1990 Chateau La Mission Haut Brion
Haut Brion, don’t recall the vintage but it had some age on it, in 1978. That was when I realized wine was capable of a whole lot more than I’d ever thought possible.
1996 Clape Cornas
1…1982 Chateau Montelena
2…2002 Araujo Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard
3…2000 Lynch Bages
2004 Scholium Project Babylon
1982 Montelena Estate cab. Had been drinking crap wine up to that point.
First, very modestly, older vintages of Chateau d’Arcins (I was a poor student).
Then, a Tignanello 1997 and a Castello di Ama Riserva 1997 shifted everything into second gear.
Then, a 1988 Mouton Rothschild, and a 1993 Ausone accelerated everything into warp speed.
Same wine as me! Sad day as I came to the realization that spending more than $10 on a bottle of wine really did make a difference.
1988 for me.
1969 Drouhin Musigny
same wine for me! Friend brought it to a restaurant in 1984. I was mortified. Thought it meant he couldn’t afford a bottle and was sneaking it in. To my shock he showed the somm the bottle and was warmly greeted. The bottle was opened and the bouquet made my head spin. Lancer and Mateus had been my pinnacle until then. I was stunned. We spent the evening talking about wine and he loaned me Alexis Bespaloff’s book on wine. I stayed up all night reading it, and made him take me the next day to a fine wine store–Trader Joe’s–where I spent the princely sum of $84 for a mixed case of 12 wines. This led to California, Bordeaux and Rhone, then Burgundy and financial ruin.
I know that feeling… I had always paid around $10, and splurged with $20 once in a while. How things have changed…
2008 Hawk & Horse Cabernet Sauvignon started the ball rolling, but the wine that changed everything was 1989 Meo Camuzet Cros Parantoux.
1994 Gaja Something (can’t remember if it was Barolo or Barbaresco).
We were in Italy on business, every night the restaurant presented us with a wine list and every night we chose beer. They seemed disappointed.
Good trip and we were in the mood to celebrate, wine list came out and we thought what the heck, lets order that “ridiculously priced” bottle just to see what this wine stuff is all about.
Waiter needed clarification, are you sure? Yep, bring it on. He decanted it over a candle and insisted that we wait for a bit before pouring into our glasses. Finally pours it and it was awesome, 4 guys never had wine before and we were fighting over the last glass.
I have chased that bottle, figuratively, ever since.
White: 1990 Trimbach Federic Emile
Red: 1957 Jadot Bonnes Mares & 1995 Rousseau Chambertin Clis de Beze (when you see some patience required in a TN with my wines these two bottles are the instigators of that).
1992 Arrowood Merlot turned me into a wine enthusiast.
1995 Selbach-Oster Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese turned me into a German Riesling fanatic.
1990 Truchot MSD Clos Sorbes turned on the Burgundy light.
1985 Leoville Poyferre made me a fan of Bordeaux.
Etc.
1985 Lynch Bages. That is when I lost my mind.
1982 Pichon Comtesse as a student for $50
recently
2010 Giacomo Conterno Cascina Francia
1997 Mondavi Reserve