How Much is too Much?

As an Australian, I love Penfolds.  Penfolds was founded in 1844, and is Australia's most reputable winemaker.  In 2012, Penfolds introduced the 2004 Kalimna Block 42 Cabernet Sauvignon - it's best and most expensive wine (priced at $168,000).

The wine was presented in a limited-edition crafted vessel, which they called the Penfolds Ampoule (see picture below) and the Ampoule contained Cabernet Sauvignon produced from apparently the oldest continuously producing Cabernet Sauvignon vines in the world (planted in the 1880's).  The wine had repeatedly been awarded 100 points (by James Suckling and the Wine Spectator).

I don't doubt that this wine must have been pretty pretty amazing, but surely $168,000 is too much for a bottle of wine.  How much benefit can one really get from drinking a bottle of wine.

Penfolds focussed their marketing efforts in Asia and were successfully able to justify the price due to the quality of the wine, its exclusivity (only 12 Ampoule's were made) and due to the quality of the crafted vessel that it was contained in.  In order to sweeten the deal, Penfolds also offered to send one of their senior winemakers anywhere in the world to prepare the wine by cracking open the Ampoule with a tungsten-tipped sterling-silver scribe-snap to ensure that the wine was experienced in the best possible way.