As a corollary to the rebirth of Todd’s thread on common wines that you have not had, how about wines that you have had that you recommend that others should add to their bucket list if they have not had them yet.
Massetto (my tasting note on a flight of Italian merlot read "This is delicious (Not Sure but I think Guado al Tasso); this is better (Tu Rita Redigaffi); Holy shit, this wine is one of the greatest ever (Massetto).
Zind Humbrecht Clos Jebsal SGN. Longest finish ever. Tasted at the end of a 1991 Cali Cab dinner in Manhattan and I could still taste it when I got off the train in White Plains.
Quinta do Noval Nacional. Sex in a bottle.
Conterno Monfortino with 30+ years of age on it.
1945 Port. I had the Grahams in Hong Kong in 1981 and it was a Port epiphany. I understand that the 1945s are better now. Any major producer.
Aged Massandra. But make sure that it was taken out of Putin-land before he grabbed Crimea because we have it on good authority that he removed everything from the cellar and it can no longer be trusted.
Pichler Riesling Unendlich. Way under the radar but give it two hours of air and it is amazing. Better than Keller G Max.
1991 Dominus. When the sommelier at Uncle Jacks saw what we had brought for Voodoo’s 60th birthday party, he played “can you top this” and pulled out a 1991 Dominus.
1997 Pahlmeyer Merlot. Helen Turley’s last wine at Pahlmeyer (maybe it was the 1996, I could be misremembering). It was outstanding.
Rayas. I have not had a lot but every bottle has been great. It is the Grenache equivalent of Q do Noval Nacional (see above).
Maybe my fave ever.
And 61 is my birth year so I’ll continue chasing those.
The 90 RC prob ain’t happening for me, but if so I’ll share with my daughter (her birth year)
I’ll add properly aged Chave with great beef or lamb.
A German wine (maybe one Kabinett, one Spatlese and one Auslese) with more than 20 years of age.
A 20+ year old Riesling from Trimbach (Cuvee Fred or Clos St. Hune) or Albert Mann (try Schlossberg)
A 30+ year old Classified Bordeaux.
A classic California Cabernet like Chateau Montelena, Ridge Montebello, or Dunn that is more than 20 years old. [Examples would be 1978 Montelena or 1991 Montebello.]
A Grand Cru or Premier Cru red Burgundy that is more than 25 years old.
Truchot
1996 Taittinger CdC [Also, try 2008 CdC. Someday, you are going to wish you bought some.]
To save some money on all the Yquem suggestions, try a 20+ year old Climens (if possible, try 2001 Climens)
'82 Pichon Lalande
'82 Olga Raffault Chenin
'89 and '90 Olga Les Picasses
'47 Borgogno Riserva
Not vintage-specific, so long as they are old:
Huet
Musar, both rouge + blanc
LdH, both tinto + blanco
Coulee de Serrant (A bit like russian roulette, this. But out of 5-6 bottles one will be stunning.)
1990 Leoville Poyferre. We had it just last night. One of my top 5 wines ever. I practically cried when I first tasted this. Certainly plays with the 1991 Dominus that I had a few years ago.
Not as pricey as most of the unicorns mentioned here, but any older Musar (say 20 years) is worth trying as they are so distinctive. There can be issues with storage/transport, so paying up for ones stateside via official channels may be worth the premium here.
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