Consume Extravagantly

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Drink Better Wine

We asked five top wine experts, "If someone wanted to give you a bottle of wine and money were no object, which one would you pick?"

Rodney Alex, owner of Juicy Wine Company (694 N. Milwaukee Ave.; 312-492-6620): Krug Brut Rosé Champagne. "It's nonvintage. I love it. It might be my favorite beverage. Can I have a jeroboam?"

Fernando Beteta, wine director for NoMI (Park Hyatt Chicago, seventh floor, 800 N. Michigan Ave.; 312-239-4030): Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Le Montrachet, 2002. "It's a white Burgundy from one of the smallest vineyards in the world. It's complex, toasty, silky smooth, and goes great with food." What would you pair it with? "Truffles. White truffles."

Belinda Chang, wine director for Cenitare: Salon Le Mesnil Champagne, 1973. "It's one of the rarest Champagnes, made from the ultra-elegant chardonnay. It's refined, but it's got a lot of tension—it's a spine tingler."

Kevin Mohalley, owner and president of Knightsbridge Wine Shoppe (824 Sunset Ridge Rd.; 847-498-9300): A magnum of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche, 1949. "It has all the qualities of a Burgundy but more subtleties: sweet dark fruits, dried cherries with just a hint of glove leather, and a spicy minerality. I've had it only once, about a year ago." Do you sell it at your store? "I wish!"

Scott Tyree, a buyer at Hart Davis Hart wine auctioneers (363 W. Erie St.; 312-482-9996, hdhwine.com): A magnum of Hermitage La Chapelle Jaboulet, 1961. "It was a wine I'd only read about and I was served it blind at a dinner in New York. It was extremely deep in color, in perfect balance, thick and mouth coating, and [the finish] lasted forever." The flavors? "Blackberries, licorice, and truffles that fell in the dirt."

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