1996 Rosemount Diamond Label Shiraz–First wine I purchase as a reco from a friend to woo my wife
1994 Opus One–Consumed at a high end steakhouse bar with a burger. First blue chip Napa wine
1990 Leoville Poyferre–First Glimpse into a perfect BDX
2004 SQN Poker Face–Craft Steak in Vegas at the bar with my wife. First taste of a near perfect CA Rhone
2001 d’Yquem–Enough Said
1996 Krug–First truly great Champagne Experience
1996 Latour & Lafite–First Taste of BDX First Growth
1977 Fonseca–First great old(er) Port
2010 Dönnhoff Hermannshohle Riesling GG–Saw how great a GG Riesling can be
2009 Maison Ilan–How not to do business in the wine world
Great idea for a thread!
1982 Gruaud-Larose (drunk nearly upon release–we were experimenting with Bordeaux after hearing about the vintage; drank pretty much only Bordeaux and Napa cabs for the next 10 years)
1985 de Montille Latriciere Chambertin–bought, along with other GC, including a Ponsot CDLR out of a basement of a liquor store in the suburbs of Providence. The seller stipulated you had could buy only one bottle of each wine he somehow had, but could buy as many different single ones–all Burgundy–as you wanted.
1989 Beaucastel CdP–popped n’poured one afternoon by a knowledgeable wineshop manager in SF (The Winery, Tom), who had a bit of a drinking problem. Bought 3, @$25 my most expensive wine purchase to date.
1990 Sanford Pinot Noir Sanford & Benedict Vineyard–this and other Sta Maria Pinot of this epoch, ABC, Foxen, began my love affair with the grape, eventually leading to Burgundy.
1994 Caymus SS; we were gifted this by the Winery as we were being hosted by Warren Winiarski’s daughter, Julia. My girlfriend, now wife took, it for dinner at Chez P w/friends and let me have a 1990 Clos de Reas in return. I’ve always wondered who got the better deal.
1983 Rousseau Chambertin, still my benchmark for great Burgundy–indeed, simply great wine.
1998 D. Mugneret Richebourg–got Richebourg, and have sought them out ever since.
1993 R. Ampeau Puligny Les Combettes–opened my eyes to just how good aged white Burgundy could be.
1998 Giacosa Falletto-first Giacosa that was in the zone, got me searching for more.
1962 Lopez de Heredia Vina de Tondonia–not sure this really was a Gran Riserva, though it was advertised as such (said it was a special bottling for Casa Armendariz on the label); still drank at Les Cols in Catalonia with Catalonian friends who had taken us there for dinner. Memorable bottle.
Hard to pick the influential ones as opposed to the best. Here is my shot at a number that come to mind in vintage order:
1952 Huet Le Mont Demisec - amazing wine and the real star among stars of the first big Huet tasting we did in NYC - in 2000. Opened my eyes to the aging potential and aged profundity of the demisecs. This experience further steered my buying habits on Huets and other Vouvray and Montlouis, which form a very high percentage of my cellar.
1964 Vega Sicilia - at a fantastic Vega vertical at our old Spanish haunt Marichu in NYC in about 2000 or 2001. That was my first time drinking more than one Vega at a time and at a time when I had tried very few, and the ‘64 was again a star among stars, in the higher acid / red fruit side of the spectrum. The important lesson for me here was a relative love in many cases of the more transparent high-toned vintages of a wine over (often more widely touted) brawnier and/or riper vintages.
1964 Laville Haut Brion - time-stopping complexity and texture as a precursor to tasting 1964 Right Banks in 2003. I had had excellent younger HBB by then served by friends, but this wine was hauntingly beautiful and really showed me why it is worthwhile to age dry white Bordeaux.
1964 Vieux Chateau Certan. VCC takes its place aside Cheval Blanc as my palate homeruns in Bordeaux. Life is complete.
1971 Cheval Blanc - this set a bar for me for Right Bank wines around 2001 and I would say this was the first truly amazing Right Bank wine I ever had. It’s been fantastic since then the few times I’ve had it, but that first time was the best bottle and the most eye-opening experience. It changed my naive view on Cab Franc/Merlot-based wines and thereby steered my Bordeaux buying habits.
1971 D’Angerville Volnay Clos de Ducs - a mind-bending fully immersive experience at Cru in about 2004. Just one glass. Body, brain, and wine became one. This wine alone probably kept me in the Burgundy game after prices started going bananas and the possibility of achieving the level that this wine did for me makes me so reluctant to get rid of Burgundy bottles in my cellar that have escalated to ridiculous price levels.
1985 G. Mascarello Barolo Monprivato - Greg Dal Piaz introduced me to G. Mascarello with this wine, among others, at a dinner he hosted at his apartment in 2001ish, and the fit to my palate was perfect. I love (or loved) Mauro’s wines stylistically and tend to measure other Barolo against them still.
1988 Pol Roger Winston Churchill - the first truly great champagne I ever tasted - on release in 1999 with Christian de Billy at 67th Street Wines. This wine is in the top 5 of all champagnes, among hundreds, that I have had since then, but stands out as the eye opener. After tasting this, which was one of the latest 1988 releases to my recollection, I bought a number of 1996s that were still in the market or coming into the market to make sure I had wines from the great 1996 vintage for the long haul. Still do.
1992 Rousseau Chambertin - drunk in summer 2000 I believe. This wine truly taught me the value of producer over vintage in a profound way. Fantastic wine. At least at the time.
1995 Dagueneau Pur Sang Pouilly Fume - the epiphany wine, selected by and served to me on November 28, 1997, by Jean-Luc Le Du (RIP).
Here I have 10, wines that have made a distinct impression about how I think about wines. I also would offer that some of these are imprints in time, a moment that was meaningful in helping me move along in my journey, which is not finite. These are just stops along that journey that mean something to me.
2002 Pride Petite Sirah (I discovered power, that wine could evoke real power)
2007 Switchback Ridge Petite Sirah (intensity, that wine could really take over the senses)
2005 Kosta Browne Koplen (ah, fruit and sexiness, that wine could seduce me)
2010 Domaine de la Pépière Clos des Briords (wow, that wine could be electric in acidity)
2007 Lafarge Volnay (that Pinot could thrill with acid, dried red fruits, slate…vividly recall this one)
2007 Carlisle RRV Syrah (I have drank a case of this stuff. The neon color and depth of this wine that Mike cranked out of that fruit was outstanding. A triumph of a wine for under $20)
2007 Copain Kiser En Haut Pinot Noir (was enamored with this wine for it’s seductiveness and beauty, and remained so for many years. It’s peaking or past now, the vintage is over-taking that beauty but I fell for the winemaking of Wells Guthrie and his craft)
2012 Kutch Falstaff Pinot Noir (I fell for this wine, and it really took a hold of me. Less so now perhaps, although what it did is solidify my respect and strong support for Jamie and the path he is cutting)
NV Paul Dethune Rose (Drank over 2 cases of this and it’s been an instigator on my pathway to Champagne, that color, acidity, freshness can live together, affordably. I love this stuff)
2008 Vilmart Coeur de Cuvee (I continue to be marveled by this wine. The acidity, balance, the pure joy it exudes and the future of that joy being magnified with more age)
These are some of my seminal wine experiences presented in chronological order. Not ten but its enough…
1981: 1980 Murray Robson Hunter Valley Hermitage (Shiraz). Just moved to Sydney from NZ. First boutique serious wine I tried after all the cheap crap I tried while at university. Loved it, never realised wine could taste like this.
1987: 1982 Penfolds Grange Hermitage. First major cellar purchase. Just got married and my new wife encouraged me so ended up buying 18 bottles for A$40 each. Still have one bottle left. This wine launched my wine cellaring habit
1991: 1970 Fonseca and 1983 Ch. Rieussec. Both auction purchases in London. Both real eye openers for wine styles I had no prior experience with.
1993: 1989 Dm Chandon de Brailles Corton Bressandes. First serious burgundy bought at the domaine while visiting burgundy. I really really liked it.
1994: 1964 Macarini Barolo Brunate, at a tasting in London. Just loved the old mature Barolo flavours
1996: Back in Australia, Melbourne - joined Wendouree mailing and started on a 12 year vertical of their wines
1997: First Bdx EP experience with the 1996 vintage. Seminal in the sense that I got addicted to the annual excitement of the Bdx EP campaign
2001: 1990 Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshohle Spatlese. Wow, my first Donnhoff and what a wine. Donnhoff has a special place in my cellar
2005: 1996 Rousseau Chambertin. What a fantastic wine, made me start buying Rousseau wines straight away.
Brodie
Frank, love the electric Briords. I’m trying to recall the first wine I ever described as electric. I think it was 1998 Donnhoff Oberhauser Brucke Spatlese within the first 6 months of release. That wine was explosive electricity in a bottle.
Chateau St Jean Gewurtztraminer - Not really into wine at the time…only drank white Zin’s from Beringer and Sutter Home, and the sweet dessert wines, when visiting Napa with future wife…WOW, this is something different!
1987 Beringer Private Reserve Cab - On a trip with said future wife…went to local Safeway in Mendocino and wanted to try a “good” wine for a change…bought the most expensive wine they had($50) and I was blown away! THE wine that started my obsession.
1989 Latour/Mouton/Lafite/Margaux/Yquem - Another weekend with future wife…was high-rolling it at Harrah’s Tahoe and was up a couple thou…ate dinner at the summit, and they had these as a tasting flight for something like $80? Super wines, but I was more intrigued about the value, and my baseball card collector in me kicked in, and I started scouring Safeways in the bay area because these bottles could be found for $99 per! The “collecting” aspect about wine, was REALLY intriguing to me!
1998 Alban Viognier - First trip out of town with our 2 month old daughter…Passionfish in Pacific Grove…Alban was a darling on the WCWN board…had this wine, and was instantly hooked on Alban, as well as all things Rhone!
2003 Kosta Browne Sonoma Pinot or 2002 Roar Rosella’s Pinot - Something totally different than Cabs and oooze monster Syrah’s…LOVED the brightness and array of fascinating florals, spices and candied fruits.
2005 Roulot Meursault Les Vireuils - This was a big one…thanks Mike Grammer…probably cost me 100+K!! ![[wink.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/04707e6a7bbb03e0153e349d8a9270d30e1e9525.gif "wink"){kind=small}
BLOWN away by how good Chardonnay/Meursault/Burgundy can be. Terroir, specificity…I want to drink wines that are from sense of place. Totally propelled me into the deep end of Burgundy, especially white Burgundy!
1998 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Bonnes Mares - Not really the wine itself, but this was the first time I met Jon Favre, and after having a wonderful lunch at Zuni Cafe with fellow instigator buddy Edson, and other big time Burg peeps Roger Nellans and Mike Kelly, Jon and others were off to dinner at La Paulee…Edson and I didn’t want the day to end, so went to RN74 for dinner before heading home to the Valley. Jon gifted us a bottle of this at the restaurant of which he had a bunch of wines in waiting. A few Favre-a-thons and other Burgundy tastings and get togethers…I now find myself not blinking an eye on spending a thousand dollars on a bottle of rare wine, or couple k at a dinner to try super rare stuff that I pretty much dream about on a daily basis!
A crazy OBSESSION this wine thing is! And I wouldn’t trade it for anything! ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
We drank a ton of these in the early days after switching from beer.
1958 - G. Mascarello Barolo Riserva - First time I was introduced into aged Barolo (more than 10yrs old) back in 2013, mind-blown! Wine of Kings for sure!!
1971 Produttori Rabaja - After trying this back in Nov, I made my first case purchase of 2013s to tuck away for another 30+ years. At $70 a pop, it seemed like a wise investment given AG’s glowing review.
2002 Hundred Acre Kayli Morgan - Tried with 10 years of age, simply outstanding! A perfect wine IMO.
1998 Justin Isosceles - A somm pour this at the San Diego Bay wine and food festival back in 2013. It was the first time I was blown away by Paso Robles wine.
2008 Torbreck The Laird - The greatest Shiraz I had ever tried, but wow was this ridiculously expensive! This wine is definitely a bucket list bottle.
2013 Carter Cellars (OG, Three Kings, & Grand Daddy) - Tried at Carter in Fall 2015. First time I understood what the hype was all about with Beckstoffer fruit, and confirmed 2013 will be a vintage I need to double-down on.
1979 Robert Mondavi Cab Reserve - Birth year wine. Though I have tried a few bottles with variation, this has become my benchmark for vintage CA cab. The best part, it’s still available from time to time on WineBid, and sometimes under $100 a bottle. Does anyone know what release price was, $15?
1994 Opus One - Tried around 2007/2008. The weirdest feeling of loving the wine so much, but feeling like I overpaid for the experience. Is it strange that every time I have a bottle of Opus, I experience this dichotomy? I have to believe I’ve been brainwashed from bad media and harsh critics.
2012 DaVero Sagrantino - Yes, Sagrantino can grow in CA and rival Paolo Bea.
2001 Valdicava Madonna Brunello - First time I understood the potential of Sangiovese. A perfect wine on release. Tried a second bottle a couple years and was so mad that I had opened it, it was completely shut down! If you have this wine, wait another 10+ years.
My College standbys - Mateus, Bolla Valpolicella and Bardolino.
Greatest Bordeaux - (tie) 1928 Ch Pichon Lalande, 1953 Ch Margaux, 1961 Ch Palmer.
(Named my daughter Margaux after the region)
Greatest Red Burgundy - 1959 Leroy Musigny.
Greatest White Burgundy - A 1970s Batard
(Can’t remember year or producer but it was VERY marshmallowy)
Greatest CA Wine - 1971 Ridge York Creek Petite Sirah (far and away).
The entire 1974 CA Cab vintage.
First Great Porto - 1963 Fonseca.
Bacon in a Bottle - 1985 Meo Camuzet “Cros Parantoux”.
(My favorite 2005 Burg from the hands o’ Henri).
First great sweety - 1975 Ch d’Yquem
First Great Italian - A bunch of 1950s Vallana Spannas purchased at Long’s Drug Store.
TTT
Just saw this. LOL. This was on my list too, written up, before I paired the list down to those that somehow influenced my perceptions or overall buying habits. I love, love, love this wine, agree with your comment about best Scheurebe, kept rebuying (maybe 10 total bottles, which was a lot for me), and am sad I drank my last bottle years ago now. This was pure joy in a bottle. Now I only have the 2001 left.
1985 Gentaz (Could barely read the label and couldn’t tell the vintage until we popped the corked. Shared with one coworker and at the time was by far the most enjoyable bottle of wine I have ever drunk. Still in my top 5, the nose and color of this wine were unlike anything I had seen or drank before.)
1988 DRC Eche (First DRC wine I ever drank around 2005-2006 and a wine that made me want to make a career in wine)
1996 Roulot Perrieres (Started buying a lot of Roulot and white burgs after drinking this bottle) Bought from Nick Gangas.
1995 Roumier Amoureuses (Not sure why Roumier’s 95s are so good, but this bottle was other worldly and one I probably won’t try again even though I have a few bottles left)
1974 Ridge Monte Bello (Was never a big Cali Cab fan but this wine was so damn good and at the time was not terribly expensive)
1999 Truchot Clos Roche (Just a totally different style of Burgundy and one I fell in love with. I agree with Howard and this is without a doubt my favorite producer)
1990 Rene Engel Grands Echezeaux (If Truchot is my favorite, Engel is a close second)
2002 Raveneau Clos (Still one of the better white burgs I have had and it was before Raveneau Clos prices went insane. Have had other 2002 Raveneaus since and they have not disappointed.)
1997 Rouget Cros P (Bought for around $400 and drank before I knew the Jayer connection, but this bottle was special, especially for an “off vintage”)
2009 Keller G-Max (Recently drunk at a wine dinner and I had convinced myself G-Max was mostly hype, but this bottle was in a perfect spot. Many thought it was the wine of the night but some pretty heavy hitters) Thank you MK.
This one goes to 11…here’s what jumps to mind:
1&2. (1989 or 1990) & 1984 Beau Sejour Becot - at 25, curiosity about the gigantic quality differences between the vintages when everything else was the same is what sent me down the rabbit hole from which I’ve never emerged
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1988 Dujac Bonnes Mares - epiphany red burg experience, chasing that ever since
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1969 Dom Perignon - Ray Tuppatsch’s generosity introduced me to great old champagnes
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1896 Lafite at Bern’s - just an incredible experience
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1987 Mondavi Reserve Cabernet - first experience with how good Cali Cabs can be
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1975 Yquem - bought by a senior partner at a work celebration in 1999, a holy s__ moment
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1996 Massolino Barolo at Babbo in the early 2000s - introduction to Barolo
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1990 Gruaud Laroze - first case I ever bought in 1996, one of those bottles a couple years ago reminded me of how enjoyable Bordeaux can be
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1983 Jadot Montrachet - drunk at a Rousseau Clos de Beze and Chambertin dinner years ago, it was such a fascinating bottle it kindled my fascination with white burgs (especially with age)
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Bonus - not just a Wine, but a tasting -in 1997, my now-wife and I attending a comprehensive terroir tasting hosted by the Burgundy Wine Company in New York. It featured wines from all the premier crus in Meursault for whites and NSG for reds, going from south to north. Fascinating lesson in terroir and fabulous wines.
Those old BWC tastings were amazing. I attended the ones which showcased the 1998 and 1999 vintages.
![[drinkers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/8/82916bed5ad74ac8470bc04089d9758b0c80c9fa.gif "drinkers"){kind=small}
The 1999 Clos de la Roche is my favorite wine from Truchot.
Wines that most influenced my purchasing behavior:
1987 Montelena Cab — Not many California Cabs have reached this height, but I keep searching
1995 Angelus — Made me love Bordeaux, especially Right Bank wines
1995 D’Angerville Champans — great bargain at the time and made me fall in love with Burgundy, especially Volnay. Not even close to the best burg I’ve had, but it changed my frame of reference
1996 Dom Perignon Rose — One of the best wines I’ve ever experienced, became somewhat obsessed with Champagne after that night.
Bouchard Chevelair Montrachet — Can’t remember the vintage, but this wine was stunning and before pre-mox, I bought a lot of White Burgs
2001 D’Yquem — wow wine
Arnot Roberts/Sandlands Trousseau — Showed me that you can never stop trying new wines and new varietals
These are my most influential in terms of how I think/thought about wine, not necessarily the greatest bottles I’ve had, though some of them are. In chronological order:
1975 Haut Brion in 1978 - served by a housemate who was into wine and cooking. He had us all bring a bottle to Monday dinner which he’d prepare for the 5 of us. One night he brought the Haut Brion. It was my first epiphany wine and started me on the path.
1982 Penfolds Grange in 1987 - a retailer I’d begun to establish a relationship with (he’d suggested a mixed case, I came back and told him what I liked) snuck me in the back of the store, said “I think you’ll like this,” and popped a bottle for the two of us to taste. It was illegal back then for stores to taste and the sense of getting away with something added a bit of kick to the experience. Opened my eyes to what Australian wine could do, but more importantly opened my eyes to what a relationship/friendship with a retailer could do.
1974 Lytton Prings Winery Lytton Springs zinfandel in 1988 - brought by someone to a tasting. I never knew zin could develop such complexity with age. I dont Think they make them like that any more.
1983 Prieure Lichine - multiple bottles over time. My father and I took a drive to Scarsdale when I was visiting back in 1987 and Zachys was having a sale to make room for the coming year’s Bordeaux. We each bought a couple of cases. I inherited the bulk of his and it served as both a fond remembrance and as the raw material for comparing how his passively cellared bottles aged compared with my actively cellared bottles.
1959 Lafite in 1999 - served at a pre-millennium dinner by a good friend and occasional poster. Not only was this one of the best wines I’ve had, but it was one of many in my top 10, and the influence was as much about bonding as it was about wine.
1929 Bouchard Pommard Rugiens in 2005 - served direct from Maison Bouchard’s cellars with dinner in their orangerie. This was a dinner arranged by Francois Audouze to convince a number of American skeptics that old Burgundy could truly be magical. It was a resounding success. K John, if you’re reading this, let me tell you to accept his offer to demonstrate his slow ox method. It will be a worthwhile experience regardless of outcome.
2000 Leoville las Cases in 2012 - drunk much too soon but oh what potential. On the list because it was the last bottle I drank with my brother, who was also gone much too soon.
I do still have a few bottles of ‘75 HB, they are still drinking well if not exceptional.
I am entranced by this thread but was a bit surprised to see your comment. I would absolutely love to be a guest of Francois’s. Despite the somewhat contentious nature of the discussion about the slow-ox method, I love wine and love drinking wine with people who are passionate about it. I think it would be immensely fun. And I’ve even been working Duolingo for French for a month or so!