The 9 Best Magnums to Serve at Your Next Holiday Soiree
Get out the best glassware. Polish up the silver. After we’ve convened in smaller groups for several years, this season calls for friends and family and celebrations aplenty—the perfect excuse then to pour from the biggest bottles and make a splash (though not literally; that would be a waste). Wine served in large-format bottles makes an outsize impression, and the ability to pour 10 to 12 glasses from a single magnum takes a multicourse-pairing dinner to the next level.
Besides the wow factor, large formats have a particular advantage: The liquid ages more slowly thanks to the greater ratio between the wine in the bottle and the air that can enter via the cork closure. Put simply, high-quality bottles will last longer. But since this is the holiday season, not science class, let’s focus on those that are perfect to pour right now—that are destined to impress.
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Inglenook 2019 Rubicon, Rutherford, Napa Valley
Over the past few decades, Francis Ford Coppola has lovingly reassembled the Inglenook estate, which was founded by Gustave Niebaum in 1879. Along with winemaker Philippe Bascaules, he and his team began production of Rubicon, Inglenook’s flagship red wine, in 1978. The 2019 has an iridescent violet rim, with raspberry, black currant, mocha, clove, and nutmeg in the glass. Flavors of dark fruits intermingled with touches of cedar shavings, pipe tobacco, and fennel frond are enveloped in a silky tannic sheath. Magnum, $520
Vasse Felix 2018 Tom Cullity, Margaret River, Australia
Cardiologist Thomas Cullity established Vasse Felix in 1967 as one of the first wine estates in Margaret River in Western Australia. The 2018 Tom Cullity pays homage to the doctor using Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from the original vines he planted that same year. This blend is mostly the latter and is garnet-colored in the glass with a purple rim. You’ll pick up aromas of forest floor, cedar shavings, rose petals, and dark fruits and then enjoy a strong backbone of minerality with silky tannins and flavors of black plum, cassis, candied violets, dark chocolate, and a top note of fresh peppermint leaf in the long, long finish. Magnum, $325
Col D’Orcia 2008 Poggio Al Vento Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Docg, Tuscany, Italy
Col d’Orcia is one of Montalcino’s original estates, and Poggio al Vento refers to the single vineyard that was planted in 1974 by Count Alberto Marone Cinzano. Sitting at over 1,000 feet above sea level, the vineyard has produced highly regarded wines since 1982; its name translates to “windy hill.” This delightful red is made from 100 percent Sangiovese grapes, which were fermented in steel tanks with a 25-day maceration period. It’s aged in large Slavonian- and Allier-oak barrels, then rested in bottle for an additional three years. Presenting with aromas of black raspberry, black plum, and brown baking spices, it’s powerful on the palate with flavors of black fruits, forest floor, and mushroom enveloped in velvety tannins. Magnum, $378
Champagne Drappier NV Carte d’Or, Champagne, France
Nothing says welcome like a nice glass of bubbly, but if you want to ratchet up your game and have guests talking about you well into the New Year, greet them with something really special. Drappier, a historic house, family-owned since 1808, produces all the standard sizes, but this is one of the very few Champagnes available in Melchisedech—an eye-popping 30-liter bottle. Now that’s a party. Although it’s light gold in color, this delightful cuvée has a high proportion of Pinot Noir in the mix, offering flavors of peach, apple, pear, and a touch of freshly ground white pepper in the finish. 30 liters, $11,000
Trefethen 2018 Halo Cabernet Sauvignon, Oak Knoll District, Napa Valley
Named HāLo for the Trefethen family’s third-generation winegrowers, Hailey and Lorenzo, this stunning wine is made from grapes cultivated in the Hillspring Vineyard, which is known for its rocky, shallow soils. The winemaking team reported a warm, sunny July in 2018 devoid of any major heat spikes and a cooler August and September that allowed for slow and steady ripening. The harvest occurred in October, before the November rains, giving the grapes plenty of hang time. This 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon has black raspberry, licorice root, and freshly ground black pepper on the nose with fine-grained tannins and explodes with black plum, cassis, tobacco leaf, and a touch of brown baking spices on the palate. Magnum, $800
Paul Hobbs 2015 Nathan Coombs Estate, Coombsville, Napa Valley
Paul Hobbs and his team harvested grapes by hand from October 10 to 16 to produce this Napa beauty. Fermented in small stainless-steel tanks, it underwent a total of 30 days of maceration—giving it rich color and profound complexity—before further aging for 20 months in 100 percent French-oak barrels. It’s predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon, with very small additions of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, and has aromas of black currant, mocha, and espresso bean that open to reveal ripe black plum, cassis, and dried Mediterranean herbs well stacked on a firm tannic backbone. Magnum, $925
JCB by Jean-Charles Boisset NV Gala Brut Rosé Epernay, Champagne, France
Here’s lovely: Enticing aromas of strawberries and cream, freshly baked brioche, and red raspberry lead to voluptuous flavors of wild strawberry and caramelized orange peel in this delicious rosé Champagne. Made from 55 percent Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs, 40 percent Pinot Noir, and 5 percent Pinot Meunier from Montagne de Reims, it has been fermented and aged in stainless steel, allowed to go through malolactic fermentation, and rested on its lees for five years; hence that crisp, clean-yet-creamy mouthfeel with good balance. Bright and bubbly, it makes for an elegant aperitif. Magnum, $216
Château Latour a Pomerol 2017 Pomerol Gironde, Bordeaux, France
Named for the tower that graces the Château, Latour à Pomerol was purchased in 1917 by Madame Loubat, who was the owner of Château Petrus at the time. The vineyards have been under the watchful eye of the Moueix family since 1962 and are known to produce Merlot wines with both power and control. The 2017 vintage is ruby garnet in color with aromas of black cherries, forest floor, and black-plum confiture. It’s soft on entry, with medium body and silky tannins, and has well-balanced acidity and flavors of Mission fig, black raspberry, tobacco leaf, and dark chocolate that coalesce in a restrained finish. Magnum, $315
Pahlmeyer 2021 Merlot, Napa Valley
Winemaker Katie Vogt crafted this ethereal Merlot from grapes grown in Waters Ranch and Stagecoach vineyards. Vogt and her team were thrilled with the results achieved in 2021 despite suboptimal growing conditions: Less-than-normal rainfall and warm weather resulted in fewer and smaller grapes on the vines. But those grapes had intense flavors with high acidity levels. After fermentation, the wine was aged in 89 percent new French-oak barrels for 18 months. Initial aromas of black currant, black plum, saddle leather, and hints of cigar box give way to flavors of dried Mediterranean herbs, blackberry jam, and black-olive tapenade. Magnum, $280
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