Oregon: 2019 Goodfellow Heritage Lewman. Can get a mag as well! As another poster notes and the NYC tasting showed, Goodfellow wines benefit from a lot of time - Marcus tried make Burgundy like his favorite producers did decades ago. Lewman has a bit more fruit than Whistling Ridge in 2019, so I would pick that one.
Danny, I like this theme you have for assembling some birth year wines. You have me interested and, being a man with ample leisure time, I am going to give the exercise some (humble) thought.
BTW, is there anything in your children’s ancestry that connects to wine producing countries or regions.
Love this post b/c I’m doing the same for my son born in 2019! I’m only including wines I actually own and am including in his “birth case.”
We are lucky b/c Cote de Nuits had a very strong 2019 (lots of options at the village level). I have 2019 bottles of Lignier’s Morey St. Denis Trilogie and Gevrey-Chambertin Les Seuvrees that would fit your criteria. I don’t know if these will last 20 years, but I have the Morey St. Denis in magnum so I’m hopeful this will make it.
I’ve also added a bottle of 2019 Domaine de la Vieille Julienne Chateauneuf-du-Pape Reserve. If you want to stick within your budget, don’t get the Reserve. Both are incredible and will easily last 20 years.
Have you thought about adding any whites? I have a couple of bottles of 2019 Marcus Molitor zeltinger sonnenuhr auslese (3 star, gold cap) that I’m saving. These are perfect and could go 40 years in cellar conditions.
Lastly, if you are in California you have to stretch your budget and throw a couple cult cabs in there. I’m holding a three bottle set of the 100 point 2019 Scarecrow (only one bottle will go to him). Just b/c you are from Cali, you have to throw something big from a famous cali vineyard in there.
PGC still has multiple 2019 mags and bigger on their website for sale.
Additional thoughts: I still see a couple of places with Clape Cornas at $159, bet you can find that on sale under $150. Jamet Cote Rotie and half-bottles of d’Yquem (yes I am cheating with that) would need a 15% off sale to get it into the 150s but it’s conceivable. Unlike most anything Burgundy or Bordeaux, these would be as-good-as-it-gets bottles. (Some others here would steer you towards Levet Chavaroche CR, a relative bargain.)
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My suggestion: leave a few slots in your case for vintage champagne when it is released.
As someone with three kids who have all relatively recently come of drinking age, I can promise you that “fancy” champagne will be one of the first things will be excited to try. Relatively speaking, it is just easy for everyone, and connotes “fun.”
I don’t know what the 2019 champagne vintage looks like, but I would save a spot or two regardless.
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It’s supposed to be very good.
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We did a tasting of all the Prum 2019s, and the Graacher spatlese was outstanding beating out both goldkapsels. Of course, twenty years from now, the GKs may well overtake, but the Spatlese will undoubtedly be alive, kicking and beautiful.
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I would definitely load up on Barolo/Barbaresco. Plenty of options there.
@Shan_A mentioned Cavallotto. I would second that. I would focus on the more traditional producers given the >20 year aging period.
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Let’s think about this logically. Most kids until they are nearing 30 will not appreciate dry reds. Buy accordingly. That said, Rieslings will disappear faster than you know you had them.
Thanks all for the replies so far. To answer some questions:
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The $150 limit isn’t hard. I figured that was a reasonable number (factoring inflation) and I didn’t want to just get a bunch of posts suggesting First Growths and cult Napa cabs. I’d just as happily plop in a $200 bottle as a $50 bottle if it’s a great expression of the place.
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I’m specifically not looking for a selection of 12 of the best bottles from 2019. I’m looking for a selection of 12 bottles that represent the world as it was in 2019–including the good and the bad. I’d like for my children to figuratively taste hardship in a bottle. If 2019 simply superb across the board, then it is what it is, and this will be a case of 12 excellent wines.
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There’s going to be Napa (maybe Dunn), there’s going to be Bordeaux (maybe Leoville Barton), there’s going to be Lebanon (because I collect Musar anyways), there’s going to be Germany (I used to collect Prum), but I’d also like there to be wine from places that I don’t understand, like Argentina, Chile, Australia, New Zealand and Australia.
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We don’t have any particular connection to wine, other than the fact that we live near the Central Coast.
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Toss in some 19 meiomi and caymus… 
Other regions to consider: South Africa, Alto Piedmonte, Corsic
This is what I think about when I hear the word hardship
“Although not the steepest vineyard in the world (that ‘honour’ is usually credited to the 65° slope of the Bremmer Calmont vineyard in the Mosel), the 45° slopes of Les Monts Damnés make viticulture here challenging at best. But the results are outstanding; it is viewed by many as the source of Sancerre’s finest wines.”
Expanding on that:
I’m in the center of this right now.
1)My oldest one doesn’t drink (yet).
2) It’s something dad’s celebrate with their kids. For mom’s, it’s a double edged sword. I have a college friend that gets a sympathy/relief card on her son’s birthday every year as being the worst/most painful 23 hrs of her entire life.
3)Buy cases of wine for their high school and college graduation years. Most would prefer celebrating with their friends instead.
Where are you guys seeing '19 Montrose for less than $150? I’d love some
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Lots of good answers already.
Maybe Clusel-Roch, Les Grandes Places (Côte-Rôtie) would be a good choice? It is around 100€ in Europe so hope you would be able to find it below 150 in the states.
JLL rated it as one of the best 2019’s in Northern Rhone (if you care).
What about some Sauternes or Tokaji? They will last forever!
Of course you know that there is no guarantee to any of this. I bought lots of wine from the 1999 vintage for the same reason. My 23 year old son has no interest in drinking it and likely never will. He doesn’t like any drugs or alcohol for the simple reason that he does not like the mental effects. He also has seen enough people under the influence to hold the experience in low regard. We shared some Champagne together and he stopped after half a glass, saying that he felt dizzy. Honestly, it is a relief for me as he has enough challenges as a young adult without adding mind-altering substances. I’ve drank or sold some of the wines and still have a few left. I have no reason to assume that he will suddenly want to start drinking when he is 25 or 30.
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For Burgundy I’d add (unless I missed this above) Jadot Corton Pougets.
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