Buying wine, before it’s time
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It’s spring time, which for us wine geeks doesn’t just mean crocuses and robins–it means it’s time to pay now for wine that won’t be delivered for another two years.
A friend called me on Saturday and asked if I wanted to claim a few bottles of Ridge Monte Bello 2006 allocation. I hesitated for a moment, thinking that nobody outside the winery has ever tasted the wine and the final blend is probably a year away from being constructed. Then I said yes.
Is this sheer folly? At least when Bordeaux futures start rolling out in the next month, journalists and buyers from around the world will have already ventured to the region to taste barrel samples and be able to offer a third party opinion.
But I figure Ridge is a Name You Can Trust. Which wines would you be willing to pre-buy without anything other than the weather report and some vague assurances from the winery about the current vintage being spectacular?
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On March 20th, 2007 at 6:14 pm ,Brooklynguy wrote:
St Innocent, Thomas, and Adelsheim in Oregon, and Montevertine in Tuscany. Foreau, Closel, and Clos Rougeard in the Loire…others too but these I definitely cannot do without.
On March 20th, 2007 at 6:14 pm ,Jack wrote:
Personally, I would buy older vintages at auction of Ridge Monte Bello. (I have yet to do this, but one-of-these-days…!)
On March 20th, 2007 at 6:14 pm ,El Jefe wrote:
For me, Ridge is it. But I don’t because I belong to Ridge ATP and they send so much good stuff every time that I can’t keep up…;-)
On March 21st, 2007 at 1:42 pm ,Joe wrote:
Nicely done. I taste this rarely, but never been disappointed.
On March 21st, 2007 at 1:42 pm ,Marco wrote:
Pesquera
On March 21st, 2007 at 1:42 pm ,Anonymous wrote:
Some wineries now have futures events where we can taste the wine from the barrel so it isn’t like “buying a pig in a poke”. I think Ch. Montelena and Nickel & Nickel among others do that.