[ds968]

Price out of consideration, if you had to drink only one wine for the rest of your life, what would that wine be, or from which winery ( to your personal taste pallets ) consistently producing the best wines year after year ?


Kaj mentioned that Joseph Phelps insignia is among his top favorites so it prompted me to think and then conclude that if I had to pick one single wine, regardless of vintage , and regardless of price , out of the many , many great wines ( some of which were cheap while others outrageously expensive ) I have enjoyed throughout decade after decade, the Insignia would be my very top choice .

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[Kaj Hallstrom]

The 1985 DRC Richebourg and the 1974 Heitz "Martha's Vineyard" Cabernet Sauvignon would be my top picks, closely followed by the 1994 Phelps "Insignia"

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[Chris Vais]

I would say that my most memorable wine experience I've had was a 1947 Chateau Margaux that opened in honor of my 50th birthday. No one in my family could never afford such a bottle of wine. So how was this possible?/ My brothers brother-in-law purchased the contents of a wine cellar that was located beneath a house destroyed by fire. He paid some minuscule amount of money per bottle because there was no way to know for sure if the wine had been "cooked" by the fire. That was 18 years ago and there are still marvelous wines coming out of that purchase. 

 

The Margaux was fabulous. I  opened it and promptly decanted it. Initially, it didn't have much nose, so I set it on the sideboard in the dining room. About 1/2 hour late the nose came up, so we poured a taste for everyone in attendance. Lots of vinuosity on the front end vey soft tennis and soft mouth feel with a long lingering fruit finish.

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[Rap]

Chris it is interesting that the nose came up after that period of time. Did the wine maintain its integrity or was their a short span before it lost its nose and taste?

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[94SilverCab]

I was attending Thanksgiving dinner at the home of a well regarded collector. Not wanting to show up empty handed I decided to bring a few bottles of that year's Beaujolais nouveau<b>, </b>knowing there was no way I could match anything in his collection. He was delighted and we opened several Beaujolais Village as a taste comparison, and had a wonderful chat a bout wine in general.

 

When it came time for dinner, I was asked what wine I would like to drink from the cellar and I declined to invite myself to pick from his stunning collection. I was surprised and delighted when he chose to serve 2 bottles of 1971 Petrus.

 

This doesn't really answer the question above, but a great wine story nonetheless. I am a big fan of Cabernet Sauvignon from the Stag's Leap district of Napa. Particularly Chimney Rock, Stag's Leap, Ruud and Cliff Lede. Any of those wines would be suitable for the everyday quaff.

 

Jay 

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[Chris Vais]

RAP

My experience with old wines is limited to be sure, but my experience that the act of decanting the wine exposes it to oxygen which will open up the nose. However, exposure to oxygen will cause the wine to oxidize quickly, so it must be consumed straight away.

 

Jay

We drink a lot of Cliff Lede. The first time we were there they had a Howell Mt. Cab, a Diamond Peak Cab, and a Mt.Veeder cab available for tasting. All there were the same vintage and all three were produced under the direction of the same winemaker. It gave me the opportunity to demonstrate how these three microclimates make distinctively different wines. The tasting room manager was listening in on our conversation and offered me a job in the tasting room. He said that was the best explanation of the concept of terroir he had heard. 

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[netopyer]

my own/ my grandpa's one

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[Kaj Hallstrom]

It is my experience that decanting an old wine is pretty much a crime. I let it stand up overnight (unopened). I will then open it and pour it very slowly in the glass. If it needs to open up it will do so in the glass. Then it's time to enjoy because most old wines will fall apart after 10-15 minutes.

 

Young great wines should be decanted however. Big Cabernet's tends to be very closed in and needs a "kick-start".

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[94SilverCab]

I have been drinking a number of Washington State Syrah's in preparation for our trip to the West Coast gathering and beyond. Last week I decanted a bottle of 2012 Gramercy Cellars Syrah and tasted at 15, 30 45 minutes and drank with dinner after an hour. I definitely improved over time. I even saved a glass for the next day, but did not enjoy it as much as the first night.

Jay

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[ds968]

Had a 2009 " Howell At The Moon " ( from Howell Mountain vineyard ) cab yesterday , and thought it was very good .. the sommelier suggested that 09, 10, 11 are typically very good, but 12 was a crappy year for cabs no matter from which winery, so we were eyeballing a 12 Far Niente but he talked us out of it ..

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[Kaj Hallstrom]

The sommelier was way off. 2009/10 are excellent with firm fruit and good tannins. 2011 is very light soft and to be consumed right now. look for good deals. 2012 is stunning. A wine intense and with longevity. I am speaking of the high end Cabernet's here, not the average two and a half buck Chuck.,,,,but then again, don't take my words for it...I have only been in the wine business for 35 years.

I think you should get that guy fired!!!...he will probably tell you the 968 is a crappy car too.

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[ds968]

Had he insulted the 968, he'd have to remove that bottle of wine from one of his orifices, lol. It was interesting because the Far Niente was considerably more expensive but now I wonder if in spite of being lower priced, the restaurant markup was greater on the Howell bottle ..otherwise no reason to lie about the 12 being a mediocre year for cabs and recommending the 09 ..unless he had no clue of what he was talking about which could very well be the case ...

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[94SilverCab]

Scored a bottle of 2012 Cayuse Cailloux Vineyard Syrah yesterday. The expressed reason for this purchase was to use this as a bench mark for the tastings we plan in Walla Walla. However, this is such an amazing bottle that will only improve, I may defer and leave it in the cellar until 2022 or later...


 

Jay

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[94SilverCab]

Scored a bottle of 2012 Cayuse Cailloux Vineyard Syrah yesterday. The expressed reason for this purchase was to use this as a bench mark for the tastings we plan in Walla Walla. However, this is such an amazing bottle that will only improve, I may defer and leave it in the cellar until 2022 or later...


 

Jay

 

Anybody see who showed up on the cover of Wine Spectator this month? None other than Christophe Baron of Cayuse. I guess I will probably not get a private audience now (but I may try to stalk him for a picture). Still hoping for a meeting with Greg Harrington (Master Sommelier) of Gramercy Cellars.

 

Jay

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[Chris Vais]

Regarding the 09,10,11, and 12 vintages, I agree with Kaj. It certain was what I experienced as a winemaker. 

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[az968]

Does that vintage guidance hold for other reds or primarily for cabs as Kaj posted?

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[94SilverCab]

Does that vintage guidance hold for other reds or primarily for cabs as Kaj posted?

Wine Spectator publishes vintage guides for regions and years regularly. He was specifically speaking to Napa Valley Cabs for those years (I believe).

 

Jay

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[Kaj Hallstrom]

Yes, indeed, I spoke of Napa Cabernets. I also do not go by Wine Spectator ratings (or any for that matter) as they are way too "tainted". Go by instinct and let your nose find the right wine for you. All these "wise guys" can steer you in any direction, but ultimately you are the one to drink the wine. 

 

When it comes to other reds we might have completely different vintages to favor. Pinot Noir from Oregon are good examples.

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[flash]

i've had the 12 far niente.  i thought it was great.  i still liked the 93 and 98 better, and the 02 was right behind those, but the 12 was no slouch.

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[ds968]

Kaj is so right about your own nose and pallet guiding what's best to you . A couple of examples from my experience : I've had the same vintage / years of both Far Niente and Nickel & Nickel ( the latter is ostensibly Far Niente winery's "less sophisticated brother" ) and almost always prefered the Nickel & Nickel . I doubt Parker, or Wine Spectator or any other experts have ever rated a N&N above FN. Same with Silver Oak ; I prefer the "cheaper" Alexander Valley to their more expensive Napa Valley wines which are always rated higher.

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