My case buying habits and palate have changed, the wine market’s changed, and my cellar has evolved and also become more crowded.
I started a decade ago buying what I thought would be great, age-able wines at “reasonable” prices: '96 Lynch Bages (directly imported by a friend), '01 Beacastel (futures), '03 Leoville Barton (futures).
Now, I only buy case wines well under $50 that are drinking well now and have a history of age worthiness: 2010 Huet Sec’s, 2001 Cune CVNE Imperial GR, 2001 Alta Rioja 904 GR, 2009 Monsanto CCR ($16!!!), Gilbert Picq Chablis.
The only “non-cheapie” I have bought a case or more of, was the 2011 Shafer Frohlich Felseneck spatlese. I have bought 9 of select things (Gonon), sixers (Baudry), but mostly I buy 3 packs.
I haven’t committed to any particular region, grape, or producer enough yet to buy by the case. But I have been thinking about getting a case of a long-aging Loire cab franc to have over the coming decades, maybe Baudry.
No cases but I buy a six pack of Marc Ollivier Briords Muscadet every year.
Also typically get 6 bottles of Texier VV Pergault.
A mixed case of Huet, that probably doesn’t count.
6 bottles of Coudert Roilette and 6 of the Tardive in most years.
Used to get 6 bottles of Overnoy Poulsard but that ended with the 2007 vintage.
Warren you got a case of the 01 Rioja Alta 904! That is cool.
I’d love to try that, we should have a Rioja dinner next.
My case purchases are mostly everyday wines that are great quality/great values, like recently:
2011 Thivin CdB (2 cases total now)
2010 Baudry (base domaine plus another mixed case of cuvees)
2009, 2010 Ridge (Geezer and Lytton Springs)
2011 Gonon Isles Feray
2010 Domaine Chanteleruserie Cuvee Beauvais
2009, 2010 Domaine Guion and deux monts
2009, 2010 Halcon syrah
2009 Ch. Lanessan
2001 Ch. Lanessan
2010 Ch Tour St Bonnet
2010 Ch. Cambon Pelouse
2011 Vissoux (mixed 1.5 case of cuvees)
2011 Roilette (mixed case, including Griffe du Marquis + some Mags)
Copain SVD syrahs
I cannot afford to go case deep on the whoppers that I love, like Clape, Allemand and some Grand Cru Bordeaux, but am just as happy going 3-4 each of the big guns.
Hi Jason,
I visit the Priorat at least once a year.
And I have the pleasure of meeting Ester and Carles several times.
Starting from 2007/2008, the production has indeed increased
NV Marc Hebrart Cuvee de Reserve Champagne
Foillard Morgon Cote du Py
Stefano Massone Gavi
Jean Jacques Girard Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Sous Fretilles
Because of premox, I no longer buy white Burgundy to age, so if I find a Bourgogne blanc that pleases me and gives me a little hit of that white Burg minerality, I buy a few cases as a house wine. Harder to find a Pinot Noir for a house red, but I have bought Copain Tous Ensemble by the case, and occasional Bourgogne Rouge’s if I find one that is not too lean. All my upper level purchases are in 3-sies and 6-sies at most.
While I can think of wines that would be good candidates to buy by the case, I’m a diversity / exploration guy, and I’m much more likely to buy 2-4 bottles of each thing rather than cases of a single wine.
Once in awhile, I buy a full case, but it’s usually just because of overwhelming economic advantage plus circumstances that make me do it. In the last two years, I bought a case of 2012 Scherrer OMV, and a case of 2011 A Tribute to Grace Grenache, mostly because the futures case pricing was so steeply discounted compared to buying them otherwise that it just didn’t make sense to buy fewer bottles and I really wanted to get those wines, but had I been able to get a smaller amount without the huge price hit, I would have done so.
A few other wines I’ve stocked up almost into the case level in the last few years, although in multiple steps not all at once, were Huet Sec Le Mont 2010, Baudry Grezeaux 2010, and Thivin Cote de Brouilly 2009. Others that would make sense to me as case purchases, if I were one to buy in that quantity, would be Calabretta 2003 Etna Rosso and Domaine Eden Pinot Noir SCM 2010.
Obviously, for those with the budget and space to be buying cases of DRC, First Growths, etc., more power to them, but it’s not in my budget or my wine program.