investing in wine ship sailed years ago… i think we are in a downward glide path for the next 20 years.
I totally agree. Buy wines you like in small quantities. Your palate will evolve. Wines you love in 2014 will probably not be wines you love in 2019 or 2029.
what’s your budget per bottle. Then people can make suggestions
A good way to try stuff is to check out CC on the Site. A lot of people will sell/trade things for a variety of reasons whether it be their tastes changing or raising funds for various reasons, but most sell/trade below retail and you can find a wide range of stuff. Not a bad place to look from time to time.
Joshua, as another n00b I’d like to ask you one question - why bordeaux? It’s not exactly an entry level wine (forgive my terminology if it’s wrong). I recently brought a 2002 Lynch-Bages to dinner with friends and I could NOT enjoy it because of the smell of pencil shavings that’s a characteristic of bordeaux. I’ve found I prefer chianti, particularly classico. I like the hints of cherry, black currant, plum, and the slight spicy tingle of pepper. If you enjoy drinking bordeaux then go for it, but make sure you try a bottle or two before you start buying it up. You can get nice bottles of Clerc-Milon for under $100, and there are very good vintages of Lynch-Bages from the '00 - '08 range for $100 to $200-ish out there. Both were recommended to me as good brands to sample.
One thing I’ve learned from friends that have vast experience is to drink what you like. Wine is for enjoyment, and not everything that the critics like will float your boat.
The second thing I’ve learned is to buy a good wine fridge, at least twice the capacity that you think you’ll need. I used to keep a 12 - 18 bottles around the house, but since ramping up my involvement there’s at least 6 dozen bottles now. Two 36 bottle Danby units are in my basement now for whites (we prefer vouvray and riesling) and it’s cool enough down there (sub-70˚) for unrefridgerated storage of red.
Dennis,
Great post…welcome to the forums. I have to ask…have you tried “older” Bordeaux? Something 30-40 years old maybe? There are lots of great wines out there that I really love from Bordeaux…but I like them at the 30-40 year mark…not the 15-20 year mark. There is a HUGE change as it really begins to age beyond the 20-25 year range for me. Also…you’re mentioning classified growths. Have you tried some of the other Bordeaux? You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get good Bordeaux…you can…but you don’t have to. If you look in my cellartracker you’ll see I’m not one to buy many Bordeaux either. I like your plan to go with what you love…and you can’t go wrong with that. I’d just add one small piece of adivise that I’ve shared before. Build a balanced cellar. You may not like Bordeaux…but buy one nice bottle every 5-8 vintages to cellar…in case your palate shifts later in life. I really started “collecting” in the summer of 2006. I wasn’t getting Champagne at all…but I was smart enough to follow someone’s lead and buy two bottles of '96 Dom ($100). Later when I decided I not only liked Champagne…but loved it…the same bottle was $250…it’s now north of $300. It hasn’t even been 10 years and the price is tripple. With buying wines that can age for 20-30 years the worst case scenario is that you trade it for something you like on commerce corner. The best case scenario…you have your epiphany and are glad to have 2-3 special bottles already aged.
Dear Joshua,
I would invest all of your time and spare money in attending tastings with people whose palates are more advanced than yours. Keep doing this and buy small amounts of wine until you know where your vinous heart lies.
Anthony.
Joshua, I would get on the lists of some “investment” style domestic wines as well. It may take a while for your number to come up but, try for some California and Washington State higher end, tightly allocated wines.