Most expensive I’ve bought is in the $250 range. Highest value is ~$1000.
An anecdote: About 6 - 8 years ago, we ran a sales contest with one of my reps. The top 3 sales people from a state in the south got an invite to Maine for a long weekend in September. I could rent them a nice saltwater 3 bedroom cottage for a reasonable price after Labor Day. 4 nights, one dinner in a cool restaurant with a good wine list, one dinner in a lobster shack, one dinner cooked by me at my home, last night on their own in Portland. One of the three brought a guest, my rep was there, me and Sally made 7, a good sized group.
It went incredibly well. The night at my place, I invited the top-selling rep to the basement, told her to pick a bottle. She picked '74 Heitz Martha’s. Don’t remember what I paid, but it was definitely less than $100. And I remembered the 1968 as the Big Kahuna. Figured the '74 was probably worth ~$300 plus. It was very great wine, appreciated by all, at peak. After they were gone, I got curious, looked it up… it was worth ~$1000. Today, at least $2K. So what?
It was purchased to drink, and it was enjoyed with:
Sally, my SW rep (a good friend) and sales people (only one of whom I’d met) who had worked hard to sell my wines.
If you love great wine, buy it to the extent that your budget permits. Drink it. Sell it if it makes sense to you. No regrets and don’t look back, except with memories of great wine.
Non-berserker alert: On bottles purchased just for myself, I’ve only spent more than $50 for one (or perhaps two) bottles over the years. I currently have one which was a gift to me which is in the >$100 category. I don’t own anything that’s appreciated in any highly significant way. Picked $50-99.
Did a blind tasting 2 years ago with 2 wine literate friends. 1998 Chave ‘Cathelin’ vs 1998 Chave ‘Hermitage’. 1 got it wrong, the other 2 (me included) got it right. But. 2 of the 3 of us (me included) had a preference for the Hermitage vs Cathelin. The Cathelin was of course the bigger of the 2, and I usually don’t go for that…
I agree with this but everything depends on where you are in life. I am retired. Kids are long out of the house and working. No mortgage. Wine cellar is pretty full. I really don’t need “everyday drinkers”. I need to drink the ones I own.
The only times I have sold wine that has appreciated is where the situation is what you describe. For example, I had some 2000 Carruades de Lafite. Bought for a bit less than $30. Was eventually worth over $200. Did not think it was worth that so sold the wines at auction and used the money to buy some d’Yquem. Thrilled that I did this. Also did it at the time with a few other wines. Happy I did so with those wines.
But, for most of my wines that have appreciated, these were wines that I purchased at relatively reasonable prices. I was truly excited to buy them. Over time, others decided that they liked the wines also (the wines got hotter) or just the wines of Bordeaux, Burgundy, etc., have appreciated a lot (the wines got hotter). I held the wines for years in a temperature controlled wine cellar (at least they did not get hotter in terms of temperature) in anticipation of drinking great wines. Now that they are in many cases ready to drink, I want to drink them, not sell them. I know that we all have different money needs, but I would find it sad to never drink wines I have been looking at longingly for 20-30 years. I get a lot of joy opening these bottles and, esp., in sharing them with good friends who also are wine lovers.
I blacked out when combing through a Drouhin offer last year and bought a bottle of Amoureuses, and that is far and away the most expensive wine in my cellar. I think it was like $600 US, but I would prefer not to remember.
I own wine 150 and under but I recently joined the Realm list and ridge monte bello futures list so the realm prices will be over 200. This thread made me feel guilty about purchasing these more expensive wines. Should I cancel my Realm list and not bother with these 200 plus napa cabs?
Welcome to Wine Berserkers. People on this board have varying financial circumstances and price points at which they purchase wine. There are people who spend thousands of dollars per bottle, people who don’t spend more than $50 per bottle, and everywhere in between. All are welcome and none should feel bad for purchasing the wines that they purchase, regardless of price.
The only thing that should determine whether you continue to buy Realm, Monte Bello, or other wines is if you enjoy them and find them worth the money you pay for it (whatever that maybe).
The Cabernet based wines of Realm and Ridge Montebello are some of the finest red wines in the new world, and in my opinion, are definitely worth their mailing list / futures prices! Very different in style, but both are at the upper echelon of quality and are good values for that quality. As long as you enjoy them, I’d say keep buying and drinking them!
Wow, 18 folks have a bottle of wine in their cellar worth more than $20k. I find that to be amazing, because the universe of said wines is so small. DRC RC in certain vintages - maybe I haven’t kept up on current price escalation, but is there any Bordeaux that goes for $20k?
