Your 12 Most Special Bottles?

[ChrisU]

In this thread (ITT): I learned I’m not a baller.

[Sanjay_Nandurkar]

@alan weinberg

mostly bottles that evoke memories–for example, a magnum of 2005 La Tâche from Hank Gillespie when he owned a Canadian wine store. His kindness in selling it to me, storing it, and finally shipping to my Toronto hotel when I came to Canada a year later. He could have sold that bottle 10 times without the hassle.

Other bottles too numerous to mention or that I have already drunk.

But the 05 LT really stands out. I miss Hank and his gentlemanly contributions here.

I have a similar anecdote about a bottle.

I had a friend in Hong Kong who I met when he spent his sabbatical year in Sydney in 1995. He introduced me to Bordeaux and Burgundy back then. Ultra generous person but completely unpretentious.

We often met at conferences and spent time together. Once we were in Stockholm and we booked Mathias Dahlgren restaurant and he brought a bottle for BYO - 1978 Domaine Leroy “Les Genaivrieres”. Unfortunately restaurant refused to do BYO (so we purchased a 2005 Rayas off the list). We tried to several other restaurants but all refused BYO. The last day he said " I don’t want to carry this back home I would like you to have it" . Few years later he died in a tragic accident. I still cherish that bottle. One day I plan to open it with my wine group . Perhaps pay it with a 2001 Domaine Leroy Les Genaivrieres from my cellar.

[Howard_Cooper]

@François Audouze

I do not agree so much with David, Barry Paul and Ian because some bottles are such legends that they are special even before thinking of the occasion.

Some bottles are special “per se”, not because of the occasion. And you create an occasion because they are special. And it is not the occasion which makes them special. They were special before the occasion.

I agree that there is a difference between wines that are special because of what is in the bottle and wines that are special because of when you drink them. It is not necessarily best to mix the two. It is fine to have a great bottle with dinner for you and your wife (or a child interested in wine) for a special birthday or a special occasion when it is just the two of you or other small group or group really into wine. But, I also remember my father once opening a 1970 Lafite for a special occasion where the setting was not really right for such a wine and the wine was really wasted. So, this weekend I will open a great bottle to celebrate our 35th anniversary where it is just my wife and me and our daughter and her husband. But, my son (who lives in California) does not drink, so I would not open a great wine to celebrate one of his birthdays.

[Sarah_Kirschbaum]

I don’t know about 12, but a few I consider really special for reasons both personal and objective:

5L 1972 Pousse d’Or Clos de la Bousse d’Or (birthyear bottle, was supposed to be for my 40th party)
1827 Quinta do Serrado Madeira Boal (our oldest wine)
1974 Heitz Martha’s (signed by Joe)
Full case in OC of 1974 Ridge Monte Bello (husband’s birth year, original cardboard)

[K_John_Joseph]

1995 Pride Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon (the wine that opened my eyes to wine at 19 or so)
1997 Jadot Chappelle Chambertin (wine that opened my eyes to burg)
2002 DRC Richebourg (wine that REALLY opened my eyes to burg)
1997 Harlan Estate (most arresting napa cab i’ve ever had)
1983 Jaboulet La Chappelle (cured a very bad day and a missed Marcassin tasting)
1988 Guigal La Mouline (just a show stopping rhone)
1998 Penfold’s Grange (shared with my dad on his 60th)
1994 Dominus (same reason)
2002 Phelps Insigna (shared with my wife the evening of our engagement)
1995 Krug (first toast with my wife after our first son was born and she was ready pump and dump)
1988 Pol Roger Cuvee Winston Churchill (incredible champagne with close friends on a birthday with a mich * meal)
1982 Pichon Lalande (first wine I ever thought was perfect when drank)

It was interesting thinking about this list. I realized quickly the wines fell into three buckets. Best wines ever; best wine memories ever; and most educational or taste-affecting. Even wines that weren’t mind-numbingly good were still a perfect fit for the mood, the experience, or the moment. I could write page after page of stories related to each of the wines. Very moving stuff for one reason or another.

[Ian_Sutton]

Thanks for those posting with thought. I had great fears when this thread was posted, that it was going to be a ‘willy waving’ exercise.

[Mark_Golodetz]

+1. Great phrase… “willy waving.” Far and away the most delicate way I have ever seen that image expressed.

[Jay_Miller]

3 bottles come to mind

1990 Joseph Drouhin Bonnes Mares
When I was first getting into wine I was mostly buying CA Cabernet and Bordeaux. Then I attended an Acker Merral pre-auction tasting about 20 years ago and tried this wine at the Burgundy table. It was love at first sniff and I sought out the wine at auction for years afterwards until the pricing got insane. It started me buying Burgundy. One bottle left. It isn’t the best Burgundy I’ve ever had, or the best I own, but it has a very special place in my heart.

2002 Clos Roche Blanche Cot
For the last 18 years CRB was one of my favorite producers all around and my absolute favorite if price was taken into account. Drinking one of their wines would always put a smile on my face. The winemakers have retired and the wines are no longer being made. This is my oldest wine left from them and even though my last one was a little over the hill I still treasure the remaining bottle and will open it for some special occasion.

1989 Trimbach “Hors Choix”
An insane purchase but this is the only wine that made such an impression that I actually dreamed that I drank it again. No idea if it’s still as good as it was 15 years ago but it’s set as my 60th birthday wine.

[Francois_Audouze]

Mich@el,
here is what I have drunk of Bollinger :
1906, 1934, 1943, 1945, 1952, 1959 (2), 1961, 1966 (2), 1969, 1973, 1975 (4), 1976 (3), 1979 (6), 1982 (3), 1985 (9), 1988 (5), 1989 (4), 1990 (21), 1992 (11), 1995 (4), 1996 (11), 1997 (5), 1998 (2), 1999 (16), 2000 (4), 2002 (11), 2003 (3), 2004 (9), 2005, NV (29), Total (173)

The 1906 was an extra dry which was not perfectly clear and pleasurable
For the 1934 I have no notes but from what I remember it was great
The 1943 was not perfect but very pleasant
The 1945 is certainly among the twenty best champagnes of my life.

The 1952 was fantastic and what could be of interest for you is how I ranked the champagnes in a big vertical tasting of Bollinger, beginning by the best and so on:

1952, 1988, 1966, 1959, 1976, 1979, 1961, 1985, 1997, 1996, 1995, 1990

[K_John_Joseph]

I’d be interested in your take on 1988 v. 1990 v. 1985 v. 1996 as far as high quality vintage champagne goes. I’ve found that 1988 consistently delivers, often at better value than either 1990 or 1985.

[JeromeHan]

I suddenly feel so inadequate…

[Francois_Audouze]

Jerome,
With such a feeling, you should open your best champagne !

[MChang]

Thank you Francois,

I was going to ask you about the 1988 as the two older ones I’ve had were 88 and 61 and I thought the 88 was better even though the 61 was drinking quite well and was still sound.

[R_Gleiberman]

12 of my bottles of MacDonald.

[T_Altmayer]

Most of my cellar is built around good, but not necessarily “great” wines. What makes a wine special for me tend to be the experiences associated with that particular wine, a winery I visited or the vintage (birth year, anniversaries, etc.). I do have a wines that I want to taste simply for the wine itself – some Grand Crus from good vintages, a number of 1st Growths and a couple of Screaming Eagles – I just hope they live up to the expectations of being “special.”

[JeromeHan]

@François Audouze

Jerome,
With such a feeling, you should open your best champagne !

Haha but then that would make my list even shorter…

[Bruce_Leiser_owitz]

I would love to answer this question, but I don’t want the rest of my wine bottles to feel bad…

Bruce

[Rory_K]

I probably can’t quite get to 12 unless I include the everyday bottles I have a particular affection for, but:

Paolo Bea Sagrantino di Montefalco Passito 06
G. Conterno Cascina Francia 05
A 1934 Don PX Sherry from Toro Albala
Fiorano Sémillon Botte 47 1988
Bedrock Wine Co. Syrah Weill Vineyard 2013s
The last bottle of '89 Montrose from my Grandfather

[JeromeHan]

Well here goes nothing.

2014 Bedrock Wine Co. Syrah T ‘n’ S Hudson Vineyard South
2005 Dominus Estate
2008 Château Haut-Bailly
2009 David Duband Vosne-Romanée
2011 Château Lynch-Bages
1996 Château Calon-Ségur
1984 Château Montrose
2005 Marchesi di Barolo Barolo 10 anni Cannubi
1985 Olga Raffault Chinon Les Picasses
2013 Ultramarine Blanc de Blancs Heintz Vineyard Sonoma Coast
2015 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett
1987 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

[J_a_y_H_a_c_k]

1922 D’Oliveras Boal Madeira, opened for my mother’s 85th Birthday, still has an ounce or two in the bottom

1922 D’Oliveras Boal Madeira, opened for my mother’s 90th Birthday, still has an ounce or two in the bottom

1922 D’Oliveras Boal Madeira, I don’t have it yet but I better get it soon because it will be opened for my mother’s 95th Birthday next week. I am having trouble finding a bottle. Anyone have one? Did not see it on the RWC list.