IMO the glaring “roundish cellar for all situations” omission is champagne/sparkling. I’m interested in why people are suggesting more Italian reds and more sweet wines, it sounds like you know what you like there and are pretty covered (although I could never disagree with adding Barolo, nerello, and Sangiovese to any cellar). a couple things that are not covered by 90% of your cellar are 1) sparkles 2) French non-cab grapes 3) sparkles.
sparklers are the big one here. they go with everything, they’re uniquely different anything that makes up 90% of your cellar, and there’s occasions where sparkling wine is the only answer that makes sense. I also think any well rounded cellar needs a selection of pinot and Syrah. especially pinot, if nothing else because its all some people will drink. it fits a lot of foods that are poor matches for the tannic reds that make up 2/3 of your cellar as well.
I never buy Barolo because I expect I’ll have to wait 20 years to drink it… is this wrong? Portugal’s wines made from Baga, which is roughly speaking our equivalent of the Nebbiolo, (usually in the Bairrada region) in the 1990s are only now coming to their maturity, and their tannins are definitely still packing enough punch.
I am going to take a bit of a different opinion to the marathon not a sprint - given the current situation. I am in my mid 40’s and when I look back at my wine buying regrets - they begin with I did not buy enough at the dot com bust or the financial crisis. There were deals everywhere and I missed out on not buying enough on those deals. So I am not saying go crazy - but i think there are some decent deals out there (and sure more to come as deals are no where near as good as they were in 2010). If you can afford it, I would really take this time to look to buy some wines as history tells me prices will only go up. Hopefully, not too irresponsible of advice in this crisis.
Other than that - some great picks here. Love the thoughts of Taste, taste, and taste. Best advice I ever got was… don’t listen to anyone else’s advice (or scores) and drink what you like. Yes there is a circular message there.
Really like rec’s on Italians (and Tuscans) - some of best values and versatile wines out there. Seems you also like lighter to medium weight wines. New Worlds Pinot (my guess is based on barbaresco and German Riesling). Loires. Southern Rhones all seem like a decent fit to your palate.
like with all things, it depends a lot on the Barolo. I love the wines from Vajra and I think they are very accessible young I think. but the best traditional barbarescos are best with some age I think too… although the 2016 Produttori del Barbaresco even has me questioning that!
but the point of my post was far more that the OP already has a lot of Nebbiolo based wines, and if the goal is a well rounded cellar, being able to say 90% of your wine comes from an area that’s less than 90 square kilometers is not that well rounded. Now, if the goal is owning only what you love and who cares about anything else (totally valid cellar goal!) then I think OP is right on the money.
I was not suggesting to make his cellar 90% nebbiolo. My point was mainly that he likes nebbiolo and perhaps it makes sense not to ignore one of the better generational vintages at hand while he starts exploring other regions.
Regarding barsac, a similar idea. He likes sweet wines, so exploring other sweet regions makes all the sense (to me). Especially a region that hits his price point perfectly where one can buy the best wines made over the last 40 years at his price point due to the relative unpopularity of sweet wines today.
Your cellar is impressive! I started drinking wine around your age. Now I’ve got three kids and three college funds, so I’m always on the hunt for things that punch above their weight. (CT ptaylor2112).
If you haven’t already, I’d suggest coming up with a monthly budget and sticking to it. There are always deals to be had, so you might as well develop the willpower to pass on that killer offer just sitting in your inbox. There will be another. And another.
Your cellar could fill up quickly, so I’d expand slowly and not buy full cases of a single bottling (exception for that Lytton Springs tho). I would start with a mixed case shipped from a reputable shop. Kermit Lynch has been importing excellent wines from France and Italy since the 1970s. I’m sure they could put together a great case to fit whatever parameters you give them.
For specific regions, Beaujolais has outstanding wines at or below your price range. Chateau Thivin (Cote de Brouilly) and Nicole Chanrion (Brouilly) consistently punch above their weight. Other names in the area are LaPierre and Foillard (both in Morgon).
And I think you’d really like wines from Sicily, especially reds from the Etna region.
Finally, keep posting on this board. There are lots of smart folks who love to talk about this.
Patrick
Oh yeah, squirrel away $$$ for Berserker Day next Jan 27th.
I definitely get that. it just depends I guess if OP is just looking for something not in his cellar already or really looking to fill gaps in styles he has very little of. neither is wrong!
the 2013 Langhe Nebbiolo from Roagna is still pretty widely available (at least here in the US). I’ve opened two bottles of it so far and its fabulous. if you can find it somewhere that will ship to you then its worth grabbing to help fill the years while you wait for the Barbaresco! mine were all about $30US
If you like sweeter Rieslings I would try Huet Demi-Secs (Le Mont, Clos de Bourg, etc.) before Sauternes, IMO they have more Riesling-like acidity and food friendliness than Sauternes does. They are right in your price point too, regularly available for $40. They have good up-front sweetness but finish tangy and acidic and are a fantastic food match. They also age forever. Sort of like a richer version of Riesling in the form of Loire Chenin Blanc.
Just one thing – if you have 148 bottles by 32 and are already posting on Wineberserkers you are going to have a LOT of trouble keeping your cellar to 200 bottles, LOL.
More Chianti - 2015 & 2016 are great vintages, and more often than not, the wines drink well young, old and in the middle, plus they are good QPR and very food-friendly.
Plenty of good advice here and so many regions to explore! So I won’t add one but will pile onto Champagne. As others have said, it’s different enough that it really complements your cellar. Bit what is champagne good for? Everything! I’ve gotten a pretty hefty champagne bug because it gives me so much of what I’m looking for in fine wine.
Totally yummy, goes with nearly any food, easy to appreciate, and yet with plenty of depth and complexity to geek out over. Tremendous variety but still it’s not too hard to figure out where to start. Lots of entry level wines, but also some premium options to step up to that aren’t ludicrous. Generally widely available.
For me and my friends Champagne is a regular part of our wine consumption. And for non-wine geeks it always seems special!
In your price range some ideas are Bereche Brut, Pierre Peters Cuvée de Reserve, or Chartogne-Taillet St. Anne.
You are doing really great finding Prum so quickly. You aren’t going to find better values anywhere in the world than German wines from producers like Prum, Zilliken, Schloss Lieser, etc.
I agree with others that Loire Chenin Blanc is a natural next step because they can also be a bit sweet. Do note that not all Loire wines are made from Chenin Blanc. Wines from Chenin Blanc that are table wines will be labeled Vouvray or Savenierres, the regions they are from. There are two other major types of Loire whites, those from Sauvignon Blanc (Sancerre and Pouilly Fume are the best known villages) and then Muscadet. Try them also, but they are very different from Loire Chenin Blanc.
Sauternes tend to be richer than German sweet wines with more new oak, less sweetness and and lower acidity. As a bridge, you might try a Barsac like Climens, Coutet or Doisy Daene. These wines will be a bit lighter than a Sauternes and will have more acidity. Another great area for sweeter wines is back to Loire Chenin Blanc. Vouvrays labeled Moelleux will be sweet, as will wines from Coteaux du Layon, Quarts de Chaume and Bonnezeaux.
At some point, you might want to dip your toes into what I might call the classic regions, Bordeaux and Burgundy. There are truly expensive wines from both of these regions but there are also wines not nearly as expensive. Look at these threads:
For all these types of wines - German, Loire, Champagne, Burgundy (but less Bordeaux) - you might look into a wine newsletter called A View From the Cellar by John Gilman. http://www.viewfromthecellar.com/ John, who participates here from time to time, reviews wines from Germany, Beaujolais and the Loire at least once a year, and wines from Champagne and Burgundy multiple times a year. His newest issue which I got yesterday has an article on white wines from the Mâconnais and Côte Chalonnaise - parts of Southern Burgundy with excellent value wines.
Lots of wisdom on this thread so far. I will add an additional thought, which is to take into account the fact that your palate and preferences will likely evolve over time (there are several threads on this). I swore up and down that I would not buy German Rieslings or Loire reds/whites when I started collecting wines in the late 90’s and here I am with an interest in them now. I had the same experience with red Burgundy and now red burgs make up the largest component of my cellar. As Howard has pointed out, you will be confronted at some point with whether you want to engage with Burgundy and Bordeaux or not. The problem is that for many wines, one has to wait 15-20 years to begin to experience the complexity that many of us crave (per the 1997 Musar). So by the time you decide to investigate a region you might be stuck with waiting until retirement to truly enjoy them. I finally started buying red Burgundy in earnest with the 2005 vintage, most of which are not close to being ready, and I’m 66.
If you think you are going to start purchasing red Burgundy, which is a whole topic until itself, start early. One strategy (among many) is to start with the 2000 and 2007 vintages, so-called off vintages on release which have the advantage of drinking well now, and which may well be still available. If they appeal, then starting a journey which requires a 15-20 year time investment might make sense for you.
I echo others who have congratulated you on your head start regarding Musar, Riesling, and Nebbiolo.
Great tip! Have just had 1 bottle of Huet demi sec and 1 sec paired with a nice Maroccan fish tajine and cheeseboard respectively and this really bridges the gap for me between my love of Riesling and Chenin
Fascinating stuff, will be stocking a couple of these for sure …
Thanks, yes champagne is an underdeveloped area for me, problem being for some reason I can’t shake the feeling that opening a bottle of champagne should be done at festive occasions only
Maybe I should get over it and start drinking it more casually, have heard of wonderful and intriguing combinations such as (Korean) fried chicken with champagne!?
I see you’ve already picked up some Ridge Geyserville…smart man! Throw a few bottles of Goodfellow out of Oregon into the mix - you won’t be disappointed.
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