Cocktail of choice when listening to fav music?

Last night, it was coffee. Because we finished the 1961 Brane-Cantenac margaux at dinner! I have to say that this was a wonderful Margaux from a great year, and was much more enjoyable than even the 82 Ch.Margaux I had a couple of weeks ago. The 40 years really did it good. But, if you really want a treat, definitely get a 82 Cheval-Blanc. Absolutely massive, and the benchmark of all the Bordeaux that I've experienced so far. Cheers!

Way to go, Albert! That 86 Comtesse is a 100 point bottle! The last Beck's I had was an Oktoberfest Special. I think there is some still left in the stores. I haven't had a Bitburger in years. If I remember correctly the last Bitburger I had was a Weissbier, with the yeast still floating around in it. Can only drink one of them. I need to come down there and get introduced to some of that great Scotch Whisky. I've only had Glenlivet and Glenmorangie.

Gregm, you should have been around during the summer when we opened up the 1927 Chateau D'Yquem! Lovely butterscotch color, and strong notes of pear and caraway. Of course, the 1940 and 1955 Ch. La Conseillante Pomerols were wonderful, and the 1966 Latour. And then we followed that up for 3 weeks in a row with the 1982 Lafitte-Rothschild, 1982 Mouton-Rothschild, and a 1982 Latour. Pauillac heaven. The Mouton was the best of that bunch. The 82 Margaux was not really up to the Pauillacs of that year in my opinion, but it wasn't bad. The 82 Cheval Blanc Saint-Emilion is the killer of the vintage in my opinion. The 82 Haut Brion is a good example of the Graves, but a bit thin. The best value of the 82's in my opinion is the 82 Cos d'Estournel Saint-Estephe. Definitely a Premier Cru wine, even though the 1855 classification doesn't include it. Well under $100.
Next week we are trying the 1961 Ch. La Conseillante. Should be a winner! We're holding the 75 Yquem for the holidays. If I ever hit the big-time, I'll have an 1811 Yquem. $45k. I don't buy all this stuff by myself. We have a small wine club that shares expenses(5 people). With the 1811 Yquem, that would be $9k per glass. Yikes!

Gregm, my very first fine wine was a 71 Ch. Ausone. It was in 1982. It really rocked my world. Even though 71 was only a good year, this Ausone lives in my memory. The bouquet simply filled the dining area. That was when I realized what fine wine was all about. Not a bad start. I've stayed with the Bordeaux all these years, and never been disappointed. While I enjoy the wines of California, Germany, Australia, and Italy, nothing beats France for wine. And especially the Bordeaux. A fine filet mignon with Bernaise, New Potatoes Provencal, and some tender asparagus tips, with a baroque chamber ensemble in the background, a fine vintage Bordeaux, and a group of close friends at the table is pretty close to heaven, in my opinion.

T-bone, I have found that Grant Burge makes a very nice Shiraz. The Barossa Valley is the place where you want to get your Shiraz from. The standard Grant Burge is only about $21/bottle and is quite good. Some of his special vintages like the Meshak are excellent. Also, the Peter Phelps Insignia is an awesome Shiraz, but almost $100 per bottle. Worth it though. I like the Shiraz, and when we're not sampling the expensive Bordeaux, the Shiraz is quite commonly found on the table. The mid 90's vintages are excellent. Recommend the 96.

Also, the update on the 61 La Conseillante was terrific. Even better than I had expected. Really held up well, and no signs of going over the hill. I'd say it has a good 15 years left. Still looking for the 61 Ch. Latour a Pomerol that Parker says is the wine he would choose, if he could only drink one wine for the rest of his life. Must try that one before I die. As well as the 45 Lafitte.

T-bone, we have never had one bad bottle since we started the club. Of course, we always check the ullage and the cork. So we've been fortunate.
The best buys for any wine, we have found to be on Winebid.com It is a wine auction site, and may good buys are to be had there. For example, the 27 Y'Quem was under $300, and all the 82s we drank were under $400 each. Both of the older vintage La Conseillante were under $100 each. You can get 82 Cos all day long there for well under $100 per bottle. You do have to pay shipping though. At our local wine merchant, the 82 Pauillacs that we had all retailed at over $1000 each. So we saved 60% by buying on Winebid. They show photos of the bottle, list ullage and storage conditions, label condition, and a writeup on the wine by Parker or Wine Spectator. Thus far, it has been foolproof and money-saving for us. Money comes and goes, but a great wine experience is with you always.