You know I agree with you here! Didier was one of my favorite winemakers in the world. I think his wines transcend their category.
Best. Stimulus. Eva!
Sitting here in my chalet, Hermes silk robe , gucco slippers, sipping on 2010 Latour baby! 
Roederer vintage, Cristal, C Heidsieck BdM
![[wow.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/7/7d450e9830889c8943b674446a21b7254cad657e.gif "wow"){kind=small}
gucco the name of a counterfeit gucci brand? ![[pillow-fight.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/3/365d4ae6de5fe0cd9e7345760c12ceae1ed5e206.gif "[pillow-fight.gif]")
I feel like there are countless wines that fit the “worth the hype” and “not worth the hype” categories if worth isn’t about cost but rather about reputation independent of cost. And hype can come in different forms. Almost none of these come from my own cellar - I can’t afford many of these.
90 Latour opened by a friend for his 60th last year is certainly worth it. He bought it on release. This wine is insanely good and will outlive us all.
90 Margaux, same friend, same birthday, same purchase. Not worth it. There is something fundamentally wrong with that wine to my taste.
In Champagne I’m in the pro ‘96 Salon camp but recognize there is a lot of bottle variability. The consensus best ‘96 at a ~12-14 wine horizontal in ‘16 over many wines, including Comtes, Peters Cuvee Speciale (Chetillons), Dom, and Dom Oeno. It was one of my two bottles bought on release. And I wasn’t biased here as I brought 6 different wines that day. And it’s better than any of the numerous bottles of 96 Pol Roger SWC I’ve ever tried.
Others living up to the hype:
Old Dom. Pick any vintage.
95 and 96 Comtes. 95 C Heidsieck BdM.
Burgundy: Any Rousseau or La Tache I’ve ever had.
Mugneret-Gibourg Clos Vougeot. To me no one else’s is close on a consistent basis. Its reputation as the best CV is well deserved.
Older Yquem including more recently ‘75 and ‘88.
Climens 71, 75, 86, and 88.
71 Prum WS and Muller Scharzhofberger Auslesen
At the same dinner in 2002 or 2003 hosted by a friend who spent years collecting these wine legends: 64 Right Banks - Petrus, Ausone, VCC, Cheval, Canon, and La Consiellante; 48 VCC; 28 and 34 Ausone.
21, 24, 45, 47, 59, 71, 89 Huet Vouvrays.
Quintarelli.
Everything from Mauro Mascarello that has ever been hyped. I love his Barolos.
Allemand. Juge. Verset. Gentaz.
(Working my way around a map of Europe, not necessarily in a logical progression.)
Lopez de Heredia - everything they make at its own level.
Vega Sicilia Unico from the hyped vintages up to the 81.
The Pepiere Muscadets.
Crossing the pond: late 60s and 70s Mayacamas.
In the can’t live up to hype, I’ll only take two more pot shots. Any SQN and any 90s Martinellis.
hyped, not worth it:
B Mascarello - I understand this is may be controversial and that my sample set may have been too limited in the case of vintages that are fully mature and not representative for the vintages I’ve tried in their youth…but I drink a good bit of nebbiolo and I just can’t justify the prices relative to other producers whose wines are more consistent. That’s not to say that I haven’t tried great bottles. Hopefully I am wrong here as I have a good bit that I purchased in the last ten years.
Nikolaihof Vinothek - Always seem a bit lacking and sometimes show coarse oxidative flavors.
Trimbach Clos Ste Hune - I adore riesling in all of its glorious forms, and I enjoy CSH, but the hype is lost on me.
Lopez de Heredia reds - I enjoy them but I feel they are over hyped. I’ve had way more than enough to form my opinion as the library releases were cheap when I started buying and I bought too much, so perhaps this is just palate fatigue. The blancos and rosados are a different story!
hyped and worth it:
G Rinaldi - Almost every bottle I’ve tried has been spectacular or close to it. The only expensive baroli which I’m tempted to buy at current prices.
Poggio di Sotto Rosso - the brunello is great but the rosso is a sleeper, and still worth the price.
Paolo Bea
Levet
Jacques Selosse
Krug Grande Cuvee - I have a contrarian bent so I missed out on Krug for way too long.
Chateau D’Yquem- I ignored this one also due to my contrarian bent, and they aren’t very noteworthy when young, but with a lot of age they are worthy of all the hype and truly profound. Of course, on the rare occasions when I’m lucky enough to try one it’s usually at the end of the night so maybe my critical faculties are dulled…
Ulysse Collin
Lopez de Heredia Rosado, at the retail price
Lopez de Heredia Gravonia or Tondonia blanco
Chateau Simone rose
Donnhoff, Schaefer - love them upon release and love them with bottle age
JJ Prum - when given enough time
Dirty and Rowdy - Hardy makes such joyous, beautiful wines.
This seems like a pretty odd place for you to be then
It sounds like somewhere someone would be if they bought some of the more affordable wines that are highly rated by certain critics. Like, Parker could give very high ratings to very controversial to polarizing wines, while still being spot-on with traditionally styled great wines. Understanding his strengths and blind spots and your own palate could make his notes useful. Laube ratings are random to the extreme, unless your preference is over-ripe early drinkers.
But, so many of the classics aren’t controversial. Regardless of preferences, they have near universal praise from critics and consumers.
Then again, a lot of the classics need age. Need as in need. They can be outright unpleasant too young. Someone could easily get jaded buying a bunch of very expensive highly rated wines and ignoring the “Drink 2045 to 2080” recommendations for “an early look”.
If one thinks that “it’s rare that a wine delivers,” maybe you just don’t like wine very much.
Call me crazy but the vast majority of the wines I buy are pretty much what I expected when I bought them.
To me, not worth the hype:
Sea Smoke
Buccella
Scarecrow
First post here but I have been lurking for ages. I started appreciating wine when I was in school in Oregon. I would go to the tasting rooms with friends and learn about Pinot Noir. A year after graduating in the early 2000’s, one of my friends came into a substantial inheritance and he went crazy buying wine. The most memorable experience was with a 1985 DRC Richebourg that he purchased from a local wine shop. We shared it over a dinner and it was profound. From that day forward, I have an appreciation for what the pinnacle of Pinot Noir can be and would definitely say the hype was worth it.
I didn’t say anything when I read that post, but I 100% had the same reaction.
Not knowing the quantity and quality of things we’ve consumed it’s hard to compare. My point was probably drastic when looking back. I’m new at this and still in discovery mode having been at this seriously for 3 years which pales in comparison to this board both from experience and consumption levels. I’ve never had any of these big names wines that are mentioned here specifically. To be honest, not 1. Maybe I’ll hunt one down.
There is the other 5% that I really enjoy and toots my horn just enough. There’s also a lot of untouched land I need to explore. For the most part wine is good but there’s a lot more bad wine than there is great wine may have been a better way of saying it. Again, very limited experience.
Welcome Nic! Same sorta experience with the white wine from DRC for me also… Late 90’s - the '95 DRC Montrachet was still a youngster - I had high expectations especially with the other red wines that were at the dinner that were supposed to blow me away… It was a magical several ounces of wine - pure, energetic, full of botrytis laced ginger - boom! Had that '95 maybe 15 years later and it was still maybe a 99pt experience only because I had the 100pt experience long ago.
As I was getting into wine in the mid-2000s, I had the opportunity to buy some 1990 Haut Brion. I knew of the hierarchy of the 89 and 90, and had written off my chances of an 89 but decided to spring for a few bottles of 1990.
Was it worth it? Doubled, in spades. Still the greatest red wine I’ve ever tasted.
Honorable mention - a bottle of 1990 Salon, one of three that I bought at a Zachys Auctions sale in 2009. The first was a bit blah. The second…the greatest champagne I’ve ever had, absolutely mesmeric. But I’d fetishized the Haut Brion for longer, which made the “was it worth it” score higher. That said, the third bottle of 90 Salon awaits.
Good thread. My quick thoughts in completely random (and probably confusing) order. I’m purposefully only including “hyped” wines–many/most of my favorites are not below.
Worth the Hype
Rousseau (“worth” it is an interesting concept–but there’s no better Burgundy…)
DRC (… except for perhaps DRC)
Allemand (price has caught up to the extreme quality)
Comte Liger-Belair (ditto, but below Rousseau/DRC for me)
Krug (particularly the Grande Cuvee but really all of it)
Raveneau Valmur
JJ Prum
Willi Schaefer
Rayas
08 Cristal
96 Salon
Vega Sicilia Unico
Cheval Blanc/Haut Brion
Bartolo Mascarello (Maria Theresa era)
Not Worth the Hype
Arnaud Ente (I don’t get it)
Bizot
Raveneau Clos (as compared to other GCs)
Cathiard (I like/love it but not nearly as good as is hyped)
Mugnier (ditto)
Rouget (ditto)
Prieure-Roch (don’t really love it at all, but haven’t had a ton)
Gonon (great at $50-70, not at $125; I’ve never had the VV)
Keller (ducks)
Essentially every high-dollar Napa Cab/SQN (cliche but true)
08 Dom
Non-96 Salon
Lafite/Latour/Mouton
Bartolo Mascarello (pre-Maria Theresa era)
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Cool list, Ryan.
For me, Mouton has made two of the greatest wines that I’ve ever had, the 1982 and the 1986. Every penny worth the price and worth the hype. Hearing MarkG speak so big about the 2016 has me thinking, even though at 54, this should be a pass. Lafite is extraordinary, but I have to admit, I’ve never had to pay for a bottle. An extraordinarily elegant Bordeaux.
I think you are right about Gonon. Lots of hype about this wine. I love it. And have lots of it. But, I’m not a buyer at $100+. These are after-market hype prices. The VV is as great as any wine made in the Northern Rhône. Rare, expensive, I’ve not sought out more at current pricing and not sure that I even have the access.
Thank you Howard for such an insightful post. However, it would have been more timely back in 2004 when I bought all this effing over hyped swill. 
Put it all on Commerce Corner for your acquisition cost. I bet it sells promptly. ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
I don’t buy much Bordeaux anymore (other than backfilling and wines to be drunk on the younger side) for the same reason.