I love to bring big bottles to gatherings. If the wine is good, it will disappear. After all, if you have 20 people drinking, it’s only one glass each for a mag.
Back in the late 1990s, I brought a 3L of 1981 Burgess Cab to a family gathering. Everybody was wowed by the size of the bottle and said we’ll never drink all that, but it was gone in 30 minutes. I did get lucky in that it was probably right at its peak.
The mag of Donnhoff I brought disappeared pretty quickly.
Sure ,if you are hungry a duck for one, a goose for two…
If its good I like a Mag better than bottle, if it is mediocre, even the bottle is too much. The wine keeps better, develops better and when I have guests I dont have to go down in my cellar so often. That can prevent accidents…
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It is very rare that I buy bottles larger than a magnum. Among other considerations, my preferred table size for most dinners is 6-8 people, so I don’t have that many occasions to open bottles larger than a magnum. Plus, trying to open and then pour a double magnum or larger is a bit of a PITA. YMMV.
Bruce
Buy lots of mags, especially champagne which should really only be drunk from mags. Only have 4 double mags though. Can’t imagine when I’ll have the chance to drink them!
Robert Parker once mentioned that 3L and up corks are usually cut by hand, while 750ml and 1.5L corks are done by a machine. That and the fact that those big bottles often spend a lot of time standing on end has prevented me from even thinking about buying them. Then there’s the horrific thought of having a large format bottle corked…
One of my girlfriends saw a 5 L. of an Italian red blend in my cellar and wanted the empty bottle after it was drunk. I told her that if we could drink it all in one night, she could have it. Two ladies and myself started about 5pm and only because one switched to beer halfway through the night, we had left only about half a regular bottle (375 mls.) at the end of the night. I drank the remaining wine the next day with lunch. I have a 6 L. still in the cellar and she claims she’s up for another challenge.
I have LOTS of mags, 3Ls, and larger waiting to be consumed. I’m finding that they are really easy to use and can’t wait to share each and every one of them!
I don’t often find myself with magnums or larger formats. When I do, I find they are perfect for bringing to restaurants with big parties.
Personally, I get wine ADD so drinking 6L of one wine is not preferable.
Im trying to get a few half barrels and then work on up from there.
I will give some examples of utilization of large formats :
For my 60th birthday, I invited 60 people for a dinner in Le Cinq of Hotel George V and I decided that we would drink only formats of 6.0 L because this format has the same figures as my age at that time.
I opened
1988 Pommery 6 L
1985 Lafite 6L
1990 Lafite 6L
1985 Mouton 5 L (I had no 6L and I took this unusual format)
1985 Margaux 6 L
2 x 1967 Chateau Meyney 6 L
1983 Yquem 6 L
I could check that the format increases enormously the taste of the wine, specially for the champagne and the Yquem.
For another party, an invitation of 180 customers of my company, I organized a dinner in Pré Catelan, in a big salon, and I provided 20 x 6L of 1967 Chateau Meyney. The staff of Pré Catelan told me that they had never seen a dinner with such a profusion of wines.
If I had bought so many imperials of Meyney it is because at one moment Cordier had recorked a huge number of big formats. And I had the chance to buy massively at very low prices.
Now and then I buy some large formats, but I realize that except in some extraordinary occasions, it is difficult to open very large formats.
Sweet Jesus!
Other than congrats Francois…I am speechless!
nice+
I bought a 5L of 1990 Gaja Renina for my wedding. About 10 adults drinking wine. There was less than a 750 left at the end. That’s the only bottle bigger than 3L I’ve consumed from my cellar. I have a 5L of 1997 Montelena Estate that I plan to serve at my funeral or some other happy event.
I can’t wait either. Any plans for 41?
I have bought four DMs. One I later donated to a charity auction for Hatian Earthquake relief; one I opened at the Pratt’s Lugeresque dinner #2; one I decanted three different ways and served it blind in three different 750ml bottles on my 60th Birthday to see if any of our regular group would guess it was the same wine (None were even close). The fourth I still have and will save for something special.
My remaining DM is a 1997 La Chapelle. We can have a vintage horizontal some day.
Clearly you’ve never opened large formats in Milwaukee…
Less than a dozen mags and two 3L bottles. We never have a problem drinking large formats of champagne; however, the last time I put out a magnum of red, it didn’t get finished.
What’s the corkage fee you charge yourself? ![[wow.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/7/7d450e9830889c8943b674446a21b7254cad657e.gif "wow"){kind=small}
