Too Much Great Wine?

[s*d*r]

I was recently kindly invited to a birthday dinner party of one of the members of a wine group in Miami. Not just any wine group. These guys really love wine. Not just any wine. Trophy Wine. Not just any Trophy Wine but old Trophy Wine. Usually Bordeaux but with all the trimmings. And they like to eat well, too. I’d read about their epic events on IG but now I know those are just snippets.

I knew most of the wine and food lineup in advance. When I saw the list, I asked myself - is it possible to appreciate fully a lineup of so many Trophy bottles? I knew taking notes would be impossible so I would have to rely on my memory.

Some of the food included Caviar, Foie Gras, Wild Langoustine, Lobster Vol-au-Vent, Cassoulet, Lamb Wellington, Ribeye and a Sauternes Soufflé.

So for a “rince bouche” they prefer champagne. All Dom Pérignon tonight. Not just any Dom Pérignon. Among others there was a trio of P3s - 1990, 1992 and 1993.

Then a few white wines including 1975 Laville Haut-Brion, 2007 Coche-Dury Corton Charlemagne and 2004 Drouhin Montrachet.

Then the centerpiece of the tasting, a double vertical of Haut-Brion vs. La Mission Haut-Brion. For the “young” wines they chose vintage 1989. Then back to 1961/1959. Then 1953 for both plus a solo 1955 HB and a solo 1975 LMHB. Finally (although it was poured first) - 1928 Haut-Brion. And, oh yes, just in case you didn’t have enough oldies, a trio of ‘28s in addition - Palmer, Léoville Las Cases and Gruaud Larose. And a few other Bordeaux. With dessert only Yquem would do. A 1967 of course.

Did I appreciate every single wine? Definitely yes. There was enough time between flights of four to savor your pour before transitioning to the next. Do I remember all, or even most, of them? Definitely not. Just too much great wine of such complexity. I was able to form a few general conclusions, though. For me, the ‘28s were just too old even though incredibly interesting. The ‘28 Palmer was the consensus WOTN although far from unanimous. Yet the ‘53 HB was full of life with wonderful perfume. The ‘59/‘61 flight was amazing; all four had fruit and gentle structure. Not surprisingly, the ‘89s were also fabulous and in their “youthful” stage of vigor.

Wasn’t this a tasting of a lifetime? Well, for me it was, but these guys do this kind of thing on a regular basis. After all, each one of them has a birthday. And no problem finding other reasons to celebrate. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity. Yet would I have appreciated this amazing lineup even more had I additional time to savor each one? I don’t know and I’m sure not complaining.

[Blanquito]

Love it! These guys sound like wine gods, with you, the great and legendary Stuart, merely a demi-god.

I often have the same thoughts cross my mind at big, epic tastings: as wonderful as it is, and as grateful as I am to be there, how much more would we get out of these legendary wines if tasted in smaller gatherings?

When I went to France last year to see Ian, there were so many great nights with so many epic wines, yet in many ways the highlights of the trip were the quiet dinners at Ian’s flat. We had great wines those nights to be sure, but to sit back and savior each wine with big pours and enjoy the food and company, it really made those moments stand out. Sort of like my trip to Ft Lauderdale: epic wines, terrific food, but even better company.

[JimHow]

Yes, without doubt, sitting there like I did with Jacques/Jill savoring a 2014 Niellon and a 2001 Lafite and being able to analyze the wines on my back deck with lobster, or Krug and 1998 Angelus with Winona, is the best way to appreciate these great wines. But these big BWE events and Stuart events are fun as well from time to time. I thoroughly enjoyed that Haut Brion event we did in Fort Lauderdale last spring, even though it was an orgy of wine riches.

[SF Ed]

For me its a combo. I like blowout dinners every once in a while. Tim's 50th birthday was epic and I'll never forget it. And we had the 1989, 1953 and 1928 Haut Brion all together! (I liked the 1953 best while Francois liked the 1928).

But besides the fact that I don't have a cellar or bank account that supports that level of drinking regularly, I don't have the mental attention to enjoy that type of drinking on a frequent basis. Once a year, sure. Once a month or more, nope.

For me, what's best is sharing a few wines with 4-8 people so you get real pours but it isn't too much. And most of the time wines that are great but not necessarily epic.

And then every once in a while having a dinner like the one I had with you and DavidG at my place in 2003 where we had 1964 HB, LMHB, and Cheval Blanc. As well as 1986 Lafite. When you have treasures like that in a small group every once in a while, they stand out. I don't want those evenings to blend together. I want to savor them.

SF Ed

[stefan]

Tasting of a lifetime? More like a tasting for ten lifetimes. What a fabulous group of wines you had, Stuart. Congratulations!

[DavidG]

Wow, that was an epic evening. Well beyond anything I’ve experienced or likely ever will, at least in terms of the wines. When it comes to the people, I don’t think there could be a better group of welcoming folks than BWE.

I’m a bit envious but mostly happy you had a chance to experience such a Saturnalia Stu. My question is this: if you were to do it regularly, do you think it would ever be less awesome with repetition? I don’t mean the wine or food, they’d be different. But the experience of so many legendary bottles and fantastic food. Would it ruin you for every day stuff? Would the fabulousness fade? I hope you have the chance to find out and let us in on the vicarious thrill!

[Comte Flaneur]

Well done Stu in participating in and reporting on such an epic event. It is easy to criticise these ‘too much of a good thing’ events but none of us would turn down the opportunity; and after all life is too short to drink crap wine. Even good wine like 2019 Siran.

[Claudius2]

Well done Stu in participating in and reporting on such an epic event. It is easy to criticise these ‘too much of a good thing’ events but none of us would turn down the opportunity; and after all life is too short to drink crap wine. Even good wine like 2019 Siran.

Ian
You need to try some Chinese wines (that is, if they can reasonably be called wines). You will never look at the 19 Siran like that again. Not been to China since the start of Covid but next time I’ll just take some random bottles from the wine fridges irrespective of the duty I get slapped with. And never again am I going to a tasting in Shanghai - I’m pretty sure the last one knocked a decade off my life.

Stu
Not been to a tasting like that for some years but one issue I have with them is that everyone analyses the differences between estates and vintages sometimes without appreciating their absolute quality and character. Having said that they are very memorable events and leave lasting memories.

Cheers
Mark

[dstgolf]

Stu,

An incredible night for sure but you under sell the number of trophy nights that you've shared in your life and have similarly left many of us with fabulous memories of so many collected treasures. To do it occasionally builds the memory larger than life but to do it too frequently I suspect would become less impactful and not sure if anyone would complain to have the opportunity ITNOS. Thanks for sharing and another great memory to build on for the coming year. Congrats on being able to enjoy what sounds like a wine lovers pinnacle!...til the next one.

[JeanFred]

What a dream tasting. Thank you for sharing your impressions with us, just to make us dream a little. I'm glad you can make the most of it. For all the times you have made us enjoy your trophies, you fully deserve it.

Jean-Fred

[JoelD]

Wow. When people overwhelm Stu, that's really saying something. An absolute embarrassment of riches.

I think theres a time and a place for both blowouts and sitting with a few great bottles with close friends. Personally I love the sweet spot of 6-8 people. And controlled pouring of the bottles so that everyone gets 2nd/3rd tastes of each but there is also a wide variety of wines.

[s*d*r]

Thanks for all the kind comments.

My question is this: if you were to do it regularly, do you think it would ever be less awesome with repetition? I don’t mean the wine or food, they’d be different. But the experience of so many legendary bottles and fantastic food. Would it ruin you for every day stuff? Would the fabulousness fade?

My friend who invited me to this event drinks trophy wines on a regular basis, although not often this many at once. He also drinks much younger and relative modest stuff regularly and seems to enjoy them both in their respective contexts. I do not have quite his experience but the several wine groups I am in drink good wine but nothing close to this and I can still appreciate both. I think I could handle a blowout experience every 4-6 weeks, especially if I trained for them .

I think theres a time and a place for both blowouts and sitting with a few great bottles with close friends. Personally I love the sweet spot of 6-8 people. And controlled pouring of the bottles so that everyone gets 2nd/3rd tastes of each but there is also a wide variety of wines.

I agree completely.

It’s been less than a week since this epic even and I am extremely frustrated that I do not any more have a clear tasting recollection of any single bottle!

I’m sure I could do better if I were taking notes but I found that impossible even though the pacing was moderate. And each bottle was poured out in each flight so no chance to retaste. That said I do believe many of the guys have much better memory banks than I and could describe them in detail if asked.

[AKR]

Sounds like an amazing night. Which do you prefer in H-B vs. LMHB?

[Blanquito]

Sounds like an amazing night. Which do you prefer in H-B vs. LMHB?

Which decade (or was it century?)?

My favored group size for top wines is even smaller, 3-6 winos. Like our great night in Napa in 2019 at La Toque, Arv. When it’s bigger, it gets incrementally harder to focus on the wine. Big events are a ton of fun but more about the social aspects for me.

[DavidG]

I feel the same way. It’s nice to have a mix of different quality level wines. Though I’d say the bar for my lower end has risen over the years with experience, the top end has never quite reached these heights.

I used to love big blowout tastings with dozens of wines. They were great for learning. But it’s actual work to keep track and I find those harder to do with any regularity. A few times a year with big groups I can handle. Especially when the wines make it worth it. For really getting to spend time with the wines and the people, 3-6 wines and 4-8 people make for a great evening.

[s*d*r]

Which do you prefer in H-B vs. LMHB?

Depends on my mood more than the wine since they are qualitatively equal in most vintages.

If I want something more elegant and somewhat softer, it’s Haut-Brion. If I feel like something with more raw power, tannin and even more smoke, it’s La Mission Haut-Brion.

Gross generalizations of course. Both are (usually) fabulous.

[marcs]

I think you can absolutely overdo the “great wine experience”. Too many bottles in a night and the experience can fade into a blur, and that’s even before taking the alcohol into consideration. The experience of a really good wine, and especially an aged one, is a quite subtle one and very dependent on setting and focus. A whole bunch of great wines at the same table can end up acting as a distraction.

I think the optimal setting is 2-3 wines for 4-6 people. Or for a slightly different vibe, two bottles for two people where your partner is either a very close friend you love to converse with or else (ahem) a romantic partner

[Nicklasss]

Lucky you Stuart. That number of great wines in one night... just wow!

On the topic, i tend to prefer not too many great wines in one night. The problem is that we automatically compare, and this is irrespectful to some "great wines" vs " greater wines" that night.

But i can still appreciate these dinner night with many great wines, but i feel very priviliege when it happens. At the same time, i don't mind opening a few great bottles the same night, with wine loving friends.