Just had to share these photos snapped by Tracie P the other night when we opened a bottle of 1999 Bollinger Aÿ Rouge Coteaux Champenois La Côte aux Enfants with Coalminer Mark and Annie Oakley the other night at Trio in Austin.
Earlier this year, BrooklynGuy did a fantastic post on an amazing tasting of still red wines from Champagne organized by him and Peter Liem in NYC.
The bottle had an immensely powerful aura about it. After all, how often do you get to taste a still red wine from Champagne? By our favorite house no less!
The wine was excellent, a rich and tannic expression of Pinot Noir that seemed to have mellowed at 12 years out from harvest. But the most thrilling part of the experience was the bottle itself, the mushroom cork, and the metal seal. Note the old-school lip of the bottle (no crown cap here!).
Do Bianchi 
It looks impressive, but also slightly venereal, like it has a dose of the clap. . .
That first picture is just so great.
This is fabulous (in a English potty-humour sort of way). Nudge, nudge. Wink, wink!
When we showed our friends the first photo as we had dinner, it was kinda like a Rorschach test: different folks had different reactions/interpretations. The “aura” of that bottle was powerful. Everyone at the bar that night (we always eat at the bar) was drawn to our party.
@VinoGirl Tracie P and I are big fans of potty-humour!