If you like bull’s blood ! ![[snort.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/b/bdc3944606213c4dca6c1169cf0a166c8bc4f8c9.gif "snort.gif"){kind=small}
James, how much age do you like on your Boudreaux?
I typically am aging it on whatever recommendations I read from people like Parker etc
I find most critics aging recs to be on the youngish side for my palate, and a lot depends on your storage conditions
That’s what I’ve read too. At this point so new, that I’m just looking to all the resources I can fine to gain a perspective on when to drink it
Pro-tip… If you are responding to a particular comment in a thread, quote it, so people have the first clue of what you are referring to.
I think I figured this one out, but there have been others where I have simply thought “wtf” ![[scratch.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/4/42a16863a8714da3c1604419e3eb9206bb87aa50.gif "scratch"){kind=small}
Yikes I’m so sorry
Pro-tip… If you are responding to a particular comment in a thread, quote it, so people have the first clue of what you are referring to.
I think I figured this one out, but there have been others where I have simply thought “wtf”
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My advice is determine first what type of occasion you will be drinking these wines.
If you are trying to save them for special events then buy bottles that are more expensive/quality so that when you open it, you just feel all giddy inside.
If you are looking for casual drinking then determine next how often you will be drinking. Say you drink pretty frequently then go for bottles that are in the $30-$80 (this is just an example, you have to figure out the actual cost yourself). So that you will have plenty of bottles with your $1000 for the rest of the year.
As for what to actually buy, I would say it really depends on your taste and it’s case by case by each vintage. Some years you can have excellent ABC wine but next year ABC wine can be not so good.
Don’t buy too much of one wine from one vintage.
And my last advice is, minus 3-4 points off the Pros scores.
Scott,
If you were directing that to my post, I don’t know if you knew what I was referring to or not ,but here is some history;
Did not intend a quote .
"The current wine scandal in Italy is certainly not the first and probably not the last vino vulgarity. Wine lovers are still smarting from the recent Austrian antifreeze crisis. And it doesn’t take a lot of historical background to recall the infamous Bordeaux scandal.
In fact, several years ago an Italian winemaker was found guilty of using a variety of chemicals and bull’s blood in his wines. When the judge asked him what he did with the millions of lira, he replied:…"
Which is a very good strategy indeed! Why not have a buying strategy that goes something like…
When you try a wine and really enjoy it, commit to buy 2-3 more of it, or 2-3 more from the same region. Let the growth happen naturally, and driven by your own palate rather than Parker (or rather these days Lisa Perotti-Brown, or other members of the Wine Advocate team). You have the best two palates in the world to guide you in what the two of you will enjoy. Trust the best - yourselves!
I should have specified that $1000 was just for cellaring a few nice bottles but my budget is more than that.
@James: Unlike others here, I actually think you’re doing a pretty reasonable thing (buying futures of wine you like). It won’t be the way to get the cheapest bottles - you’d be amazed at how often prices go down after the wines come out - but if your time horizon is 20 or 30 years the difference is small. I’d suggest two additions:
Taste Bordeaux before buying. Means you won’t buy in the first flush of futures but you can still get in early enough. Look for UGC Tastings - they happen in NY and SF, probably other places. There’s nothing like tasting things yourself! There is some guesswork to correlate young tastings with aged flavors but if you know you like it now that’s a good sign.
Buy some bottles with age. With the larger Bordeaux producers this is remarkably easy and (IMHO) worries about provenance are overblown. There are tons of stores with a good supply of older bottles, and places like K&L have continuous auctions that are very reliable (and I speak from having bought hundreds of bottles this way). Pick a producer you like and try bottles from 1990 and 2000. You’ll learn a lot, and have fun drinking nice wine! You might even find that you can buy bottles from good vintages like 2001, or great vintages like 1996, cheaper than you can buy current releases.
This approach has led me to actually stop buying new release Bordeaux (2012 was my last vintage) and just keep backfilling older vintages because I learned that I like these wines with a lot of age (at least 20 years). But perhaps I’m older than you (I’m 55).
If you name a few producers you have been buying/like we can give more specific feedback.
I need to educate myself more on the typical times different wines can age. Any thoughts on a rough timeline list for a variety of wine?
Oh one last thought - this discussion is all about red Bordeaux. Other regions (Piedmont, Burgundy, California, heck, even sweet Bordeaux/Sauternes) have a very different calculus. The truth about Bordeaux is that the producers make very very !! large volume and the wine is available for many years.
This is a complex question because wine aging goodness is highly dependent on your subjective tastes/preferences. For example I’m drinking a 1996 Chablis tonight that I’m loving but many Chardonnay drinkers would not enjoy. Most premium European wine can age for decades if stored well.
Read my response above. My best advice is to buy older bottles and start drinking them.
K and L auctions, any issue with authenticity? How about any other recommendations for auctions?
I really only worry about authenticity at the very high end (DRC, Lafite, etc.). K&L is a rock solid shop, as good as any.
There are many other auction outfits, as well as retailers that sell older bottles. Search this board for listings. Some dependency on where you live due to Intra-State shipping arcana.
I am going to try out their 4 bottle Cab collector membership. Thankyou for the recommendation.
James, have you had mature Monte Bello previously? This is a wine that, like a lot of Bordeaux, many people find benefits from significant aging. 15-25 years or more. It may make sense to have a mature example to understand if it is a wine that resonates with you.
Advice I always give to neophytes.
Join a local wine group. That way you can taste a lot of different wines and will get a far better idea of what you like. Also in most wine groups, there are always experienced tasters, who will advise and help.