Try again:
1953 Vega Sicilia Unico
1978 Diamond Creek Gravelly Meadow
1976 Gentaz-Dervieux Cote Rotie
Try:
1966 or 74 Martha’s Vineyard
1945 Mouton
A vertical of pre-2000 Krug vintage
Whatever bottle of burgundy either unlocks the “aha” moment or confirms my palate isn’t refined enough for said moment to happen.
If you love the 78 gravelly meadow, you should add the 78 volcanic hill to your try list. Jeff Leve kindly served a bottle to a group of us a while back and it was mesmerising.
Try again, probably my first Burgundy I had for my 19th birthday, a 1978 DRC RC. Runner up a mag a 1985 Charlie my favorite champagne which I’ve resigned myself to probably never having again or a 1999 Selosse.
For what I’ve never had, first thing comes to mind is VVF, then 1978 La Chapelle, a Gentaz-Dervieux, DRC Montrachet.
On my first trip to Burgundy in 1983, my friend and I visited Comtes Lafon. He and Dominique were and are good friends to this day. Somewhere along the line, we told him we were going to eat at Tan Dinh in Paris. Dom said if it was still on the list, they had '63 Meursault-Genevriéres. He said in that awful vintage, his Dad made a great wine. It was on the list and was spectacular.
Coincidently we just had that last night. I’m not a port guy so when a bottle is served at the end of a long wine dinner, I usually take one sip and pass. But this was spectacular - something truly special - and would definitely go on my short list of wines to try again some day.
Only time I had it was in 1985 when I worked at Draper & Esquin in SF. A customer flew in to pick up several bottles of it. One bottle was a leaker with a low fill so he opened it for the staff. I’ve never had a Port before or since that was on the same level.
After a trip to the Saturday market in Beaune, a bottle of 85 RC while I roast a Poulet de Bresse for my wife (anniversary year), and a second bottle of the same on the table while we dine.
As far as revisiting great bottles, I would need to enjoy them with the same company, and the same food as the last time I had them. Too many to name
That’s my dad’s vintage. I gave him a bottle for his 50th. It was sublime in 1981.
More important to me, we celebrated his 93rd last month (with caviar and Krug).
I would love to have 1929 Mouton-Rothschild in its prime. Not possible now in bottle, but still hoping a really good magnum comes available, though even that is likely to be substantially faded by now.
Something I have had before and would love to have again - 1989 Roumier Bonnes-Mares. The memory of it still gives me goose bumps.
They always bottled a little, even in the earliest days.
I know this was authentic, because I had it at dinner there. I was permitted to cook for Paul, Odette and Laurence (I was there with my wife and some customers who were good friends). Paul and Laurence, always competitive, were up and down in the basement.
Eventually Laurence came into the kitchen, eyes wide, said “there were five bottles of the '59 left in the cellar; now there are onl four!”.
That was in the mid '00s. I have to wonder if any of those four bottles are still down there.