Bryan –
You are wise not to jump headlong into purchasing a bunch of young wines highly touted by people here on the board. What a disappointment to have to wait five-plus years, only to find out you really don’t like them.
My advice is to try older wines that have reached a level of maturity to see if the style aligns with your palate. That way you can either find those aged bottles for sale, or buy those wines (or others similar to their profile) on release with the expectation to lay them down in the cellar. The idea is to find that right octane mix – where you have enough bottles that are ready to drink now, while squirreling away enough wine that will subsequently age and come online in years to come.
You want to buy one or two bottles from good vintages from reliable producers. At first, I’d focus on bread-and-butter, tried-and-true regions that produce fine wine. I think you need to calibrate your palate to see where you fall on the intensity spectrum – more extracted, “modern” style vs. more delicate, “traditional” style. Are you a “forward fruit” guy or a “dirt and twigs” guy? That’s a very rough rubric, but you get the idea. Each style has its place and each has its fan base – you just need to judge for yourself where you fit in.
From a practical point of view, I think K&L’s online wine auction is a good place to try and pick off some decent wines that have requisite age on them at a decent price. Every day, dozens of good wines pass through the system and customer service is very good IMO. I also like that most lots tend to be two or three bottles, so you don’t have to bet the farm on one choice. I know many people will advise you never to buy at auction as you don’t know where the bottles come from or how they have been handled, but my experience has largely been positive in regards to bottle condition from these auctions.
If you are interested in a lot, check out Wine Searcher to see what the going rate at retail is and determine your price ceiling. Also, look at CellarTracker.com and view recent reviews of the wine. Once again, many board participants will tell you that this is useless, as you have no idea who the posters are, if they have the palate of a yak, etc. But you generally can tease out some general stylistic notes/trends about the wine. I also like to do a search on this site to see if trusted voices here have had the wine and posted notes, a sort of WB seal of approval as it were.
yet.
A lot of this is like handicapping a thoroughbred horse race, with many data points (many of them conflicting). Sometimes, a sure winner will fall flat on its face. And sometimes your hunch is right, and a longshot comes in.
Take your time. Try a few wines. Don’t buy any cases yet – especially of a wine that you’ve never tasted!
Here are some very personal and biased tips on wines to look out for from the Old World. This is by no means an exhaustive list and features a mix of price points. But many of these wines will be priced between $50 and $100, if not more in some examples:
Red Burgundy: Bourgognes from good producers in ripe vintages like 2005, 2009; village wines that are “open” from less heralded vintages like 2007 and 2014: Fourrier, Mugneret-Gibourg, d’Angerville, Bertheau, Chevillon, Bize
White Burgundy: St. Aubin is a sweet spot for typicity and value (Colin-Morey or Lamy); Chablis from Dauvissat
Red Bordeaux: Look for both Left Bank and Right Bank wines in unheralded vintages now ready to drink – 1999 and 2001. Sociando Mallet is a consistent QPR winner for classic claret profile.
Northern Rhone: Hard to find value married with true excitement IMO; but St. Joseph wines from Gonon, Faury and Chave Estate are good place to start …
Southern Rhone There’s a sea of indistinct Cotes du Rhone, but some bottlings from great producers like Beaucastel and Chateau des Tours (Rayas) are good QPR – baby Chateauneuf du Papes at a fraction of the price. Also look for Gigondas and Vacqueyras, as well as aged Tempier Bandol reds
Red Loire Not an expert, but I’m partial to leafy, crunchy Chinons from Breton and Baudry. You often find aged bottles at very attractive pricing.
White Loire: Francois Cotat for Sancerre; look out for aged Savennieres for a cerebral Chenin Blanc!
Barolo: You will have to pay for aged wines, but many drink well on the young side – Burlotto, Vajra. I am also a fan of buying lesser appellation wines (Langhe nebbiolo, Barbera, Dolcetto) from masters like Giacosa and Conterno
Brunello: Like the Loire, relatively easy to find good, aged wines from vintages like 1997. I like Ciacci, Col d’Orcia, Banfi … I find Riservas often not worth extra tariff.
Riesling: Buy kabinett, spatlese and auselese from great producers (Prum, Donnhoff) in good years (2001, 2005, 2009, 2015) to see if these wines are for you. Easy to find; won’t break the bank.
Champagne: Vintage grower champagne is the way to go for maximum craft and attractive pricing … Egly, Vilmart, Peters
Rose: I adore Tempier’s rose as the consummate summer sipper and am willing to pay the tarrif. Loire roses are crisp and refreshing (Crochet, Baudry)
Dessert: Raymond Lafon is a good value play in Sauternes, as is de Fargues at upper end (Y’quem at half the price?)