My grandson is four years old. I am building up cases of wine produced in 2014 to give him as birth year wines. I created a separate thread just on white burgs because of the premox problem, so here I am looking for recommendations for age-worthy other wines from around the world from that vintage. I already have an assortment of Aubert, Carlisle, Bedrock, Saxum, Rivers Marie, Scarecrow, SQN and others of that ilk, but who knows? Maybe he will go over to the dark side and like red Burgundy, Bordeaux, Pinotage, Argentinian Malbec and the NE Patriots. I want to give him an eclectic international selection to choose from. So please offer up your suggestions.
PS - I had the 2014 Paolo Scavino Bricco Ambrogio at the winery last year and I loved it, so that is going on the list when it makes it to the US.
Buy 6 bottles from 3 reputed producers.
2 Chablis
2 Corton Charlemagne
2 Meursault
2 Puligny/Chassagne
Oh sorry it adds to 8… as usual I suppose, always buying too much
See Don Cornwell rankings of producers ref premox and take the lower risks.
A few that I would recommend from Bordeaux would be Grand Puy Lacoste, Domaine de Chevalier, Beau Sejour Becot and Coutet. I tried all of them at the UGC tasting early last year and enjoyed them.
Well u need at least 8 if you want to end with 1 that’s not premox’d
Kidding aside. 14 is a birthyear wine for my daughter. I got Bordeaux and mags of Riesling. Maybe will get some bubbly in a few years.
I have some new world too (saxum sqn napa cabs etc) I just don’t know if these will last 20+ years. But that said, I can still drink them in 10+ along the way and relive the day she was born, I imagine that to be a fun experience as well. The old world are more wines I drink “with” her.
Aubert, Carlisle, Bedrock, Saxum, Rivers Marie, Scarecrow, SQN and others of that ilk
I would definitely go for something else. First of all, who knows if those will even last, much less improve, until he’s old enough to drink, and then whether they will be things he likes. Depending on which Carlisle and Bedrock you have, they may be pretty interesting, but the rest are of a type. Riesling changes drastically with age and some people don’t like it. I’d think hard before adding it b/c it’s so good young and not all wines have to be aged to be good.
Get something from Ribera del Duero or Rioja. Those will age and improve. Get some Bordeaux. Get something Italian for sure, maybe not Piedmont but something Tuscan. And get some Port. Maybe something else sweet or fortified. And why not something from Greece? Then I would get out of Europe. S Africa has really improved over the past 20 years, and there are many Australian wines of note that might be good. If you don’t want to spring for Grange, go with Penfold’s 707 or something along those lines.
Here are some wines that I think offer value and quality in a year that’s got a lot of choices…
Beaujolais: Coudert Fleurie Clos de la Roilette Cuvée Tardive ($28)
Beaujolais: Coudert Fleurie Clos de la Roilette Griffe du Marquis ($44)
Burgundy: Domaine Roulot Monthélie ($80)
Burgundy: Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Clos de la Maréchale ($100)
I WOULD AVOID TUSCAY. Every producer I visited talked about the rain and how difficult it was to make wine this year.
Piedmont: 2014 Giuseppe Mascarello “Monprivato” ($160)
MAGNUM: Produttori Del Barbaresco
Loire: Domaine Guiberteau Saumur Les Arboises
Out of the way: Buy a pair of 2014 Musar Blanc & Rouge (when they are released)
My son was born in '14 as well. I got some Hall “Jack’s Masterpiece” (his name) which gets good press and I think will have the stuffing.
Ridge Monte Bello is always a good choice (got a bottle for him and a half for me in the meantime
I’m excited about a few domaine Huets that will be fantastic when the time comes
Have acquired a few bordeaux (Haut-Brion, Cos, PLL). Chevalier was good (and importantly, available and affordable) but not great on release for my taste. Didn’t have the depth I was hoping for.
I’m planning to add Montrose, VCC, Dunn Howell Mtn, and maybe some burgundy… Classic stuff under the $200 mark … Clos de la Marechale is a good suggestion above.
Rioja is a great idea but still several years from release.
I’m aiming for relatively classically styled, non-cult bottles that are likely to maintain value and interest in the marketplace. I did buy one Quilceda Creek that breaks the mold a little but should be fun nonetheless.
Enjoy the collecting for him, hopefully it will be a shared interest!
Agreed, pass on Tuscany—I heard the same report and that most of the good producers were “bulking” out their Brunello into the Rossos.
Everyone will have their own thoughts on Bordeaux, but my faves from the UGC were Talbot, Kirwan, Pichon-Comtesse and the amazing Pape Clement Blanc. Let me say again, the amazing PC Blanc.
Burgundy, I think the 14 reds are underrated a little, but it’s not a true signature vintage and one that may drink a trifle earlier than, say, 05 or 10 or even perhaps 15.
He’ll never diverge to the Patsies—not as long as you draw a Green-filled breath, my friend! J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets!!
I like your idea of Musar, Kirk–isn’t that Serge’s last vintage?
I remember 2014 in the Mosel as inconsistent rather than idiosyncratic. Choose well and there are some amazing 2014s. Egon did very well and I loved the Prum auction wines (less clarity on the regular releases).
That said I haven’t drink any since just after release, and I would be somewhat cautious of buying sweeter wines for a 20 year old, though I’ve done just that for all my boys!
I really, really like the wines that I tasted. My daughter was born in 2014, and I put down a bunch of the 2014 Prum Bernkasteler Lay auction auslese, as well as most of the wehlener sonnenuhr non-auction wines. If you are putting down birthyear wines, then you are resigned to taking what the vintage gives you, but I’m pretty happy to have 2014 Prum in my cellar regardless.
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I think there are some red Burgs that will go the distance, but you will have to spend some money on those. If it were me, I’d be concentrating on Bordeaux: Pichon Baron, Montrose, La Mission Haut Brion, for example. Domaine de Chevalier made an excellent, intense, well structured wine in 2014 that I think could have a long life, and you can find for around $50.
Agree with the Bordeaux recommendations. I would throw in Leoville Poyferre as well which won’t break the bank. Perhaps wrap in a Tom Brady jersey and have some of the greatness seep into the bottles…
Good suggestions so far. I’d add Barbaresco to the mix. The Produttori Riservas aren’t out yet but look to be solid and nicely ageable. I really liked the Ca’ Novas I’ve tasted, and Sottimano has been very good the last few years. And these are all sub $75 wines, even a lot lower. If you want to spend more the Gaja Barbaresco (‘normale’) is likely to be a stunner with a long life.
