660992 Tue Oct 20 13:14:19 -0700 2009 24 34 Wine 0 5117890 Hello, One of the ways that my parents celebrated my 21st birthday was with a bottle of 1974 Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. They acquired a case and kept a few bottles for when I came of age and for major milestones thereafter (wedding/graduation/etc). I like the idea of passing this family tradition down to my own child. Knowing that many of today's wines are made to be enjoyed immediately or within a shorter period of time than what I'm looking for, I wonder if you have any recommendations as to wines to consider. I live in the Seattle area and have primarily had the Washington and Oregon wines. One of these wines would be preferrable (as it is local and probable easier for me to find), but I'm not tied to it. I'm willing to splurge a little and maybe head towards $100 a bottle if I find the right stuff. Thanks for the help. Tue Oct 20 13:14:19 -0700 2009 164782 BallardFoodie 1 5117979 What a delightful reason to buy a case of wine! Before your price qualification, the first label that came to mind was Opus One. However, I just checked and it's twice what you intend to spend. That being said, I have a favorite French red that I've had a lot of luck cellaring. Chateau Meyney, a luxuriously chewy, serious St. Estephe. It's only about $40 the bottle. Now that I've gone and touched on my own selections for the high-low ends of the spectrum, I'd love to see what other oenophile chowhounds suggest as the "middle of the road" with regard to price. Tue Oct 20 13:47:34 -0700 2009 5117890 270888 shaogo 1 5117995 There is (or was) an old upper-class English tradition of buying a cask of port in honor of a baby's birth, to be opened on his 21st birthday. I think a fine young vintage port would still be perfect for this, they age very well in the bottle. Tue Oct 20 13:49:40 -0700 2009 5117890 14386 BobB 2 5119399 Still holding a 1970, 1975, 1977 for my three, all magnums Wed Oct 21 07:01:05 -0700 2009 5117995 71113 Delucacheesemonger 1 5118094 I've done this for friend's kids and will do it for my own when the 09s roll around. First thing, what year are we talking about? That can have a huge impact on the decision. Just a couple general thoughts: 1.) There are Washington wines which will last the 21 years. They are going to be fairly scarce and difficult to obtain, however. If having a local wine is important to you, don't let that deter you though. Difficult is definitely not impossible. Obviously Quilceda Creek and Leonetti come to mind, but there are a number of top Walla Walla producers whose wine should fit the bill. 05, 06, 07 were all good vintages. 2.) I love Oregon Pinot and it currently makes up over 30% of my cellar. That said, it will be more of a crap shoot as to how the wine will age. 21 years is quite a while for Pinot. No doubt, there will be some, but tough to determine which. Again, vintage may matter. If 08 is really as good as the harvest and barrel tastings indicate, there may be more to choose from. I'd stay away from 07. Outside the NW.: In 05, BDX and Burgundy were easy choices (although nothing wrong with Cali Cab either) 06 was more difficult but I took a shot at CdPs. 07 was an easier decision: CdP and Sauternes. Top CdPs can easily be had in $60-80 range and you can get good sauternes if willing to spend the same money for 375mls. 07 Cali Cab would be another good bet. Still don't know about 08 yet. WA might be a good bet. Oregon Pinot is more of a long shot, but if you're going to take a shot on Oregon Pinot, this should be the vintage to do it. Obviously, plenty of French pinots age well past 21 years. Tue Oct 20 14:24:33 -0700 2009 5117890 196234 WineandPoker 1 5119204 I'd go with Bordeaux or Burgundy! -mJ Wed Oct 21 04:59:53 -0700 2009 5117890 192452 njfoodies 1 5119273 Without even reading the other's replies... 1) What year? 2009? The grapes aren't even all picked yet. Impossible to know. 2) Forget Oregon. The ONLY WA wine that *might* be able to go the distance is Quilceda Creek, and that is out of your price range. 3) 1974 Heitz Martha's?! You need to understand that wine is a legend. There are no comperable wines being made in CA today, and if there were they would not be anywhere close to $100/bottle. 4) Your best bet with your money constraints would be desert wines, top shelf German Ausleses, Port, classic Brunelli, Baroli, Rhones or maybe the right (left bank) Bordeaux. And amongst those options, it really varies on what to get based upon vintage. Also, producer matters intensely. Without writing a novel, you'd have to come back and ask a few more pointed questions. Also, this whole thing is premature, as stated above, because we don't know what vintage you are talking about nor what '09 will bring. Wed Oct 21 05:50:47 -0700 2009 5117890 50041 whiner 2 5184619 Why nothing in Washington? Seriously? I have had some hard core cab that would age that long. And what about Cayuse? Sun Nov 15 21:54:07 -0800 2009 5119273 64882 Vetter 3 5184694 Well, I've never had a WA wine thought could go 21+ years. QC I doubt could. Leonetti I kow for a fact cannot even make it to 12, normally. I've never been blown away by a Cayuse, but have only had it a couple of times. Never thought to myself "this would be better in 20 years," though. Sun Nov 15 23:27:21 -0800 2009 5184619 50041 whiner 1 5119306 No one has asked about storage conditions. Are you going to put this in a humidity and climate controlled environment? Or under the stairs/in a closet? For the former, there are so many discussions, of great cabs, clarets, Italians, German and Alsatian rieslings and stickies, Loire whites, etc etc. For the latter: If you don't have optimal storage conditions, I would definitely stick with Port. It's much, much more forgiving and you should be able to get a nice bottle for your price range. Wed Oct 21 06:09:51 -0700 2009 5117890 138502 chefdilettante 2 5119370 Great point. I just automatically assumed that they would have it in some sort of climate controlled environment. -mJ Wed Oct 21 06:46:02 -0700 2009 5119306 192452 njfoodies 3 5119426 If your child was born in: 2005: Bordeaux (Pauillac, Margaux) 2006: You could still go with a Bordeaux, but you would have to do your research because this vintage was not as brilliant as 05. 2007: CdP. A landmark year for the Rhone. Also a great year for German Riesling. 2008: Not sure yet. Haven't read the vintage reports. I like the idea of Bordeaux because it ages so well. Having said that, 2007 was a difficult year in Bordeaux that produced few cellar-worthy wines. Wed Oct 21 07:13:11 -0700 2009 5119370 99971 anewton 4 5119459 Have you tasted barrel samples of the '07 Bordeaux? How do you know "2007 was a difficult year in Bordeaux that produced few cellar-worthy wines?" Wed Oct 21 07:36:59 -0700 2009 5119426 138502 chefdilettante 5 5120836 No, but a wine consultant who i trust has participated in a 2007 barrel tasting and gave the vintage a big thumbs down (and he is a Bordeaux fan). Plus the articles I have read about 2007 note that it was a difficult, cool, rainy year that did not produce very good fruit on the whole. Not to say that there won't be any cellar-worthy wines from 2007, but 2005 was such a spectacular vintage for Bordeaux that I would certainly steer somebody in that direction (finding a good, age-worthy 2005 Margaux or Pauillac is not a challenge). Wed Oct 21 14:59:17 -0700 2009 5119459 99971 anewton 6 5122259 I haven't tasted any 2007s. But my experience is that the Bordelais have been running a hype machine specializing in fleecing successive waves of buyers over the past two centuries (they invented en primeur) and the American wine press buys in to the hype. "Wine of the century!" seems to pop up twice a decade, with astonishing price premiums. Were '00 and '05 great vintages? Yes. But they were also ripe. Good winemakers are turning out good wines even in lackluster vintages (e.g. I was stunned by how good the '97 Decru Beaucaillou was) and, especially for fans of traditional and restrained claret, the cool weather years offer some great values. I stocked up on '02 at good prices, which is turning out to be a far better year than the US wine press anticipated. That said, Jancis Robinson didn't find many wines she loved among the '07s, but there were quite a few that she rated highly--and these will be priced far less (I hope) than '05, for example. Thu Oct 22 06:43:10 -0700 2009 5120836 138502 chefdilettante 1 5121034 Sorry all, I'd meant to include the year: 2007. Thanks to all who have responded. I'll pour through them and attempt to figure this out. This would initially go into a basement, but my parents do have a climate controlled cellar that I'd probably keep it in if the basement didn't work. I currently do not have anything that is too worthy of worrying about the nature of conditions around my wine rack. And, yes, I do realize that the 74 Martha's was a legend. I'm under no illusions that I'd find something comparable, but it would be nice to approach it. Wed Oct 21 16:24:46 -0700 2009 5117890 164782 BallardFoodie 2 5154208 there are lots of tasting notes from a wide range of sources now available for the 2007 Rhones (the stuff has either recently arrived at u.s. retailers or will be coming soon). you will probably have a good selection of wines suitable for cellaring and not have to spend over the $40-60/btl. range unless you care to. Wed Nov 04 00:42:42 -0800 2009 5121034 11012 moto 1 5122572 Ah, well... 2007 I would go with Chateauneuf du Pape. Ones that historically age well such as Beaucastel would be best. My favorite CdP, and one that tends to age quite well, is the Chapoutier Barbe Rac. It should be at the upper end of your price range when it gets released pretty soon. (Not certain why wine-searcher isn't showing any results for pre-arrival, though). If you can ensure proper storage, that would be my first choice. '07 was good for Germany. A relatively affordable and delicious option would be something like the JJ Prum Bernkastler Bastube Auslese or the JJ Prum Wehlner Sonnenhur Auslese. But my favorite Mosel producer is Willi Schaefer. All of his '07 Ausleses will be in your price range, if some at the very upper end. I think they are worth the money over the delicous JJ Prums in most vintages, but haven't had any '07s yet. I knownothing about how Muller-Catoir (Pfalz) performed in '07, but those are also gorgeous wines, generally. RE: Storage. Exactly unwaivering 55 F is not necessary. BUT, keeping the wines under 68 and above 47 degrees and keeping the temperature not shifting suddenly between the two is important for long term cellaring. (And storing for 20 years at a constant 68 isn't a good idea, I'm just saying if the cellar stays around 60 but on the hottest summer days creeps up into the mid/upper 60's, you're just fine.) Thu Oct 22 08:58:03 -0700 2009 5117890 50041 whiner 1 5127406 I have several cases of Opus 1 that are all over 25 year old and taste excellent, I also have Martha's Vineyard '86, totally awesome, it's 100% cab. Sat Oct 24 08:55:35 -0700 2009 5117890 149836 cstr 1 5132038 My kids were born in 1999 and 2000. I have lots of "birth year" wines for both of them. Including Port. For real tried and true aging potential, I would select Port and Sauternes. Both age really well and Sauternes in the great years (especially d"Yquem - although would probably blow your $100 budget) can be absolutely transcendental. I would get at least one or two bottles of d'Yquem for the child's birth year. As others have noted, specific wines will be highly vintage dependant. What vintage are you talking about? Mon Oct 26 11:18:34 -0700 2009 5117890 10385 woojink 1 5135496 For 2007 reds, Chateauneuf-du-pape (Vieux Telegraphe takes a while to come around) or Bandol, another Provence wine that is always long lived. Tempier single-vineyard wines are the best bet there. Tempier Cabassou will be drinking well for your son's 40th birthday. Miguoua and LaTourtine will make it to 21 years easily. For whites, German riesling, like a really good spatlese or a decent auslese. Also, Huet Vouvray from the Loire Valley. Tue Oct 27 14:50:23 -0700 2009 5117890 11117 SteveTimko 1 5153743 I agree with most of the posters about the Port. It will probably age the best if you're looking at 20+ years and possibly non-ideal conditions. I'm actually surprised there weren't too many mentions about California Cabs. My favorite California Cab, and probably one of the better values in high-end, with great aging potential is the Ridge Monte Bello (Santa Cruz Mountains). I think it's just as good as Opus One or other well-known Napa cabs/cab blends but cheaper (probably since you're not paying for the Napa name). Not to mention it won the Judgment of Paris 30th anniversary tasting, beating out some big-name French Bordeaux houses. Of course, the 2007 cabs are not released yet so it's hard to tell right now whether this will be a good vintage for long-term aging. I don't have kids but the hubby and I are thinking about saving some 2003 bottles for future anniversaries. We'll probably look into California cabs for 10-20 and Vintage Port for later ones (hey, they'll work even for 50!). Tue Nov 03 18:09:32 -0800 2009 5117890 1099218 arlenemae 2 5160329 You should feel good about CA Cabs for the long term, I just drank an '85 Opus 1, fab! Fri Nov 06 05:12:38 -0800 2009 5153743 149836 cstr 1 5184676 If you are still looking, a case of Chateau Leoville Barton can still easily be found at below $100 per bottle if you avoid the "vintage-of-the-centuries" like 2000 and 2005. 2004 can still be found for $55-60 each. Leoville-Barton is made to be aged for a long time; they're not easy to enjoy young. Sun Nov 15 23:06:40 -0800 2009 5117890 11745 Cary 2 5184761 i like to enjoy the wine too.my grandpa often put wine in cellar ,i dont know waht wine he has. Mon Nov 16 02:30:22 -0800 2009 5184676 170499 kiiess