Is this really often the case though? I tend to think the age premium for most wines in these categories is not many multiples except for perhaps the top, rarest wines in the top vintages when provenance is also bulletproof. It seems to be well recognized that one can often buy aged examples for not much more than current release, and often less, with auction prices keeping pace with price inflation on the newly released wines. Obviously, when talking about DRC, Petrus, Latour, etc from top vintages the pricing may well hit multiples if reputable storage is a known factor, but this seems to be the exception rather than the rule.
As for the merits of aging, I, presumably like many, find mixed results. There are situations where I find a wine too tertiary but others seem to really like it. There are other occasions where I do find something truly wonderful and much better than a younger iteration. As you say, this is a matter of personal preference.
Agreeing with Michael above, I believe the increased cost is what youâre paying to store the wine for years or decades. Few people are making a profit.
I misspoke - in most cases, the up-price for aged wine is not many times more expensive, like in multiples.
But, as you point out, it does happen with top and rare wines. That said, I will give one example - a recent vintage Prum Riesling Auslese Graacher Himelreich Gold Capsule is about $125-$150 retail. On the Acker Auction, the 1976 vintage has a minimum bid of $450.
Is that wine really that much better at 50 years old than the recent vintage? I once heard a famous Riesling producer say that the old time winemakers would say that for a quality Riesling it was âvintage plus ten years.â I think at a certain point wine crests the hill and goes on the downslope. Yet I do maintain that many people fetishize the downslope and pay good money for it.
But, too, this is my own palate and preference, because I do not like how the fruit tends to fade in aged wine. Likewise, I have had real old Barolo and it loses fruit and tannins, and is kind of light and rusty in color and has an âoffâ nose. I personally do not get the hype. But that is just ME.
All that said, I bought the 2005, 2006 and 2007 Spring Mountain Elivette off LB and am curious how it is. I have only had the 2012 so far - bought a case - and it was fantastic. I would speculate it is right in its window and better than say a 2017.
I wouldnât call it fetishization, itâs just different tastes. Some people love aged cheese, some people canât stand the smell. I donât want to say âacquired tasteâ, because that implies that oneâs preferences will change with enough exposure. But itâs certainly something thatâs valuable for some buyers based on whatâs in the bottle, not just a trophy of the year printed on the label.
A wines value goes up with age due to increasing rarity, costs to properly store, care for the bottles and because its somewhat of a status symbol of success. You either have the means and infrastructure to correctly store bottles for decades or you have the capital to purchase the bottles from someone that did the work for you. Have you ever had a 20 year old Runcut, 30 year old Latour or 25 year old Romanee-Conti? Recently enjoyed a JJ Prum 2005 Gold Kap Wehlener Sonnenuhr and it was much more complex and enjoyable then the same wine from the 2019 vintage served alongside it. 1970 Dodge Charger recently sold at Mecum for $210,000 or you can buy a 2025 Charger for $60,000. If you have the meanâs $$$ which, would you rather drive?
Still on the topic of Elivette: after finally getting my hands on a bottle (2015) purchased a while ago and held until fall shipping, I wanted more. I emailed last bottle to ask what was still available. As of Friday, they still had
Do you drink any Bordeaux? To me, most Bordeaux needs at LEAST 10 years if not 20 or 30 in some cases. Aged Bordeaux is probably my favorite type of wine, with aged old school Napa cabernet being second.
Its quite obvious that many cellartracker reviewers prefer younger wines, so youâre in good company.
From a value perspective, I think itâs just supply and demand. They donât make a ton of Prum, so the older it gets the less common and therefore more expensive it is.
I have had 5 year old Lynch Bages that was way too young. OTOH, I have a 2016 Gruaud LaRose that was not very tannic and I did not think would benefit from further aging.
if you have additional bottles of 16 GL and have the ability to age them correctly for another 5-10 years. Please try this experiment. This vintage of GL should be fine out to 2040. My bottles of 09 GL still need more time. Otherwise old school bordeaux âGLâ might not be in your wheelhouse. You can always go Right Bank, where some offerings mature more quickly or are more approachable. Take a look at Leoville Poyferre at a similar price point to GL
They have 2005 in magnum for $110. The 2007 magnum sold out.
I bought 3 bottles of 2011 and itâs too late to combine with another order. So, Iâm either ordering 6 bottles of the 2013 or sitting on the sidelines.
Iâve enjoyed this wine over the years. Their style is generally a pretty restrained Cali pinot with whole cluster fermentation, so if you enjoy that this is a buy at that price. I went in for 4.
Itâs a very good deal if you like to stare at labels, though not sure an argument can be made that Beringer is that kind of collector piece. Itâs a nice wine though. For the same amount of money you can get Cam X Lot 25 which will way over deliver in comparison.