I had this issue for a little while. Then I taught myself that Tuesday was a festive occasion. And sure enough, as soon as the Champagne was opened it was very festive!
Once I reached 50, I decided that any day I was still breathing was a festive occasion. And as soon as the Champagne gets opened itâs a special day.
Some of my every day(almost) faves:
Diebolt-Vallois Blanc de Blanc
Lallement NV
Bereche NV
Pierre Moncuit âDavosâ
Lassaigne âLes Vins de Montgueuxâ
Doyard BdB
A. Great collection, Musar and PrĂŒm are 2 of the best values in wine for their complexity
B. Other pockets Iâve found in the $50 range: entry grower champagne or grande marque (go to a tasting and find a house style that aligns with your palate), Lopez de Heredia, Chablis, most Burgundy is probably a bit more in the US than flagged budget but when possible go with producer over vineyard/vintage in that price range, Loire reds, non-classified Bordeaux (Canterle, Labegorce, Lanesssan, many others).
For stretch buys under $100, would take a look at old classic Napa Cabernets at auction and Barolo.
Obviously, everyone has their own preferences, so you really just need to taste for yourself. However, I wouldnât just buy a ton of Sauternes assuming youâll love them just because you love sweet Rieslings. Riesling, especially the sweeter variety, are my favorite varietal, but I cannot get into Sauternes. Most of them I donât really care for and while a 1975 dâYquem I had recently was great, I didnât enjoy it as much as many of the better Rieslings Iâve had, and for the price, itâs no brainer for me to buy Riesling instead. The power, electricity, precision, and purity I so often get with Riesling almost always eludes me with the higher ABV and oaked Sauternes. Iâd buy an Eiswein, BA, TBA, or even GKA over a Sauternes any day.
This, of course, is just my personal opinion (and I may very well be in the minority), so try some for yourself and see what you think.
Marcus, every posting of yours feels like something I could have written, perhaps if I were a bit more clever! Our tastes align very well. I WILL come visit once travel is possible on my now long delayed Oregon tasting trip.
Also this. Even basic zinfandel bottlings from certain producers (not just single vineyard designates) have the ability to age a little and gain complexity.
That would be fantastic. We always enjoy visits with Berserkers. But harvest is close to being a member of a submarine crew. Doubling down on it with SIP has been great for the wines Iâve dug out of the cellar but I think both Megan and I are very ready to see some real people again.
I owe my very linguistically talented father for any cleverness in my posts. Although I donât think I appreciated how helpful it would be at the timeâŠ
Joined WB when I was 28. Had just a 32-bottle wine fridge then and a 12-bottle rack built into our bar cabinet. Now Iâm 33 and have ~500 bottles in my collection in off-site storage.
Mat, you have an impressive collection. I wish I had exactly your collection a few years ago when I had a similar quantity. Yes, learn about France. Yes, focus on the classics at first (and there are a LOT more than 2 classic regions). You clearly have some wine knowledge already, so it wonât be as difficult as you think to learn about the areas you donât know yet. Tasting as much as possible is great, but donât ignore the equally important advice to read as much as possible. Tasting alone doesnât teach one much.
For another opinion, I would definitely not want to delay purchasing the wines that will take the longest to mature. Buying some older wines here and there totally makes sense, but youâll have the best results with wines you bought on release and stored yourself. That means buying long agers while youâre young, really starting as early as possible. Then you can buy some older wines to get a sense of when you want to drink whatâs already in your cellar. I am also glad I bought some wines early on that are now showing maturity around 10 years from release. Itâs good motivation to keep collecting and to stay patient with the wines that will reward age the most.
Another related note is that many/most of the wines Iâd like to drink with age on them are prohibitively expensive to buy that way. I guess if youâre a big Bordeaux drinker, lucky you, but that whole âolder vintages [âŠ] below current release pricingâ happens almost never with great producers in almost any other region. Quite the opposite. (yes, there are some exceptions, but Iâm having trouble thinking of any that Iâd want to buy)
Questions for both of you gents: Can you cellar the Bereche Brut/Pierre Peters Cuvee for an amount of time that will allow it to show some age and if so how long? Also, how do you feel about cava/cremant for everyday drinking and do you have any recommendations?
Yes, thatâs true. I guess there are some in that category that do appeal to me, but not many. Burgundy, Champagne, Piedmont, RhĂŽne, even Germany, though, totally different story. Basically, most of the wines I collect are generally far more expensive with age (assuming good vintage and provenance).
I havenât tried to age these kinds of Champagnes. I buy them and drink them within a year or two. Maybe others will have opinions. Worth a look at CT reviews, maybe some experiences there worth reviewing. One slight challenge is knowing how old your NV wine actually is! At the next price point up ($50-$75) I think there would be more options that Iâd have more confidence aging.
Also I donât have much experience with other sparklers but have enjoyed some Cremants more than any Cava I can recall.
Not sure about these two wines specifically, but generally I think you can keep a NV bottling for up to 5 years post-disgorgement and see some age/evolution before it starts to fade. Certain producersâ bottlings will last longer of course.
Yep, I feel that. Napa and Sonoma are pretty much dead to me these days, but for those aged no-name gems that can be acquired on the cheap. Iâve been pretty satisfied with the pricing Iâve seen on German Riesling at auction, but I am, admittedly, not talking any of the uber-premium stuff ---- more like the âgood, wine geek drinkingâ type stuff. Still have to pay a premium, but itâs not a whole lot more than storage costs would have been over the same time period.
Lots of great advice on this thread. Iâm of a similar age but a little further along in my collecting journey. France is definitely worth exploring. I would probably start with Bordeaux because you can find left bank examples in your price range with enough age to the point that you can start enjoying the wines to see if you want to cellar more examples. There are lots of UK merchants who can help you with this. I find Farr Vintners tends to have the most older stock available at good prices but there are a host of great online merchants.
Burgundy is definitely worth exploring too - it makes up the majority of my cellar and itâs a region youâll almost certainly be drawn to. That being said, I tend to find Bordeaux to be better value for where youâre currently looking to pick up bottles and itâs an easier place to start.
Regarding champagne/sparkling, I agree. Iâd count myself as a novice and late to the wisdom of having sparkling wines (semi-)regularly rather than as a ritualistic special occasion beverage. Note also that the pandemic has resulted in a glut of champagne. Though the regulatory body that governs champagne production will limit current production (even though recent harvest quality was said to be excellent - very sad), there is a current glut. Iâve heard that the big houses have the balance sheet to dig in their heels without much discounting. But deals have been coming and will continue to come. As I mentioned, champagne is not included in the 25% tariff. (However, I did have a discussion with a retailer who said that many importers have been trying to âspread the painâ of the 25% tariffs across the portfolio.)
Iâm just here to express mild amusement that the OP has but together a nice collection of German and Italian wines, but is lacking on France has âdoesnât know where to beginâ. Meanwhile I find German wines utterly impenetrable and know squat about Italy (Baroloâs good, right?). Meanwhile France is pretty straightforward, as long as youâre not going too deep into the Langudoc or Provence (and donât mind your Burgundy knowledge being limited to âitâs mostly Pinot Noirâ). Of course both of us could bridge our respective blind spots without too much difficultly, just goes to show itâs about what you put your time into.
Buy more Champagne, drink it all the time. The odds of me enjoying a random $50 bottle of Champagne are higher than a $50 random bottle from any other given region.