Wine: Drop of Gold

[Mike Buckley]

Winery: Maison Louis Latour
Year: 2007
Vineyard: Goutte d'Or, a Premier Cru vineyard in the wine region of Meursault, France (the region has no Grand Cru vineyards)
Grape: Chardonnay

Wine made from the Goutte d'Or vineyard (translation: Drop of Gold) was Thomas Jefferson's favorite chardonnay because of its value. Chardonnay made from any vineyard in Meursault has a reputation for being round, which explains why it's my favorite style of chardonnay and why I like it as well or better than the few chardonnays I've had at nearly twice the price. Premier Cru wines made in Meursault generally sell for about USD $50 per bottle and much more in restaurants, so it's not as if it's cheap or even medium-priced. I reserve it for special meals usually with friends.

[Donald]

Beautiful picture, Mike.

[Karm Redland]

I like its lighting and simplicity.

karm

[Brownbear]

Truly exquisite, everything about it.

This just happens to be one of my favourite wines. (ones that I can afford, with special sentimental value for my husband and I) Chateuneuf du Pape is another of those wines, for the sentiment and the wine but also for the especially beautiful bottle. (yes, that is a hint)

[NorthernFocus]

Great shot and helped expand my feeble knowledge on the topic.

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you everyone!

Christina, I am going to get a lot more experience before I try photographing the embossing on a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape.

[Mike Buckley]

I added a second photo to the first post in the thread.

[Brownbear]

The 2nd image is also gorgeous... Aside I think I can see very very faint swirls like the lines of a faded colourless rainbow leading from the top edge of the glass exiting just to the right of the top of the bottle in the foreground?

I'm sure you could manage it tomorrow but I'm happy to wait. Something to look forward to.

Thank you everyone!

Christina, I am going to get a lot more experience before I try photographing the embossing on a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape.

[Mike Buckley]

a faded colourless rainbow

Your imagination is getting the best of you.

You mentioned that this is a favorite wine of yours. Were you referring to Mersault wine in general, more specifically to premier cru wines from Meursault, even more specifically to wines made from grapes grown in the Goutte d'Or vineyard, or unbelievably specifically to Louis Latour wines made from the Goutte d'Or vineyard?

[Stagecoach]

Mike,

These are good and the background colour really compliments. The only nitpick is that to me they both need a very slight rotation ACW.

Grahame

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you, Grahame!

When I overlay a grid on both images, they appear straight to me. "Appear" is the operative word because neither bottle nor the wine glass are manufactured perfectly straight. Unfortunately, the camera that I used to photograph these images does not have an electronic level built into it. Even if I used my camera that does have one, using it sometimes makes the image look crooked due to the subjects themselves that aren't straight.

[Brownbear]

if you say it is so...

Specifically Louis Latour from that vine yard... Seeing your image took me by surprise... Total coincidence but a great reminder to find something to celebrate sooner rather than later.

Your imagination is getting the best of you.

You mentioned that this is a favorite wine of yours. Were you referring to Mersault wine in general, more specifically premier cru wines from Meursault, even more specifically wines made from grapes grown in the Goutte d'Or vineyard, or unbelievably specifically Louis Latour wines made from the Goutte d'Or vineyard?

[Plumcrak]

A wonderfully simplistic image that I am sure is anything but simple to produce. Beautifully done Mike!!

[Colin Southern]

Nice lighting Mike.

I am picking up a slight rotation of the image - especially in the 2nd one though.

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, Colin! Maybe it's just that I have the advantage of fresh eyes today that I didn't have yesterday, but I can also see the rotation now that you and Grahame mentioned. Thanks for bringing it up again.

anything but simple to produce

Thank you, Jon. It's like anything that is difficult when you don't know how to do it and relatively easy once you have learned the requirements. Having said that, it took me about two hours to set up the tabletop, background and lighting. That's partly because I'm working in the limitations of my makeshift studio (mostly small size), partly because I'm terrible at working with my hands, and partly because I wanted a very specific gradient of light beginning with the tabletop, transitioning without an horizon to the background and extending to the top of the background.

[Wavelength]

You are a Master of your Subject

[Colin Southern]

You are a Master of your Subject

Do you mean shooting it or drinking it?

[Mike Buckley]

Do you mean shooting it or drinking it?

Can I claim the latter as my reason for making the photos crooked?

[John 2]

Nicely graduated background Mike. Makes a difference. I am intrigued since clearly you have found a bottle of wine that refills itself after pouring half a glass. Must look out for that.

[Mike Buckley]

I am intrigued since clearly you have found a bottle of wine that refills itself after pouring half a glass.

It was especially nice that it also returned the cork to the neck and attached a new piece of foil.

Seriously, I would prefer that one of the bottles was open and don't understand why few commercial photographs display a glass of wine alongside bottles that have never been opened. I would be happy to open a bottle of daily drinking wine just to make a photograph, but not a special bottle such as this one that is reserved for special occasions.