I’d be flexible of the numbers of each. A half dozen could allow for reasonable insight into how they age, and allows you to have a bit more flexibility e.g. 2005 vs. 2004 Rioja or two different producers from the same vintage.
If those are the wines you like, then I’m not sure I could come up with alternatives that you’d like more, so instead it might be something from a different region / of a different wines style e.g. Montevetrano Taurasi or Tahbilk Marsanne or Wynns Black Label Cab Sauv or Selvapiana Bucerchiale. Better to follow your own palate for 6/12 bottle purchases, and take other suggestions for the odd bottle here & there.
For sparkler, I do like Pinon Vouvray Brut with some age, and it is cheap. It’s not trying to be Champagne and can sometimes give a hint of cider, but there is plenty of interest / cellar potential for a very cheap price.
Gary: Agreed, had some concerns with Terre Nere. Have quite a lot of the single vineyard wines, but prefer to buy a few of each as opposed to a single case…and they’re a bit over $35. Will look into your Tuscany recs. I think most of my choices so far fall into the $20-30 range…
Jeremy: Any specific recommendation for 2015 Bojo under $30?
Marcus: Thanks for your insights into WV PN. Its an area I’ve been looking to explore for some time, this is a great place to start. Do you usually have an offer available during Berserkerday?
Thanks Ian, good points. Happy to hear recommendations on regions I haven’t mentioned as well. At under $30, I’m willing to take some risks…I feel like if I’m choosing a wine from a good vintage from a well respected producer I’m not going to be too disappointed, and at the very least will gain insight into the style and how it ages.
I’ve only had one bottle of the PGC Berserker '14 and while I think it’s a great value for $20. It’s not something I’d cellar for 10 years (primarily because of vintage).
I’d pick up a '13 or even an '11 if you can find them. The '14 Berserker certainly needs to age and I’m curious to try it in 5 years after the oak settles a bit but 10-15? Maybe it will go that long but I’d bet on the cooler vintages first.
I have been impressed with the potential of the Boutari Naoussa Reserve and the Xynomavro/Merlot to age well.
A lot of Tuscan reds (Mazzei Castelli do Fonterutoli “Siepi” Toscano IGT comes to mind, though too expensive in this case) can easily go 10+ years.
The Sonoma Valley and Sonoma Mountain regions yield many affordable, age-worthy reds. The Zinfandel wines and red blends from Bump Wine Cellars are incredibly interesting wines, but they scream for significant aging. Ravenswood Pickberry red is another candidate. I believe that you can find plenty of reasonably priced wines from this nook of California.
I wish you luck in your search. I also encourage you to ask yourself what you are seeking in a wine with many years under its belt.
I have no idea if you like the style but traditional, sturdy Cru Beaujolais should easily go the distance. I am talking about stuff like Burgaud Morgon Côte du Py, Fleurie Cuvée Tardive and Griffe du Marquis from Coudert and Domaine du Vissoux Moulin à Vent Les Trois Roches. From Chinon you could go with Baudry’s Les Grézeaux and Alliet’s Vieilles Vignes. From Austria I have had good experiences with aged Rieslings from Bründlmayer and Schloss Gobelsburg, for example Heiligenstein and Gaisberg respectively. With Mosel it is hard to go wrong with any of the top producers but AJ Adam’s Kab’s and Spätlesen seem to evolve at a glacial pace.
It might be worth getting older bottles of some of your cellaring candidates to verify that you like the way they develop. Although conventional wisdom might be that certain estates/regions can survive or improve, its not any guarantee that you will like them at that point.
Case in point: Personally I like my red Rhones on the farther ends of the normal aging spectrums, yet like my white Rhones on the very young side.
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The other thing to think about, if your cellaring space if finite: sometimes it doesn’t make sense to use scarce spots for wines at that price point. Because they don’t have much speculator interest, they can sometimes be acquired years later, for hardly more than release prices. Lanessan is a wonderful wine with age, yet old ones rarely cost more than $30, so consider that. Maybe the wines to lay down yourself are the ones that cannot be found readily years later, or if they can be found, will have gone up a lot in price due to scarcity, thus justifying cellaring oneself.
This is very sage advice. With the proliferation of online auctions and consignment options, it is so easy to get mature examples of a wine in single bottle lots at reasonable prices. Many, maybe most, wines even at the high end just don’t appreciate in cost especially when opportunity costs are factored in.
In the past, if one liked mature wine, you had to lay it down yourself and wait, and futures campaigns used to make it worthwhile to buy early.
I rarely buy young wine anymore, unless a great deal or a wine that drinks well young.
Bandol reds can be purchased with some age on them for decent prices. Same with many Spanish reds.
Joseph Swan Zins, some Contra Costa reds, and the Pinot Noir wines from Windward in Paso Robles can easily go the distance. Australian Semillon and Riesling wines can age effortlessly.
I have to mention that there are plenty of Washington state reds that mandate a few years of cellaring which fall under $30.
For sparkling, Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs fits the bill. I tasted an older bottle a while back and was surprised at how well it had aged. I want to say it was 12-15 years old, maybe more. Lots of good suggestions already (La Vieille Cure '04 is rocking now with plenty of life left, CRU BEAUJOLAIS, etc.), to which I’ll also add Ch. Arnauton from a good vintage ('09 or '10 should work if you can find them).
Huet Vouvray (any sec or demi-sec)
CCR from Felsina, Querciabella, etc.
Luneau-Papin Muscadet L d’Or
Pepiere Muscadet Briords or Clisson
tons of German Kabinett/Spatlese, starting with Willi Schaefer
tons of Beaujolais, starting with Roilette/Thivin/Desvignes/Savoye
Baudry Chinon Les Grezeaux
