It is undeniable that taste is in the end very subjective. However the characteristics of a wine that makes a wine “great” is relatively agreed upon. The overall balance (acid, tanin, oak, residual sugar, etc), flavor of fruit/non-fruit, precision of flavor, length of taste, tertiary flavors, aroma, etc.
If you look at it in a different way, we all have different taste in books and literature but we all generally agree that books written by people such as Shakespeare, Dumas, Charles Dickens, etc are “great” pieces of literature even if most people would rather read a cheap thriller solid at the airport stands. But for people that really get into the field they start to understand a the general understanding of what makes a particular piece of literature “great” rather than just simply “fun”. The same can be said for wine as well as many other things in life. So what is your favorite wine?
Brunello di Montalcino specifically from 2013
Buitenverwachting “Beyond” Sauvignon Blanc.
This South African white is consistently one of the best value wines in the entire world in my opinion. Priced at around 12 dollars, it’s superbly well balanced and pretty complex for the price. It’s made more in a minerally French style than the typical New World Sauvignon Blanc.
Recently I got hold of 6 bottles of the 2008 for 6 dollars apiece, expecting them to go down the sink. But remarkably after 10+ years the wine had improved with age, which is almost unheard of at this price point
Dominus
Sine Qua Non
Scarecrow
Screaming Eagle
Opus One
I have many favorites depending what I am in the mood for but for whites I love a good Chablis (producers include Raveneau, Christian Moreau and Louis Michel) and Gruner Veltliners from Austria. (producers include Lagler, Hirtzberger, Prager and Pichler)