What's the best bottle of wine you ever tasted?

My wife told me it was a bottle of 1974 Clos Du Bois because that is what I bought when I proposed to her.

I had a Burgundy recently that might be up there, but I am not sure what the #1 was.

Do you have a favorite?

#1 1986 Dominus Cabernet Sauvignon.

#2 1985 Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon.

#3 1988 Groth Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve.

This is tough...

Is it the 1795 Tarrantez? The 1978 Rayas? 31 Quinta do Noval?

I've had so many wonderful wines, but here are the two best wines I tasted during my first year of drinking wine seriously. The first was with Janet on the west coast of France, the second was alone in a hotel in France. Both were wonderful experiences, but I suppose the second bottle had to do a great deal all on its own (from my wine diary):

1978 Château Trottevieille St. Émilion Bordeaux France. [Often Trotte Vieille as in Duijker and Broadbent; named after an old woman who served her customers very quickly – the “galloping granny.”] 750 FF. Dinner with Janet at a wonderful inn, Ferme Saint Siméon, Honfleur in Normandy, France; fish and vegetables. Lovely aroma of violets and other flowers, light tannin, long finish. Romantic dinner. Janet liked the wine so much that she made a note of the name of the Château. 5*.


1982 Lionel de Pontbriand Vosne-Romanne Les Suchots Nuits Saint-George Côte d’Or Burgundy France. Dinner in hotel room of bread, grapes and cheese. Gift from Renaud of first of three bottles: “ A Prestigious Bourgogne”: [This may be Renaud’s client.] Dark red color; deep and complex fruit aroma, especially plums; intense flavor at first with complex fruit, plums, mild tannin; 30 to 45 second finish; held flavor and aroma for over two hours as I sipped and read. An excellent wine. 5*.

Both wines were consumed in 1995. And, of course, we can't forget the wine I'll have tomorrow night. :-)

Regards, Bob

A few come to mind - 1978 Monfortino, 1961 Rinaldi, 1979 Yquem, 1947 Huet Le Haut Lieu, 1959 Karthauserhofberger Auslese, 1947 R Lopez de Heredia Vina Bosconia, 1970 Cune Imperial, 1999 Vogue Musigny, 1996 Bollinger VVF...

'75 Lafite

`97 Fox Creek JSM.

What was the Burgundy?

The best wine's I ever tasted were '78 Volnay 1er Cru Champans from d'Angerville, '78 Guigal Cote Rotie la Landonne and '75 Yquem. '64 Volnay Caillerets from Bouchard is up there too. Best dry white was '89 Chevalier-Montrachet les Demoiselles from Jadot probably but I'd have to think about it.

'55 Dr. Barolet Chateauneuf-du-Pape that we are pretty sure was brokered from Chateau rayas was pretty damn good too.

Best Cali wine was 1959 Iglenook Cab.

[James Roscoe]

'89 Louise Pommery Champagne

2000 Ruessec (sic?) Sauternes

[David M. Bueker]

1945 Taylor, 1970 Petrus, 1970 Cheval Blanc, 1976 Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling BA LGK, 1985 Krug...

'59 Meyney (drank in 1992)

'82 Margaux (drank in 2004 plus others)

'82 Pichon La Lande (drank in 2005 plus others)

Tough question, too many choices but could probably drink '82 Bordeaux for my red wine the rest of my life and not complain. Also had a fabulous '82 Calon Segur last week and would put it in my top 5 wines ever.

Walt

Tough question but if forced to choose I would say 1985 Pichon Lalande and 1997 Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo Bricco Gattera. Runners up would have to include Krug Grande Cuvee and Dom Perignon 1985 plus any number of dessert wines.

Usually I find that the first singing bottle after a series of duds (which can last anywhere from two minutes to two weeks) hit the highest notes..

That special combination and all..

I've had a couple of 100 point wines, so I suppose they must have been the best, but truthfully, I cannot separate the quality of the wine from the quality of the experience. "Best" to me is not an abstract objective assessment, but a personal and highly subjective. There are several wines I have enjoyed imensely, with everlasting memories, not because they were the best made or the most expensive, but because of the experience. A 1990 Beaucastel from my friend Joe at a wonderful gathering of friends at Dan's house, a grocery store chenin blanc on a trout stream in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with my friend Bud, a Cotes du Rhone Village red at our friend Lisa's wedding, a nowhere near ready Clos de Pape CdP shared with Beth on our anniversary, a Flor de Pingus shared with Ken the day we learned he had Parkinson's disease... I don't know for sure, but I doubt any of these wines would be considered "best" by any competent wine judge, but I don't care that they aren't 98 point wines. Not at all. To me, they were the best because they were part of some of my best memories. The wine is just fermented grape juice. It's the experience that counts.

[Robin Garr]

I've had a couple of 100 point wines, so I suppose they must have been the best.

For what it's worth, my disillusionment with Parker started the Thanksgiving Day that I invested $50-plus in my first 100-point wine, Zind-Humbrecht Clos Windsbuhl Gewurz, and ended up savagely disappointed with our roast goose dinner all but spoiled by the blowsy Technicolor wine.

I haven't jumped in this thread yet, but will do so when I get a minute - I'm on board with your observation about the quality of the experience, though, O.W. The memorable life experiences aren't just about the wine, they're about the wine and the occasion and the emotions and the people you're with.

1. '78 Val di Suga Brunello (Drank 10/10/98).

2. '81 Paul Jaboulet Aine, “La Chapelle”, Hermitage (Drank 3/11/01).

OW and Robin,

I don't disagree that the experience is the thing. But the question is more limited: what's the best bottle of wine you ever tasted?

I would answer this question much differently if the question were what's the best wine experience you've ever had?

Although that evening in France with Janet with "Galloping Granny" might top that list as well.

Regards, Bob

I purposely left the definition of best ambiguous...although my best wines have certainly been defined by the food company locale and experience.

Great answers so far~!

This is tough...

Is it the 1795 Tarrantez? The 1978 Rayas? 31 Quinta do Noval?

1795??!

This is tough...

Is it the 1795 Tarrantez? The 1978 Rayas? 31 Quinta do Noval?

1795??!

Josh, that's just Bernard's oneupmanship. I've never had a bottle of Terrantez older than the 1843 myself.

"What is 'best?' quoth jesting Pilate..."

Seriously, I can't begin to wrap my brain around how I would decide what qualifies a given wine as the best I've had. Is it how well it goes with the food served? Is it how big my smile was while drinking it? Is it how much it exceeded my expectations for it? Hard to say... As others have said, I can't separate the wine from the experience.

Some of my favorite wine experiences of all time have been:
1990 Ridge Geyserville
1978 Ch. de la Gardine CdP
1961 Ch. Lynch-Bages
1985 R. Dauvissat Chablis 'Les Preuses'
1988 Chave Hermitage
1978 Ch. Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon
1988 Dujac Clos de la Roche
1983 Ch. D'Yquem
1996 Szepsy Tokaji Aszu 6 putts
1985 Ch. Rayas CdP
1998 Dom. du Pegau CdP (in the 5-and-under category)

Mark Lipton

[I'm on board with your observation about the quality of the experience, though, O.W. The memorable life experiences aren't just about the wine, they're about the wine and the occasion and the emotions and the people you're with.

Robin, I got the sense that was exactly what O.W. was saying.

But...I'm always asking variations to this question: Am I the only one who thinks that "who I am with" is a non factor because being with my wife is so much greater an experience than being with anyone else? Therefore all greatest wine experiences have to be with her, or by myself with her in my mind.

I would assume that most people can get a great wine experience with people they just like. I don't even waste a cru bourgeois with someone that I don't love. And I need a spiritual union with a person in order to break out a great classed growth, which means just one person. I was trying hard to think back, but I don't believe I have ever sat down with a man (without my wife also present), for example, and broken out a good bottle of wine in my entire life. Nuts, huh?

Covert

Nicely said OW. Really looking forward to a similar experience with you this weekend (minus the Parkinsons I hope)

Starky

Am I the only one who thinks that "who I am with" is a non factor because being with my wife is so much greater an experience than being with anyone else? Therefore all greatest wine experiences have to be with her, or by myself with her in my mind.

Okay, Covert, let her read your post and then tell her you bought the Harley... My God man, stand up and tell that woman you're going drinking with the boys, and you're gonna do it guilt free!