A big bottle and some big red wines

Take a good wine — any good wine. Put some of it in a standard 750-mililiter bottle, and put the rest in a 1.5 liter magnum bottle, the equivalent of two 750mililiter bottles. The exact same wine in the magnum is going to be three times more enjoyable (not just two times), based solely on the size of the bottle. Trust me on that one, and order the

2015 Orin Swift Happy Birthday Billy,

a blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and petite sirah. Winemaker Dave Phinney walked Cubs pitcher Jon Lester through the winemaking process to come up with this proprietary blend that Lester gave to his teammates after the Cubs won the 2016 World Series. The name refers to William Sianis, whose goat was dissed at a 1945 World Series game. Sianis sent a telegram to team owner Philip K. Wrigley announcing the curse, in so many words, and the telegram has been reproduced as the label on this bottle. It’s a beautiful wine, with floral notes, plus ripe plum, jammy red fruit, incense, anise and a rich vanilla-caramel finish. The winemaker says it should age well for 10 or 15 years in the bottle. History would suggest that the Cubs won’t have another World Series win by then, but who knows.

liter) ($300/1.5

From the Stags Leap District in Napa Valley, the super silky

2013 Shafer Hillside Select ($285)

which was aged 20 months in French oak barrels. The

2014 Pahlmeyer Napa Valley Red Wine ($175)

is made of 100 percent cabernet sauvignon. Aged 32 months in new French oak, it was full of plum and other dark fruits, plus earthy notes of smoke and coffee. The

2012 Heitz Wine Cellars Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon ($235)

from Napa Valley’s Oakville appellation offered plum, vanilla, subtle marzipan, red fruits, incense, a bright burst of cranberry and a nutty finish.

Raspberry, plum, licorice, baking spices, cocoa, a hint of green pepper and grippy tannins sum up the

2014 Spottswoode Estate Cabernet Sauvignon ($190),

contains 87 percent cabernet sauvignon, with merlot, malbec, cabernet franc and petit verdot in the blend. Smoky, with dark cherry, coffee, blackberry, raspberry, incense and cedar, this wine was a delight to drink.

A blend of 72 percent cabernet sauvignon and 28 percent cabernet franc, the

2014 Viader Liquid Cashmere ($150)

offered plum, black cherry, clove, cigar box and pleasing earthy notes. Sonoma Valley’s

2013 Gundlach Bundschu Vintage Reserve ($125),

made of 82 percent cabernet sauvignon, 12 percent cabernet franc and 6 percent petit verdot, was full of blueberry, blackberry, smoke, vanilla, forest floor, menthol and spice, with velvety tannins. The

2014 Clos du Val Hirondelle Vineyard Estate Cabernet Sauvignon ($120)

is 100 percent cabernet sauvignon, and packed notes of blueberries and other ripe blue fruits with vanilla, herbs, baking spices, toast and a layered finish.

From Paso Robles in California’s Central Coast, the

2014 J. Lohr Signature Cabernet Sauvignon ($100)

was aged 17 months in 100 percent new French oak barrels. This is the second vintage of the winery’s flagship red wine, a lush and rich melange of jammy fruit, fig, cedar, tobacco, chewy tannins and a kiss of caramel in its lingering finish. The

2015 The Setting Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($85)

from Sonoma was floral with black and red fruits, and