Thanks. Yes. I’ll have to post some photos when I get home, but just to whet your appetite, we do have this one:
My most memorable was a weekday afternoon Chateau Latour tasting hosted by Frederic Engerer at a private room at Everest here in Chicago. My wife bought me a seat probably 20 or so years ago. There were probably 4-5 bottles of Les Forts from the nineties and, if I remember correctly, 1996, 1995, 1990, 1989, 1986, 1983, 1982, and a 1976 of the Grand Vin. But the highlight was the final bottle - a 1961 that was served at about the time the rest of my table had to leave for other engagements (it was late afternoon, early evening), leaving me alone with about 3/4 of a bottle of the single best bottle of wine that I’ve had in my life. I spent 10-15 minutes on the aroma alone and another half hour with my glass. That was a good day.
1 Like
I’ve been attending wine tastings for damn near 40 years now, and have been to some wonderful get togethers. But the first thing that popped into my mind was an annual affair in California that I believe was called “THE FAMILY WINEMAKERS TOUR” that took place some 15 or so years ago (and did seem to run for a couple years). There were 150 plus wineries there, all California, all upper tier with the winery principles behind the tables. Now I am not a big California wine drinker per say, but this was a chance to taste so many wines I had heard about on this board as well as the wine mags.
Thomas those are always educational events and saving a ton of money being able to try those higher end wines. I know you are a MN guy and we used to have some great events here for the general public.
Not everyday you see a Lanny Poffo photo!
My favorite wine tasting - that just pops to the front of mind - was with Carmelo Patti in Mendoza. It was such an honest tasting where everyone was so happy. Carmelo was happy to make his boot strapped wines. The guide who brought us there was happy to be there, and be with us. It was such a simple operation (which you can search online for) where the goal was simply to make wine for life and share it with the world. So much joy to be had without need for no fancy labels, the heaviest glass bottle, or perhaps even the best wine. A $20 wine shared with friends laughing is a better experience than sharing a $200 wine and discussing all of its flaws for an hour (although there is a place for the latter!). Something I am now reminding myself as I type this.
Maybe easier to just show. Bunch of these bottles are mags and 3L’s too. Good to have friends. Overdue for another get together
Jim, One of my favorites was the Haut Brion/La Mission HB/La Tour HB/HB Blanc/Laville HB Blanc dinner at Lucques in 2005 that Jeff Leve put together when Loren and Jane Sonkin came to town. As I recall, you and Scott M came to LA for the dinner, but you were unwell, dropped off a '75 La Mission, and left early. It was a good night: a half dozen bottles of HB Blanc and Laville HB Blanc, followed by all of the good vintages of the 80’s and '90’s reds, plus a couple of '75’s. It was fun and informative to taste so many vintages of HB, LMHB, and LTHB head to head.
Not every tasting attended were memorable because of the number (or quality) of wines tasted -
I attended a super fun seminar at MOUNT VEEDER VINEYARDS around 1983? I would say. Forget the winemaker’s name, but we sat around a table with test tubes full of Cabernet, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec, all from the 1980 vintage. We were instructed to “make our own blend”. We were able to measure out each portion, and we then tasted each other’s blend. We did the same with their Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. That’s when I found out how much I loved Semillon because my blend was 90% Semillon.
1 Like
There are so many. It’s hard to choose.
The Inaugural Westchester Food and Wine Festival Wine Collector Dinner was pretty good. The above was our table, but there was a lot of great stuff, including a 1997 Petrus, way too much Caymus that I declined, a 200 Lynch Bages that was not too shabby, a 1982 Palmer, and a few other fun things.
But then again, I do not like this question. The “Best” wine tasting I have ever attended is far different from the best wine I’ve ever tasted. Or even the best five wines I tasted on the same night. I would argue that drinking 1989 Lanson Champagne Noble Cuvée de Lanson Brut with my wife on my 30th wedding anniversary on Maui might come in first place.
I just remembered a better one. My son’s wedding reception. Ten people.
From left 2010 Schrader RBS, 2007 Saxum James Berry Vineyard, SQN In the Abstract, Paumanok Late Harvest Riesling, 2004 Dom Perignon, SQN . . . And an Eight Track, Pol Roger Churchill 1999.
2 Likes
1977 was my first visit to DRC. We — my first wife and I— had been told by Becky Wasserman that Andre Noblet, the cellar master, was a bit different.
We joined two newlyweds from Canada. They were on their honeymoon. Every time the husband was diverted Andre looked at the bride and ran his tongue around his lips. Then an older couple from Paris showed up. When Andre said that wine was like a human— hard in youth but softer with age, the Parisienne responded, in that case more like a man wouldn’t you say?
Having recently moved back to my home town in Norway, I was roped in to driving my dad to a tasting with his old wine club. The tasting was organised ad-hoc by the old chairman who had found “a few bottles of wines of mixed quality” with the wine-club’s initials on them, during a reorganisation of his cellar. The wine club had fizzled out around 20-25 years ago and the chairman had sent a few emails around trying to track down the old members. In the end he managed to find 7 of the original 30 or so.
I drove my dad and two others out across frozen farmland (in -28°C) for about 25 minutes and dropped them off at a well-kept old farmhouse. Then I drove home. A few hours later my dad texted me to let me know that he had put aside a glass of La Tache for me, for when I came to collect them. I hopped in my car.
When I arrived, the seven members and the old chairmain’s wife were very merry. There were a lot of excellent wines on the table. After savouring my glass of La Tache (1991) over a chat with a few of the members, I casually took a pass around the bottles left on the table. There were full glasses left of a bunch of DRCs (GE 1990, 1991 and RSV 1989). I happily indulged. There were also pretty much full glasses of Leflaive Chevalier and Batard 1992, which were happily poured to me by the participants. There was also some excellent 1982 Petrus going (though the stemware was anything but)… However, while all of these bottles were great, the wine that stole the show was a spectacular Haut-Brion 1985. That was the one that left me speechless, and the one I woke up tasting the following day, and am still tasting now (this was last Friday).
5 Likes
One summer, when I knew even less about wine than I do now, I was on a holiday in southern France.
I had read that there was good wine in Bandol and so I decided to take the train and see what the fuss was about. Asking around, I learned that Tempier made the best wine. I made the mistake of deciding to walk from the train station to the Domaine (spoiler - it’s far).
Without invitation (it was my first time in France so I was ignorant), I was received by one of the family, in a very sweaty state, with such warmth and kindness.
I tasted through a rose, a white, and the line-up of reds. The wines were different, still are, and fascinating. To cap it off, at the end, I was given a lift back into town, it was delivery day, with some of the family. I helped load and unload the car and took my leave.
I want to know how the 91 DRC GE was? We’re having it tomorrow night.
From spectacular to mind blowing 
1 Like
It held together pretty well, thought perhaps a little volatile and fading a bit after two hours in the open bottle. The volatility largely blew off in the glass though, which allowed the wine to shine through nicely:-)
1 Like
A dinner a couple of weeks ago in Paris with Thierry and Théo Allemand was quite special.
1 Like