Vintage Dreams

It’s the oenological equivalent of what to get the man who has everything: What is the perfect bottle of wine for someone who’s got a cellar full of them?

Although there was no single favorite among the dozen or so wine and food people we talked to, one thing was clear: If you’re going to shop for the well-cellared, you’d better bring your credit card.

When these guys talk about dream bottles, they’re almost always talking about wines that are rare or from great vintages or both. These are bottles that can cost hundreds of dollars a piece--if they can be found at all.

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Ken Frank, chef, Fenix at the Argyle, West Hollywood:

“The best wine I’ve had in a few years--and it doesn’t get any better--is the 1959 Chambertin ‘Clos de Beze’ from Leroy. When you dream, you might as well dream big. I hate to think what it would cost, but it would be worth every penny.”

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Peter McCrea, Stony Hill Vineyard:

“My dream bottle would probably be a 1975 Cha^teau d’Yquem, and I actually happen to have one lying in my cellar. It’s a bottle I gave my father not too long before he died; he was absolutely nuts about Cha^teau d’Yquem. It has memories for me as well as being a great wine.”

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Christopher Meeske, sommelier, Patina Restaurant, Los Angeles:

“I think it’s nice when dreams can be attainable, so my dream bottle would be Krug ‘Grand Cuvee.’ It’s their flagship brand. I pick it because of its richness, depth and complexity. It’s composed of more than 40 wines from eight different vintages and has great potential for aging. But my bottle will be consumed immediately.”

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Anne Rosenzweig, chef-owner, Arcadia and Lobster Club, both in New York City:

“The ’59 ‘La Tache.’ Here’s why: I’d just opened Arcadia and was just beginning to learn about wine. A customer came in with a bottle of ’59 ‘La Tache’ and left some for me at the end of the night. I’d been working six days a week, 18 hours a day. It was the first six months of the restaurant. I sat alone at the bar at 1 in the morning and had the end of this bottle of wine from the decanter, and it completely changed my life about wine. It was one of those ‘aha’ moments: So this is what it’s about!”

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David Rosoff, restaurant and wine manager, Michael’s, Santa Monica:

“I might like a bottle of an incredible Poire au Cognac that I pour here. It’s about $40 a bottle, relatively inexpensive for what it is. It’s just slightly sweet, it’s made from 12-year-old Cognac dosed with pear liqueur. It’s a great holiday spirit. The producer is Francois Peyrot from the Grande Champagne region in France.”

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Ed Sbragia, Beringer Vineyards:

“I think my dream bottle would be something from California that’s really outstanding, the Caymus ‘Special Select,’ Mondavi ‘Reserve’ Cabernet, Opus One or something that Tony Soter makes, something like Etude. A Mondavi ‘Reserve’ Chardonnay would be quite nice, too, and I really like the wines from Cha^teau Montelena.”

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Robert Sessions, Hanzell Vineyards:

“I’d love to get something like one of the great vintages of ‘Le Montrachet’ by Comtes Lafon, an ’85 or a ‘95, one of those years that are really outstanding in Burgundy. I could be satisfied with that. Other than that, I would love to have something from the 1945 vintage in France. I’ve heard about that vintage for a long, long time. I suppose a Romanee-Conti from the 1945 vintage would be a dream come true. Another wine I’ve tasted and have great memories of is the 1957 Martin Ray Pinot Noir. I had it a couple of times, and the second time was able to pick it out at a dinner party because it had made such an impression on me.”

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David Stare, Dry Creek Vineyard:

“I recently had a bottle of Penfold’s Grange Hermitage, and I’d like to try that again. I was really disappointed in it. It was the only one I’ve ever had, and I don’t know if it was improperly stored or what, but I’d love to try a great bottle from a great vintage. Of course, it’s kind of the Opus One of Australia, and it could be the same thing--a wine that is vastly overpriced for its quality.”

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Wolfgang Puck, chef-owner of Spago restaurants:

“I think my favorite wine was a ’47 Cheval Blanc. I got a bottle for Christmas or something. That’s really an amazing wine. I was shocked that someone would go through all that trouble to find it; you have to call a lot of people to find one bottle because there aren’t many of them around. It’s always nice to bring somebody a bottle from their birth year, if you want to make a really special gift and have the money. If it’s an older year, a Madeira or something is not that expensive or that hard to find. You can bring a 50-year-old Madeira and not ruin yourself.”