It’s been a while since LeBron James shared video of a wine night, but we’re oh so glad he did.
LeBron James had a $4,000 wine night and we asked a sommelier to rate his picks
LeBron’s shooting percentage on wine is pretty good, but his choices are a little predictable.
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
LeBron didn’t do anything in half measures and dropped over $4,000 on some of the most sought after wine in the world — singing all the while.
I talked to Mike Madrigale, award-winning sommelier and owner of Grand Cuvée wine to give his expert opinion on each of the wines LeBron showed off in his Instagram story — as well as an overall opinion on the night’s drinking by the NBA superstar.
2008 E. Guigal Cote Rotie La Landonne, Rhone, France
“One of the most sought after pieces of vineyard land in the world. La Landonne is a steep, 45 degree vertigo-inducing vineyard that is in France’s Northern Rhone Valley. This costs about $200-$300 and is a rich, tannic and oaky 100 percent Syrah bottling. This wine will age easily another 40 years.”
2003 Domaine du Pegau Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvee da Capo, Rhone, France
“This wine is from (at that time) the hottest vintage in 500 years in Europe. From France’s Southern Rhone valley. My British friend was married to the daughter of the owner of the winery. He hated my friend’s guts and the daughter eventually divorced him. Anyway, this is a fabled wine as its scored 100 points from Robert Parker. Retails for about $500. This wine is a monster, like if Frankenstein was doing a year-long cycle at BALCO. 16.2 percent alcohol and the consistency of Quaker State. Not my style.”
1997 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia Bolgheri, Tuscany, Italy
“My favorite of Lebron’s choices. Sassicaia is the OG of Super-Tuscan wines. In fact the Marchese pretty much invented the category of Super Tuscan — which is grape vines transplanted from Bordeaux and planted on Tuscan soils. The first official vintage was ‘68 and 1997 is definitely one of the finest wines from the estate. Retails for about $300.”
Screaming Eagle (Can’t see vintage)
“This is big game hunting right here. Average market value for a bottle is about $2,500-$3,000. Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. Winery is owned by Stan Kroenke who also owns the L.A. Rams, Denver Nuggets, and Colorado Avalanche. America’s greatest? Arguably. America’s most expensive? Definitely.”
2003 Caymus Vineyards Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, USA
“My least favorite of LeBron’s choices. Big, expensive, industrial, and available on the wine-list at every Cheesecake Factory in the continental 48.”
LeBron had a pretty good shooting percentage on the wines. A couple of knockout picks, a couple of clunkers and one in the middle. Not a bad nght, all told — but what did our sommelier think of the evening as a whole?
“Overall these are all great choices of wines by Lebron,” Madrigale tells SB Nation. “Every serious wine collector has these wines in their cellars. If I had to nitpick, I’d say that these choices are all a little obvious. They’re the Mercedes-Benz, Louis Vuittons, and Showtime-era Lakers of wine rather than the Bugatti, Hermes, and ‘73 Knicks.”
If you want to learn more about what wines Madrigale would pick for you, visit Grand Cuvée. His personal Instagram with some impressive rare wine pics can be found here.
