Simply...The Wine Thread

[wantonebad]

Originally Posted by fusionstorm

What I bolded highlighted the limits of what many reviewers and connoisseurs actually know. There probably isn't anyone alive who can have had repeated tastings of legitimate Domaine de la Romanee Conti (the most esteemed of the many wines that Rudy faked) from many, many decades ago. The qtys produced were noticeably less than what are produced now, and wine collecting was far less of a phenomenon back then. Legit bottles from these old vintages are few and far between, so the opportunities for reviewers and connoisseurs to develop the knowledge of what really, really mature Burgundy and Bordeaux taste like are also few and far between.

Rudy realized that a "verifiable database" was absent amongst the wine community of what older "unicorn" bottles of wine should actually taste like in the glass, and took advantage of that accordingly. In hindsight, it is very amusing to read the sentiments of esteemed reviewers describing wines produced upwards of 90 years ago as being so amazingly fresh, alive and with plenty of life ahead of them. Well, it turns out there may be a market for blending Marcassin Pinot Noir from Napa (the most expensive PN produced in the United States) with old bottles of cheap negociant Burgundy (to provide the Burgundy "funk" that you don't find in US-made PN). The key thing is to put that blend into bottles that have artificially aged labels glued onto them from expensive producers.

Great great point!!