I’ve seen a few posts about having a large cellar with seemingly nothing to drink that fits the occasion (often from a cost or age perspective). in order to avoid this issue I’d like to dedicate a rack to ageable wines that are under $30 (ideally closer to $20) that can be aged at least for the midterm (10-15 years). In addition, since most of my wines are purchased in ones or twos, I’d like to purchase these wines in case quantities so I can follow them over time. My cellar is also very Euro-centric (90%+), so I’d like the rack to contain wines from different regions.
Here’s what I have or have planned for. I have 10 rows to fill:
Piedmont: roduttori Barbaresco
US/CA: Ridge Geyserville or Lytton Springs? Is 2015 a good vintage? Bedrock?
Oregon: Patricia Green Berserker Cuvee, Goodfellow
Rioja: Rioja Alta Ardanza, Heredia Reserva Tondonia/Bosconia, CVNE Reserva
Sicily: 2014 or 2015 great vintages, must be something here?
Chinon: Olga Raffault Les Picasses, Baudry Grezeaux
White Loire: Pepiere Briords/Clisson
Bordeaux: Sociando Mallet, Lanessan, Cantemerle, Gloria
German or Austrian Riesling: Brundlmeyer Zobinger Helligenstein
Sparkling: Pinon/Huet/Foreau
So…any ideas? I’m open to changes. The only ones set in stone are the Produttori and PG.
The Bordeaux selection is easy if you want traditional wines with a long history and track record of producing solid wine year in and year out with the ability to age gracefully:
Sociando Mallet and Cantemerle
The 2014 Sociando and Cantemerle are sub-$30 and the 2015 Cantemerle is $30.
There is no 2015 Patricia Green Berserker Cuvee. Marcus Goodfellow produces PN that can age a very long time, though MSRP is perhaps a bit above your price target. Still, worth seeking out.
Would change 2009 Olga Raffault Les Picasses to 2010, but that’s my vintage preference.
Bordeaux has oodles of wines $20-$30 that will keep for 10-15. They may not improve with age but they hold well. Robert’s suggestions are two of my favorites (and those can require some age to show best IMO). Depending on what style you like, I’d add these:
Lanessan (fairly old school)
Charmail (fruity and fun, but with just enough gravitas)
Tour St Bonnet (usually $12-$18, very old school with some serious aging potential)
Vieille Cure (modern but very well made. The 2003 is still going strong)
Carbonnieux rouge (middle of the road stylistically, I am big fan of the 2005)
Gloria (middle of the road, rewards aging, but has enough fruit to drink younger)
Maybe think about adding Tuscany. There are some high quality Rossos out there from some respectable producers (Valdicava, Biondo Santi, etc). Depending on where you’re buying from and what vintage they can be found for around the $30 mark.
15 year old basic Terre Nere might not be a good thing. Now the contrada wine OK. But they are going to be > $30. Not sure about your storage, but you might not be happy with tons of $15-20 wines at age 15.
Tuscany
Voliero Rosso di Montalcino
Uccelliera Rosso di Montalcino
Il Poggione Rosso di Montalcino
Valdipiatta Vino Nobile
Dei Vino Nobile
Ambra Carmignano Santa Cristina
Poggio Scalette Chianti Classico
Castello dei Rampolla Chianti Classico
Right Bank Petite Chateaux - Saint Emilion satellites (like Montagne-Saint Emilion), Lalande de Pomerol and the Cotes de Castillon. There are hundreds of Chateaux that fit your bill under $20.00. And you can stick to the great vintages like '09 and '10. At ten, fifteen years of age you hit a home run everytime.
Stay away from bigger domestic wines, Southern Italian reds, spoofy overdone Rhones - stay with Bordeaux. There is a reason it dominates every single cellar on earth.
That’s a pretty good list Daniel. I would add a cases of Lanessan and Felsina Chianti Classico Riserva. Possibly Coudoulet de Beaucastel if you are open to southern Rhone wines.
The PGC Beserker Cuvée is a great choice, Jim and Pattie’s wines are usually hitting their stride as they get to 10 years old.
I’ve been opening older bottles of our Willamette Valley lately and have been really happy with how they have aged. A month ago Ben Casteel, of Bether Heights wines, and I were tasting through the cellar and somehow got onto the topic of cellaring entry level wines. He also tries to get people to lay down the basic bottling(a bottle of 1991 BH I had in 2002 was a revelatory Oregon wine for me.) There are a few Oregon wineries I cellar the entry level of, and which have very different personalities, all would make good use of a rack and easily age a decade: Cristom(Mt. Jefferson), Crowley, Evesham Wood, and Eyrie. I know our WV bottlings improve over the time and am happy to guarantee them for a decade. That said, while 2014 is a lovely vintage, don’t overlook 2013s. 2015 is also looking to be a great vintage for the cellar as well.