Vinfolio Blog

Of all the many things to collect, wine has to be one of the most exciting. After all, what other hobby allows you to consume your collection should the mood strike? As you get started with building a collection, here are 7 simple suggestions to help you make the most of the experience and give you a little push down the slippery slope of enological enjoyment.

1.    Have goals. Are you focused on collecting wines to drink, for investment, or both? Consider buying birth or anniversary year wines, which are especially rewarding to open later, but don’t forget key vintages that are sure to age well. If you’re investing, Bordeaux, Burgundy, and “cult” California tend to have the most potential for returns.

2.    Know your budget. This doesn’t have to be a large number, but as with all purchases, it helps to know what you’re willing to spend and tailor a plan to work with that number.

3.    Define your interests. Think about regions, producers and varieties that excite you, and then broaden your purchases from there. Let’s say you especially love domestic Pinot Noir. Consider expanding to villages level French Burgundy or to Italian Barbaresco or Barolo to explore further.

4.    Purchase in quantities of 6 or 12. This will allow you to taste and enjoy a specific wine as it matures and help you dial in your preference for wines at certain points in their development.

5.    Protect your purchases. Whether your wines are for drinking or investment, you’ll need to protect them. Wines will last longer when stored at the proper temperature (55-58 degrees) and humidity (70-80%). In some parts of the US, the cellar under the house is ideal, but in most locations, some kind of professional storage is better. Your options range from a storage locker to prime full service storage like Vinfolio’s.

6.    Manage your collection. Sure, some people love keeping a hand-written log of their purchases, but it’s much easier to find the bottle you want if you can sort your list online. Two options are Cellartracker and Vinfolio’s VinCellar. Both give you access to data such as professional scores, community tasting notes, and wine label images, but only VinCellar is integrated with Vinfolio’s wine store and the Vinfolio Marketplace, allowing you to buy and sell bottles easily from your account.

7.    Taste, taste, taste! As with any pursuit, practice makes perfect. Exercise your palate by trying new regions, producers, and varieties. Join a tasting group or open bottles regularly with friends. More than anything, collecting wine is about enjoying wine, so have fun!
Vinfolio’s Wine Specialists love to discuss wine collecting! If you have questions, call us at 800-969-1961 or send an email to winespecialists@vinfolio.com.

When your wine enthusiasm turns to minor obsession and you’ve started using the word “cellar” as a verb, it’s not enough to simply purchase in quantity anymore. If high quality has become your focus, you’ll want to seek out the world’s finest wines in the very best vintages. Get your wish list ready for this tour of top vintages from France, Italy and California.

2000 Bordeaux: As Good As It Gets
Shop 2000 Bordeaux

“The 2000 vintage is today the region's magnum opus — the pinnacle of quality.”  - Robert Parker, “Bordeaux 2000: The Pinnacle of a Qualitative Revolution”

The millennium vintage in Bordeaux brought with it the most massive, powerful and concentrated wines of the previous thirty years.  Add extraordinary consistency, record breaking levels of tannin and extract and exceptional potential longevity and it’s safe to say the 2000 vintage in Bordeaux is one of the greatest ever produced.  

In spite of concerns about inconsistent weather at the beginning of the 2000 growing season, the tides turned in August and September was flawless.  This was not the first exceptional harvest in Bordeaux, but the wines will go down in history as some of the best ever due to the quality of winemaking in 2000.  Improved viticulture, better-equipped cellars and more precise selection elevated all wines - top to bottom - and across all appellations to heights previously unreached.

The reaction to this qualitative revolution came in the form of dizzying, record-breaking prices and boundless critical acclaim.  Robert Parker re-iterated, “Re-tasting the 2000 vintage three to four months before bottling provided overwhelming evidence that this is the greatest vintage Bordeaux has ever produced.”

2005 Burgundy: The Year the Wines “Made Themselves”
Shop 2005 Burgundy

“2005 is quite simply the best top to bottom vintage that I have ever seen, period, full stop… Moreover, in terms of regional and villages wines, 2005 is so good that it blows the next closest recent contender, 1999, right out of the water.” -Allen Meadows, Burghound

Unpredictable weather and fussy Pinot are terms typically used to describe Burgundy. But in 2005, its growing season became – “easy” and “leisurely,” signs that it would be a different kind of vintage.  Flowering came right on time at the end of May, with dry, warm weather carrying through the summer months. Very little rain in September and during harvest time meant that winegrowers could pick at their leisure. The fruit reached uncommon levels of ripeness; no sorting or chaptalization (adding sugar to the fermenting must) was necessary.  

As some producers commented, the wine very nearly made itself. The 2005 Pinots boast fresh tannins, with rich fruit and mineral components; the Chardonnays are balanced with fleshy fruit and fine acidity. Burgundy of this caliber—possessing the “complex balance” noted by Allen Meadows—has the requisite characteristics to age

2001 California Cabernet, Merlot and Blends: Superlative Across the Board
Shop 2001 California

“A superlative vintage across the board, 2001 appears to be the finest year for Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot since 1994 and 1991.” - Robert Parker, “California Dreamin’ – Deja Vu”

With eight consecutive vintages from 1990 to 1997, California made history, producing outstanding quality year after year and solidifying its place among the powerhouse wine producing regions of the world.  After a few challenging growing seasons from 1998 and 2000, California roared back to the forefront with its most stunning vintage to date in 2001.

An extended, cool growing season was followed by gorgeous warm weather in September and October, which allowed producers to harvest at their convenience.  The resulting wines were exceptionally ripe, balanced and consistent with tremendous aging potential.   Upon first experiencing the new 2001 vintage, Robert Parker wrote “my tastings revealed the finest young California Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot I have ever tasted.”  Years later in a retrospective piece, he echoes his earlier enthusiasm: “As brilliant as I thought the 2001s were eight years ago, today they have exceeded even my highest expectations.”

2004 Italy: Made for the Cellar

Shop 2004 Italy

“Quite frankly, I have never tasted young Barolos with this level of sweet, perfumed fruit and silky, ripe tannins. These are wines of extraordinary elegance, balance and finesse . . .  A number of producers have made their finest wines yet.” - Antonio Galloni, “A First Look at the 2004 Barolos”

“Simply put, 2004 is a superb vintage in Central Tuscany…Not to be left behind, 2004 is also a superb vintage for the Super-Tuscan blends of indigenous and international varietals…the best 2004s are reference-point wines for the region and are not to be missed.” – Antonio Galloni, “Central Tuscany 2003 and 2004: A Tale of Two Vintages”

Compared to Bordeaux, Italian Barbaresco, Barolo and Brunello are relative bargains considering their quality and age-worthiness. This is especially true in the best vintages—2004 being the most recent. On the heels of a scorching 2003,  the “weather [in 2004] was much more balanced throughout the growing season, which caused plants to unleash the large amounts of energy they had held in reserve from the previous year [and]… the long growing season and relaxed harvest presented growers with the conditions to make great wines.” Again, the balance in the vineyard has led to balance in the bottle.

The results? Structured Brunellos with fine tannins, captivatingly nuanced Barbarescos, and highly aromatic, balanced, age-worthy Barolos. The overall structure and balance of these Piedmont and Tuscan beauties promise years of future enjoyment. Italy’s 2004 wines truly are made for the cellar.

It seems like everyone in the Bay Area is a fan of the Billecart Salmon Brut Rose, and for good reason. At around $75, it's a consistently delicious sparkler that goes well with food and, let's be honest, is just really pretty in the glass. Billecart also makes a non-vintage Blanc de Blancs and a regular Brut Reserve, which we opened yesterday for our tasting. This probably was the consensus favorite of our group; not surprising as many of us have enjoyed this wine for years. At under $50, the current release is fresh and vibrant, somewhat floral on the nose, with layers of pear and citrus.

If you haven't tried the Tarlant Champagnes yet, they need to be on your list. The two we have in stock - the Brut Zero and the Rose Zero - are no dosage examples that clearly reflect the region's chalky soils. The Brut was showing particularly well yesterday, with brioche and apple tart on the nose leading to a palate of pear and apple peel. This was a really clean wine that didn't show any of the bracing nature of some no dosage Champagnes. For the price, this gets my vote! 

One day I’d like to do a whole tasting series on vintage s in the shadows of the greats, if only to make myself feel better about the fact that many of the “greats” carry price tags exceeding my drinking budget. Fortunately, there are Burgundies from vintages such as 2008, which before it even had a chance to take hold, was overshadowed by the hype surrounding 2009.

We pulled two 2008s from inventory, just to see how they doing after resting for some time in our warehouse. Allen Meadows reported that “like 2007, [2008] is a very good to sometimes excellent but highly variable vintage...in short it’s a classic Burgundian vintage.” (Issue 41)  

If you enjoy terroir-reflective Pinot Noir, then here are a couple you might like, from excellent producers Perrot-Minot and Domaine Dujac. Perrot-Minot’s village level Gevrey Chambertin has a nice clean balance of earth, mineral, and cran-raspberry. It’s on the lighter side, and we all agreed it would make a fine pairing with food. Drink this one over the next couple of years.

Dujac’s village level Morey St Denis shows a bit more depth and complexity. After some initial Pinot funk on the nose, which blows off after about 15 minutes, the darker fruit, floral  and spice notes pick up and complement the characteristic iron scent on the nose. I would have liked to revisit this one the next day, but where did that bottle go…?

An opportunity to open bottles of Leflaive is always welcome around our office, since we all know that even the “entry level” Bourgogne Blanc is a guaranteed winner from this exceptional producer. It was again this time, as we popped and poured first the 2009 Bourgogne and then the 2009 Puligny-Montrachet villages. Silence followed as everyone took their time on the nose, and then…our Collector Services expert, Jeannie Lacombe, said “How can you not love white Burgundy?" to which we all just nodded.

Domaine Leflaive is truly a reference standard for Puligny-Montrachet, from villages to grands crus. The family-run estate is farmed bio-dynamically, with low yields and close attention to detail in the vineyard and cellar. The 2009 vintage was notoriously warm, resulting in wines of accessible fruit flavors. The straight Bourgogne showed this off readily and at the moment, it is a pleasure to drink. The Puligny Montrachet showed the additional complexity and verve that one sees when moving up the quality ladder in Burgundy. It’s somewhat reserved at this point, but the material is clearly there for a lovely villages level wine to emerge. So again, with wines like this, how could you NOT love white Burgundy?

Pride is one of those producers we too often take for granted. Something about years and years of high scores and great reviews have perhaps become old hat, not as exciting as the latest cult craze. But when we think “trusted California producer,” we always go back to these classics – the Dunns, Spottswoodes, and Prides of the wine world. From experience we know that while each of these is stylistically unique, they have in common the ability to age well. Which is why we were excited for the opportunity to taste back vintages from Pride’s well-known mountaintop property.

For comparison, we opened the 2004 Merlot Mountaintop, the 1999 Cabernet Napa Valley, and the 2004 Cabernet Reserve. Of the 3, the Merlot was showing the best for near term enjoyment. The 1999 Cabernet is a nice mature example of mountain fruit and the 2004 Reserve is one for the cellar and, definitely a wine whose structured tannins will benefit from a few years of further development.

You can read full tasting notes from these and all of our tastings in the Community Tasting Notes section for each individual wine in the Vinfolio Wine Store.

We had been wanting to try a bottle of the 2008 Serene as a group since we first brought this in a few months ago. The critical praise of the 2008 vintage has come from all corners:  “the best vintage Oregon has ever produced…” (Harvey Steinman), “The 2008 vintage for Oregon Pinot Noir is superb.” (Eric Asimov), “…these were the finest wines in many a year…” (Jay Miller).

Before describing this particular wine, let’s confront the one most common criticism of Domaine Serene. Is it pretentious to buy advertising in Wine Spectator claiming your wines beat out DRC in blind tastings? Yes. Ok, now that that’s out of the way, a bit about the wine.

The Jerusalem Hill Vineyard is located in the Eola Hills and is part of the Serene estate. It’s a dry-farmed, sustainable property that averages just under 3 tons per acre. For 2008, the wine was aged for 20 months in French Oak, 82% new.

The sweet new oak is apparent but not overbearing in this expressive Pinot, which shows off ripe red fruit balanced by loamy earth and a backbone of bright acidity. While it’s certainly approachable now, it will definitely benefit from a few years in the cellar. Pinot fans would do well to pick up a few bottles of this classy wine and any other 2008s they find.

I try to drink rosé year round, I really do. Buried under multiple layers of long sleeves, sweatshirts, and down vest, sitting in the pervasive fog, I will open a bottle and imagine I’m instead on a patio somewhere, soaking up the summer sun. Of course that’s the scene in June around here. I do the very same thing in January, though, wearing pretty much the same layers, looking out over pretty much the same fog.

No doubt about it, there’s something about rosé’s light shades of pink that scream warm weather, light foods, and sheer happiness. Two French roses tasted this week were great examples and one in particular stood out as an especially great value.  We opened both of these mid-afternoon, popped and poured.

The 2010 Margerum Rose VdP - on sale now! - is sourced from just outside the Rhone Valley and made by Santa Barbara-area winemaker Doug Margerum. As consulting winemaker for Chene Bleu, he was able to use Grenache from the property to make a rosé under his own label. The resulting wine is immediately accessible with white peach and stone fruit on the nose, and bright tart cherry on the palate.  

While the Margerum is definitely enjoyable, the 2010 Triennes Rose, at just $14.95, was the real show stealer. The Cinsault is from a property in Provence joint-owned by Jacques Seysses (Domaine Dujac) and Aubert de Villaine (DRC). This is a clean, refreshing rosé that impresses with focused acidity and a minerally structure. Nectarine and bright strawberry balances things out nicely for a delicious, complete rosé at an excellent price.

Our regular Wednesday afternoon wine tasting featured three domestic Sauvignon Blancs we have in stock: 2009 Cade from Napa Valley, 2010 Capture Tradition from Lake and Sonoma Counties, and 2009 Margerum Sybarite from the Santa Ynez Valley. We’re all hopeful that one day soon summer will come to San Francisco and we can enjoy these whites in the warm sun.  

Since Sauvignon Blanc tends to be popped and poured, that’s exactly what we did. The Cade’s handy screwcap made the job easiest; this is an obvious take-along wine.  No simple white, this Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc showed refreshing citrus and wet stone on the nose. The palate followed with tropical fruit balanced with refreshing acidity and a long, clean finish.

Next up was the 2010 Capture Tradition, a sommelier favorite since its inaugural release last vintage.  Floral and slightly herbal on the lively nose, this blend of Lake and Sonoma County fruit is an easy drinking white perfect for warm weather. The 2010 Pionniers bottling is another favorite, and represents a slightly “geekier” version - more mineral and less upfront fruit - from this up-and-coming producer.

We finished up the tasting with the 2009 Margerum Sybarite, which showed considerably more weight on both the nose and palate. Citrus pulp and rind balanced smoky mineral notes for a more serious Sauvignon Blanc.

Any of these three would be great choices for a relaxing summer day. Try a few and let us know what you think!

This morning a colleague and I were discussing how our wine preferences and buying decisions have changed in the past few years - away from bigger Syrahs and Cabernets and toward Pinots and white wines in general. Our reasoning was similar: we don't tend to cook rich, hearty meals that feature beef or lamb, for example, and want to have at-home wine selections that will better match the lighter fare we tend to enjoy nightly.

Right on cue, I came across Matt Kramer's article entitled "Free at Last! Free at Last!," in which he suggests, "You should get a divorce from the marriage of food and wine." I read on, skeptically. After all, our profession delights in the challenge of perfectly matching an elaborate meal with a wine that sings in harmony. I recalled a particularly galling conversation I once had with the salesperson at a wine shop. When I asked his advice on what would pair nicely with the prosciutto and fig jam I was holding, he launched into a lecture on how wine does NOT match food and in fact that he never drinks his wine with food, instead preferring the liquid portion of his meal before the solid.

Kramer's point is not so extreme, and in fact instead of being revolutionary it is more freeing, as the title suggests. "Good wines can work wonderfully with any food that is remotely plausible for the wine." The end. Almost. The key, aside from the adjective "good," is of course "remotely plausible." Kramer offers this corollary: "...the more extreme the dish or the wine, the less sociable it is."

That brought me back to my conversation this morning about big Syrahs and Cabernets. Compared with what I cook on most nights, full-bodied wines are not the most "sociable," but for many they are exactly that. It all comes down to eating and drinking what you enjoy and keeping the water glass handy in case the pairing isn't just right. Good news this holiday season if you're under pressure to choose the "perfect" wine.