"Best" wine ever drunk.

[Tonyfinch]

Going back that far, I wonder if the wines would be potable in any case?

Fellow e gulleteer Magnolia and I used to belong to a wine club in London where the guy who ran it,apart from having an amazing cellar,worked on the basis that the older the wine the better.

For a comparatively modest fee he would open bottles of 1904 this,1927 that, 1945 the other. Any French red made post 61 was too young for him.

While some of these wines hadn't completely dried out most of them tasted like old used vegetable water to me,but he would rave about them,claiming he could detect "the essence of Margaux" or "the soul of Romanee-Conti" and so on.

While it was certainly interesting to taste some of these old wines,I couldn't help being a touch sceptical about their quality and the whole issue of keeping wine for nearly a century before you drink it. Surely they are NOT made to last this long and I feel there was something of the emperor having no clothes on about our beloved leader's admiration for them.

[Steve Plotnicki]

Tony - Actually the problem with most old bottles aren't the wines potential aging windows but the corks. Corks are such  poor stoppers because of their imperfections that a perfectly stored case of wine can have multiple bad bottles, as well as good bottles in it. I recently bought a case of 1985 Clos Mont Olivet Chateauneuf du Pape and the first three bottles were great. But I brought a bottle to dinner with me this week and it was oxidized. So when you talk about '45's etc., the odds of getting a good bottle are really slim. But I have had numerous good bottles of wine from the 50's which taste like they are 20 years younger than they are. In fact we drank '54 Cune Vina Real last night (birthday wine) and it was a joy to drink, full of fresh fruit. But I bought it two years ago and it came right from the Domaine's cellar. I think if you find wines where the chateau didn't cheap out on corks and paid the extra few centimes/pesatas for long and wide corks and the wine has been stored in a nice cold cellar (50f) since bottling, it will taste fresh and juicy.

[Hank]

Many years ago I bought a bottle each of 1928 and 1929 Latour for which I paid $100.00 per bottle. My wife and I both thought that I had lost all my marbles spending that kind of money on wine.

Well, we celebrated my 60th birthday by opening those two bottles and I will never forget the aroma that filled our dining room as I poured out the wines. They were both still loaded with fruit, had wonderful acidity and ofcourse the tanins had softened beautifully. I have never tasted such complexity and structure in a wine. After almost 10 years we are still discussing which year we preferred. I would chalk up a big  tie myself. An unforgetable experience, even for someone like myself who has been so fortunate over the years to drink many a great wine both from my cellar and through the generosity of my many wine friends.

[Hank]

Sorry. Forgot to mention that we were ten people at a dinner at our house and I served these two wines with the cheese course. Funny, but no one touched the cheese and only had some bread to clear their palets from tasting one wine to the other.

[cabrales]

Assuming that "best wine ever drunk" includes champagne taken in, a 1949 Ruinart Baron de Rothschild Special Reserve (it was a golden color, still had bubbles, and was distinctively evolved both on the nose and in the mouth).

Other memorable experiences: (1) a flight of Salon -- 1971, 1985, 1988, (2) certain wines chosen by chefs to match special dishes furnished by certain restaurants I appreciate (here, the wines themselves were not necessarily intrinsically extraordinary), and (3) a special Latour tasting session at Troisgros with the President of Latour leading a degustation of multiple Latour, followed by hors d'oeuvres near the Troisgros cellar, followed by an M Troisgros dinner with yet other Latour for each course (in all, 12+ different years of Latour, not counting Forts de Latour, sic).  

[jaybee]

a special Latour tasting session at Troisgros with the President of Latour leading a degustation of multiple Latour, followed by hors d'oeuvres near the Troisgros cellar, followed by an M Troisgros dinner with yet other Latour for each course (in all, 12+ different years of Latour,

MMMM... Which years were the standouts?

[cabrales]

jaybee -- The wines sampled during the tasting session were: Latour 1999, 1997, 1996, 1995, 1994, 1988, 1990, 1982 and Les Forts de Latour (3 recent ones, sampled before the Latour).  Then, during dinner, Latour 1980, 1967, 1971 (magnum), 1961, 1955 and 1985. I particularly liked the 1961, not surprisingly, but enjoyed learning more about this line. I was not at the stage of wine knowledge at which the evening would have been most helpful. Note my understanding of wine is feeble, particularly reds.  :confused:

[green bay carly]

A few years ago when my SO and I were impoverished grad students, we invited the classics professor who lived next door round for a kitchen supper. He accepted on condition that he be permitted to supply the wine - which in the event were La Tache 1985 and Taylors 1963. It turned out that the guy had a massive cellar and was looking forward to his imminent retirement, when he figured he would be able to enjoy fine wine almost every night. It ends sadly though: six weeks later, he died of a heart attack.

[Brad S]

This is a dinner I catered for 12 people in 1990.The gentleman whom had the party hade one of the best private cellers I'd had ever seen. I was blessed to have a taste of each of these wines.

Oysters

Beluga

Gravlox

1982 Besserat de bellefon brut

1979 Louis Roederer Crystal

1961 Gosset brut Intergral

1975 Bollinger (RD)

1973 Dom

1975 Crystal

Medallions of salmon with a blood orange and saffron buerre blanc and chiffinade of basil

1984 Mount Edan Chard

1983 Louis Jadot Chevalier-Montrachet

1979 Bonneeau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne

Magret of duck with green peppercorn,pineapple and pinot noir reduction with crispy celery root garnish

1976 Domaine de la Romane conti Romane St. Vivant

1949 Comte Georges de Voque Musigny

1972 DRC Romane Conti

1959 Pierre Pennelle Chambertine

Grilled loin of lamb rolled in pistachios,mint,chives and garlic, served with puy lentil and exploritor pancakes, essence of cabernet and rosemary

1959 Ch Palmer

1961 Ch Pontet-Canet

1947 Ch Cheval blanc

Mixed greens with roquefort cheese and black walnuts evoo and 12 year old balsamic

1955 Ch Lafite Rothschild

1970 BV, George de Latour

Assortment of fruit and cheeses including stilton

1967 Ch d'Yquem

1935 Grahams VP

1955 Fonseca VP

Anise and honey ice cream with carmilized pears and caramel sauce

J&F Martel Extra

Just the over whelming oppurtunity to taste all these wines in one evening marks it as my favorite "wine time"

[rich]

Several years ago, I went to an Inglenook tasting and they served wine from when Inglenook was one of the top California producers. I tried a 1941 Inglenook Cabernet - it was absolutely spectacular - better the 1961 Lafite or the

1975 Petrus that were served as comparisons.

[it aint easy being cheesy]

On my honeymoon 2 months ago a bottle of 1991 Paul Jaboulet Hermitage "La Chappelle" Was on the list for $125. "

For my young marriage with candles framing our table my wifes eyes staring at me and the wine just weighing on the tounge. The finish may have been long from the bottle or from her.

[jaybee]

Cheesy, I will eschew any lascivious comments and compliment you on your definitely uncheesy choice of wine. May your tongue be so weighted for many years. (where exactly is one's tounge, anyway? )

[rdailey]

I definately think that favorite wines are the ones that elicit fond memories, as most of the posts in this thread share.

I had the rare pleasure of tasting 89 Gaja Barolo Sperss with Angelo Gaja himself at a tasting in Southern Cal. As my friend and I relished one of the most luxurious and monsterous wines our young pallets had come across, he approached and asked for our opinion. We were dumbstruck, but we managed a reply, "Incredible!". To this day I don't think I've a had a more thrilling glass of wine... well maybe that first taste of 88 d'Yquem.

[it aint easy being cheesy]

Whats even funnier to me is I've had the pleasure of enjoying other bottles which would be considered better.d'Yquem, some of J. Hoffstetters pinot nero's, Chateau Beaucustel, and others which I think of as favorites but the mood of that night with the Jabolet were overwhelming. Sitting on a porch with a thunderstorm brewing, candles lit, when I was single, and drinking bottles by my self, I had experiences that mimicked that night. The best bottles are ones that have other memories shared. Most of the replies have to do with discovery which is also very telling.

[Steve Plotnicki]

Aside from the thrill of your moment, which can certainly enhance the way something tastes, I never found the '91 La Chapelle to be all that good a wine. Same for the '91 Chave Hermitage which also is heralded as "underrated" and good value for the money. Everytime I have either of those wines I find them muddy and lacking clarity. I can't figure out what people see in wines from that vintage. Even the Chave Cuvee Cathelin which sells for $500 a bottle doesn't do it for me. Give me the '89 or '90 of either of those wines any day.

[it aint easy being cheesy]

With my humble means I've found that off vintages are not only great values but tend to show true characteristics of both the winemaker and vineyard. Great crushes are rare but to turn medocrity into to something special takes heart. Just like in California everyone has written off 98 as a bad year but with care I'v found wines which are much more approachable due to the rain during the end of summer. I've also found that for drinking now or in the next couple of years the fruit is much more in place. In 20 years the 1997 will shine past the 1998 but for my pallate 98 is a better value. So going through Wine Spectator and Robert Parker I begin reading about vintages green green green. But that bottle of Chappele was not green. It was suttle fruit with a long finish of smoke and pepper. But then again maybe my memory was eskewed.

[Steve Plotnicki]

Well I agree with what you said. Come to my house and I will pour for you 1996 Regusci Cabernet Sauvignon and while it isn't a heralded vintage (or wine), you will think you are drinking 1994 Bryant Family. But regardless, my comment wasn't directed at off vintages, but that vintage in particular and those two bottlings. Like I said, I know many people who have high regards for that wine, I just can't figure it out myself.

[jaybee]

Like I said, I know many people who have high regards for that wine, I just can't figure it out myself.

Steve, a clarification please. Are you sayng that you think the '91 La Chapelle is not to your liking or that "you can't figure out" all the Jaboulet La Chapelle? I've had many bottles of his wines and never found them less than very enjoyable. I recall a '69 that was spectacular, a '75 that was excellent. Lots of fruit, big and powerful with rasberry notes are my recollections. But that's just from memory. I'll look them up in my cellar book and see what I wrote at the time. I do think they took a huge leap upwards in price in the 80s that makes them a questionable value relative to alternatives.

[southern girl]

a 1953 D'Yquem...brought to follow the white truffle dinner at ADNY...what an evening!

[Steve Plotnicki]

Jaybee - No I'm saying that I can't figure out why people like the '91 La Chapelle and '91 Chave. I've had them both on numerous occassions and I never find them enjoyable. Yet many people really like them. As for other La Chapelles, and Chaves, here's a link to a La Chapelle/Chave tasting I went to at Veritas last year.

Chave/La Chapelle Shootout

[jaybee]

Your Chapelle link shows up black type against ideep purple and is all but unreadable.

[GordonCooks]

"Best Wine Ever" always brings to mind a who and where. I attended a Wine Spectator event besieged with french verticals and Cult cabs...but....one bottle??? 1995 Penfold's Grange from my cellar that we took to our favorite little Sunday restaurant for us, the chef, the owner, and the bartender - good wine and good friends, that's what life's all about

I think I just got a little teary eyed...

[jaybee]

.but....one bottle??? 1995 Penfold's Grange from my cellar

I am woefully ignorant about many wines. Please tell me about this one.

[GordonCooks]

Aaaaah - if memory serves

It was a cool sunday evening and we were sitting at our favorite joint catching up on restaurant gossip. Sunday night is wine night. I'll bring a bottle, a buddy will, and the owner uncorks something nice.

Ordered up a couple of Filets and I decanted the bottle. "what a velvety aroma" After 30 mins - we took the first sips. Muscular tannins, round, ripe boysenberries, cedar, spice, etc ..the best part is as we sipped the wine over a 2-3 hr period - all the flavors became more pronounced and distinct. What a monster 10 years down the road.......make you say Chateau Who??

[cabrales]

I attended a Wine Spectator event besieged with french verticals and Cult cabs...

GordonCooks -- When you have a chance, could you discuss how you were notified of the Wine Spectator event? Are most WS events open to responding subscribers (I recently became a subscriber)?