The Greatest Wines You Have Ever Tasted

[Peter Alig]

This Academy of Wine site was designed to bring wine lovers together to encourage conversation and facilitate networking. I am sure that each of us was drawn to wine, either as a hobby or as a livelihood, thanks to a single, special bottle. So, in the spirit of this site, let's share some of the wines that changed our respective worlds.

1) 1982 Chateau Leoville Las-Cases, Saint-Julien

This wine, the greatest I have ever had, introduced me to the famous 1982 Bordeaux vintage. A dear friend opened it on Christmas Day 2007, a favor I think I shall never be able to repay. A Second Growth, the staggering feature of this 25-year-old wine was its youthfulness. It was so fresh, so rich, and so complex, it gave me a new appreciation for what the quality of a vintage can do for the life expectancy of a wine. In my rapture at the dinner table, I failed to scribble any tasting notes, but the wine's balance, the seamless integration of all its components, and its connection to its place of origin all rushed through my mind as I realized that I was in fact in the presence of a genuinely great wine.

Maybe I will encounter another bottle in 25 years...

2) 1994 Robert Mondavi Winery Fume Blanc Reserve

I wish I could have been present when the grapes for this wine were harvested. Did Tim Mondavi know what he had in front of him? I would never have imagined a Sauvignon Blanc lasting 14 years, but the magic of To Kalon always manages to surprise. This wine has lost much of its fruit -- dry figs are all that remain – but so much more has emerged! Rich notes of almond and petroleum float from the glass, and the texture and color resemble olive oil. The greatest white wine I have ever tasted.

3) 2006 Terre Del Vulcano Fiano di Avellino

Yes, a second white wine rounds out the three greatest wines of my life. Fiano is one of Southern Italy’s most famous grapes, growing on the hillsides east of Naples. Now, Fiano is not regarded as one of the world’s most noble white grapes, perhaps because it seldom ages more than five years. Such a shame. Fiano is about immediate gratification, with its lush texture, vibrant acidity and aromas of hazelnuts and honey. Did I mention it was dry? Versatility also raises this wine a notch in my humble pantheon of favorite wines. It could pair with the creamiest of cheese and the spiciest of sausages. Fiano, I love you.