Nothing is ever perfect, or is it? At a recent wine tasting at Hi Time in Costa Mesa, I was privileged to taste some wines which achieved this status, or nearly so. The event was another First Growth tasting presided over by the nearly perfect Peter Neptune. Well, he thinks he is, apparently. I say that in the nicest way possible, of course. Certainly, to attend a wine event hosted by Peter Neptune, MS, MW, MWE (Master Sommelier, Master of Wine, Master Wine Educator—there are fewer than 100 in the entire country) is a delightful experience. Delightful because not only is he great entertainment, but because the wines presented were, like Mary Poppins, “practically perfect in every way.”

 

Billed as a First Growth tasting, the wine list included “Y” (pronounced ee-grec in French) from Chateau D’Yquem 2016, Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1996, Chateau Latour 2002, Chateau Mouton Rothschild 2003, Chateau Margaux 1998, Chateau Haut Brion 2005, and a Chateau Rieussec Sauternes 2021.

 

The Emperor Napoleon III, in preparation for a World’s Fair in 1855, decreed that the wines of Bordeaux should be classified based on the prices (read quality) they fetched at the time. At the bottom were table wines, superior to those were Bordeaux Supérieur, even better were Cru Bourgeois. The top wines were “classified” into Fifth, Fourth, Third, Second, and First or Premier Crus. Cru means “growth.” Haut Brion, Lafite, Latour, and Margaux made the top cut. Mouton, acquired in 1853 by the then Baron de Rothschild, was a mere Deuxième (Second) Cru. His descendant, Baron Philippe, successfully lobbied for an upgrade, which he achieved in 1973, the only change ever made in the classified system. Many wine experts have argued that the system needs an overhaul: Chateau Lynch Bages, a mere Fifth Growth probably should be at least a third. Chateau Cos D’Estournel could qualify as a Premier. Some ought to be downgraded. Chateau Gloria is as good as many, but since it wasn’t around in 1855, it missed out altogether. But I digress.

 

Back to Peter and the tasting, an event for which I shelled out $400 including tax. It was an “E-Ticket ride,” a term I shall assume that many of my readers of legal wine-drinking age may recall. Price per bottle ranged from $120 for the Sauternes up to nearly $1,000 for the Lafite. Now Peter says he hates wine ratings, particularly Robert Parker’s popular 100 point scale in which a score of 89 is, according to Peter, “The kiss of death for a winemaker.” Peter hates Parker and won’t even mention his name.

 

But Peter does “rate” the wines he drinks, from drinkable, average, very good, outstanding, and perfect. We started with the “Y.” Chateau D’Yquem is known for its Sauternes, which was rated in 1855 as a Grand Premier Cru, a class of its own. It is a sweet dessert wine and about as sublime as a wine can ever be. But this flight of wines began, not with the Sauternes but with a dry white made from 75% Sauvignon Blanc and 25% Semillon, which they first produced in 1959. I found it stunning and ended up buying one.

 

We then proceeded through the reds in the order listed above. Peter proclaimed three of them as “perfect.” One that was merely outstanding was the most expensive, the Lafite. I found it to be a bit “musty.” I was served from a different bottle than what Peter got. Sometimes that can make a huge difference. Also outstanding were the Mouton and the “Y.” Peter’s proclaimed “perfect” wines were the Latour, the Margaux, the Haut Brion, and the Rieussec Sauternes.

 

I ended up forking over more money at the end of the all too brief evening, my grand premier thirst barely quenched, and took home the “Y” of course and one bottle each of the Margaux and the Latour. I mean, I have other First Growths, but had none of those two in my cellar. Heck, they were “perfect” wines. I needed them, and, thanks to Hi-Time’s wine bar policy, I got ten percent off the price, which is a benefit of attending one of their tastings. Ten percent off a $500 bottle of wine leaves a bit of money left over to buy a couple of cheap bottles of Chateau Back Bay plonk. Can’t wait until next year when, hopefully, Hi-Time, along with Peter, will present one of these events again.