Starting a Cellar

[hollywood]

Ms. Robinson,

If a friend were starting a cellar, which two or three dozen bottles would you suggest to begin?

Cheers & thanks

[Jancis Robinson]

Wel I'd definitely buy in multiples, maybe of six bottles, so that you can track the development of a single wine over time.

It's only worth ageing wines that really do improve with age - so I'd suggest a good lesser red bordeaux, maybe Duhart Milon in recent vintages (2000 and 2002 were exceptionally good). Obviously some top quality German Riesling, maybe a Mosel or a Saar. You can't go wrong with Egon Mueller's Scharzhofberger and it becomes more and more fascinating but no less delicate and refreshing with the years. Maybe a top quality Barolo, though wait a year or so for prices to fall. Or if the budget is tight, some serious wine from an ambitious domaine in the Languedoc or Roussillon. How about Domaine de la Rectorie's Collioure? Or one of the Priorat-like reds from one of the domaines around Maury that I recommend in my recent article on the wine news section of my site? Oh - Chablis is a must, true, fine, reserved (unoaked!) top quality Chablis which is one of the wines that changes most in bottle. You can happily keep it a decade.

Cellars are for forgetting for a while at the beginning, I'm afraid. Otherwise there's little point in bothering.