Wine Club Insider here on Christmas Eve, to share a list of some of the most special Cabernets to ever grace the planet…

These are NOT easily available. Some may not be available at all, and if they were, it would be tres beaucoup expensive, but heck, that doesn’t stop one from dreaming, does it? I have been blessed to have tasted a couple, and I have used recommendations, anecdotes and ratings to choose the others. Enjoy the images, and drool along with me! (Notice how there was a tie for 10th, allowing an actual 11th wine… I hope no one minds…)

Tie:  10) 1997 Chateau Montelena. www.montelena.com    About $175 and up

This is the stuff of Legends. Nicknamed the “Mighty ’97″ by the Montelena team, this is a knockout, and is available online!  One of Napa’s greatest wines from one of the greatest vintages!

Tie:  10) 1990 Caymus Special Select. www.caymus.comVoted “Wine of the Year” by Wine Spectator, just before Caymus was awarded “Winery of the Year.” You can pick up a bottle of this baby for about $200.

9) 2002 Shafer Hillside Select. vineyards.com">www.shafervineyards.com. Often rated at 100 points, and acclaimed as one of the best Napa cabs ever. I looked at 30 (!) ratings of this wine, and it didn’t score less than 93 by anyone! (Averaged 96.5!) Price: $400 and up.

1997 Screaming Eagle. www.screamingeagle.com. Never tried it, but I did see a bottle once, though… the ultimate example of a “cult” wine, and at about $3700/bottle, could be over-rated, but heck, who cares! this is a dream list, after all!

7) 1980 Napa Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon. Made by winemaker George Starke, it could be the best wine I’ve actually ever tasted. Awesome. Sadly, not available that I can find (if someone finds it, PLEASE let me know!). Won all the blind horizontal tastings against Napa’s best.

6) 1941 Inglenook. Created by legendary John Daniel Jr., it is often named as Napa’s best ever wine. Two bottles just sold at auction for $24,625… un, yeah… wasn’t me, by the way.

5) 1973 Stag’s Leap ”S.L.V” www.cask23.com. Made by Warren Winiarski, this is the wine that shocked the wine world in the “shot heard round the world,” when it beat all French challengers in the famed 1976 Paris tasting and propelled Napa into world-wide prominence! Just got to try it from a historical perspective. Couldn’t find on for sale online, though…

4) 1961 Chateau Margaux. 100 point rating, and widely considered the best vintage since 1900 (and ny birth year!) You can back the Subaru up, and for about $3000 they’ll load it up for you!

3) 1900 Lafite Rothschild. 100 points from one of the top three vintages ever, and best of all, it’s available! For about $9000 you can pick one up in London, or for $21,000, you can get a magnum! Who knew?

2) 1787 Lafite Rothschild. Two of the famed Lafites on the list. This one because it is the single most expensive bottle of wine ever sold. Bought at auction at Christie’s in 1985, it sold for $156,000, and is reputed to have been in the collection of Thomas Jefferson.

and number one… often called the best bottle of wine ever made, and yes, you can still buy one for about $5500…

1) 1945 Mouton Rothschild. I know people who have tasted this wonderful wine, and they say, without hesitation, that it is the best wine they’ve ever tasted. “Liquid Velvet.”

So, there you have it… a fine dream list, if I do say so myself!

Wow… don’t know how to top that!

Until tomorrow,

Merry Christmas!

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider