What are you collecting?

[mikeycook]

I don't see a lot of posts about collecting, maybe because people don't want to turn this into a site for posting wants and needs (which I completely agree with). However, I am curious what types of wines people collect and why and, in particular, what they are actively collecting now. Do you collect by vintage? Winery? Verticals? Do you collect around a specific event in your life?

For instance, I have a collection of about 100 bottles and while there is a good deal of variety, I have a few areas that I have been focused on.

2000 Vintage - My wife and I were married in 2000 and I am trying to put away some bottles that we will be able to have in years to come. So far this includes mainly Hermitage, Chateauneuf du Pape, Port, and a couple of Spanish selections (we spent part of our honeymoon in the Rhone Valley, hence the predisposition). Looking to add some Bordeaux next and maybe an Italian or two. This is the primary area I am collecting right now.

Hermitage - On our honeymoon we were lucky enough to taste a 1990 Hermitage La Chapelle and have been collecting hermitage ever since. Looking to get a fairly complete vertical (unless the wines have already gone by) for La Chapelle, Chave, and Chapoutier (although realistically it will be expensive for me to try to get all three, Le Pavillon, l'Ermite, and Le Meal, in vertical).

1986 Bordeaux - This little collection started out by accident. A friend served a 1986 Talbot one evening about 5 years ago and it was incredible. I managed to find a couple of bottles at decent prices and added a number of others at decent prices (Latour, Gruaud Larose, Pichon-Baron, Rausan Segla). Eventually I expect to acquire the top names for the vintage as well (Mouton, Lafite, Las Cases, Margaux, Pichon-Lalande).

Other - Working on a small Cuvee Les Cadettes vertical, as La Nerthe was one of the places we visited on our honeymoon (just started with the '97 we purchased there). Also picking up the major vintages of Taylor and Fonseca upon release. Lastly, I have picked up a few bottles for my wife's birth year (1970), when found at a decent price. Still have a Fonseca and a Mouton-Rothschild to enjoy (I was born in '69, so I can't get much joy out of collecting my birth year).

I am sure that most others have a more extensive collection, so I am interested to hear from others.

[Brad Ballinger]

Let me propose an amendment to this good idea, which I think piggybacks onto the original thought fairly well. And that is "What have you collected?" That's just a different way of asking what is represented well in your cellar.

For example, Bordeaux makes up the most "cellar share" for me -- followed by Germany, Piedmont, Sparkling, Tuscany, California, Burgundy, Rhone, Loire, Porto, and then bits and pieces of Spain, Austria, Languedoc, and southern Italy.

As for what I'm collecting or buying right now, mainly sparkling (most of which is Champagne, but not all). The prices have remianed relatively steady while prices of many other wines have climbed and climbed and climbed.

I am curious what types of wines people collect and why and, in particular, what they are actively collecting now. Do you collect by vintage? Winery? Verticals? Do you collect around a specific event in your life?

I don't know why, but I've never really done the vertical thing. The largest I've ever had was 1991-95 Ridge Geyserville. Then I stopped buying the wine, and some of the vertical has since been drunk. When I buy Sauternes, I always buy Climens, so I have a fractured vertical from 1986-2001 of that chateau. I also collected 1992 California Cabs to open on our wedding anniversaries (not much else from the 1992 vintage globally to purchase years ago or even now other than 1992 Vintage Port, and I have a couple of those). I have four 1992 Cal Cabs left.

1986 Bordeaux - This little collection started out by accident. A friend served a 1986 Talbot one evening about 5 years ago and it was incredible. I managed to find a couple of bottles at decent prices and added a number of others at decent prices (Latour, Gruaud Larose, Pichon-Baron, Rausan Segla). Eventually I expect to acquire the top names for the vintage as well (Mouton, Lafite, Las Cases, Margaux, Pichon-Lalande).

I hope these serve you well. I polished off my 1986 Talbot about the same time you first experienced yours. And I've pulled corks on all my 86s since then. For most, I found the fruit to already be fading while the tannins were unrelenting. But I know of several people crossing their fingers hoping that when the tannins do finally resolve, there will still be enough fruit left.

I was born in '69, so I can't get much joy out of collecting my birth year.

A pretty good vintage for Burgundy. You may be able to find some high end wines that are still holding up. My birth year is 1961; great for Bordeaux. But by the time it occurred to me to buy some the prices were prohibitive.

[LOS]

As for what I'm collecting or buying right now, mainly sparkling (most of which is Champagne, but not all).  The prices have remianed relatively steady while prices of many other wines have climbed and climbed and climbed.

Until about 2-3 years ago, grower Champagnes had held their prices down amazingly well. Still good value, as you point out.

I am curious what types of wines people collect and why and, in particular, what they are actively collecting now. Do you collect by vintage? Winery? Verticals? Do you collect around a specific event in your life?

I've been in an inventory reduction phase for the past year or two. Mostly, this means buy a few cheapies to fill in niches and living off my stash. Still, there's been a few things too tempting to not buy in quantitiy, like the 2004 Pepiere Muscadets.

I don't know why, but I've never really done the vertical thing.  The largest I've ever had was 1991-95 Ridge Geyserville.  Then I stopped buying the wine, and some of the vertical has since been drunk. 

I end up doing some verticals, but almost all are broken and none are by design. I just happen to buy my favorite wines in most years...at least, until they get priced out of rationality (as has happened to many).

I was born in '69, so I can't get much joy out of collecting my birth year.

A pretty good vintage for Burgundy. You may be able to find some high end wines that are still holding up.

Well-stored premiers crus and perhaps even top-notch village wines should be holding up well for 1969. I've had a number of grand and premier crus from auction and not a bad bottle yet.

[mikeycook]

I was born in '69, so I can't get much joy out of collecting my birth year.

A pretty good vintage for Burgundy. You may be able to find some high end wines that are still holding up. My birth year is 1961; great for Bordeaux. But by the time it occurred to me to buy some the prices were prohibitive.

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I really wish I could afford the '69 Burgundies from my year, but they are out of my price range at this point. The '69 La Chapelle is something I am hoping to acquire at some point as well. It is a little more reasonable, but not much.

Thanks for the notes on the '86s. Time for me to get drinking.

[GordonCooks]

The only common thread in my cellar are my 94' California Cult Cabs - everything else is all over the place with the exception of burgundies - I can't afford them