Starting a wine collection?!
Starting a wine collection?
I have about $5000 to put into it. I have space for about 20 cases. I would like to have mostly bottles to lay down, and a few to drink now. Mostly red, focusing on France, Italy and Cal. Cab. Any suggestions?
Answers:
A few suggestions:
1) If your intention is to cellar some bottles for an extended period, make sure the cellar conditions are suitable for this. The temperature should be stable, somewhere between 55-60 degrees Farenheit. There should be 60-80 % humidity to keep the corks from drying out.
2) $5000 is actually not a lot of money if you're looking for age worthy wines. You won't get 20 cases of good age worthy wine for $5000. Go after just a few big name expensive wines, and then focus on good value after that.
3) Here are a few suggestions on currently available or soon to be available wines for cellaring. You should have some of these in your cellar even if they are not to your liking now. Your tastes will change over time and you don't want to regret not buying these years from now:
Bordeaux 2000 and 2005. In these two years, you can pretty much buy anything in any price range and have a great, age worthy red. 2000 still available. 2005 coming next spring/summer.
Brunello di Montalcino 2001. Presently available.
Chateauneuf du Pape 2003 or 2004. Both vintages are presently available. Very consistent quality in a variety of price ranges. The best will age for 25 years or more.
Burgundy 2005. Very consistent. One of those rare years when Burgundy had widespread quality and you can buy with confidence. Arrival next year or late this year.
Sauternes 2001. Classic year for this dessert wine. 2005 may be very good as well, but we'll see.
Port 2003. Lots still available. Definitely age worthy.
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Response to Karoline M, with all due respect:
When it comes to the classified growths, they certainly would be overpriced, but in a classic year like 2005 there is enormous value amongst the fourth and fifth growths, the cru bourgeois, and petits chateaux. Wines like Chasse Spleen will never be extravagantly priced in any year, but in 2005 will easily achieve classified growth quality.
Cheers!
honestly, you would do well to befriend someone who owns a restaurant/liquor store. often times, if you order something through a restaurant, you can avoid paying full retail price. i used to work at a place that would only charge 20% over cost for bulk orders. if focusing on red, look for good years of bordeaux. this should be easy to research. buy things young and allow them to age. in italy, look for the super tuscan styles. these are big sangiovese's that should age very well. overall though, i think italian wines are inferior to many new world vineyards in chile and argentina. the southern hemisphere is often overlooked for red wine. try to get some good chilean cabs as well as argentinan malbecs. also, go for some australian shiraz. this ages well and are full of juicy fruity flavor. australia also does grenache very well.
I would very highly recommend buying a case of Laura Zahtila's Beckstoffer Vineyard Cabernet. I do not know how familiar you are with specific vineyards in Napa, but the Beckstoffers' is always considered to be top quality fruit. Most Beckstoffer Cabs are very expensive but Zahtila's comes in around $50 a bottle. It can easily lay down for 10 to 15 years as it has good tannins and a full body. Most Cabs grown around the Silverado Trail (esp Stags Leap District) should age well. I'd also recommend many of the Spring Mountain wineries such as Pride or Schweiger. Other wineries I've had good luck with aging include Cuvaison, Frank Family, Freemark Abbey and Peju (just a few to get your juices flowing). Most good Cabernets that are going to last are going to be at a high price point. I would definately buy a case of anything you are going to invest in because first of all you get a discount, and second you can taste how it ages from year to year. Have fun and happy drinking!
Agree 100% with Amuse above except avoid 2000 and 2005 Bordeaux. They're pretty much all overpriced. Yes, those vintages were better than 1988, 1989, 1990 by a couple points, but why spend more money for a more recent vintage? You'll just have to wait 10-17 more years to drink them.
Cult Cabs are more expensive than French or Italian and harder to get. The biggest problem is that they make great mantlepieces for wealthy businessmen.
If I had $5,000 totally dedicated to ageworthy wine here's what I would do:
Proper storage for 30-something bottles - $500
12 bottles of various 2003/2004/2005 Chateauneuf de Pape - $1,200
6 bottles of ageworthy 2001 Piedmont reds - $600
6 bottles of 1998 Chateauneuf de Pape (almost ready) - $800
12 bottles of 1988-1990 Bordeaux (almost ready) - $1,800
Oops, there it went.
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Response to Amuse who is not being respectful. A 2005 Chasse Spleen costs $28 and is an 89-91 point wine based on unreliable barrel tastings and will be ready to drink in about 15 years. A 1989 Chasse Spleen is a 91 point wine, costs $80 and is ready to drink right now and will last for about 5 more years. Decide for yourself. I'll be enjoying my wine while you're staring at yours.