The $646 Bottle of Wine

Yesterday I had the opportunity to try Harlan Estate’s Proprietary Red, a legendary all-Cabernet wine from Napa whose 2006 vintage averages $646 a bottle on Wine-Searcher. (Estimating a dozen sips per glass, my two sips each would have cost $10.77 if I had bought the wine at retail or auction.)

This wine has been described by Jancis Robinson as one of the ten best wines of the twentieth century. And the wine was wonderful, but its flavor is almost beside the point. Quality doesn’t cost hundreds of dollars to produce. Supply (about 1,600 cases each year) and demand (given scores in the high 90s, and even 100 in some years) are the key to the price. Wine lovers who resent such expensive bottles need to remember that these bottles are made for collectors and investors who will not necessarily pull the cork. (Your late-model Ferrari may depreciate by 50% in the first three years, but it won’t disappear the first time you use it!)

Still irritated? Think of your three best friends. The four of you are eating outside on a beautiful day, or snug in your home for a gourmet dinner. You’re sharing a nice bottle of wine that costs $25 or $35 or even $50.

Now image the wine costs more than $600. Are you enjoying yourselves more?

Comments

[Katherine]

Yes--the thrill of those bottles for those of us on the selling side is indisputable!

[Megan S]

Yes, but as a waiter, selling those bottle made my evening a whole lot more enjoyable.