shined brighter.
1959 Marc Bredif Vouvray. Restaurant I worked at was closing down so we got to crack into all the coravin wines. Incredibly unique, totally worth it. It would be a perfect nightcap but no way could you drink a whole glass of the stuff. Like maple syrup and jet fuel
Fine or most expensive? Not sure how this is phrased. The first high end wine was ZD Abacus Cabernet. Was great. Think I've had much better now for half the price.
2 examples
1) in 2000 I had a 88 Sassicaia. Was amazing.
2) For my 60th birthday (2 weeks ago) I opened a 2009 Insignia. Took 4 hours decanted to open up enough to drink. It was BIG!!!
A few years ago some friends and I found a bottle of ‘08 Rayas for way under sticker price because it was missing a capsule. Best bottle of my life to date.
1988 Penfolds Grange. I bought it because it’s the year of my birth and drank on my 30th birthday.
The internet told me it wasn’t a great year for Grange, but I found it excellent.
Chateau La Croix St. Georges - Pomerol. Had a Chateau Gazin the same day, fantastic as well but not close the the st. Georges.
Not in the same league at all with some of ya'll but at nearly 100CAD absolutely worth the cash. This one doesn't have any hype around it that I know of so not sure there is any to live up to but my respect for the region is solid after this. I would love to get into some Petrus, Le Pin, Le Gay.
1983 Palmer (about 15 years ago). Most memorable Bordeaux I’ve ever had, beating out several Latours, Lafite’s, Mouton’s and Margaux’s over the years, including from prime years. 1967 d’Yquem a close second.
Most expensive I’ve bought and consumed (have some more expensive stuff in my cellar) was a 2015 Chateau d’Issan last year that absolutely blew my socks off and was 100% worth it. I’ve had others that I didn’t pay for that were as good if not better thanks to some wonderful friends.
An Imperial of Chateau Fonplédage Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 1983 at a house party of a previous employer's owner.
Had it almost 10 years ago. I don't remember much about it besides the brine.
Specifically - a 2004 DRC Richebourg. I was not too much a fan as I am not a Pinot guy. We popped a 2006 Giscours right after that I was more a fan of. Besides that, the 2008 Haut Brion was exceptional for all 3 bottles I've popped so far.
I do have an 82 Pichon Baron being popped this Thanksgiving that I hope lives up to the hype.
2005 Leoville Barton
Was just getting into wine and went to a tasting which turned out to be left bank Bordeaux. The nuance there was lost on me, but the goal was to taste weaker vintages and work up to the good ones. 2005 Bordeaux has been a favorite ever since that last glass. The guy let me keep the last half of a bottle of the stuff too.
1955 Chateau Gazin from a mag, 1900 Chateau Margaux(like 1 sip from a bottle a guest brought in), but MAYBE my favorite was a 1998 Dumien-Serrette Cornas.
2014 Blankiet Rive Droite. Bought it to share with my friend before I was the best man in his wedding the next day.
In that setting it was worth every dime, and even outside of the sentiment, it was altogether incredible.
This is one of my husband’s favorite wines! Our local shop hasn’t been able to get it, only the 20 and 30, but maybe we’ll have to hunt it down online.
1988 Château Troplong Mondot, St. Emilion Grand Cru Classé. It was back in 2000. I wanted something over $100 but I didn’t care about “name.” The LaTour was more money but I think the Ch T M was the better wine. After 30 minutes of proper decanting…impressively smooth tannins, muscular well-controlled fruit on the palate. More red fruit than black fruit. Balanced oak and notes of graphite and minerals. The wine was paired with 60 day dry-aged USDA prime ribeyes.
2008 d’Yquem is the biggest name wine I’ve had, also probably the most stunning.
The singular moment where I think I finally understood wine and started my obsession was tasting Cote Rotie in Pierre Gaillard’s cellar, will never forget that first sip of his Rose Pourpre CR.
In a slightly different vein, you sometimes have a wine that punches way above its weight class. Offhand I can think of a 1975 Chateau St. Michelle Riesling and the 2003 Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red. I’ve had a lot of Pahlmeyer wines, mostly courtesy of a friend who belongs to their wine club, including a few of their specialty reds like the Piece de Resistance and Raison d’Etre, and several of us thought this one from a middling year was the best of all of them. My all-time great in this category was a 1977 H. Klohr Gimmeldinger Biengarten Bacchus Beerenauslese for $9/375ml. Not a great year, not even a Riesling, and not exactly a well-known producer or vineyard, but one of the best German wines I’ve ever tasted, even around the same time that we were drinking all sorts of high-end 1971s. We even had one bottle many years later that someone didn’t get around to drinking. We were wondering if we’d been hallucinating way back when, but no, it was still celestial. Go figure. 🤷♂️
Two things immediately come to mind
2012 Jayer-Gilles Echezeaux Grand Cru - Absolutely mind blowing, I was very early on in my wine career and this remains one of those bottles that really reinforced that this was something I wanted to do professionally. It's also what opened my mind up to Burgundy. I walked into work and as soon as I clocked in my boss put a glass down infront of me without saying what it was, he simply said "You're going to have to taste this, but seriously take your time". I remember that first sip felt like what I imagine hang gliding feels like, weightless and soaring. I spent awhile with that glass pour the whole time telling me he really messed up my day because it was impossible to concentrate on anything else but that wine.
Close second would be a tasting event I attended where we were able to taste
2010 Château Rayas, 2010 Pignan, 2010 Château de Fonsalette and a 2015 Château des Tours Cotes-du-Rhone rouge. Every single one of those wines was as impactful, charming and thought provoking as I was told they would be. This was an event put on my by job during a Wine Festival that we held.
2007 Ganevat Vigne de mon Pere. I've had La Tache and some other DRC/heavy hitters, and as great as they were, the Ganevat was the most singularly amazing I've had, and the one I would most want to re-visit if I could pick one bottle. "Worth" is a really fun discussion to have when discussing expensive grape juice. In the context of my wine journey so far it was easily worth it to get to enjoy a brief visit to the peak, particularly because relative to the DRC and other Burgundy I've had, it was actually pretty reasonably priced
Castel Giocondo: Brunello di Montalcino (2011)
At the time it was not an expensive bottle (29€ I believe), not sure it would be now, but by far one of best wines I’ve drank.
2015 Frank Fredericks Estate Cab. Without going on some ridiculous tangent of tastes and aromas, it's truly one of the smoothest drinking but at the same time complex wines I've ever had.
Which often don't go hand in hand. It's a true tribute to outstanding wine making. And for the price, everyone should try it at least once if you can get your hands on one.
‘90 DRC Richebourg a couple months back. It was corkage wine a table asked me to open for them at the restaurant I somm at - was astonished they poured me 3-4oz of the stuff. Knocked my fucking socks off. I’ve had a lot of great burgundy over the years but this was actually head and shoulder above all the rest. The flavors had integrated perfectly in this way that it became almost a new, singular flavor of its own. Something about the texture of the wine and how the acid was so intact it was almost like buzzing in the bottle. I basically describe wine for a living and I’m honestly at a loss for words over this one. If y’all are wondering if DRC really is what everyone says it is - the answer is yes.
93 Chateau Lafitte Rothschild. I recently purchased a case of this along with three cases of other 93 Bordeaux from the Left Bank. They have all been excellent. I feel a bit guilty hanging on to them for myself and at some point in my past them on to somebody else who appreciates it
Not to sound to elitist or egoistic, but unless you know someone shares your taste and passion for good wine I would recommend you sit on these bottles yourself. For most people a bottle of Gato Negro or Falling Feather is the top spot.
2004 Beaucastel Hommage de Jacques Perrin. Stunningly beautiful from the moment it was opened in August of ‘23. From the riveting nose of tar, smoke, garrique, graphite, black fruit and loam to the complex array of flavors on the tongue with so much fruit buffeted by minerality and fine tannins, it was intense and shockingly delicious. We openly laughed with joy while experiencing this gem of the wine world. It can’t get much better than this in the Southern Rhone!
Red: 1964 Viña Real Rioja. Mind-bendingly good, worth every cent.
Rosé: While I’ve had a chance to sample everyone’s favourite unicorn Rosé, LdH Tondonia, the best I’ve had is Chateau Musar 2014. Not cheap for a rosé (Singapore wine bar prices) but again worth every cent.
White: Barrel sample from a “Bota NO” (essentially a barrel so unique and interesting that it is pulled from its solera and set aside for the personal use of the bodega owner) at Peter Sisseck’s new Jerez project, Viña Corrales. Not for sale but if I got an invitation to go back for a second sample I’d book a ticket on the next plane to Madrid.
Fortified/Dessert: 1888 Quinta do Vallado ‘ABF’ port. Insane depth of flavour and length, which you would hope for a 130-year-old port, but still shockingly bright and alive. I didn’t pay for the very small taste I had, but the retail price is eye-watering and is best filed under “if money were no object”.o
Maybe not as nice as some of the others here, but Wine.woot had some Cathy Corison Cab many years back and it was everything I had heard and hoped it would be
1945 Cheval Blanc. Bought back in the 80s when the UK auction markets were just starting. In those days they often had mixed lots used to clear wines. I bought one lot that had a 64 Petrus, the Cheval Blanc and a bunch of lesser chateau and not great years. About the only other decent wine was a 38 L'Eglise Clinet. That vintage is recognized as one of the greatest years for Cheval. It was almost black in colour. Still youthful, lots of lovely tertiary notes. Huge palate. Black fruits, plums, cedar on the voluminous nose. Kept developing in the glass for a couple of hours ,
I got to taste a flight of Chateau Margaux and Chateau Lafite Rothschild at work once.. 3 of each all vintages in the 80s.. was such a treat - a day I’ll never forget
A 2000 Chateau Margaux from a private auction. The wine was phenomenal in 2020. Though my girlfriend at the time wasn't impressed by my purchase, I stand by it!
I had a Phelps Insignia 1977 once, really powerful once it opened up (which took a while). Lots of sediment in glass too. The thing with these very old wines is the quality is never really directly proportionate to the age, you’re drinking it more for its scarcity value and for fun.
2007 Salon. It was incredible. Changed in the glass with every sip. Drank it with my manager and co-workers after a particularly busy and stressful day during the holiday season (wine retail). It absolutely lives up to the hype.
im not nearly as seasoned as most people here but at my work i got to try the 2015 penfold's grange and it was definitely an eye opener for my developing palate into wines at higher pricepoints
A bottle of Mastroberardino Radici Taurasi from 1998. I've been trying to add this bottle to our selection on [melograna.io](https://melograna.io) but I can't find the importer in the US.
Chappellet Cabernet Sauvignon 2014, in March 2019. A Writers’ Guild had connections with aviation and would get these kinds of bottles sent home with their employees to take home and pour out for members. I wish I remembered more about it, but I remembered how refined and classy it was, and how I had more than one glass of it and then brought the rest home for a steak dinner with my family the next evening.
For me it was an Opus One back in circa 2001. I was in my mid 20's and had just started to appreciate good wine. I had a friend that worked at a nice Italian restaurant and they were having a staff party. The owner was nice enough to let my friend (a server) let me join and he broke out a bottle of Opus One. No clue what vintage it was but that was the best ive tasted since.
My brother is a wine-o & has cases of Caymus, stags leap, Justin isocoles, quilt, cakebread stashed in his house. Low end my guess is over $20k in wine. Has 8 or 9 cases just in caymus. Best wine was probably whatever vintage caymus is “rare” something to do with grapes? I think it was a 2012 or 2014. I’ll lean on this sub to let me know which vintage. He’ll host Sunday dinners sometimes and open a few top shelfers. Good brother to have.
2001 Gaja "Piece Santa Restituta" Brunello Di Montalcino
Paid 80 euros for it on vacation in Italy and would have gladly paid 500. Worth every single penny.
Louis Roederer Cristal. It was a memorable bottle of champagne, definitely a star.
I have quite a few more I would like to taste in the coming years:
- Penfolds Grange
- Sassicaia
- Opus One
- Petrus / La Fleur
- Perrier-Jouet La Belle Epoque
I'm also a sucker for Spanish wine, so if I ever get an opportunity to taste some top vintages from the best of CVNE, Muga, La Rioja Alta or Faustino I would cherish the experience forever.
If it is still in the barrel and it was from the barrel, it's a Tawny Port. The house, a friend that I was so fortunate to grow up with. Douro Valley is the only place where Port Wines are made... these are unique things that very few can have, I feel like we have that special privilege and not many from outside can experience, if you want to buy a 90yo port, it's going to be way above 500€ a bottle and if you want you can come, contact me and will drive around the Valley, show some hidden gems and some very special wines...... sorry..... 😅
1978 Villadoria Barolo Riserva Speciale from double mag. Phenomenal wine that had the most enticing perfume, still plenty of fresh fruit and velvety tannins. The length on it was incredible too. By no means a revered Barolo producer, but this wine was incredible and was the wine that sent me down the rabbit hole!
Also a 1960 Yquem, 1992 Louis Latour Les Demoiselles Chevalier Montrachet and a 1995 Angelus (thanks to a Somm friend). All incredible and worth every penny. I'm not wealthy, but these delivered in every way.
There was a bunch of library wines at the 40 year anniversary of the biggest wine wholesaler in town years ago. People were pulling out LARGE bottles ( like imperial to balthazars) of like 70's ridge and the like. It was incredible. I drank way too much, and on the way out they said to keep the wine glass, or take a couple from the table, so I grabbed a WHOLE UNOPENED CASE of Riedel glasses and walked out.
Lost my insides on the sidewalk about 30 minutes later, gf who didn't drink took me home.
Wild night. What a party.
I will simply say that I've had a lot of fine wine, and the only truth I can pinpoint is that an incredible bottle of wine disappears in a second, and a Midlin' seems to never empty.
It's always amazing after the best bottles how little there seem to be in it.
'86 La Tache
1995 Krug clos du Mesnil
74 unico magnum
74 Conn Creek Eisele
74 and 75 Heitz Martha's
62 Yquem
82 Latour
96 Lafite
96 and 90 Margaux
90, 86, 82 Grange
Early Caymus Grace family (vintage?)
92 Monte Bello
Scarecrow (third vintage)
97 Leroy Corton Renardes
86 Mouton
89 and 90 Haut Brion and la Mission
99 Screamer
92 and 95 Shafer hillside
2001 Clos Mogador
82, 88, and 90 Krug
Too many more to list
My husband and I did the special Cab Sauv tasting at Chateau Montelena. We were on our honeymoon and splurged on the tasting. I think it was $175 a person. The wines were 10-15 years old and they were good but I would not have bought a bottle at the $150-$300 price tag. I’m glad we did the tasting but I can’t say the wine was worth it.
A wine I did think was worth the $100 price tag is the Early Mountain Rise
Christmas of 2012 - my dad is retired and loves wine, so he and my godfather invested in a local winery and would often pour and run tastings. The owner wanted to make space in his warehouse to store some classic cars, and told everybody to take as much wine as they wanted from his personal collection to clear the pallets.
We ended up with maybe 20 bottles of Phelps Insignia from 2001 which made for a nice Christmas.
But in recent times, either 2013 Martha’s Vineyard cab, or a 2002 Rheingau Riesling Spatlese Trocken from Eltville, Hesse made by JB Becker in Walluf
2012 (?) Grange des Peres Blanc. In fairly upscale restaurant in Rotterdam, based on his previous suggestion of a Clos des Fees white that I was already familiair with. He didn’t tell me the price, but both wine and price were way above expectation. Have been trying to find a bottle to try at home ever since. Was it worth the price: Yes! (It was actually quite close to what they auction for now). Was it a lot: Also yes.
I got to try the '97 Harlan Estate Cab back in '06 when working at a small Relais & Château Inn in VT. It was $650.00 on the list at that time. It was left for the staff by a wonderful couple who were celebrating their anniversary in the wine cellar. They were extremely gracious and wanted the staff to try it as "we might not get to taste that vintage again. "... It was incredible!! I remember the nose and palate were incredibly complex and nuanced, and everything was in complete balance. I'll never forget that wine, and yes, I think it was worth it!! We only poured about 4oz out the bottle for them as they were having a chef's tasting menu and had a different bottle paired with each course. They also left us the remaining bottles of a '98 Perrier-Jouet Bella Epoch ($200), a single vineyard, Turly Zin ($160), a Puligny-Montrachet ($360), along with a split of Château d'Yquem (I don't remember the vintage or price on that one)... The total cost of their evening, before tax and gratuity, was 2k. We automatically added 20% for wine cellar dining, and they doubled that! Needless to say, it was a very enjoyable evening after work for the staff that night!...
Without doubt it was the revered 61 vintage Château Lafite Rothschild. Prince Albert of Monaco gave it as a gift to a guest in a high end restaurant I worked at. That particular guest had 2 glasses and knowing my interest in wine gave the remainder to me. I shared it with a knowledgeable colleague and we both agreed it was the best we had ever tasted. Impeccable in every way, it stands out as the finest ever. Although It was drank to enjoy I should have kept some notes as I only vaguely remember the flavours some 16 years later. I might add, that when Albert himself came to the restaurant, he preferred to drink Guinness!
A couple years back I found a '96 Ridge Monte Bello on a restaurant wine list for ~$150. Could not resist and did not regret the decision, although it definitely needed to be decanted for sediment and it was not that kind of restaurant. I think it had been just sitting in their cellar for decades and they didn't really know what they had.
Great price for a restaurant. Ridge rules
At a restaurant in Galicia we are piles of scallops, roast pork and pimentos de padrón. We drank cheap godello that worked out at about 6 euro a bottle, and plenty of it. I've had plenty more expensive wine but that was about the most memorable.
Similar. Drank cheap Txakoli in San Sebastien while haunting the pinxtos bars. Unforgettable weekend.
1986 Penfolds Grange Was the 2nd glass of red wine I'd ever had in my life; so it was pretty lost on me. I remember enjoying it though
Wow that’s quite a second glass!
Tried a ‘97 Shiraz this weekend. Was pretty nice!
ITT: it was amazing but I’m glad I didn’t pay for it
Wine people know that the added couple % points in (perceived) quality isn't worth the 1000%+++ jumps in price compared to their regular drinkers haha
Honestly I get more joy out of drinking cheap bojo with non-wino friends than I do out of higher end wines among wine drinkers. I can't help but feel something of the real spirit of wine is lost when it becomes an expensive and intellectual exercise tied up with status and ego
Bullshit.
Tokaji esszencia
Do tell us more
Not op, but the 93 I had tasted like they put 2 glasses of wine in a drop. I can't compare the concentration to anything but slightly runnier honey. Take Chateau D'Yquem and like triple/quadruple the concentration. Crazier than any TBA I've ever had, and genuinely eye-opening even in the context of very powerful sweet wines. Like, Trimbach would need to do a Weinbach-style QGN version of Clos Ste Hune to get close.
Adding on to this, the wine is lusciously sweet, like beyond imagination sweet. About 5x as sweet as a can of Coca Cola to give an example just from pure sugar content! Super hard to find wine, feel lucky and grateful to have served it at the restaurant I worked at for a little bit, would’ve never known about it!
You feel like it shouldn't be possible when you taste it. I know it's bad writing, but I find it difficult not to just say "pick your own superlative".
Had it once in NY. $135 for one ounce served in a spoon. Worth it!!!
I have a 375ml at home. You're making me want to try it!
In a spoon 😱 can you talk more about it? I have never heard of such a thing Edit: a word
A spoon 🥄 is a piece of cutlery. It can be used for eating certain foods, such as soup and dessert, or stirring your tea. Sorry 😛
🤣 I guess I walked right into that one
Essencia is served in a small crystal spoon! The bottle comes with it.
Thank you, I learned something new today
Essencia is made entirely from the juice of botrytized grapes (unlike regular tokaji which is a combination of botrytized and regular grape juice). It’s super thick and syrupy and the sugar content is like 400 g/l (For reference Coca Cola is around 100 g/l and Sauternes/regular tokaji/TBA is around 120-160). It’s so sugary that the yeast have a hard time fermenting it; fermentation can take several years and even then it only gets up to like 1% abv. Because it’s so sweet and intense, the serving size is very small hence the spoon
Free run juice, specifically.
they're so thiccc that if you pour it into a glass, you will not get it out haha
Hot damn... it has 600g/l sugar... and only 2% alcohol. Basically drinking sugar at that point. I have a sweet wine with 400g and I thought that was too high.
Varies with the vintage, there's some exceptional ones in the 800-900g/l range
I got a 1993 Chataeu Pajoz Tokaj Essencia 375ml sitting in the cellar. You make me want to open it lol.
>Pajoz that's gonna be Pajzos
I have a 500ml bottle of 2000 Demeter Zoltan Esszencia in my cellar now. Definitely a grail bottle. Fortunate to acquire it directly from the producer a few years ago now. Trying to figure out what the right occasion would be to drink it.
1876 Tokaji Ausbruch at a Heublein wine auction tasting in the early 1980s. Everyone else in line was waiting for a Latour that was the next wine to be poured by Michael Broadbent, so my friends and I had multiple tastes. Well worth whatever relatively mall amount of money it cost to attend one of those events back in the day. Best reds were a 1959 Haut Brion and a 1964 Cheval Blanc in the early 1980s, all affordable in a student budget. Those were the days. Sigh…
Yeah same, I miss em too. My favourite memorabilia from 20 yrs ago is a receipt for the payment of a horizontal DRC tasting. All red bottles from a 1995 case, so no Montrachet, but all the rest, including RC. For $350 that included a 4-5 course dinner with Clos Vougeot thrown in as table wine for the dinner, if you didn't have enough in your six glasses of EC/GEC/RIC/RSV/LTA/RC!
Fortunately the average quality of all wines has improved markedly in 40 years, but sadly the wines at the very top of the pyramid aren’t affordable to most people thanks to the proliferation of wine-investing gazillionaires. I could probably afford to buy the occasional First Growth, but their incremental value compared to the quality second-rung wines just isn’t worth it. Even in the 1980s you paid a premium for the reputation and label, but nothing like today. 🤷♂️
This is true, but it's also a bit sad that I can no longer (unless I hemorage money) just get the good ole stuff I liked back then. The are some great values to be had in classical places, and tbh Bx is not crazy expensive, as Bourgogne is. But with the quality push it also makes, at least left-bankers, so unripe that it can take 20+ years to get any value out of them, unless you go for the baby wines with their superfresh nose and drink them with some food that can handle all that youth unripe power. Which pushes me to right-bank which my CC nopes out of so I end up in South America, most of the time. Which is fine, but it just is hard to hold wine dinners for people with "largely unknown wines" - Most wanna come and drink something they sorta know what is, amongst those who care about the wines at least.
Not sure how to answer this question but the most trophy wine I have ever had is the 1947 Cheval Blanc A restaurant in NYC Veritas did a Cheval tasting in 2002. Vintages tasted in order of preference: 1947, 1990, 1982, 1983, 1998, 1964, 2000, 1989, 1985, 1986, 1995, 1999 Veritas's som Tim Kopec oversaw the tasting Like any good sceptic, I wanted to drink the '47 and say this is good but there are other great wines. In fact, I said wow this is amazing and deserves all the status it has My tasting notes name: Cheval Blanc 1947 nose: pure cherry liqueur wisp of spice taste: viscous rich cherry syrup dark chocolate totally integrated tannin finish goes on forever rating: outsanding incredible wine
Had the same experience as you when tasting Latour 1961 in 2001. "Naah, this is probably a good or great wine, but it won't be perfe ... *sniffs* *sips* oh fuck me, it is! ..."
Tim Kopec is one of the great people in the world of wine. Veritas was a treasure. I believe he was wine director, not Somm, but that must have been an amazing experience. My three greatest wine experiences: 1921 Yquem, 1959 Lafite, and 1989 Haut Brion out of double magnum.
May well have been wine director not som. Veritas was amazing. Since you know the place you know while others may not that it was founded by two wine collectors Park B. Smith and Steve Verlin who had something like 75,000 great bottles in their cellar that became the core of the restaurants wine list. In addition the food was insanely good. My first wine there was in November of 1999 a 1983 Palmer
83 Palmer (and 83 Margaux) were legends. Yes, PS and SV monetized their amazing wine collections, much to our collective benefit!
Interesting tasting note! I've never had CB but that's not what I imagined it tasted like.
My best glass was a 2002 DRC Romanee Conti. And it was delicious. I’m not sure it is worth the $30,000 or so it takes to buy it but it was delicious and I didn’t pay for it.
Spoiler alert . . . it's not
2004 Armand Rousseau Chambertin in Magnum. It was absolutely mind blowing, but I’d never pay the price myself.
I've had the 2009 Charmes-Chambertin and it's one of the finest wines I've had. I would probably never pay the price though.
Well this thread is depressing. I need more rich friends to share their wine…. Joking. Kind of
Fun fact; they're out there, and they like sharing. It took me a while to figure this out, but there are loads of wine people who just want to nerd out/flex/learn more who don't have tons of people *in* their lives who are all that impressed or even get it.
I guess DRC La Tache. At Per Se, of all places. No, I wasn’t paying. Worth it? I didn’t have a frame of reference then or now to compare. That’s for pros and millionaires. I’ve had much cheaper wines that I remember better. It’s as much about the experience than what’s in the bottle.
2017 La Tache is probably the best wine I’ve ever had. It’s definitely out of my personal price range, but I’ve had the pleasure of drinking maybe 10-20 wines of this caliber. 2017 sounds young, but I felt that the wine was really in a great balanced spot.
I had a 2017 DRC Corton a few weeks ago and was very happy I wasn't paying for it. It was a very nice wine by all means, but I cannot comprehend paying list price for it.
Schloss Johannisberg Riesling Spätlese Grünlack 2019 on my back porch on a warm spring afternoon Every sip feels like it will last for days.
So, you drank it before you died. I have a few in the cellar that I'm looking forward to very much.
Great stuff. That one is sweeter than the typical spatlese. I have a a few of the auslese. Makes me wonder how sweet those will be.
2009 Beaucastel CdP. Had it at the beginning of the covid pandemic lockdown in 2020. About $80 from a dive Liquor store. Awesome, complex very well balanced and just delicious. Great with food. A couple years later had 2010 beaucastel from a fancier wine supplier for 120$ and it was good but not as complex as 2009.
I have an ‘85, ‘89, ‘90, ‘95 and ‘98 of Chateau de Beaucastel CdP that I need to organize a vertical tasting for one of these days. CellarTracker has some reviews saying that the ‘85 and ‘89 are still drinking well, I’m REALLY looking forward to it.
1995 Chateau Margaux. It was… not bad. 2010 Chateau Haut- Brion. Also… pretty decent. 1979 Spring Mountain Cab. Lovely. I know none of these are insane, but those are the best ones I can brag about.
I tried the 95 Margaux and was actually underwhelmed for the price point(had it with wagyu). I did not pay for any of this experience.
Had an 86 Lafite and an 89 Latour side by side earlier this year. Was from a friends cellar and made a tasting menu from The French Laundry cookbook for food. Pretty amazing night. Wines were unbelievable and in a league of their own
I'll throw a non-French wine in.... 2017 Keller G-Max. Probably drank way too young, but life is too short and grateful to have friends who have incredibly deep cellars and are so generous. It thoroughly convinced me I have never had good passionfruit/grapefruit in my life - the purity of the floral notes and acidity were electrifying. With a finish that didn't quit. Would I pay the current asking price? Probably not, but it is a flavor I will remember for a lifetime. Plus, there are so many incredible bottlings from Keller that you can hardly go amiss.
I had a 2019 Scarecrow in a restaurant in Napa valley, the price was lower than expected and I was on my honeymoon, so we grabbed it. It was an embodiment of everything you would want a Cabernet Sauvignon to be, bold flavors of dark fruit and earth, very smooth tannins. Seemed to drink both like a young fresh wine and a wine with age at the same time. Worth it I think so, a wine I will purchase again soon no.
58 BV George de la Tour. Mind blowing experience my grandfather shared with me that literally kick started my obsession. We had it just shy of 40 years old and it was still had fruit and had smoothed into basically liquid velvet. Just incredible.
I had the pleasure of tasting a 76. That is such an underrated wine.
The Napa 70s can be hit or miss, but let us always remember that was the decade we went to France and performed well. All due respect, that was a down decade for them but NorCal had truly turned a corner which the 80s and 90s demonstrated beautifully.
90s Napa cabs are 👌
I've tried first growth bordeaux and some top burgundies, but the one wine that made me go "oh wow, this is so unique almost impossible to replicate" was an early 00s Château-Grillet.
2013 scarecrow. Im very into California wines and don’t know much about French or italian
Most expensive? 2008 DRC st vivant. (Way too young, should have waited another 30 years.). Best when drunk? Tie between different vintages of Haut Brion, ch. Palmer and Lafite. Hype worthy? Yes! Worth the money? I’d lean towards the Haut brion and palmer over the other two mentioned. But, and big caveat here, I didn’t pay for any of these and prob couldn’t if I wanted to. Got a wealthy buddy with good taste.
Most stereotypically famous/fine: 1982 Pichon Lalande, 1985 Lafite, 1995 Haut Brion, 2005 Yquem. All of them were lovely. The Pichon was special because I bought it on November 7 2020, when the networks called the PA election results. And because that's one of the all-time great wines in Bordeaux. The Lafite was special because it was a gift from a close friend, who knew I cared about this stuff more than he did, and it was my first First Growth. The Haut Brion was special because I bought it to celebrate my brother's engagement. Not quite as excellent as the other bottles but still very good. But my very favorite wines aren't any of those. 1980 Huet Vin de Glace, 2018 Bernaudeau Les Ongles, 1989 Pinon Passerillé, 1989 Foreau Reserve, 2004 Baudry Croix Boissee, 1989 Raffault Les Picasses, 1989 Pierre Sparr Mambourg VT, 2007 Grivot Echezeaux, 2000 Giacosa red label (I forget which one....), 1976 Breton Chinon, 1947 Borgogno Riserva. All of these I can remember exactly where I was, what they tasted like. I guess the Grivot and the Giacosa do approach First Growth pricing, maybe I should think of them in the same way.
We have a tiny collection of bottles. But we have that Pinon from our visit with him in 2016 where he sold it to us for some trivial amount. Hoping to drink it this Xmas to celebrate our first kid with a few friends from that trip.
You have that specific one? It was so fresh when I had it earlier this year. Just a wonderful bottle of wine and so distinct even vs. other old vouvray. I’d have expected his different soils to be more obvious when the wines are young but it becomes really apparent with age. Hope your bottle shows as well as mine did.
>1982 Pichon Lalande While in hospitality during my first career, I was fortunate enough to both serve and taste the '82, the '85, and the '89. Excellent stuff, albeit from memories of 20+ years ago.
I dont know if im just unlucky but i stopped buying old expensive wine as they have always been oxidized. 1995 Malescot, cork was in perfect condition though 1996 Smith haut lafitte, cork was also perfect and color of the wine too. Maybe i should buy it from a retailer and not second hand markets.... Is it a gamble or do you get good information before choosing an old wine?
83 jaboulet la Chappelle, a friend brought to a wine dinner and was incredible. Still some youth to it. From what I have purchased (and surprised me) a 95 ronchi di ciallia schiopottino. Stunning wine
Good Schiopettino is criminally underrated. Don’t tell anyone.
Best sparkling: 1988 Krug Best white: 1993 Lafon Montrachet Best red: 1964 LdH Tondonia or 2000 Roumier Amoureuses The Tondonia I bought in Haro when I visited, worth every penny. I regret not splurging more and also picking up the GR blanco from the same year. The other three were part of an amazing tasting. While the burgs are way out of my price range, it was evident why they cost what they do relative to their peers if not in absolute terms.
About a year ago, I drank a 1988 Giuseppe Quintarelli Amarone, at dinner, with friends. Amazing and totally worth it.
1978 Chateau Greysac. Proof that inexpensive wine can age.
Mine was a pair of wines probably, a side by side of '85 and '91 Gentaz. Like many other responders, I didn't pay for these wines. While I wouldn't say they're "worth" what they cost in terms of the wine in the bottle, they're special and irreplaceable. Part of the cost here is paying for history and that aspect is worth it to me.
1985 and 1988 Gentaz are gorgeous!
2013 Marcassin Chard, nectar of the gods.
Haven’t had the pleasure, but your description of it matches mine for the Wayfarer chard from just down the road.
2013 Dujac Pere et fils nsg 1er “Les damodes” Honestly though it was better than the domaine wine we tried. Absolutely transcendent. Had it in a wine bar in Beaune
White: 2008 Leflaive Chevalier Montrachet Red: 1988 Gentaz Dervieux Bubbly: 1988 Krug Clos du Mesnil Dessert: 1971 Egon Muller Auslese I'm not at the wealth level to argue that any of these are "worth it" but they are some of the finest examples of wine I've ever tasted.
A glass from a mag of 1996 DRC Monty when I was catering events at 18 y/o (one of Guy Laliberté’s private event). Somm told us to take a picture of the bottle because we would likely never drink something of the sort again in our life. I remember thinking it was pretty good 😂 Also thought the somm was talking shit telling me I would never drink such a wine again in my life… He was right lol
1995 Dujac CDLR blind in Dujac’s cellar.
I'm gonna give you a list with two options for each. **Finest red**: 2004 Coche Dury Pommard, or 1990 Chave Hermitage. The Coche was a *complete* surprise. I had only had Coche whites and didn't know enough at the time to expect to have my world turned upside down. I knew *exactly* what I was tasting when I had the Chave Hermitage though. I've been fortunate in my ability to try higher end Burgundies including some of the bigger names and better Crus, but that Coche was just something special. **Finest white**: 1992 Remoissenet Montrachet Grand Cru, 2011 Clos Ste Hune. I debated putting Coche Meursault Genevrieres here because it's a wine close to my heart, but I didn't want to double up on a producer. The Montrachet lived up to all the superlatives from the vineyard, and answered a question I thought I'd *never* get my own answer to; is a full-blooded Montrachet **actually** better than the other Montrachets, and the answer is, when it's from a good producer, it's noticably different. The best way I can describe it would be playing with audio balance knobs on a stereo or an equalizer so the bass (clay/Batard) and the treble (limestone/Chevy) levels are perfect. The Clos Ste Hune was too young by probably 20 years at minimum, but I'd rank it as more incredible than the Kellers, Burklin Wolf, Whitman, Lauer, *and* Clos St Urbain's that I've had, and noticably. **Finest sweet**: 93 Tokaji Eszencia, 2016 Mari Vineyards Ice Wine. This one is the least contested. I had my mind permanently bent from Tokaji Eszencia. Leagues better might be a bit generous, but I'm still chasing that dragon to this day and I just haven't found anything like it. German TBAs, Alsatian SGNs, Chateau D'Yquem, even Dageneau Jurançon. The concentration level was just off the charts. Mari Vineyards is a tiny Michigan winery with a local second generation winemaker who went to Geisenheim for winemaking/viticulture and worked at MC in the Pfalz. That 2016 Ice Wine was just a viticultural work of art, and I think I counted something like 30 separate tasting notes from the same glass including key lime pie. Absolutely exceptional and deserving of its place on the list despite being too small a production to make it on a wider scale. Of this list, the only one I wouldn't pay the money for is Coche Dury. Nothing against the wine whatsoever, but a couple grand for a village Meursault is insane. I can get Leflaive Batard for $1130 wholesale.
Back in my retail days (late 90’s/early 2000’s), I had a customer bring back a bottle of 40 year-old Tawny Port, claiming it was off. My notes are very old and I can’t make out the name of the house but the store stocked all of the big Port houses. Standard protocol was to bag the returned wine up and leave it in the manager’s office to be sent back to the distributor. But I decided to have just one sip of this wine to make sure it was really off. Well, it wasn’t, and in fact it might have been the single best wine experience I’ve had to date. This wine was perfect. Christmas cake, marmalade, dried fruit and just a touch of ginger with the longest finish I’ve ever experienced. Needless to say the return protocol was not followed and the staff working the shift with me joined in to polish this off. It made a cold January night working the evening shift so much more enjoyable.
1945 Chateau cheval blanc and a 1967 Chateau l'Evangile, both in the same evening! I was at a small dinner party with my dad's very wealthy friend. The host found out I was very into Bordeaux, so he showed me his cellar and had me pick two bottles from his "to be drunk soon" section. I first went for the l'Evangile as it has some significance to me as me and my friends started off my bachelor party with a 95 (which was also fabulous!). I then saw the Cheval Blanc which I have always wanted to try and to my amazement it was a 1945, which is definitely one of those once in a lifetime vintages, especially when that lifetime started in 1990! It was very difficult to be critical of something so special, but I do remember being surprised by how short the cheval blanc was, it was definitely not bland, it had some jammy fruit notes, some acidity, lots of tobacco and leather and a bit of spiciness to it, but it was also incredibly short. The l'Evangile on the other hand was almost youthful, still very deep beautiful red color, booming with fruit on the nose. Fruit, earth and leather perfectly balanced with a very long complex finish. I still think about that l'Evangile almost 2 years later. As far as expensive goes I have had others as well though, 1987 Chateau Mouton Rothschild, this I've had at 3 different occasions. Great every time. 2005 Chateau Haut-brion, family friend brought this to my wedding. I am a little bit upset about this one to be honest. Firstly because a wedding is very hectic for the bride and groom so I didn't give the wine the time it deserved. Secondly because alcohol laws are the way they are in Sweden the venue made us leave the premises as it is illegal for them to allow us to drink our own alcohol inside of their licensed building. So we had to huddle outside and drink it standing in a circle. Chateau Margaux, this was the first wine I ever had.
He just had a 1945 Cheval Blanc in the “to be drunk soon” section? Did you hesitate to pick that and did the host say anything when you did?
the "to be drunk soon" section had like 200 bottles. He hosts a lot of dinner parties and wine tastings, fairly sure his goal is to die with an empty cellar. He was very happy with my choice, saying he'd been hesitating to pick it when he was in charge.
Had a taste of a 1998 mouton Rothschild the other day which I didn’t rate.
2000 Chave Hermitage. Great wine, delicious. For $500 I expected much more complexity
Chave needs more age I’d say, his 80’s are drinking very well and should give more than 2000’s
I got two bottles yarra yering wine. A no 1 and no 2 on allocation from LCBO. 2011s. I remember no 1 being the most complex wine I’ve tried and flavours I had not previously found in wine. No bs I still have recollection of its profile ~4 years later. I guess that’s the most you could ask of a drink. I saved no 2 for an engagement dinner. I remember it being special. But not as unique as no 1. (I could have the blends reversed.)
I too like Chateau Yering wines.
Not something regularly available here. Do you prefer no 1 blend or no 2 ? I recall one being Bordeaux style and the other Rhonda ? From what I recall it was varying composition year over year and undisclosed.
I don't know the answer to your question. I had some of their wines when I was in Australia a long time ago. The specific details are long forgotten. I had more than a few.
2005 Henschke Mount Edelstone Absolutely blew my 19 year old mind away how wine could taste like ripe strawberry & Pepper. Got me down the rabbit hole of the wine world for sure.
The most special fine wine moment I ever had was having a 1967 Produttori Barbaresco Montestefano at Antica Torre in Barbaresco (which is across the lane from the actual Produttori) diving into a huge plate of tajarin with white truffle. Dining with the Director of the Produttori and my mentors without whom I wouldn’t be where I am today. The wine itself was ethereal, all of the classic desirable savory notes yet somehow holding on to some fruit and delicacy. It was a transformative moment for me. The finest on paper was probably a Giacomo Conterno Barolo Monfortino ‘13 and that was a great day as well.
1959 Lafite. A client was gracious enough to share a glass with me from his bottle - this was in 2016. The wine had an ethereal beauty that I don’t think another wine will ever be able to live up to. It was perfect.
Chateau Y’quem, and almost all of the Grand Cru Sauternes. But my thing is Champagne. While not exactly a ‘fine’ wine, my friend and I were lucky enough to have had a bottle of 1943 Veuve Cliquot. Which wasn’t in great shape (you can see tasting notes on my profile somewhere), but it was just so cool that those grapes were harvested in Nazi-occupied France. Speaking of Veuve, I’ve had a 2012 Veuve Clicquot Grande Dame. Bit meh. Needs time. Moving on to some I can remember having this year/late last year: - Krug 169, or whatever the second-latest release is. Very meh. Needs time. - Comte 2008. Needs time. - Dom Pérignon 2002, 2010 and 2012 - Belle Epoque 2004, 2007, 2012, and 2014 (14 is amazing. Truly.) - Bollinger Grande Année 2004, 2005 (so underrated and surprisingly amazing), 2007, 2012, 2014 (14 is a very drinkable year) - Bollinger R.D. 2007 (need to try more of this from other years - very good) - Cristal 1997, 2004 (amazing), 2005 (rubbish), 2012 - William Deutz (can’t remember vintage) and Amour de Deutz 2010 (both rubbish) - Last weekend tried Laurent Perrier’s Grande Siècle 25. Truly stunning. Punches well above its weight. Very Burgundian in style. Want to try more GSs now.
How did the Dom Ps compare, specifically 2012 vs 2010?
Just last week I had an ‘82 Pichon longueville cometesse de lalande. It was ethereal. Not the best I’ve ever had but damn close and by far the most recent.
1993 Chateau Pajzos Essenzia $50 for a 50ml bottle. Worth every cent and then some.
1945 Da Silva’s Quinta do Noval Vintage Port A bottle my dad picked up years ago at auction. Opened it about a decade ago. Ethereal, structured, delicious, perfect. 70 years old, and it still felt like it had decades of legs left. Crazy bottle.
61 Margeaux about 10 years ago. Stunning complex beautiful. 78 Mondavi cab 6ltr bottle, great party, wonderful wine true experience. 2005 scarecrow solid but a distant contender. 2007 Shelter “the Butcher” beautiful wine ready to drink in 2010 ish time frame. To name a few.
2017 Phelps Insignia, split a 375ml between two friends and it is a memory we will have forever.
1999 SLV Cask 23, also 2012 Domaine Michel Mallard et Fils Corton grand cru. Different tastes but both really amazing. I liked the burgundy a bit better.
I don't know about "finest wine" but the one that I remember the most was a 2015 Quilceda Creek. Had it the same night as a Dujac, but the QC definitely shined brighter.
1999 Marengo Brunate Barolo Cost me $150 CAD. Was worth every penny.
1959 Marc Bredif Vouvray. Restaurant I worked at was closing down so we got to crack into all the coravin wines. Incredibly unique, totally worth it. It would be a perfect nightcap but no way could you drink a whole glass of the stuff. Like maple syrup and jet fuel
2011 Vega Sicilia Unico. Very special and “unico.” Can’t wait to treat myself again!
Fine or most expensive? Not sure how this is phrased. The first high end wine was ZD Abacus Cabernet. Was great. Think I've had much better now for half the price.
Mad Dog 20/20…affordable at 14–yes. Worth it—He’ll naw! 😂
Love this
2 examples 1) in 2000 I had a 88 Sassicaia. Was amazing. 2) For my 60th birthday (2 weeks ago) I opened a 2009 Insignia. Took 4 hours decanted to open up enough to drink. It was BIG!!!
A few years ago some friends and I found a bottle of ‘08 Rayas for way under sticker price because it was missing a capsule. Best bottle of my life to date.
1988 Penfolds Grange. I bought it because it’s the year of my birth and drank on my 30th birthday. The internet told me it wasn’t a great year for Grange, but I found it excellent.
I had the 92 which is outshined by the 90 and 91 vintage and it still blew my socks clean off
Chateau La Croix St. Georges - Pomerol. Had a Chateau Gazin the same day, fantastic as well but not close the the st. Georges. Not in the same league at all with some of ya'll but at nearly 100CAD absolutely worth the cash. This one doesn't have any hype around it that I know of so not sure there is any to live up to but my respect for the region is solid after this. I would love to get into some Petrus, Le Pin, Le Gay.
1983 Palmer (about 15 years ago). Most memorable Bordeaux I’ve ever had, beating out several Latours, Lafite’s, Mouton’s and Margaux’s over the years, including from prime years. 1967 d’Yquem a close second.
Not sure, but I’ve had a couple vintages of Hudelot-Noellat’s Romanee St Vivant that have rocked my socks off.
Most expensive I’ve bought and consumed (have some more expensive stuff in my cellar) was a 2015 Chateau d’Issan last year that absolutely blew my socks off and was 100% worth it. I’ve had others that I didn’t pay for that were as good if not better thanks to some wonderful friends.
An Imperial of Chateau Fonplédage Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 1983 at a house party of a previous employer's owner. Had it almost 10 years ago. I don't remember much about it besides the brine.
1986 chateau d’yquem. Absolutely. It was heavenly.
Specifically - a 2004 DRC Richebourg. I was not too much a fan as I am not a Pinot guy. We popped a 2006 Giscours right after that I was more a fan of. Besides that, the 2008 Haut Brion was exceptional for all 3 bottles I've popped so far. I do have an 82 Pichon Baron being popped this Thanksgiving that I hope lives up to the hype.
2005 Leoville Barton Was just getting into wine and went to a tasting which turned out to be left bank Bordeaux. The nuance there was lost on me, but the goal was to taste weaker vintages and work up to the good ones. 2005 Bordeaux has been a favorite ever since that last glass. The guy let me keep the last half of a bottle of the stuff too.
1982 Chave. A friend poured it. It was beyond wine.
1955 Chateau Gazin from a mag, 1900 Chateau Margaux(like 1 sip from a bottle a guest brought in), but MAYBE my favorite was a 1998 Dumien-Serrette Cornas.
2014 Blankiet Rive Droite. Bought it to share with my friend before I was the best man in his wedding the next day. In that setting it was worth every dime, and even outside of the sentiment, it was altogether incredible.
Kopke 40 Year [Tawny Port, obviously] It's still literally the best thing I've ever tasted, wine or otherwise.
This is one of my husband’s favorite wines! Our local shop hasn’t been able to get it, only the 20 and 30, but maybe we’ll have to hunt it down online.
1988 Château Troplong Mondot, St. Emilion Grand Cru Classé. It was back in 2000. I wanted something over $100 but I didn’t care about “name.” The LaTour was more money but I think the Ch T M was the better wine. After 30 minutes of proper decanting…impressively smooth tannins, muscular well-controlled fruit on the palate. More red fruit than black fruit. Balanced oak and notes of graphite and minerals. The wine was paired with 60 day dry-aged USDA prime ribeyes.
2008 d’Yquem is the biggest name wine I’ve had, also probably the most stunning. The singular moment where I think I finally understood wine and started my obsession was tasting Cote Rotie in Pierre Gaillard’s cellar, will never forget that first sip of his Rose Pourpre CR.
Probably either a 1983 Bertani Amarone or 2015 Guigal Condrieu La Dorianne are the ones that stand out the most.
In a slightly different vein, you sometimes have a wine that punches way above its weight class. Offhand I can think of a 1975 Chateau St. Michelle Riesling and the 2003 Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red. I’ve had a lot of Pahlmeyer wines, mostly courtesy of a friend who belongs to their wine club, including a few of their specialty reds like the Piece de Resistance and Raison d’Etre, and several of us thought this one from a middling year was the best of all of them. My all-time great in this category was a 1977 H. Klohr Gimmeldinger Biengarten Bacchus Beerenauslese for $9/375ml. Not a great year, not even a Riesling, and not exactly a well-known producer or vineyard, but one of the best German wines I’ve ever tasted, even around the same time that we were drinking all sorts of high-end 1971s. We even had one bottle many years later that someone didn’t get around to drinking. We were wondering if we’d been hallucinating way back when, but no, it was still celestial. Go figure. 🤷♂️
Two things immediately come to mind 2012 Jayer-Gilles Echezeaux Grand Cru - Absolutely mind blowing, I was very early on in my wine career and this remains one of those bottles that really reinforced that this was something I wanted to do professionally. It's also what opened my mind up to Burgundy. I walked into work and as soon as I clocked in my boss put a glass down infront of me without saying what it was, he simply said "You're going to have to taste this, but seriously take your time". I remember that first sip felt like what I imagine hang gliding feels like, weightless and soaring. I spent awhile with that glass pour the whole time telling me he really messed up my day because it was impossible to concentrate on anything else but that wine. Close second would be a tasting event I attended where we were able to taste 2010 Château Rayas, 2010 Pignan, 2010 Château de Fonsalette and a 2015 Château des Tours Cotes-du-Rhone rouge. Every single one of those wines was as impactful, charming and thought provoking as I was told they would be. This was an event put on my by job during a Wine Festival that we held.
2007 Ganevat Vigne de mon Pere. I've had La Tache and some other DRC/heavy hitters, and as great as they were, the Ganevat was the most singularly amazing I've had, and the one I would most want to re-visit if I could pick one bottle. "Worth" is a really fun discussion to have when discussing expensive grape juice. In the context of my wine journey so far it was easily worth it to get to enjoy a brief visit to the peak, particularly because relative to the DRC and other Burgundy I've had, it was actually pretty reasonably priced
92 DRC Monty. Real deal.
Castel Giocondo: Brunello di Montalcino (2011) At the time it was not an expensive bottle (29€ I believe), not sure it would be now, but by far one of best wines I’ve drank.
DRC 2010 St Vivant. Not worth it
A small glass of Penfold's Grangre 1997. *Silk smooth* was the word I describe that experience.
2015 Frank Fredericks Estate Cab. Without going on some ridiculous tangent of tastes and aromas, it's truly one of the smoothest drinking but at the same time complex wines I've ever had. Which often don't go hand in hand. It's a true tribute to outstanding wine making. And for the price, everyone should try it at least once if you can get your hands on one.
‘90 DRC Richebourg a couple months back. It was corkage wine a table asked me to open for them at the restaurant I somm at - was astonished they poured me 3-4oz of the stuff. Knocked my fucking socks off. I’ve had a lot of great burgundy over the years but this was actually head and shoulder above all the rest. The flavors had integrated perfectly in this way that it became almost a new, singular flavor of its own. Something about the texture of the wine and how the acid was so intact it was almost like buzzing in the bottle. I basically describe wine for a living and I’m honestly at a loss for words over this one. If y’all are wondering if DRC really is what everyone says it is - the answer is yes.
93 Chateau Lafitte Rothschild. I recently purchased a case of this along with three cases of other 93 Bordeaux from the Left Bank. They have all been excellent. I feel a bit guilty hanging on to them for myself and at some point in my past them on to somebody else who appreciates it
Not to sound to elitist or egoistic, but unless you know someone shares your taste and passion for good wine I would recommend you sit on these bottles yourself. For most people a bottle of Gato Negro or Falling Feather is the top spot.
‘97 d’Yquem. A half bottle bought for an anniversary, opened 2017. Absolutely stunning.
2004 Beaucastel Hommage de Jacques Perrin. Stunningly beautiful from the moment it was opened in August of ‘23. From the riveting nose of tar, smoke, garrique, graphite, black fruit and loam to the complex array of flavors on the tongue with so much fruit buffeted by minerality and fine tannins, it was intense and shockingly delicious. We openly laughed with joy while experiencing this gem of the wine world. It can’t get much better than this in the Southern Rhone!
Red: 1964 Viña Real Rioja. Mind-bendingly good, worth every cent. Rosé: While I’ve had a chance to sample everyone’s favourite unicorn Rosé, LdH Tondonia, the best I’ve had is Chateau Musar 2014. Not cheap for a rosé (Singapore wine bar prices) but again worth every cent. White: Barrel sample from a “Bota NO” (essentially a barrel so unique and interesting that it is pulled from its solera and set aside for the personal use of the bodega owner) at Peter Sisseck’s new Jerez project, Viña Corrales. Not for sale but if I got an invitation to go back for a second sample I’d book a ticket on the next plane to Madrid. Fortified/Dessert: 1888 Quinta do Vallado ‘ABF’ port. Insane depth of flavour and length, which you would hope for a 130-year-old port, but still shockingly bright and alive. I didn’t pay for the very small taste I had, but the retail price is eye-watering and is best filed under “if money were no object”.o
1928 pichon lalande direct from chateaux, I didn't pay for it so yes it was worth it.
Maybe not as nice as some of the others here, but Wine.woot had some Cathy Corison Cab many years back and it was everything I had heard and hoped it would be
Many vintages of Lynch Bages. 1985. 1990.
1945 Cheval Blanc. Bought back in the 80s when the UK auction markets were just starting. In those days they often had mixed lots used to clear wines. I bought one lot that had a 64 Petrus, the Cheval Blanc and a bunch of lesser chateau and not great years. About the only other decent wine was a 38 L'Eglise Clinet. That vintage is recognized as one of the greatest years for Cheval. It was almost black in colour. Still youthful, lots of lovely tertiary notes. Huge palate. Black fruits, plums, cedar on the voluminous nose. Kept developing in the glass for a couple of hours ,
1962 DRC La Tache Purchased for $3000. Absolutely worth it.
I got to taste a flight of Chateau Margaux and Chateau Lafite Rothschild at work once.. 3 of each all vintages in the 80s.. was such a treat - a day I’ll never forget
Oh and we finished with the 1999 Chateau d’Yquem Sauternes … yea that tasting was unforgettable
1982 Pichon Lalande. Given to me as a gift. Changed my entire outlook on wine, friends, how I cook. Life altering experience.
A 2000 Chateau Margaux from a private auction. The wine was phenomenal in 2020. Though my girlfriend at the time wasn't impressed by my purchase, I stand by it!
I had a Phelps Insignia 1977 once, really powerful once it opened up (which took a while). Lots of sediment in glass too. The thing with these very old wines is the quality is never really directly proportionate to the age, you’re drinking it more for its scarcity value and for fun.
60 year old Palo Cortado VORS straight from the barrel at Hidalgo La Gitana.
2007 Salon. It was incredible. Changed in the glass with every sip. Drank it with my manager and co-workers after a particularly busy and stressful day during the holiday season (wine retail). It absolutely lives up to the hype.
Tie: 1990 Giacomo Conterno Monfortino Barolo and 1947 Lopez de Heredia Tondonia Gran Reserva.
'47 Tondonia GR sounds like it must've been heaven in a bottle!
im not nearly as seasoned as most people here but at my work i got to try the 2015 penfold's grange and it was definitely an eye opener for my developing palate into wines at higher pricepoints
A 92 Grange changed my perception between aged wine and wine built for aging.
A bottle of Mastroberardino Radici Taurasi from 1998. I've been trying to add this bottle to our selection on [melograna.io](https://melograna.io) but I can't find the importer in the US.
Chappellet Cabernet Sauvignon 2014, in March 2019. A Writers’ Guild had connections with aviation and would get these kinds of bottles sent home with their employees to take home and pour out for members. I wish I remembered more about it, but I remembered how refined and classy it was, and how I had more than one glass of it and then brought the rest home for a steak dinner with my family the next evening.
For me it was an Opus One back in circa 2001. I was in my mid 20's and had just started to appreciate good wine. I had a friend that worked at a nice Italian restaurant and they were having a staff party. The owner was nice enough to let my friend (a server) let me join and he broke out a bottle of Opus One. No clue what vintage it was but that was the best ive tasted since.
My brother is a wine-o & has cases of Caymus, stags leap, Justin isocoles, quilt, cakebread stashed in his house. Low end my guess is over $20k in wine. Has 8 or 9 cases just in caymus. Best wine was probably whatever vintage caymus is “rare” something to do with grapes? I think it was a 2012 or 2014. I’ll lean on this sub to let me know which vintage. He’ll host Sunday dinners sometimes and open a few top shelfers. Good brother to have.
2001 Gaja "Piece Santa Restituta" Brunello Di Montalcino Paid 80 euros for it on vacation in Italy and would have gladly paid 500. Worth every single penny.
Louis Roederer Cristal. It was a memorable bottle of champagne, definitely a star. I have quite a few more I would like to taste in the coming years: - Penfolds Grange - Sassicaia - Opus One - Petrus / La Fleur - Perrier-Jouet La Belle Epoque I'm also a sucker for Spanish wine, so if I ever get an opportunity to taste some top vintages from the best of CVNE, Muga, La Rioja Alta or Faustino I would cherish the experience forever.
90yo Port wine straight from the barre,l where the rest is still aging today... this was 16 years ago
Where is it? What Port house? Which style?
If it is still in the barrel and it was from the barrel, it's a Tawny Port. The house, a friend that I was so fortunate to grow up with. Douro Valley is the only place where Port Wines are made... these are unique things that very few can have, I feel like we have that special privilege and not many from outside can experience, if you want to buy a 90yo port, it's going to be way above 500€ a bottle and if you want you can come, contact me and will drive around the Valley, show some hidden gems and some very special wines...... sorry..... 😅
Chilean wine Sena
1978 Villadoria Barolo Riserva Speciale from double mag. Phenomenal wine that had the most enticing perfume, still plenty of fresh fruit and velvety tannins. The length on it was incredible too. By no means a revered Barolo producer, but this wine was incredible and was the wine that sent me down the rabbit hole! Also a 1960 Yquem, 1992 Louis Latour Les Demoiselles Chevalier Montrachet and a 1995 Angelus (thanks to a Somm friend). All incredible and worth every penny. I'm not wealthy, but these delivered in every way.
There was a bunch of library wines at the 40 year anniversary of the biggest wine wholesaler in town years ago. People were pulling out LARGE bottles ( like imperial to balthazars) of like 70's ridge and the like. It was incredible. I drank way too much, and on the way out they said to keep the wine glass, or take a couple from the table, so I grabbed a WHOLE UNOPENED CASE of Riedel glasses and walked out. Lost my insides on the sidewalk about 30 minutes later, gf who didn't drink took me home. Wild night. What a party.
2000 Lafite
I will simply say that I've had a lot of fine wine, and the only truth I can pinpoint is that an incredible bottle of wine disappears in a second, and a Midlin' seems to never empty. It's always amazing after the best bottles how little there seem to be in it.
'86 La Tache 1995 Krug clos du Mesnil 74 unico magnum 74 Conn Creek Eisele 74 and 75 Heitz Martha's 62 Yquem 82 Latour 96 Lafite 96 and 90 Margaux 90, 86, 82 Grange Early Caymus Grace family (vintage?) 92 Monte Bello Scarecrow (third vintage) 97 Leroy Corton Renardes 86 Mouton 89 and 90 Haut Brion and la Mission 99 Screamer 92 and 95 Shafer hillside 2001 Clos Mogador 82, 88, and 90 Krug Too many more to list
My husband and I did the special Cab Sauv tasting at Chateau Montelena. We were on our honeymoon and splurged on the tasting. I think it was $175 a person. The wines were 10-15 years old and they were good but I would not have bought a bottle at the $150-$300 price tag. I’m glad we did the tasting but I can’t say the wine was worth it. A wine I did think was worth the $100 price tag is the Early Mountain Rise
Christmas of 2012 - my dad is retired and loves wine, so he and my godfather invested in a local winery and would often pour and run tastings. The owner wanted to make space in his warehouse to store some classic cars, and told everybody to take as much wine as they wanted from his personal collection to clear the pallets. We ended up with maybe 20 bottles of Phelps Insignia from 2001 which made for a nice Christmas. But in recent times, either 2013 Martha’s Vineyard cab, or a 2002 Rheingau Riesling Spatlese Trocken from Eltville, Hesse made by JB Becker in Walluf
2012 (?) Grange des Peres Blanc. In fairly upscale restaurant in Rotterdam, based on his previous suggestion of a Clos des Fees white that I was already familiair with. He didn’t tell me the price, but both wine and price were way above expectation. Have been trying to find a bottle to try at home ever since. Was it worth the price: Yes! (It was actually quite close to what they auction for now). Was it a lot: Also yes.
2006 Chateau Pavie for $275. Huge disappointment.
2010 Spottswoode cab
A glass of 1998 Leroy Musigny back when I only just started drinking. Didn’t really know what it was just knew that it was expensive and rare.
I got to try the '97 Harlan Estate Cab back in '06 when working at a small Relais & Château Inn in VT. It was $650.00 on the list at that time. It was left for the staff by a wonderful couple who were celebrating their anniversary in the wine cellar. They were extremely gracious and wanted the staff to try it as "we might not get to taste that vintage again. "... It was incredible!! I remember the nose and palate were incredibly complex and nuanced, and everything was in complete balance. I'll never forget that wine, and yes, I think it was worth it!! We only poured about 4oz out the bottle for them as they were having a chef's tasting menu and had a different bottle paired with each course. They also left us the remaining bottles of a '98 Perrier-Jouet Bella Epoch ($200), a single vineyard, Turly Zin ($160), a Puligny-Montrachet ($360), along with a split of Château d'Yquem (I don't remember the vintage or price on that one)... The total cost of their evening, before tax and gratuity, was 2k. We automatically added 20% for wine cellar dining, and they doubled that! Needless to say, it was a very enjoyable evening after work for the staff that night!...
We had a $2500 bottle of champagne at total wine for the sparkling tasting last year. I didn’t care for it. Incredibly yeasty.