For serious wine geeks, it's all about the pursuit of perfection. We'll tolerate the bafflement of friends, the disappointment of poor vintages, the torment of indifferent service and the frustration of inferior bottles–because we have faith that now and again, with the clarity of a religious vision, we will experience something Utopian.
In a column last week, Slate.com's resident wino Mike Steinberger asks whether a bottle of wine is worth $700. Not just any bottle, but the 1996 Corton-Charlemagne from Coche-Dury. Well, duh. On the internet, that wine sells for over $1,500, but Steinberger sniffs out a modest restaurant not far from Paris where it's on the list for 550 euros. Of course, by the time he buys two plane tickets, finds a hotel and pays for dinner, he's sunk a lot more into the venture than a handful of Franklins.
Was it worth it? Steinberger quotes his own tasting notes: "What a nose–hazelnut, oatmeal, sweet white fruit, smoke, spice, and a touch of nutmeg. Stirring nose. Ripe, spicy, sublime, succulent grapefruit, pear. Perfect balance. Holy shit." That was just the teaser, though. Then he tastes it: "On the palate, the wine had a rich, oily texture and a Platonic balance of fruit and acidity, all backed by a steel rod of minerality. Think of your favorite painting, or favorite novel, or favorite piece of music–this was it in liquid form."
So, yeah, it's worth it. We're game. At El Gaucho in Belltown (celebrating its 10th anniversary this month), there's a bottle of 2002 Corton Grancey from Louis Latour on the Captain's List for only $160. Not what we'd drink with steak, but we'd match it up with scallops, crab cakes or oysters and take our chances. As they say, hope springs eternal. It might be perfect.
 
Corton-Charlemagne's stony limestone vineyards cover 72 hectares, over 180 acres, making it the largest white-wine grand cru appellation in Burgundy. (Fewer than 40 vineyards, representing just 2% of Burgundy's acreage, have been designated grand cru.) The growers and merchants fortunate enough to own vines in Corton-Charlemagne will vinify a total of about 300,000 bottles a year. It's not so much a rare wine like Romanée-Conti (1.8 hectares, a bit more than 4 acres, producing 6,000 bottles) as a truly great one.
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