1991 Ridge Monte Bello. Bad bottle with unbelievably high expectations. As a counterpoint, the same wine was my best wine experience, but wasn’t $100 at the time.
2007 Vineyard 29 AIDA…consumed blind…Parker called it a la mish look-a-like???
To where I would have to respond
Mr. Parker, what you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
I called it one of the worst wines ever…I honestly thought it might be McManis with slightly fancier oak treatment!!!
1997 Jadot Mazis Chambertin: Not bad, just very average considering the pedigree and that Jadot overall did quite well that year. A good bit more than $100 and one of my very few splurges.
Was probably the most angry at 2003 Leflaive Pucelles. Pulled one to drink young on a birthday and it was dull - not premoxed, but none of the young Leflaive fireworks, which was the point. Cussed the bottle out in front of my wine-novice guests, explaining to them that tasting ok was not enough for a $100 bottle of Chardonnay. Sold the rest of that six-pack at a loss and moved on.
1999 Caymus Special Selection - and I like their pre-2005 stuff. Actually, most '99 Cabs were disappointing when measured against the hype that vintage received. Silver Oak (used to be a fan) and Arrowood Reserve Speciale (my pet Cab brand) were even a let down.
Was at Bazaar - a fairly high end restaurant in LA with another couple and I asked the somm to pick a bottle after we had burned through 2 that we had brought. He was of the hipster sort and brought us a white Jura for exactly $100. It was of the oxidized sort and was awful - zero redeeming qualities. The other couple (and my wife) looked at me like i was crazy for letting him pick.
He saw the looks on our faces and immediately brought out a comped foie gras app that he thought would pair with it - no luck the wine sucked!
1984 Ridge Monte Bello. It was fine, and I was grateful to taste it, but there was nothing special there. I probably would have been happier with a $10 generic cab.
Leaving out premoxed, corked, shattered or other flawed wines I’ll nominate the 2003 Trimbach Clos Ste Hune. The vintage was not kind to that wine.
If we’re leaving in flawed wines then the premoxed 1998 Clos Ste Hune would take the cake, especially as I opened it for 2 friends’ anniversary dinner.
Interesting on the Conterno. I had an utterly oxidized 1996 Colonello recently that I had bought in Alba in 2000, when it was the current release. And John Stimson reported a similarly cooked bottle of the same wine. Sounds dangerously like a pattern.
Wine dinner a few years back…got to taste the Poker Face Syrah…I was amped because I love Syrah and was excited because of all the praise…I think the name of this wine was perfect…‘Poker Face,’ because it was showing nothing…some unknown $45 syrah blew it off the table…go figure.