Your 10 Best wines (tasted) of all time

WINE TALK
1

I’m sure I’m forgeting something but here they are in more or less order…

  1. '99 La Tache
  2. '61 La Mission Haut Brion
  3. '99 Rousseau Chambertin Grand Cru
  4. '02 Billaud Simon Les Preuses Chablis Grand Cru
  5. '02 Henri Boillot Corton Charlemagne
  6. '90 Leoville Las Cases
  7. '99 Mugnier Musigny
  8. '01 Clos Du Lambrays Morey St Denis Grand Cru
  9. '02 Robert Chevillon Nuit St George - Les St Georges Ler Cru ( should be a Grand Cru)
    10.1 '96 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco -Asili Red Lable Riserva
    10.2 '02 Roederer Crystal
    10.3 '96 Taittinger Comte Champagne

Pretty close to my list of most memorable btls tasted or drank. Although, a very pedestrian but tasty, Domaine Fevre AOC Chablis tasted awesome during lunch at Chateau Eza this fall overlooking the Mediterranean from the mountain top village.

2

Really depends on the context. For different reasons, I can remember certain wines many years after tasting them. I suppose I’d have to include 64 Unico, 47 and 53 Marques de Riscal Gran Reservas, 82 Contino Gran Reserva, 99 Szepsy 6 Puttonyos, a 1947 Gevry, 89 Rayas, and 2000 Haut Brion, but I can also remember a 1989 Columbia Crest Estate that cost $18 and kind of got me interested in trying more Washington and California wine.

3

If i thought about it I might come up with a different list but right off the top of my head:
'90 Margaux
'82 Latour
'82 Pichon Lalande
'96 Margaux
'75 d’Yquem
'55 DRC Romanee-Conti
'90 Rayas
'86 Mouton
'91 Guigal La Landonne
'88 Guigal La Mouline

If the list was for most interesting it would be different and contain wines like 1896 Lafite, 1915 Margaux and 1923 Cheval Blanc.

4

By “best” I mean “best” based on your own experience and not, the concensus reputation for being the “best” that you happened to have tasted.

5

'78 Monfortino
'78 Giacosa Rionda Riserva
'89 Giacosa Rionda Riserva
'59 Margaux
'82 Pichon LaLande
'82 Mouton
'90 Leoville Las Cases
A Leroy Montrachet from the early 90’s (I think a '91)
'72 DeVogue Musigny

I’m sure if I thought more about this I’d come up with a few wines that would revise this slightly, but those all rate as great drinking experiences off the top of my head (with the two '78 Baroli being #1 & #2, respectively).

6

(Need to jump in before M. Audouze slams the door on us)

1973 Chevalier Montrachet Les Demoiselles Latour
1964 Corton Hospices de Beaune Cuvee Dr. Peste
1918 Ch. Gruaud Larose
1986 Ch. Mouton Rothschild
1964 Ch. Cheval Blanc
1969 Musigny Prieur
1953 Ch. Margaux
1902 Ch. Ausone
1972 Bonnes Mares Groffier
1995 Charles Heidsieck Blanc de Millenaires

(Kind of surprised DRC, Leroy, Dom Perignon, Salon didn’t make the list)

7

Wow, I thought I was Eurocentric…

8

My 10 best wines ever are pretty modest relative to many of the rest of you, with a few exceptions scattered in:

1959 Ch. Lafite Rothschild
2000 Gaja Costa Russi
1996 Taittinger Comtes BdB
1996 Henri Giraud Fut de Chene
1986 Heitz Martha’s Vineyard
1994 Dominus
1989 Ch. Montrose
1986 Leoville Las Cases
1998 Penfolds Grange
2001 Shafer Hillside Select

9

“Of all time” is actually a wee mere 3 years for me being a relatively new wine guy but since we’re listing them:

  1. 1989 Chateau Massar
  2. 2010 Temuta San Guido Sassacaia
  3. 2008 Inniskillin Vidal icewine
  4. Argyros NV 20 year old Vinsanto
  5. 2006 Royal Tokaji 5 puttunyos
  6. 1977 Graham’s vintage port
  7. Taylor Fladgate 30 year old tawny port
  8. Dennis Daringa old tawny (35 year old)
  9. Dow’s 1985 vintage port
  10. 2008 Ca’Rugate La Perla Recioto di Soave
    10.1 2005 Nittnaus TBA Chardonnay
    10.2 2006 Willi Opitz TBA Pinot Gris
    10.3 2008 Konrad Noble Two Riesling/Sauvignon Blanc
    10.4 Yalumba Botrytis Affected Viognier
    10.5 2006 Chateau Riessec Sauternes
10

The thing is, I’m not sure all the wines would be the “best” today. A wine I tasted in 1990 that wowed me may not stand up to some of the wines I’ve had since. But if it wowed me at the time, it’s still a personal best.

Over the years I’ve had plenty of other wine that by most standards, even my own, was great and maybe even better than some I listed. But those were against a background of other really good wines so they don’t stick out so much in my memory. For example, I’ve had lots of older Bordeaux, but other than the 2000 Haut Brion, never had one that was so singular it stood out in memory. Well, maybe the 1989 l’Evangile. But again, that’s from context. The next few times I had it, it was really good, but not in the “best” category.

I should add one more. It would be the 1999 Fuleky 6P, which may have been better than Szepsy’s.

11

This is hard to figure…I’ve had some amazing experiences. Some I’ve noted others I haven’t. So most of this is from CT but some are from memory.

  1. 1976 Château d’Yquem
  2. 1981 Chateau Musar
  3. 1976 Klosterkeller Siegendorf Pinot Blanc Trockenbeerenauslese
  4. 2002 Domaine Ponsot Charmes-Chambertin
  5. 2007 Weingut Keller Riesling G-Max
  6. 1996 Pol Roger Champagne Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill
  7. N.V. Luis Caballero Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Fino Pavon (1925 Solera)
  8. 1987 Bartlett Blueberry Winemaker’s Reserve
  9. 1966 Château Mouton Rothschild
  10. 2005 Didier Dagueneau Jurançon Les Jardins de Babylone
12
  1. 1975 yquem
  2. Heart Chorea
  3. The Other Hand
  4. 05 alban Lorraine
  5. 04 Harlan
  6. 98 capo
  7. 17th nail
  8. 06 marcassin three sisters Pinot
  9. 93 huet le mont 1er trie
  10. 01 yquem
13
  1. 1947 Cheval Blanc
  2. 1982 Pichon Lalande
  3. 1945 Mouton Rothschild
  4. 1978 Rayas
  5. 1989 Beaucastel Jacque Perrin
  6. 1990 Chave Rouge
  7. 1974 Heitz Martha’s Vineyard
  8. 1985 Sassicaia
  9. 1990 Montevertine Le Pergole Torte
  10. 1988 Guigal La Turque
14

  1. 1945 Haut Brion

  2. 1947 Cheval Blanc

  3. 1961 Latour

  4. 1959 DRC Romanee Conti

  5. 1978 DRC Romanee Conti

  6. 1982 Pochon Lalande

  7. 1959 Lafite Rothschild

  8. 1990 DRC Richebourg

  9. 1982 Latour

  10. 1983 Cheval Blanc

15

No particular order. [Note, I have edited this once and may do so more.}

I have to include my epiphany wine that I had in college (opened by my father). It was a la Romanee from the early 60s but I don’t know the vintage
1971 Richebourg Domaine Clos Frantin
1980 DRC Grands Echezeaux
1971 Francois Gros Richebourg
1945 Comte de Vogue Musigny
1952 Haut Brion
1979 Ausone
1990 Cheval Blanc
1971 d’Yquem
1983 JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr GKA

16

Umm…this isn’t easy off the top of my head. I reserve the right to come back and edit (edited—the La Mouline has to step down to make way for the unreal 2010 Ramonet—don’t know how I forgot that one!). Obviously, at different times and stages of my wine drinking career.

Off the top of my head, then.

2001 Rieussec
2001 Suduiraut
2001 Leflaive Chevalier Montrachet
1999 Haut Brion Blanc
2007 Aubert Ritchie Chardonnay
1998 Astralis
2000 Mugneret NSG Les Chaignots
1999 Taupenot-Merme Clos des Lambrays
2004 Royal Demaria Pinot Noir Icewine
2010 Ramonet Montrachet

Tran—impressed that the first 2 wines weren’t dessert wines. But what of 06 Rousseau Charmes-Chambertin and 07 Ritchie [grin.gif]

Honourable Mentions:

1995 Guigal La Mouline
2002 Littorai Savoy Pinot
2005 Chateau Canon-la Gaffeliere
2001 Haan Barossa Prestige Merlot
2008 Blain-Gagnard Criots Batard Montrachet
1993 Coche-Dury Meursault Perrieres

17

No specific order:

1970 Petrus
1970 Cheval Blanc
1945 Taylor Vintage Port
1971 Ridge York Creek Petite Sirah
1998 J.J. Christoffel Urz. Wurz. Eiswein
2001 Donnhoff Hermannshohle Spatlese
1990 Trimbach CFE VT
1989 Donnhoff Hermannshohle Auslese
1998 DRC Richebourg
1989 Foreau Domaine du Clos Naudin Vouvray Moelleux Réserve 1ère Trie

I could switch another 20 wines in for some of the above. The wild thing is that the first 3 on my list were all served at the same tasting.

18

Per CT:

1977 Fonseca Vintage Port
1997 Joseph Phelps Insignia
1992 Fonseca Port
1996 Araujo Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard
1995 Araujo Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard
1982 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon Rosé
1993 Hardys Shiraz Eileen Hardy
1994 Araujo Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard
1997 Araujo Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard
1993 Joseph Phelps Insignia

19

No particular order.

1955 LMHB
1955 Latour
1982 Pichon Lalande
1986 Lafite
1974 Heitz Martha
1970 Mayacamas
1983 Palmer
1978 Grange
1990 Cheval Blanc
1975 D’yquem
1990 La Chapelle

20

In no particular order…

1947 Cheval Blanc
1971 DRC Romanee Conti
1978 DRC Montrachet
2000 Leflaive Montrachet
1982 Ramonet Montrachet
1962 Clos de Tart
2001 Yquem
1950 Yquem @ the Chateau
1945 Taylor Vintage Port
1988 Krug Clos du Mesnil
1975 Dom Perignon Oenotheque @ the abbey