Wines for the Rapture

So far, lots of people have miscalculated the date of the rapture: William Miller (1844), Chuck Smith (1981), Edgar Whisenant (1988, 1989, 1992 & 1995), John Hinkle (1994) and of course Harold Camping who was off last time (1994) and predicts that the rapture will be tomorrow (unless you are in Australia, because the 21st is a bit earlier there).

If you are one of the good people, may as well indulge a bit. Throw on Final Countdown by Europe and grab yourself a really good bottle of wine; after all, creditors won’t be coming after you in heaven. What bottles do I suggest? Here’s my list:

Château d’Yquem: The 1921 vintage is said to be legendary. So legendary that a bottle at Christie’s auction is estimated to sell for $3,000.  This is a Château bottled Sauternes, 1er grand cru classé. What does that mean, that this is the ultimate in sweetness. The auction house describes it as “enormously rich, sweet, fleshy and fat – yet with an extraordinary delicate orange-blossom flavour”. Good luck on the bid.

Billecart-Salmon, Cuvee Nicolas-Francois: Their 1959 vintage got “101″ points from Master of Wine Serena Sutcliffe. This is one of the few Champagne houses that is still family owned and has been for seven generations. This sparkler won the top prize at Champagne of the Millenium 1999. A magnum was sold for $4,000.

Chateau Montelena: If you have seen the movie Bottle Shock; this is the wine the movie referred to. Chateau Montelena won for the best white wine at The Judgment of Paris in 1976 when it was put against French wines that were considered the best in the world. It is because of Chateay Montelena that wines of California were put on the map and I can’t imagine a more appropriate bottle to drink on the date of rapture (except for maybe the rest of the wines in this article. The 2008 Vintage will cost you a mere $50 per bottle.

Vega Sicilia Único Reserva Especial: A rapture bargain; the 1986 vintage will cost you a mere $2,000. One could say that Vega Sicilia put Spain and specially the Ribera del Duero “Denominacion de Origen” on the map.   The 2010 release is said to be superb and will cost you a mere $400 a bottle. It is a blend of the 1991, 1994, and 1995 vintages.

Pétrus: This is truly a rapture worthy wine. In the Pomerol appellation, there is no classification as in Médoc or Saint-Émilion. The area is tiny; 11,50 hectares (significantly smaller than Lafite). This means there is very little of this wine. Recently, Michel Gilet, Francois Veyssiere, andJean-Claude Berrouet are responsible for this nectar of the Gods.   And if the rapture never comes, there’s no need to fret; this wine can probably age longer than most of us. 2005 vintage $5,000.