What are you backfilling?

Some recent posts made me wonder how many of us backfill and what we backfill. I may start taking a look at 2001 & 2004 Bordeaux and am keeping eyes on 2004, 2006, & 2010 Brunello.

Edmunds St. John

Unfortunately I can’t afford to backfill any longer. If I could, it would be select 80s vintages of Bordeaux. :frowning:

Gary’s is having their annual sale, and I used to backfill on Olga Raffault Les Picasses, including '79, '85, '89, '90, and '07.

Personally don’t like backfilling, especially since there is plenty to consume, right here & now, but I can never get enough of the freakish 2003 Northern Rhones.

Generally I’m trying to buy more back fill than new releases. I can buy those '14s and '15s in 10 years! I look for deals over a fairly wide set of wines - 1985/89/90/95/96 Bordeaux, 1996-2001 Piedmont, 1993/96/97/99/2000/2001/2002 red Burg, 2007/2008/2010/2011 white Burg, plus a bunch more. For me these buys fill the ‘drink in the next few years’ gap while my younger bottles snooze away.

Bordeaux 88,89,90,96,00,01
Burgundy 99, 01, 02

Which sources are most reliable for backfilling? I’m looking to source some birth year wine from '78 & '79.

Given the crazy 15 pricing, I was looking to backfill on some 14 white burgundy until I saw prices had jumped by nearly 50% vs what I paid last year en primeur.

99, 02, 09 Burgundy.
Some vintage Champagnes.

If you can find quality 2005 Bordeaux at a good price, buy it.

For Burgundy, I love 2010s.

Nothing specific, keeping buying reasonably well constrained, so I’m not setting out to buy more wine.

However in broad terms:

  • Not backfilling on: stuff I’ve already got reasonably well covered; stuff I don’t especially like (whatever the bargain price); stuff that is pushing the limits of age, as I have a few of those already & need to drink them before restocking

  • Backfilling on:
    a) would be nice to fill the 1980s gap in Nebbiolo. For some reason I’ve got younger and older, but nothing between 1974 and 1996 currently in the cellar
    b) Other wines that are on my radar - I’ve no objection to having pre-cellared wines

Looking for deals on 2008-2012 Burgundy.

86, 96 Bordeaux
07, 08 White Burgundy

Interested in hearing if anyone back fills pinot noir from California? I’ve started to back fill Williams Selyem pinots from 2005-2014 because I’ve tasted these wines from my father’s cellar and feel confident about the wine getting better and/or holding taste. I don’t have much experience with other producers, except for small amounts of Rhys.

What other California producers do you trust to buy from sites like K&L and WineBid?

some late '80s Bordeaux and big cabs from '95, '96, '97

Rivers Marie (hard to find), Au Bon Climat (hard to find), Sojourn (hard to find), Tyler (a little easier to find), Foxen (usually a good QPR).

Occasionally, I still see Burgundies around from 2001 at good prices. For example, I know that at the winery Rossignol-Trapet still has (or had last summer) some 2001 Chambertin and Latricieres Chambertin at attractive prices and I think I have seen one or the other in the US on wine-searcher. The LC is drinking really good right now while the Chambertin needs more time.

2000 and 2005 Bordeaux
d’Yquem

Magdelaine. Corison.