It never ceases to amaze me how some of the best and most memorable wine experiences I’ve had were born out of the most unpretentious situations.

Case in point, back in June I took in a wine and food fest in downtown Atlanta. While chatting with some friends, these fellow wine enthusiasts mentioned that in a couple of months they’d soon be hosting some of their Canadian wine-loving friends during a visit to the states. But these familiars from the Great White North weren’t your run of the mill wine fans. They were the kind of folks who shared their hosts’ passion for seeking out and hunting rare and unique bottles. Especially seriously aged wines that tell a story all their own.

Wait, some hardcore wine nerds are visiting you from Canada, you say? Would I like to come over and meet them? Um, yes, please!

That casual invite wound up leading to one of the most eventful tastings I’ve enjoyed in 2024.

It’s true that I had to miss the first night of this two-day soiree, because the band Cage the Elephant was playing and catching them in concert with my wife Dio took priority. (I’m sure you can understand.) However, from my vantage point, being able to attend the second night likely made up for whatever I’d missed the night before.

I had an inkling we were in for something special when I recognized a number of familiar faces among the approximately 25 attendees. I’d seen (or met) these folks previously at either or both the Sommelier Guild of Atlanta and the annual New Years Eve Vino Fest. These are people who know their stuff.

Based on my understanding of the caliber of wines this private group typically shares, I planned ahead and decided to take an Uber to the location. This was a wise move. Our hosts were preparing pork paella (!), but let’s be straight: This evening was all about the wines. I put some thought into it, raided my cellar and brought along a 2009 Viña Vik Champagne La Piu Belle and 2014 Château Calon-Ségur to add to what I knew would be a healthy, impressive mix of bottles.

An ice bucket brimming with possibilities was one of the first things I clocked when I entered the space. This boded well…

AN EMBARRASSMENT OF RICHES

Now, one of my favorite parts about scoring an invitation to gatherings of this type is being afforded the opportunity to try wines I have never encountered before in my life and believe me when I say that this night delivered on that promise, in spades.

The lineup of wines that evening was nothing short of extraordinary. The vibrant whites and complex reds spanned both decades and continents, each individual bottle offering up its own subtle testimonials. While I’d had previous experience with producers like Vik, Calon-Ségur, Grand Puy Lacoste, Prüm, and San Leonardo, the majority of what I tasted that night was not only new to me, but quite exciting.

Sure, the vibe was casual ― but the drinks were nothing of the sort.

LEARNING FROM MISTAKES

The tasting notes I wrote down evolved as the evening progressed, and they wound up telling an interesting tale of their own. Initially they were detailed and rather analytical. By the end of the night… Well, let’s just say they had become remarkably concise! Here’s how my journey unfolded…

I kickstarted things with my own 2009 Viña Vik Champagne, which despite earning some suggestions from those in attendance that it might have needed a bit more time in the bottle carried its own weight nicely and vanished quicker than one might imagine, given the constructive criticism lobbed its way.

The whites that followed were a fascinating study in contrasts: a distinctive 1997 i Clivi Galea introduced me to a grape variety I was wholly unfamiliar with up to that point, while the 2015 F.X. Pichler Grüner Veltliner carried an intriguing bite that demanded attention. A particularly poignant moment arrived with the unveiling of a 1968 Francesco Rinaldi Barolo. While the wine itself was well past its peak, at that time, this was the oldest dry red wine I’d ever encountered. It taught me that sometimes the “flawed” wines can teach one as much as the “perfect” ones, if you get my drift.

The oldest red wine I've ever tried—sadly past its prime, but what an education!

THIS ONE WENT TO ELEVEN

But the true epiphany of the evening came about courtesy of a 1979 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese. Looking back now at my tasting note from that moment (the eleventh pour of the evening, mind you), I cannot help but laugh. I wrote, and I quote, “Wow. WOTN. No tannin. Cough syrup in a good way... This has transcended wine. It’s on a different level. Holy sh*t. Acidity and sugar. Wow.”

Not my most eloquent note perhaps, but it accurately captures the emotion I felt at the moment I truly fell in love with Riesling, thanks to a bottle that forever changed my perspective on that varietal.

PUSHING THE ENVELOPE

As the evening began to wind down, I also couldn’t help but chuckle at our host’s kitchen towel (which was appropriate, given their profession). Listen, when your host is a doctor, you follow their medical advice, right?

Perusing the bowl of corks we’d all accumulated by the close of the gathering, I feel we might have exceeded that recommendation just a bit…

But hey, evidence of a night well spent.

Around the sixteenth or seventeenth pour of the evening, my notes became charmingly brief: The 1991 López de Heredia Viña Tondonia earned a score but no descriptors of any sort, while the 1969 E & M Müller Ruländer Beerenauslese Privat received the amusingly vague note “Tastes like it’s between a Sauternes and a Tokaji (whatever that means).”

The following day brought a heartening message. It seems our hosts had finished off the Calon-Ségur I’d brought and reported it was drinking beautifully. Trust me when I say there’s no better feeling than knowing you’ve contributed something meaningful to an evening of such extraordinary wines.

Collectively, the wines we opened that night painted a picture of what happens when serious collectors come together to share their treasures. Each bottle had its own unique history (which was displayed and celebrated). But it was the act of sharing these beverages among fellow enthusiasts that made the evening truly memorable. In moments such as this, wine becomes much more than simply a flavorful libation. It serves as a catalyst for connection and conversation. It fosters a sense of community among like-minded spirits.

THE UNUSUAL SUSPECTS

One thing I love about these kinds of informal gatherings is the freedom to explore at your own pace, choosing your own adventure through the lineup. With that in mind, allow me to walk you through each wine I tasted that night (including my score), in the order I tasted them. All in all, I was able to cover six countries and a half-century of winemaking history. My path through these various bottles ranges from the detailed notes of my earliest selections to the noticeably more vague and concise observations of my last few glasses…

Let’s start with the whites and the bubbles, shall we?

THE WHITES AND BUBBLES

2009 Viña Vik Champagne La Piu Belle (92 points) My contribution to start the evening. Weightier than many Champagnes I typically drink, it sparked an interesting debate about aging potential but disappeared quickly enough to suggest it was drinking beautifully at that moment.

1997 i Clivi Galea (91 points) A light gold-colored Italian white that exposed me to a new grape variety. This bottle had been opened the night before and developed an intriguing bitter note that set it apart from any other wine in my experience.

2015 F.X. Pichler Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Urgestein Terrassen (91 points) From Austria’s Wachau region, this displayed the characteristic “bite” that makes GV so distinctive.

2002 Henri Giraud Champagne Grand Cru Argonne Brut (89 points) More like a dessert wine in character, with an interesting bitter note that set it apart.

1998 Weingut Josef Jamek Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Achleiten (90 points) Another Austrian entry, demonstrating how these wines can change as they age.

2010 Manni Nössing Kerner (93 points) This came in a crazy long, narrow bottle that was a conversation piece in itself. Tart apple notes and razor-sharp acidity made this the best white so far.

2009 Domaine Dublère Corton-Charlemagne (95 points) Low acid but tremendous weight and a finish that would not quit. Mouth-filling and impressive.

THE REDS

2014 Château Calon-Ségur (94 points) My second contribution of the night. Young but already showing beautifully, with a candied quality that really developed after about 45 minutes of air.

2015 Domaine Trapet Chambertin (95 points) Amazing expression of red fruit. The kind of mouth-filling, fruity Burgundy that reminds you why these wines are so sought after.

2000 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste (90 points) A bit austere compared to the younger Bordeaux we tried earlier. More oxidized than expected, I feel this bottle should have shown better.

FROM OUT OF LEFT FIELD, ANOTHER WHITE

1979 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese (98 points) Someone insisted I pause my red wine journey to try this white — and am I ever glad they did! This was the wine that stole the show and changed my perspective on Riesling forever. Learning later that it was purchased at auction for $100 made it even more remarkable. No tannin, a perfect balance of acidity and sweetness, and a complexity that, in my enthusiastic eleventh-pour handwriting, “transcended wine.” Sometimes the best discoveries come when you’re willing to break your own tasting sequence!

THEN BACK TO RED

1968 Francesco Rinaldi e Figli Barolo (Flawed) A bittersweet moment ― while the wine was past its prime and barely drinkable, it represents the oldest dry red wine I’ve ever tried. As a lover of aged Barolo, I couldn’t help but imagine what this might have been like in its prime.

1977 Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (93 points) What a surprise! Still full of life and definitely has a few more years ahead of it. A testament to how well Napa Cabs can age.

1997 San Leonardo (91 points) Distinct notes of campfire and bell pepper. A unique expression from Trentino that always delivers something interesting.

2018 Bouchard Père et Fils Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets Ancienne Cuvée Carnot (93 points) Young but already expressive, showing that characteristic light touch and red fruit profile that makes Volnay so appealing.

1991 R. López de Heredia Rioja Viña Tondonia (90 points) By this point in the evening (pour number 16!), my note-taking abilities had been reduced to just a score. Sometimes silence speaks volumes.

YES, I SAVED ROOM FOR DESSERT

1969 E & M Müller Ruländer Beerenauslese Privat (92 points) My final wine of the night. After 17+ pours, I managed to write down that it landed somewhere between a Sauternes and a Tokaji — a comparison that probably made more sense in the moment than it does now!

A WIZARD OF SPACE AND TIME

All told, the evening’s lineup read like an atlas made entirely of wine. From Austria to Spain to Italy to France to California. Ok, so that’s a pretty screwy atlas. I don’t know what sort of route you would take that would allow you to drive through all those countries without getting on at least one boat. Like, a really big boat.

Anyway, what struck me most about the scope of the evening was the unusually broad span of vintages which were represented. Fifty years of top-shelf winemaking history in a single evening. And each decade and region had something worthwhile to say for itself through these bottles. The wines from the ‘60s and ‘70s reminded us how well-made wines can age into something spectacular, while the selections from the ‘90s and 2000s demonstrated how they are still evolving. Even the younger wines we sampled from the 2010s simultaneously showed both immediate appeal and future potential.

I was fortunate to visit six nations over five decades, through seventeen estimable wines.

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE?

Reviewing the video footage I took of the complete lineup, I was somewhat stunned by just how many bottles I didn’t even get to try at all. The table was completely covered with incredible wines. There were easily twice as many options as I was able to make it through. I wonder about all those missed opportunities. But then again, perhaps it’s better this way. As it was, seventeen wines made for an unforgettable and very entertaining evening, and it’s hard to imagine how much more limited my note-taking abilities could have gotten!

Sometimes it’s not about trying everything, but rather, it’s about fully appreciating what you are able to try. Though I’m sure I will always be more than a bit curious about what was in some of those other bottles…

As always, for detailed tasting notes on each wine I did try, check out my Tasting Story on CellarTracker. Cheers!

A Truly Extraordinary Evening