What wine are you collecting?

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coxhaus said:
Anybody collecting California wine? I am more of a drinker, but I have much better access to California wine.
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The only mailing lists I'm on right now are Once & Future (Ravenswood founder Joe Peterson) and Bedrock (Joel's son Morgan).

Currently working my way through some of the vintage Ravenswood that was offered up recently to Once & Future mailing list. These wines definitely hold up for 30+ years.
 
A nearby grocery store has three bottles of Gaja Pieve Santa Restituta Brunello di Montalcino 2016 marked down from around $100 a bottle to $69. I know Gaja mostly for their barbaresco, even though I've never tried or anything else from them. Worth trying their brunello at a discount? Price is a bit high compared to what I usually buy but I've been told Gaja don't put out anything that isnt excellent.
 
MarcelNL said:
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/...+di+montalcino+tuscany+italy/2016/netherlands
I stay away from grocery store wine at that price level unless I know for sure it's been kept appropriately...too often grocery stores of their regular stock can get blistering hot in summer and you end up with a lifeless bottle of plonk without apparent faults but with no fruit whatsoever left.
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This place keeps their wine section air conditioned, so I'm not too concerned about excessive heat, but for sure I've been to some places where they've kept their wine in the shop window in 35c heat for weeks at a time. Never buying that.
 
DamageInc said:
A nearby grocery store has three bottles of Gaja Pieve Santa Restituta Brunello di Montalcino 2016 marked down from around $100 a bottle to $69. I know Gaja mostly for their barbaresco, even though I've never tried or anything else from them. Worth trying their brunello at a discount? Price is a bit high compared to what I usually buy but I've been told Gaja don't put out anything that isnt excellent.
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For me it is more a question of style than anything else. I have not tried that wine, but I have had Gaja in the past. The wine is outstanding in a style I don't prefer -- it's more modern than I typically appreciate. If you want to see what a terrific modern rendition of Brunelllo looks like, that sounds like an opportunity.
 
Cliff said:
For me it is more a question of style than anything else. I have not tried that wine, but I have had Gaja in the past. The wine is outstanding in a style I don't prefer -- it's more modern than I typically appreciate. If you want to see what a terrific modern rendition of Brunelllo looks like, that sounds like an opportunity.
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Giving it a go, went back and bought today.

20230525_193541.jpg
 
DO let us know how it pans out, figure you want to give it a good rest after transporting it..I never understood what it is that makes it a need, but resting wine after transport appears a requirement IME
 
MarcelNL said:
DO let us know how it pans out, figure you want to give it a good rest after transporting it..I never understood what it is that makes it a need, but resting wine after transport appears a requirement IME
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Of course, I'm saving them for a special occasion, but when I do open I'll share my impressions.
 
Any lovers of Australian wines?

I’ve been buying, cellaring and drinking for a couple of decades now. I find it very rewarding, and I enjoy the surprise of finding a well aged red to share with friends and family at Christmas.
I find myself consolidating around Barossa Valley, Clare Valley and Grampians Shiraz / Syrah’s predominantly.
 
NameAlreadyTaken said:
Any lovers of Australian wines?

I’ve been buying, cellaring and drinking for a couple of decades now. I find it very rewarding, and I enjoy the surprise of finding a well aged red to share with friends and family at Christmas.
I find myself consolidating around Barossa Valley, Clare Valley and Grampians Shiraz / Syrah’s predominantly.
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I usually have 400-600 bottles in my cellar. The usual suspects: Shiraz from the Barossa and Hunter Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon, much of it from Coonawarra, Pinot Noir from Mornington Peninsula and Yarra Valley, and Riesling from Eden Valley. Two whites that are worth cellaring for a decade or more are Hunter Valley Semillon and Negambie Lakes Marsanne. (Mt Pleasant Elizabeth Semmillon and Chateau Tahbilk Marsanne are outstanding examples.)
 
Michi said:
I usually have 400-600 bottles in my cellar. The usual suspects: Shiraz from the Barossa and Hunter Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon, much of it from Coonawarra, Pinot Noir from Mornington Peninsula and Yarra Valley, and Riesling from Eden Valley. Two whites that are worth cellaring for a decade or more are Hunter Valley Semillon and Negambie Lakes Marsanne. (Mt Pleasant Elizabeth Semmillon and Chateau Tahbilk Marsanne are outstanding examples.)
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Oh wow! That’s a scale that I can’t achieve with my available space and budget, but massive respect!
What Shiraz’s are you enjoying at the moment?
I’m a relative newbie (<10 years to the Wendouree mailing list but that seems like it has great cellaring potential from what I’ve experimented with so far.
I’m a big fan of Best’s Great Western, but that’s a bias I have since I grew up not far from there, so very familiar with their wines.
I’ve been struggling to find a Barossa Shiraz that I can commit to. I’m a big fan of the fruit from the Ebenezer block, but I haven’t found ones that have gone the distance. I used to like Kellermeister (Wild Witch and Black Sash), but since the unpleasantness I haven’t been amazed with them. I’ve got a few different bottles aging at the moment to try and find something I can commit to. Any recommendations?
 
Kellermeister is great, I think. There are several Penfolds from the Barossa, but they are kind of pricey. Yalumba is always a good buy. Hayes Family is also worth checking out, and reasonably priced.
 
Haven't found Hayes Family yet. Will keep looking. One other Shiraz that is worth a shot: Pepperjack. Drinks far better than its price.
 
Choppin said:
Oh yes, the long list of wines I used to afford but now are far beyond my reach... don't even like thinking about it, haha.

Like sumis, I usually collect with a similar time frame in mind: 5-7 years, maybe 10 for a few selected bottles. My favorites are natural (or biodynamic, lutte raisonne... I'm happy with anything low intervention) bottles that reap some new expression within that time frame.

Just to name a few favorites:

- Beaujolais red (Foillard & gang, also younger producers)
- Rhone red (used to be JM Stephan but it's kinda pricey right now... Pierre Gonon is incredible)
- Burgundy (1er cru or "1er cru level" village from reasonably priced producers)
- Jura (mostly whites, still have some old Overnoy stashed)
- Chenin blanc and riesling (two grapes that gain immensely with some age... so many good producers here)
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Great collection - outstanding wines, but agree, JM Stephan has gone crazy. People are nuts about go on, just tried one and it was terrific. I bought JLC hermitage a few years ago - still expensive, but not crazy like today. That wine is divine
 
thanks! I have downsized my wine storage "situation" in the last few years. went from ˜500 bottles capacity to ˜100 (moved to a smaller apartment and started other expensive hobbies like this one :D). so I don't have a ton of bottles from these producers, but the ones I have are dearly cherished.

from JM Stephan I still have some of his Cote-Rôtie ('15, '16 and '17) and a couple of Coteaux de Bassenon. I try to hold on to them as they have a lot of aging potential, which it's tough since they are also delicious young (specially the Cote-Rôtie). nowadays I'm looking at other more affordable producers from the Rhone. Eric Texier is good example - he has a similar style to JM Stephan (natural but also clean) and makes fantastic wine that's not super expensive.

I have to try JLC's Hermitage again. it's been a few years since I had a bottle...
 
Choppin said:
thanks! I have downsized my wine storage "situation" in the last few years. went from ˜500 bottles capacity to ˜100 (moved to a smaller apartment and started other expensive hobbies like this one :D). so I don't have a ton of bottles from these producers, but the ones I have are dearly cherished.

from JM Stephan I still have some of his Cote-Rôtie ('15, '16 and '17) and a couple of Coteaux de Bassenon. I try to hold on to them as they have a lot of aging potential, which it's tough since they are also delicious young (specially the Cote-Rôtie). nowadays I'm looking at other more affordable producers from the Rhone. Eric Texier is good example - he has a similar style to JM Stephan (natural but also clean) and makes fantastic wine that's not super expensive.

I have to try JLC's Hermitage again. it's been a few years since I had a bottle...
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A “more affordable” hermitage that I have tried and like is Laurent Tardieu. Far more affordable than JLC of JMS, it packs some really delicious flavors
 
Choppin said:
thanks! I have downsized my wine storage "situation" in the last few years. went from ˜500 bottles capacity to ˜100 (moved to a smaller apartment and started other expensive hobbies like this one :D). so I don't have a ton of bottles from these producers, but the ones I have are dearly cherished.

from JM Stephan I still have some of his Cote-Rôtie ('15, '16 and '17) and a couple of Coteaux de Bassenon. I try to hold on to them as they have a lot of aging potential, which it's tough since they are also delicious young (specially the Cote-Rôtie). nowadays I'm looking at other more affordable producers from the Rhone. Eric Texier is good example - he has a similar style to JM Stephan (natural but also clean) and makes fantastic wine that's not super expensive.

I have to try JLC's Hermitage again. it's been a few years since I had a bottle...
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Vincent Paris cornas “Granit 30” (for sooner) and “Granit 60” (for later) are consistent, affordable N. Rhone reds too, if available where you are.
 
@Michi - Apologies for the delay, school holidays caught me by surprise.
I gave Niki from Hayes a call today and have a mixed six of their single block Ebenezer Shiraz coming sometime next week (two each of Primrose, Hoffmann, Marcus).
It might be a while before I get to drinking them, but very interested to try the difference between terroir within a small patch at the north of the Barossa.
 
@Michi - some interesting details extracted from some emails backward and forward with Brett Hayes (the wine maker) over the last couple of days:

“Ebenezer is really a split personality, on the east side of Belvidere road you have red dirt over red clay, rich powerful fruit driven wines, hoffman territory, on the west side you have elevation as it extends up to the moppa boundary. On the flats you have sand (the Marcus and Block 15), as you go higher you get to primrose and the ironstone soils, all 3 within 500ms but very different.
Bottle age is a very personal one. I like Ebenezer Shiraz 5-15 years, but happy to drink young as long as there is no added tannin. We do not add tannin, many Barossa producers do. So our wines have a softeness to them that means they drink well young, but they are still tannic, but integrated.”
 
NameAlreadyTaken said:
@Michi - some interesting details extracted from some emails backward and forward with Brett Hayes (the wine maker) over the last couple of days:

“Ebenezer is really a split personality, on the east side of Belvidere road you have red dirt over red clay, rich powerful fruit driven wines, hoffman territory, on the west side you have elevation as it extends up to the moppa boundary. On the flats you have sand (the Marcus and Block 15), as you go higher you get to primrose and the ironstone soils, all 3 within 500ms but very different.
Bottle age is a very personal one. I like Ebenezer Shiraz 5-15 years, but happy to drink young as long as there is no added tannin. We do not add tannin, many Barossa producers do. So our wines have a softeness to them that means they drink well young, but they are still tannic, but integrated.”
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Thanks for that! I'm about to order a few I haven't tried yet :)
 
what is that red dirt anyway? I find that some soils produce flavors that put me off, which is a reason I tend to stick to Italy and France for wine and stay away from f.e. South Africa, Australia. Completely personal, the wines from those countries can be great, yet there is something that puts me off...perhaps that is a good thing as it keeps me from pouring more than a glass ;-)
 
Yeah, I’m not really sure of the connection between the red dirt (typically a loam) and the wine flavours and how it drinks, but Brett’s got way more experience with that dirt and making wine than I do, so I’ll defer to him, until I get my delivery and can taste for myself.

I’m guessing it’s similar to this (a photo from the Barossa, but not from Ebenezer):
1688037515055.jpeg


I totally agree about the personal preference thing though. Aussie wines, Shirazes in particular, have a polarising quality, and can be a bit to overwhelming compared with equivalent French or Italians (Syrah). That’s not just the soil though, the ferocious sun, and lower rainfall probably plays a part in making the fruit different. Further south in Mclaren Vale has different soils and climate owing to being closer to the coast as well, so Shirazes there tend to be different again.
Generalising here (which is never true in all cases), some Aussie Shiraz has been characterised as “an iron fist in a velvet glove”, which I guess is just an articulation of that polarising quality, either you like it or you don’t, but you’ll likely have an opinion either way.

Availability of good quality Australian wines too I’m guessing is the same issue we have in Australia for getting bottles of good European wines, there’s just less bottles available on the shelves, so typically what sells overseas isn’t representative of the domestic market (either positively or negatively). I remember being appalled seeing the terrible (overpriced) Australian wines available in England while on holidays that I wouldn’t choose to drink at home, but luckily there were excellent European options to try!
That said, in the local market there’s a dirth of great wine makers doing lots of interesting styles and varietals that are pretty competitive price wise compared with overseas imports.
 
sure, it's not intended to be generalizing! I've had some truly great Aussie wines, in Australia and on board with Quantas. The stuff we buy here is hit or miss, and the better bottles tend to be so expensive I'l rather bet on more familiar turf.

probably comes down to 'when in Rome do as the Romans do' ;-)
 
Would I be correct in assuming that flight with Qantas might have been a couple of decades ago? It’s been a while since people have been positive about travelling with Qantas…..
If you’re ever back down under, hit me up and we can crack a few bottles and do a tasting across some of Australia’s smaller wine makers.
 
hahahaha, no it was not decades ago...but one decade ago it was...actually I slept better than on any other flight but that likely was the ultra long haul speaking ;-)

I'll make it know when I get 'down under', I did my best to avoid a nilly willy treck down there a while ago, next time I may put up less of a struggle ;-)
 
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