I'm done*

In advance of the oncoming spring, I am trying to get all of my wine currently held by retailers shipped. And as the boxes pile up on the cellar floor, with no room in the racks to put them, and as I start doing age/bottles-per-week math in my head, I have decided to declare, here, publicly, that I am done buying wine.*/

I say this in part because after declaring, with great hubris, that I had bought nothing recently in the “what have you bought lately” thread, I immediately bough 6 bottles of recent vintage reds, a bdx and a burg. Why, I cannot explain. Good wine, yes, and good deals too, but seriously, this has become an autonomic reaction and not a conscious decision.

So, I am declaring here – so that the fear of ridicule will keep me honest – that I do not care whether someone is virtually giving away spectacular 2016 (or 17, or 18 . . .) bdx or bdx or barolo wines. This matters to me, officially, about as much as a 75% off sale on car covers for a 1966 Silver Shadow. The quality of the product may be outstanding and the price may be too low to believe, but I have no use for it. And I am declaring myself, officially, not interested.

*/ I suspect I will continue to be an easy mark for well-aged, reasonably priced reds. And it is conceivable that my currently-overflowing stock of champagne could require replenishing. But buying young red wines at this juncture is just not sane.

Are you retracting the PM you sent me yesterday?

And welcome to reality! We old now! New wine is a young person’s game. I even laughed when I grabbed another 2010 Vieux Chateau Certan, but unlike you, I stopped at 2014 Bordeaux and did not venture into 2015/2016. I just grabbed a bunch of 2015 Levet and declared to Fu, this could be my last vintage, I hand the reins over…

Backfilling is the game now. With asterisk.

Nah, I bought the 14 GPL because the deal was “too good to pass up,” and I was excited as if I had won something for getting a “bargain.” Then I realized how many of these I already owned, how much other 2000, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2014, and 2015 bdx I am still allowing to age (not to mention 2005-15 burgs, 98-2013 barolo etc) and asked myself whether I really expect to be drinking these wines in my 90s. It is ridiculous. My kid likes champagne, a little, but red wine not at all. For whom (or for what) am I aging them? To auction them? Feh!

In all seriousness, the fact that this will be a challenge is sad. It has become an expensive and useless habit – succumbing to the chase for the “right” wine at the “right” price for the chase’s sake – and it has to stop.

proposal:

Continue researching for deals, because we all know thats gonna keep happening anyways, because thats half of the fun part about why this is such a fun passion, but when you see deals, pass em along to those of us with budding collections and cellar time. when yall are still drinking way longer than your math assumes you will and these bottles are mature, we’ll share them with you as if they were your own.

A SIWBM. Good luck! We’ve all been on a million of them…until the next time.

Neal,

I hope you are able to take this hiatus/abstinence as an opportunity to drink more of what you have accumulated over the years. Share with friends and family! Gift bottles to neighbors and relatives! Celebrate what you have spent a lot of time gathering, rather than focusing on the chase or FOMO.

Best wishes! :slight_smile:

Is champagne wine? :wink:

Can I call you a Liar? strawman

Done as in forever and ever until the end of time? Including Champagne?

-Al

Good for you (if it sticks), Neal. I hope you succeed.

I suspect most people, men especially, with cellars fail spectacularly at this until they’re truly too old to drink/enjoy wine. The chase & instant gratification of buying is probably more than half the thrill for our brains, even if we don’t admit it to ourselves. Coming to a social website revolving around wine everyday isn’t exactly keeping the junkie away from the dealer, if you know what I mean.

I’m not yet 50 and there are some wines I no longer buy on release due to my preference on when to enjoy them (Brdx & Hermitage, I’m talking about you) and I’m sure that list will expand over the next decade or two, which will probably be a good thing, as the more $$/age worthy wines gradually fall off my radar.
In the end, as you say - there may come a time for some of us when there actually is too much wine. Leaving a cellar to another generation isn’t always a gift.

Bonne chance.

If the wine is a great price, you can always buy and donate to a charity although the new tax law makes that less attractive for someone that will use the new standard deduction.

So Neal is a bit older than me, I’m 52, but have been teasing him about his foray into 2013 Barolo and 2015/2016 Bordeaux. I’ve refrained. It’s not just the age - I’ll be 72 when these wines are really hitting their drinking window - but for the big wines, it’s also cheaper to backfill. And smarter. Therein lies the focus: I’ve had a blast seeking and buying well-stored, matured and affordable Bordeaux and some other treats. Amazing what’s available in the marketplace.

donating the right wines puts you over the standard deduction pretty quickly though! haha

I declared this when I turned 60 almost 8 years ago. I have a ton of Bordeaux, 2 tons of Champagne, and a lot of other mostly red wine. If I never bought another bottle I am probably good until I am about 80. I still buy a few everyday reds and German wine for parties but other than that I am done.

Neal,

How old are you ? hopefully at least 70 by the way your writing off the future

Years ago I went with my grandfather to buy a new car. As we stood there on the showroom floor while they got the paperwork done he said “well this is it, this will be the last new car I ever buy”. I thought it was profoundly sad-it’s always stuck with me.

Good luck Neal! Almost all of us have been there.

A word of advice - unsubscribe from all winery/wine shop emails right now. What you don’t know won’t pile up on your floor.

My dad is 79. He and my mom still buy lots of wine, but really more for daily drinkers with their dinner. He has some well-matured wines, but those are for weekends, special occasions or whenever he says “what the heck”. I am always mindful that his palate took a dramatic turn to the modern around hitting 70 or so. He loves going to wine stores.

Why? Really, why? You enjoy the chase, the acquisition of expertise, the journey, the drink.

If you are concerned that it is consuming too much income, fine.

Don’t deprive yourself of something you enjoy doing. Life is too short.

Get after it young man!

I tried to quit buying. Tried to face actuarial reality. So far, I have failed miserably. Plan B is to drink more.