Hey all, 
I’m 23 and this year I started collecting wine. I’m from the UK Before, I went to tastings and had my parent’s wine and have a general idea of what I like. Mainly it’s red Burgundy, Bordeaux, Sauternes and port. I also like white Burgundy but my father has so much that I he needs all the help he can to drink it before it oxidises. I currently have 5 and a half cases stored in either in a bonded warehouse that is climate controlled (so I don’t have to pay VAT tax until I drink it) or still at the chateau because it was purchased en primeur. My goal is to purchase wines that I can lay down for at least 5 years as I currently still have access to my parent’s wine. What I’m struggling with is deciding how diverse to make my wine collection. Here is what I’m trying having problems with:
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Do people only buy wines by the case to lay down that they’ve tried before? Are you comfortable buying a case of wine that is from a region or grape variety that you like to put down if you have never tasted that exact producer before? Sometimes with Bordeaux it can be expensive to buy single bottles of fully mature wine to figure out if you like the wine. Also they can be difficult to find and could have been stored poorly (an issue which I gather is close to the hearts of many of this board). For example, I was given an offer by my wine broker of a case of 2006 V.C.C. that was priced below going rate (I use Fine and Rare as a reference). I’ve never had V.C.C. before and in general have not had a massive amount of right bank Bordeaux but I pulled the trigger based on his recommendation and it was time sensitive so I couldn’t go out in the middle of work and pick up a bottle to try.
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How important are scores to people when they buy wine? Has this always been true for people? When I’m not buying from a specific vineyard or producer that I know I tend to gravitate to their relevant Parker or Burghound score. I imagine most people have gone through this phrase (and it is sometimes looked down upon to bring up Parker in conversations with your broker). In short I know I shouldn’t be a score whore and just use it as a guide. However, when you have limited experience, what is the become less reliant on scores when often you can’t easily, particularly with Burgundy, drink that exact wine.
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For Burgundy collectors, how do you decide on your producers? I have a list of about say 5 producers where I have been able to have multiple examples of the wines they offer. Should I only be buying from those producers to keep or can I be more adventurous and try say a Clos de Beze from a producer I don’t know if I already tried a Clos de Beze from another producer and liked it?
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I have been making an effort to try grape varietals and regions that I am not experienced with. I went out and had a Riesling followed by some Australian Shiraz. I also bought a bottle of Riesling and a right bank Bordeaux to try from my local wine shop. While I’m still building confidence in my palate, particularly with these regions that I haven’t had much of, should I be taking a risk here given that I have a limit on the amount of wine that I can purchase per year? I also was on a trip to Napa which was great and allowed me to expand my new world palate. Sadly shipping is costly so you can mostly only get certain wines from the US in the UK.
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What were any things that you wished that you knew when you started collecting nice wine to age? Do you have any tips to avoid?
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How loyal should you be to your wine merchant? I really like the guy and in general he has a fantastic selection and can often get the rarer wines of the vintage that are in allocation at other larger merchants (for example BBR had Pontet Canet 2011 on half case only and sold out fast. However, this guy got me a full case without a problem. Sometimes his burgundy collection can be a little more limited, but it is still better than most. Should I continue to build my relationship with one retailer or sign up to a bunch of different lists and cherry pick?
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How strongly do people follow vintages? If an expert is light on a particular vintage, do people avoid it all together? I’ve been cool on the Bordeaux 2011 because it is not meant to be a great year but have still bought a bit. My attitude is that because prices are low, I’ll be able to buy from producers I’d like and have had before at a cheaper cost. However, some have said to drop bad vintages all together. What is everyones’ take on that?
Thank you for reading through! All of the advice is greatly appreciated. ![[thankyou.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/d/df165fe9c1593d19166ae7e1ffe5e272089cc07b.gif "thankyou"){kind=small}
EDIT: Sorry accidentally posted this one before I had finished and ended up double posting. Any way to fix this given both threads now have replies?
Luckily (sort of?) I am now 65, and I bought enough in years past, when the prices were considerably better. Now, some of the negociant grand crus are still not TOO expensive, and here it’s worthwhile to read reviews, or posts here, to get a feel for the overall quality level of some given producer. Then check the strength of the vintage you are considering. The great bottles are just too expensive now to taste before cellaring (generally speaking, for me anyway!) Otoh, they will always repay patience if well stored. But now they take so darn long to age properly! Years ago, a 15-year-old Burg was pretty much “mature”. But starting with the 1988 vintage, I think, winemaking in Burgundy changed styles a bit, and the wines went into the bottle much fresher, with more attention having been paid to less oxygen exposure during racking, etc. So now, a good vintage is still rather youthful at age 20!