Teeny Tiny Cellar Challenge (Full Version)

All Forums >> [Cellar Talk] >> General Discussion



Message


Claymonster -> Teeny Tiny Cellar Challenge (1/20/2023 8:37:27 AM)

Hello Everyone. I'm new here and new-ish to the world of wine so I'm seeking the collective advice of this community to build a small collection. My wife and I are expecting about $3000 back in taxes this year and we don't immediately need the money, so we decided to have some fun and spend it on wine that we can drink over the next 30+ years. I'm 42, she's 38. In preparation, I built a tiny little "cellar" in our concrete-floored unfinished basement for storage, put a temperature/hygrometer gauge in there to ensure the conditions are right (they're near perfect right now and hope it stays that way this summer), and now we're thinking about what to fill it with. The catch is that the cellar's internal dimensions are about 28"W x 16"D x 10"H so the thing might only fit a couple cases. Let's conservatively say 20 bottles. Here's the question: If you had $3000 to spend on 20 bottles, with drinking spread out over the next 30+ years (starting drinking maybe 5 years from now), what would you buy (including vintages)? You can be specific rather than just say something like "2018 Bordeaux".

Rest assured that I am not going to buy anything until this fall because I need to know that our makeshift cellar isn't going to cook the bottles during peak summer temps.

Thanks!




Ibetian -> RE: Teeny Tiny Cellar Challenge (1/20/2023 8:55:12 AM)

Welcome to the CT Board! I hope you’ll find us to be friendly and at least somewhat knowledable.

The key question is what wines do you like? I have a lot of Bordeaux in my cellar, but my suggestions aren’t going to help much if you love Pinot. What were your favorite bottles over the past few years? Have you had experience with older wines?

Again, welcome!




Claymonster -> RE: Teeny Tiny Cellar Challenge (1/20/2023 9:39:07 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Ibetian

Welcome to the CT Board! I hope you’ll find us to be friendly and at least somewhat knowledable.

The key question is what wines do you like? I have a lot of Bordeaux in my cellar, but my suggestions aren’t going to help much if you love Pinot. What were your favorite bottles over the past few years? Have you had experience with older wines?

Again, welcome!

Thanks! I've been poking around CT and the forums for the last month or so while researching this little project of ours and have found it incredibly useful and informative. I'm happy to have finally taken the plunge into this.

To (sort of) answer your question, I think my wife and I were hoping to have a diverse range of varietals/blends and regions. If you forced us to be more specific, I'd probably say Bordeaux and she'd probably say Tuscany. But again, we both want and hope to explore other regions.




DoubleD1969 -> RE: Teeny Tiny Cellar Challenge (1/20/2023 10:06:37 AM)

Ridge Monte Bello or Dunn Howell Mountain.

Get on the mailing list for Ridge MB. Not sure of the release prices but I would be surprised if it is north of $150. You pay now but receive the bottles in two years. Secondary market prices are somewhere around $175 I think (haven’t checked lately). If you buy the older vintages, you can probably start drinking them in 5 years. Otherwise, you’ll want to wait IMO.

Older vintages of Dunn HM should be under $150 in the secondary market. Like Ridge MB, I think it needs at least 12-15 years of bottle age (hopefully in a cool environment). The risk of buying in the secondary market is provenance and not knowing how it was stored.

Port is also a great region for value and for laying down. 2011 Dow may be something you want to look for in the secondary market. In 5 years when you are reading to drink, the bottles will still be primary but should provide a good baseline in its evolution over the next 30 years. Porto is on my short list of places to visit and also a nice way to connect with the wine by visiting the region.

90% of the wines out there won’t last 30 years especially Tuscany and most of CA.




hankj -> RE: Teeny Tiny Cellar Challenge (1/20/2023 10:11:18 AM)

So 20 bottles averaging $150 a bottle? I could make recommendations as an intellectual exercise, but personally that's not how I would allocate. I'd figure out a way to have more storage capacity, even if I had to point a little bit of money at that. Otherwise on your plan you're drinking one bottle (or less) per year. What's more, you're going to have a bunch of elite wines that are going to want an occasion. It's nice to be able to pull out a really good $50 bottle on a Tuesday if you feel like it.

It's a good point above too about what do you like? And does that coincide with what your wife likes?

If I was to recommend broader categories or areas of fine wine that are fairly universal in their appeal, I would say nearly everyone likes Brunello and juicier Super Tuscans. Northern California reds in the more classic less fruit bomb style have pretty broad appeal (You could do worse than Ridge and Dunn). People don't seem to collect a lot of Douro wines, but most people seem to like them just fine, and the better ones age nicely. Same with Ribera. Champagne is widely appealing and can take a little age and improve. Most everyone likes Sauternes. High end Vouvray is broadly appealing and ages well, but isn't really expensive enough to make your cut.

Some people are out on Chateauneuf de Pape, but generally speaking you don't get a lot of haters.

Bordeaux is a really sound cellaring selection that has fairly broad appeal, although it varies from maker to maker and isn't generally popular with everyone. Generally speaking you have to like wines that are a little more serious.

Burgundy is too much of a crap shoot to buy a lot for a small cellar.

Washington can be quite polarizing, particularly the funky wines and the big forceful prestige reds.

If I were you though I wouldn't buy a lot now. Instead I would wait for the heat of the summer to see what the temperature is going to be in that cellar space. Otherwise you could end up with a couple cases of expensive wines with long aging windows and a cellar that is going to ruin them.




hankj -> RE: Teeny Tiny Cellar Challenge (1/20/2023 10:12:24 AM)

Funny, I cross posted with the post above mine, which opens with Ridge and Dunn.

Just FYI the Monte Bello mailing list is not automatic. It can take four or five years before they will allocate you anything besides the estate wines. You can join the Monte Bello club right away, but for a while you get an email that tells you there's not enough of it to allocate to newcomers.




Ibetian -> RE: Teeny Tiny Cellar Challenge (1/20/2023 11:30:44 AM)

For Bordeaux, I’d try to buy the 2016, though they might be harder to find and more expensive. It is widely considered to be one of the best vintages ever and it will likely be approachable young with a decant yet age for decades.

If you can’t find 2016, both 2018 and 19 are excellent in different styles.


Here’s some 2016 I bought that roughly average your price range with what I paid:


Brane Cantenac 70
Canon 95
Cliinet 95
Ducru Beaucaillou 200
Figeac 200
Grand Puy Lacoste 79
Leoville Poyferre 110
Lynch Bages 138
Montrose 200
Pape Clement 100
Pichon Baron 150
Pontet Canet 150

Some of these will be a lot more expensive now for 2016, but about the same for 2018 or 19.

Jeff Leve, who sometimes posts on this Board has a free site called the Wine Cellar Insider with a ton of useful information on Bordeaux.

Good luck!










S1 -> RE: Teeny Tiny Cellar Challenge (1/20/2023 1:55:59 PM)

No whites?
2008 Champagnes
Don't listen to people who discount Burgundy--Chandon de Briailles Ile des Vergelesses all day (super long ager).
Gonon St Joseph might still be available in your budget, and will likely increase in value.
Yquem is immortal.
What about Port?

The problem with limiting to 20 bottles, is that you have to guess correctly to predict the apogee of each bottle. That's why most collectors buy multiples of each bottle, so that they can follow the aging process. I don't have cellar room for cases (usually), but always try to buy at least three of any wine I am planning to age.




mclancy10006 -> RE: Teeny Tiny Cellar Challenge (1/20/2023 3:11:40 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: S1

No whites?
2008 Champagnes
Don't listen to people who discount Burgundy--Chandon de Briailles Ile des Vergelesses all day (super long ager).
Gonon St Joseph might still be available in your budget, and will likely increase in value.
Yquem is immortal.
What about Port?

The problem with limiting to 20 bottles, is that you have to guess correctly to predict the apogee of each bottle. That's why most collectors buy multiples of each bottle, so that they can follow the aging process. I don't have cellar room for cases (usually), but always try to buy at least three of any wine I am planning to age.

I might add some Gran Reserva Rioja into the mix. Maybe not as forever as Yquem but has a 20+ year drinking window. My suggestion is a current release such as the 2001 Lopez Heredia Tondonia GR is which is sub ~$200 in the US. https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/r+lopez+de+heredia+vina+tondonia+grand+rsrv+doca+rioja+alta+spain/2001/usa

-Mark




mye -> RE: Teeny Tiny Cellar Challenge (1/20/2023 3:45:48 PM)

what you like today is not going to be what you like in 30 years, or even 5 years.

I would spend the money partially on trying bottles from regions that interest you
partially on an airplane ticket to travel to a region that interest you.

Buying 20 btls in the fall, and expecting to like it in 10-30 years is an impossibility. not improbability.. impossibility.




Blue Shorts -> RE: Teeny Tiny Cellar Challenge (1/20/2023 3:56:39 PM)

quote:

I'd figure out a way to have more storage capacity, even if I had to point a little bit of money at that.


As much as I hate to admit it, I agree with Hank [;)]

You can buy a small 50 bottle wine fridge for $500 - $900. That way, if it gets too warm in the summer, you can simply turn the unit on.

And I'd also like to point out that EVERYONE that I know that started collecting wine completely underestimated the number of bottles they would be buying. No matter what you think now, it won't be enough. Personally, I started with a 30 bottle fridge.......then added a 50 bottle fridge......then added a 400 bottle fridge.....and I'm out of room again.[8|]

Good luck on your quest. Let us know what you decided to do.




S1 -> RE: Teeny Tiny Cellar Challenge (1/20/2023 4:39:34 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: mclancy10006

quote:

ORIGINAL: S1

No whites?
2008 Champagnes
Don't listen to people who discount Burgundy--Chandon de Briailles Ile des Vergelesses all day (super long ager).
Gonon St Joseph might still be available in your budget, and will likely increase in value.
Yquem is immortal.
What about Port?

The problem with limiting to 20 bottles, is that you have to guess correctly to predict the apogee of each bottle. That's why most collectors buy multiples of each bottle, so that they can follow the aging process. I don't have cellar room for cases (usually), but always try to buy at least three of any wine I am planning to age.

I might add some Gran Reserva Rioja into the mix. Maybe not as forever as Yquem but has a 20+ year drinking window. My suggestion is a current release such as the 2001 Lopez Heredia Tondonia GR is which is sub ~$200 in the US. https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/r+lopez+de+heredia+vina+tondonia+grand+rsrv+doca+rioja+alta+spain/2001/usa

-Mark


Preach, brother!
Marky speaks truth.




jmcmchi -> RE: Teeny Tiny Cellar Challenge (1/20/2023 4:40:47 PM)

All good points above, especially about cellar size; you will want more[:)]

But to the specific question. I would opt for three bottles of a selection of 6 or 8 wines across a range of regions/varieties, assuming that I am not doing this as an investment

Monte Bello
One left bank and
One right bank from Ibetian’s list
Chateau Musar
Don Melchor (any recent vintage)
An Oregon PN 2019
A 2019 Chateauneuf, either pure grenache or Beaucastel type(many/all permitted varieties)
A syrah from Australia or Washington (many options)

You can pretty well bet that in thirty years the contemporary wines from any of these will be completely different, and probably different varieties, given climate change impact




daviladc -> RE: Teeny Tiny Cellar Challenge (1/21/2023 1:23:47 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: S1


quote:

ORIGINAL: mclancy10006

quote:

ORIGINAL: S1

No whites?
2008 Champagnes
Don't listen to people who discount Burgundy--Chandon de Briailles Ile des Vergelesses all day (super long ager).
Gonon St Joseph might still be available in your budget, and will likely increase in value.
Yquem is immortal.
What about Port?

The problem with limiting to 20 bottles, is that you have to guess correctly to predict the apogee of each bottle. That's why most collectors buy multiples of each bottle, so that they can follow the aging process. I don't have cellar room for cases (usually), but always try to buy at least three of any wine I am planning to age.

I might add some Gran Reserva Rioja into the mix. Maybe not as forever as Yquem but has a 20+ year drinking window. My suggestion is a current release such as the 2001 Lopez Heredia Tondonia GR is which is sub ~$200 in the US. https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/r+lopez+de+heredia+vina+tondonia+grand+rsrv+doca+rioja+alta+spain/2001/usa

-Mark


Preach, brother!
Marky speaks truth.



+1 on Rioja! The styles can vary to your taste.

The rustic nature of the Tondonia can take you back to what old school Spanish wine once was. Like Mark noted, these wines are super rewarding after some time in your cellar. At sub $50 for a new release, you can get a lot more for the money.

You can get the 2015 CVNE Imperial Gran Reserva for sub $70 online. This will bring a little more richness and new world fruit to the table.

At these prices you can actually experience these wines as they evolve with age as compared to a nice bottle once.




hankj -> RE: Teeny Tiny Cellar Challenge (1/21/2023 8:45:33 AM)

Knowing nothing about a random, fairly inexperienced person's palate, we are recommending that they go long on 2001 Tondonia? 2/3 of the seasoned, adventurous wine geeks in our group hated it blind.

Personally I'm a fan, but what's next? We're going to load them up with Sine Qua Non and Orange wines? Half a case of Bionic Frog?




daviladc -> RE: Teeny Tiny Cellar Challenge (1/21/2023 9:17:47 AM)

Hank,

Personally I'd go (have gone) long on the CVNE. 😉




hankj -> RE: Teeny Tiny Cellar Challenge (1/21/2023 10:05:09 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: daviladc

Hank,

Personally I'd go (have gone) long on the CVNE. 😉


It's certainly more approachable to a center lane palate




DoubleD1969 -> RE: Teeny Tiny Cellar Challenge (1/21/2023 12:02:45 PM)

+1 on the CUNE. The 2004 was a Wine Spectator WOTY. It retailed for $35. I picked up a few more at $100. It’s drinking beautifully and has years ahead of it.




khmark7 -> RE: Teeny Tiny Cellar Challenge (1/22/2023 6:17:02 AM)

Barolo

Stuff is sublime with age. Me and a board member opened a 50 yr old bottle in London a few years back and it was amazing. I will let others suggest producers, but i would definitely have a few bottles of Barolo for this experiment.




ROEL -> RE: Teeny Tiny Cellar Challenge (1/22/2023 8:24:00 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: mclancy10006

I might add some Gran Reserva Rioja into the mix. Maybe not as forever as Yquem but has a 20+ year drinking window. My suggestion is a current release such as the 2001 Lopez Heredia Tondonia GR is which is sub ~$200 in the US. https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/r+lopez+de+heredia+vina+tondonia+grand+rsrv+doca+rioja+alta+spain/2001/usa

-Mark



La Rioja Alta (the winery [8|]) also merits your interest.




DoubleD1969 -> RE: Teeny Tiny Cellar Challenge (1/22/2023 12:20:42 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: khmark7
Barolo

Stuff is sublime with age. Me and a board member opened a 50 yr old bottle in London a few years back and it was amazing. I will let others suggest producers, but i would definitely have a few bottles of Barolo for this experiment.

Unfortunately most don’t make Barolo that don’t last or at least evolve 30 years. Most are aged in new oak and are meant to be drink sooner than later. The ones that are still old school fetch $$$$$.




daviladc -> RE: Teeny Tiny Cellar Challenge (1/22/2023 2:22:55 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: DoubleD1969

quote:

ORIGINAL: khmark7
Barolo

Stuff is sublime with age. Me and a board member opened a 50 yr old bottle in London a few years back and it was amazing. I will let others suggest producers, but i would definitely have a few bottles of Barolo for this experiment.

Unfortunately most don’t make Barolo that don’t last or at least evolve 30 years. Most are aged in new oak and are meant to be drink sooner than later. The ones that are still old school fetch $$$$$.



Old school, neutral oak Barolo at a great price comes from Sordo. Unbelievable! Approachable extremely early.




recotte -> RE: Teeny Tiny Cellar Challenge (1/22/2023 5:48:49 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: DoubleD1969

Ridge Monte Bello or Dunn Howell Mountain.

Get on the mailing list for Ridge MB. Not sure of the release prices but I would be surprised if it is north of $150. You pay now but receive the bottles in two years. Secondary market prices are somewhere around $175 I think (haven’t checked lately). If you buy the older vintages, you can probably start drinking them in 5 years. Otherwise, you’ll want to wait IMO.



$155/bottle on the MB for the 2021 vintage through the club pricing.




DoubleD1969 -> RE: Teeny Tiny Cellar Challenge (1/22/2023 6:34:26 PM)

Thanks for the info on Ridge. Even after Draper left, I am surprised at the waiting list and maybe less surprised with the $155 pricing.




Claymonster -> RE: Teeny Tiny Cellar Challenge (1/23/2023 7:45:39 AM)

Thanks for the info and recommendation everyone! This is all extremely helpful.

quote:

ORIGINAL: DoubleD1969

Ridge Monte Bello or Dunn Howell Mountain.

Get on the mailing list for Ridge MB. Not sure of the release prices but I would be surprised if it is north of $150. You pay now but receive the bottles in two years. Secondary market prices are somewhere around $175 I think (haven’t checked lately). If you buy the older vintages, you can probably start drinking them in 5 years. Otherwise, you’ll want to wait IMO.

Older vintages of Dunn HM should be under $150 in the secondary market. Like Ridge MB, I think it needs at least 12-15 years of bottle age (hopefully in a cool environment). The risk of buying in the secondary market is provenance and not knowing how it was stored.



Thanks for the info. I signed up for the mailing list.

So about buying from the secondary market..... This would include any larger online retailer like Wine.com, Saratoga Wine, or K&L Wine Merchants, yes? Since they're dealing is high end wines, you'd assume they've thought about storage and provenance, right? Should I be concerned about buying from them?

quote:

ORIGINAL: hankj

If I was to recommend broader categories or areas of fine wine that are fairly universal in their appeal, I would say nearly everyone likes Brunello and juicier Super Tuscans. Northern California reds in the more classic less fruit bomb style have pretty broad appeal (You could do worse than Ridge and Dunn). People don't seem to collect a lot of Douro wines, but most people seem to like them just fine, and the better ones age nicely. Same with Ribera. Champagne is widely appealing and can take a little age and improve. Most everyone likes Sauternes. High end Vouvray is broadly appealing and ages well, but isn't really expensive enough to make your cut.

Some people are out on Chateauneuf de Pape, but generally speaking you don't get a lot of haters.

Bordeaux is a really sound cellaring selection that has fairly broad appeal, although it varies from maker to maker and isn't generally popular with everyone. Generally speaking you have to like wines that are a little more serious.

Burgundy is too much of a crap shoot to buy a lot for a small cellar.

Washington can be quite polarizing, particularly the funky wines and the big forceful prestige reds.

If I were you though I wouldn't buy a lot now. Instead I would wait for the heat of the summer to see what the temperature is going to be in that cellar space. Otherwise you could end up with a couple cases of expensive wines with long aging windows and a cellar that is going to ruin them.


Thanks for the recommendations Hank. Douro is something that I hadn't thought about (or tasted much) but it seems like they can have a good QPR. I've had several CndP over the years and have enjoyed them all. And yes, I'm not buying anything until this fall and only if my passively cooled cellar works like I'm hoping.


quote:

ORIGINAL: Ibetian

For Bordeaux, I’d try to buy the 2016, though they might be harder to find and more expensive. It is widely considered to be one of the best vintages ever and it will likely be approachable young with a decant yet age for decades.

If you can’t find 2016, both 2018 and 19 are excellent in different styles.


Here’s some 2016 I bought that roughly average your price range with what I paid:


Brane Cantenac 70
Canon 95
Cliinet 95
Ducru Beaucaillou 200
Figeac 200
Grand Puy Lacoste 79
Leoville Poyferre 110
Lynch Bages 138
Montrose 200
Pape Clement 100
Pichon Baron 150
Pontet Canet 150

Some of these will be a lot more expensive now for 2016, but about the same for 2018 or 19.

Jeff Leve, who sometimes posts on this Board has a free site called the Wine Cellar Insider with a ton of useful information on Bordeaux.

Good luck!


I think the 2018 vintage is where I'll land. Of the three (2016, 2018, 2019), the 2018 seems to have the better prices compared to ratings. The Ducru-Beaucaillou is definitely appealing, as are the Pichon Baron and Lynch Bages. I stumbled across Jeff Leve a couple weeks ago when I started looking into this and he's definitely got a wealth of info and rating. Very useful.

quote:

ORIGINAL: S1

The problem with limiting to 20 bottles, is that you have to guess correctly to predict the apogee of each bottle. That's why most collectors buy multiples of each bottle, so that they can follow the aging process. I don't have cellar room for cases (usually), but always try to buy at least three of any wine I am planning to age.


As long as CT is around in the decades to come, I should be able to get a good sense of when to drink based on tasting notes!

quote:

ORIGINAL: mclancy10006

I might add some Gran Reserva Rioja into the mix. Maybe not as forever as Yquem but has a 20+ year drinking window. My suggestion is a current release such as the 2001 Lopez Heredia Tondonia GR is which is sub ~$200 in the US. https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/r+lopez+de+heredia+vina+tondonia+grand+rsrv+doca+rioja+alta+spain/2001/usa

-Mark



Yes, thanks! As Hank says further down the thread, it's not for everyone so what I'll do is buy and try a Reserva from them and try it to get a sense before buying the GR.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Blue Shorts

quote:

I'd figure out a way to have more storage capacity, even if I had to point a little bit of money at that.


As much as I hate to admit it, I agree with Hank [;)]

You can buy a small 50 bottle wine fridge for $500 - $900. That way, if it gets too warm in the summer, you can simply turn the unit on.

And I'd also like to point out that EVERYONE that I know that started collecting wine completely underestimated the number of bottles they would be buying. No matter what you think now, it won't be enough. Personally, I started with a 30 bottle fridge.......then added a 50 bottle fridge......then added a 400 bottle fridge.....and I'm out of room again.[8|]

Good luck on your quest. Let us know what you decided to do.


Based on your recommendation and Hanks, I added a bit more storage capacity to the cellar (8" more height) this past weekend. I think I can get about 30 bottles in there right now. I know, I know, that's still far too small if I really want to get into collecting. If that happens, I can either buy a fridge or build a second, larger cellar. We'll see how it goes this summer because if it doesn't keep cool enough, I'll need to reevaluate the whole situation.

I'll certainly let you know what happens. Hopefully you see this thread pop up to the top of the forum late summer/early fall with a post saying that the cellar worked fine and these are the bottles I'm going to put in it.

quote:

ORIGINAL: jmcmchi

All good points above, especially about cellar size; you will want more[:)]

But to the specific question. I would opt for three bottles of a selection of 6 or 8 wines across a range of regions/varieties, assuming that I am not doing this as an investment

Monte Bello
One left bank and
One right bank from Ibetian’s list
Chateau Musar
Don Melchor (any recent vintage)
An Oregon PN 2019
A 2019 Chateauneuf, either pure grenache or Beaucastel type(many/all permitted varieties)
A syrah from Australia or Washington (many options)

You can pretty well bet that in thirty years the contemporary wines from any of these will be completely different, and probably different varieties, given climate change impact


My wife's family is Lebanese so we're definitely going to get some Chateau Musar. As for the Oregon PN, any recommendations? Thanks for the Don Melchor recommendation because I was hoping for something from South America. Cheers!


quote:

ORIGINAL: daviladc

+1 on Rioja! The styles can vary to your taste.

The rustic nature of the Tondonia can take you back to what old school Spanish wine once was. Like Mark noted, these wines are super rewarding after some time in your cellar. At sub $50 for a new release, you can get a lot more for the money.

You can get the 2015 CVNE Imperial Gran Reserva for sub $70 online. This will bring a little more richness and new world fruit to the table.

At these prices you can actually experience these wines as they evolve with age as compared to a nice bottle once.


Added the CVNE to the shortlist. Thanks!

quote:

ORIGINAL: khmark7

Barolo

Stuff is sublime with age. Me and a board member opened a 50 yr old bottle in London a few years back and it was amazing. I will let others suggest producers, but i would definitely have a few bottles of Barolo for this experiment.


This whole thing started because my wife and I were talking about buying one nice bottle for our 30th wedding anniversary in 2045. So a couple weeks ago we asked a friend who knows his stuff and he suggested a Barolo that we've already purchased: 2016 Giacomo Borgogno & Figli Cannubi. Buying that bottle is what forced me to make the cellar for storage, and then once the cellar was built, we looked at all the extra space and said why not fill it up? It all depends on the summer temps though and whether the cellar will keep the bottle cool. If not, we'll ask our friend to store the Barolo for us until our 30th.

quote:

ORIGINAL: ROEL

La Rioja Alta (the winery [8|]) also merits your interest.


Thanks Roel. I'll have a look.





BenG -> RE: Teeny Tiny Cellar Challenge (1/23/2023 9:32:17 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Claymonster


So about buying from the secondary market..... This would include any larger online retailer like Wine.com, Saratoga Wine, or K&L Wine Merchants, yes? Since they're dealing is high end wines, you'd assume they've thought about storage and provenance, right? Should I be concerned about buying from them?



Secondary market normally means wine that was pre-owned. Major sources might be auction houses, estate sales, some random person you met on a wine forum etc.




KPB -> RE: Teeny Tiny Cellar Challenge (1/24/2023 12:15:59 PM)

Fun challenge! I like the scoping and price point... the whole plan makes sense.

I would actually pause (if it were me) to think about the circumstances where I might want to pull bottles from this cache. Is the goal to leave them sleeping unattended for a bunch of years and then drink a case of them all at once 25 years from now? Or just to have a steady supply you would take a bottle or two from now and then, a few per year in and a few per year out? I hope this is the actual goal, in fact. Buying wines you don't plan to actually drink for ages is not a great approach, in my view. But if you do plan to dip into the bottles, the real question shifts: which kinds of wines are in your price range and really benefit from a few years of cellar time (a few could be 5, 10, 15...)

People are advocating for Bordeaux, which makes sense -- my wine of the year turned out to be Cheval Blanc 2005 last year. Sets you back $1000 or so, however. The same producer from a recent vintage would "only" cost $500. You could consider including a bottle or two, for some future special event. Drink in 20 years. Cote Rotie reds, the great ones (like Chapoutier 'Ermite Hermitage, or J.L. Chave Hermitage rouge) peak in that timeframe too. Cheaper, but not "cheap" -- probably $250 each.

In the 15 year range I might go with wines like Marcoux VV from CDP, or Pegau, or Janasse VV. These richly reward the cellaring time and aren't even going to break your budget. In fact some may seem suspiciously cheap... Pegau is "only" going to run $65 or so. Totally worth it. Don't bother with their fancier da Capo or Cuvee Laurence: the latter is over oaked and the former, while amazing, is actually similar to the much cheaper Marcoux VV (which is probably exactly $150).

Once you hit 10 years, a lot of wines can be worth cellaring. Napa cabernet, for example. I'm obsessed with Misc, a really obscure producer available by direct sales or from DB Fine Wines (and from nowhere else). These run $99-$125 a bottle (depending on the vintage... 2018 was quite good; 2019 a little weaker). They drink well starting after 4 or 5 years, but will mature and become quite complex in the 10-15 timeframe. Just now I'm going nuts over the ChPratt INGRID bottling, the 2019, at $65. Just amazing, available from the same store. In fact there are tons of options even just from Napa. Toss in the rest of California and you can easily fill that tiny cache.

You will probably also want to cellar some white wines. I would go with high-rated Riesling (it ages fantastically for 10 years), like from Alsace: Trimbach if you like tart wines, or Zind Humbrecht if you want a richer mouthfeel. At most $75. The Zind Humbrecht late harvest wines, by the way (especially the "drier" VT Pinot Gris) totally rock, by the way, although they aren't really dry at all. Quite sweet. Better than Sauternes with foie gras.

Anyhow, got to run, but at least this tosses out some non-Bordeaux ideas! I'm not pushing for Burgundy: they used to age well. Now, in your price range? Not so much. And honestly, I'm wondering if expensive Burgundy ages well, too (there have been issues with the white wines for two decades and you see more and more people worrying about reds that "should" have blossomed in the bottle, but never did). At those prices, though, who would buy them to pop and pour six months later?




jmcmchi -> RE: Teeny Tiny Cellar Challenge (1/24/2023 1:06:51 PM)

quote:

My wife's family is Lebanese so we're definitely going to get some Chateau Musar. As for the Oregon PN, any recommendations? Thanks for the Don Melchor recommendation because I was hoping for something from South America. Cheers!


Older (c 20 years) ones I've enjoyed include Sineann, Willakenzie, Anne Amie. Resonance (now owned by Jadot) vineyard lasts well. Eyrie, Drouhin, Divio should all work as well as the >$100 Archery Summit and Domaine Serene bottlings




DoubleD1969 -> RE: Teeny Tiny Cellar Challenge (1/24/2023 6:21:56 PM)

The wines that are being suggested vary widely in style. It's fine if you buy a couple of bottles of each. Over a 30 year period, it won't matter because you probably won't have it again or remember what it tasted like years ago. However, if you allocate 15-20 bottles (out of 30 - 40 total) of a region that you won't enjoy, then it's gonna suck.




WineGuyCO -> RE: Teeny Tiny Cellar Challenge (1/25/2023 9:12:26 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: ROEL





La Rioja Alta (the winery [8|]) also merits your interest.


I’m a HUGE fan of Lopez de Heredia Viña Bosconia. A no brainer wine at $30-$35 a bottle. Viña Tondonia is also excellent but $40-$45.




Page: [1] 2   next >   >>

Valid CSS!




Forum Software © ASPPlayground.NET Advanced Edition 2.4.5 ANSI
0.140625