Age Worthy Wine

I would like to purchase a wine to hold for about 11-12 years. I need one from the 2001 vintage from any country. One I have looked at already is a 2001 Andrew Geoffry Cabernet Sauvignon. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I plan to drink it with my son when he graduates high school.

rwj

Anything more specific than this?

Geez, Robert. Without knowing your preferences and anticipated price range, that's a pretty wide open one. But without knowing preferences and price range, all I can do is project my tastes on you - always a dangerous thing. As you know, among others, Cal Cab, Southern Rhones, and Spain all had great years and produced a ton of wine that will be good in 2018, if properly stored. I'll list three different styles that I have in my cellar that I have pegged for consumption about that time.
I am a fan of Chateauneuf du Pape and have several 2001s. If you like the style, I'd recommend Pegau as one with the legs to carry it to that date.
For Cal CAbs, I don't have many but one I do have and think will be excellent about that time is Ridge Montebello. Oh, and Laurel Glen. Maybe Soquel.
Most quality Spanish wines will be fine in 2018, but the one I that has me the most excited is Flor de Pingus. Pesquera will also be right there in 2018. And a number of Rioja Reservas and Ribera del Dueros. But I'd bet on Flor de Pingus.
I am sure there are others that get more points, and will be glorious, but these are in the $50-$80 range and for a high school grad, I think will do the trick just fine.

Not really. I just want to get a good 2001 that will hold well for the next 11-12 years. I know that California and Italy had good years in 2001. There were some winners in Bordeaux and Burgundy but the vintage was inconsistent for them. Will a good 2001 hold this long?

As I find more wines from that vintage I will post them. The Andrew Geoffrey is the first that I have found available to me that proves to be a well made wine with positive reviews. I figure that if I get enough suggestions I should find something.

rwj

2001 is a great year for German riesling or barolo. There should be a slew of TNs around here for either of these types. Good examples of either will last well beyond 2018.

Robert, my suggestion would be Beringer PR 2001. A very fine example of a California standard bearer with a grand history:

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, May/Jun 05 Rated: 94
Good full ruby. Complex, very ripe aromas of cassis, minerals, lead pencil and currant leaf. Large-scaled and sweet, with flavors of roasted currant, blackberry and dark chocolate. This is almost too big for the mouth. A California cabernet with superb density and length. Finishes with building tannins and subtle notes of chocolate, mocha and underbrush. This wine is virtually always accessible early, but also has an excellent track record for aging.

Prices all over the lot -- so if you choose it, check out Wine Searcher Pro.

Regards, Bob

Thanks for the replies, everyone. My tastes are pretty open but I really love the Languedoc, Southern Rhone (thanks, OW), Piedmont, Tuscany, and America in that order.

I usually don't go for Cal Cabs very often but when I get a really, really good one then I really, really, enjoy it. I have had a Beringer PR (thanks, Bob) once but can't remember the vintage; it was a knockout wine!

I don't want to spend much more than $150, less if I can. What about Brunello di Montalcino in 2001? Any thoughts on those?

rwj

Robert, I tasted quite a few at the recent Wine Spectator tasting in Las Vegas. Of these, I would buy the Altesino Montosoli for aging. It seems to run $60 to $75 from good retailers, according to Wine Searcher Pro. A really delicious wine; I purchased three bottles after tasting the basic Altesino.

My notes follow:

Brunello di Montalcino Tuscany Italy

Altesino Brunello di Montalcino Tuscany Italy 2001. Claudio Basla, winemaker. Alcohol 14.5%. http://www.altesino.it/ Imported by Winebow, New York. http://winebow.com/ 13 to 14% alcohol -- there was a bottle of each on offer. Distributor: made from 100% Sangiovese Grosso grapes harvested from the Altesino, Montosoli and Velona vineyards. The wine is aged in large Slovenian barrels where it remains for 3 and a half years prior to bottling. This was my wine of the night -- just delicious and drinking beautifully. Janet loved it too -- she had it with a variety of the buffet foods on offer, especially good, she said, with buffalo loin. 5*. Jancis Robinson recently described this wine much better than I could: "This classically-styled, all-Sangiovese red has already developed a haunting bouquet, is delicately medium bodied, shows no trace of obvious oak, but is firmly assertive and could only be a Brunello from one of Montalcino's more senior, more distinctive vineyards. Altesino in the far north of the Montalcino zone has long been a standard-bearer for Montalcino. I would strongly recommend this wine, displaying Sangiovese's leafy, autumnal notes with prune-like substance on the palate, to anyone who wants to get to grips with true Brunello, rather than the rash of much sweeter, fuller, more oaky examples that have proliferated recently. I reckon it could be drunk with great pleasure - with food - at any time over the next five years or more - although converts might also like to look out for Altesino's more concentrated Montosoli bottling for longer-term drinking." Around $35.

Argiano Brunello di Montalcino Tuscany Italy 2001. Hans Vinding-Diers winemaker. 14.0% alcohol. http://argiano.net/ Deep ruby color, medium hue, very good fruit aromas and tastes, very good acidity, good balance, long finish with fruit notes. On oak for two and a half years, but the oak was subdued. Pretty wine drinking well tonight. [Antonio Galloni: "It strikes a nice balance between modern and traditional styles, offering the flavors of the former and the structure of the latter."] 4*. About $50.

Avignonesi Corona Desiderio Merlot Tuscany Italy 2004. Paolo Trappolini winemaker. http://www.avignonesi.it/ Grapes: Merlot (85%), Cabernet Sauvignon (15%). Ageing in barriques for 28-30 months. 13.5% alcohol. Ruby red color, medium hue, lovely fruit aromas and tastes with light spice and earthen notes, good acidity, medium mouth feel, long finish. Pretty wine, 4*, and I love that bull! Price: ???

Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino Tuscany Italy 2001. Rudi Buratti, winemaker. http://castellobanfi.com/ [what a dramatic opener on the website!] 13.3% alcohol. Ruby red color, medium hue, lovely fruit tastes and aromas with earthen and coffee notes, good acidity, excellent tannins, long, long finish. Shows great promise with several more years of aging. 4*. Price: ???

Caparzo La Casa Brunello di Montalcino Tuscany Italy 2001. 14% alcohol. Massimo Bracalente, winemaker. http://www.caparzo.com/ Deep red color, deep hue, intense fruit and berry aromas with a bit of pepper, good fruit tastes, very smooth, good acidity, seemed a bit unbalanced and lacking structure, medium finish with fruit and spice notes. 3*. [I visited La Casa several years ago, and was told several times it had the best position (south, southwest) on Montosoli hill. K&L captured my concern: The wine is dense, thick and fleshy yet in this classic vintage I would have thought there would have been more definition to the wine. It is really good but in one of the premier spots in Montalcino one would have thought of greatness. However it is really good, and perhaps with some age some of the dense fleshiness will lean out and the real "La Casa" will come forward. Age 4-6 years and then drink over the next 10-20 years."] About $60.

Castiglion Del Bosco Brunello di Montalcino Campo del Drago Tuscany Italy 2000. Nicolo d'Afflitto, winemaker. http://www.castigliondelbosco.it/ Clear red color, medium hue, good fruit aroma and taste, hints of spice and earth, medium acidity, medium finish, clean but a bit simple -- not very exciting. 3*. Around $60 although nothing in US on WSP.

DaVinci Brunello di Montalcino Davinci Tuscany Italy 2001. Alberto Antonini. http://www.davinciwines.com/ Medium red color, medium hue, very good fruit aroma with coffee and earthen notes, very good cherry and berry flavors with herbs, coffee and earth, medium mouth feel, firm tannins, medium finish. Pretty wine. 4*. $62.

Fuligni Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Tuscany Italy 2001. 14% alcohol. http://www.fuligni.it Paolo Vagaggini, winemaker. A very pretty Brunello from a very consistent maker -- great fruit and spice and a very interesting finish. 4*+. $80 to $120.

Tenute Silvio Nardi Brunello di Montalcino Vigneto Manachiarra Tuscany Italy 2001. Emilia Nardi winemaker. http://www.tenutenardi.com Ruby red, deep hue, big aromas of plums, coffee, dried fruit, big tastes of ripe and dried fruits, impression of sweetness, full mouth feel, long finish dominated by the sweet fruit, quite tannic but the sweetness hid it, very little aroma in the empty glass. Not a style for me. 3*. $70.

Well there must be thousands but a possible bordeaux may be 2001 Château Cos d'Estournel or for that matter many others. Why 2001 when you could buy current year now?

I suspect, David, it has to do with his son's birth year (will graduate from HS in 11-12 years would seem to make him about 6 now).
What a great listing of 2001 Brunello's, Bob Ross. Thanks for posting that. I am taking the list to my wine shop this afternoon.

Thanks for the replies, everyone. My tastes are pretty open but I really love the Languedoc, Southern Rhone (thanks, OW), Piedmont, Tuscany, and America in that order.

I don't want to spend much more than $150, less if I can.

I have a lot of various 2001s (anniversary year), but the Languedocs and Californians I are mostly earlier drinkers. Wines in your other areas of interest that I have that would fit your aging curve (all are way under $100):
Rhone: Beaucastel & Clos des Papes
Piedmont: great year. I have a bunch, Marcarini Brunate at $40 will easily do aging, but you can do Mascarello Monprivato at $70-even better.
Tuscany: Montevertine Pergole Torte

If you're really serious about this, and you're willing to prove your seriousness with some serious $$$'s, then look for something from the Langhe, like Giacoma Conterno's [yet to be released?] 2001 Monfortino, or something equivalent from Bruno Giacosa.

Although I doubt that it would be ready to drink in 17 years.

Maybe if he goes on to an undergraduate degree, and then graduate or professional school, it might be ready in 25 years.

And if you belong to the "2001 Germans are indeed ageworthy" camp, then anything from Manfred Prum [under the JJ Prum label].

Prices have skyrocketed from what they were on release [in late 2002/early 2003], but JJ Prum is still a incredible bargain [with a proven track record for ageworthiness] vis-a-vis Conterno or Giacosa.

EDIT: One thing nice about grabbing a newly released wine [like the upcoming 2001 Langhes] is that you can be a little more certain about the provenance [assuming the importer and the distributors knew what they were doing in handling the wine, which, in general, is not a very good assumption].

Purchasing an older release, like the 2001 Prums [which have been on the market for more than four years now] is more of a crapshoot - you might be purchasing a gem, or you might be purchasing a heat-damaged wine that isn't much better than vinegar.

There are a lot of good suggestions here, but I thought that I'd put in a good word for the '01 Ridge Monte Bello. I tasted it last Spring and it outclassed a number of '02 Bdx that were served alongside it. My only worry is that it might not be totally ready in 2018.

Mark Lipton

If you're really serious about this, and you're willing to prove your seriousness with some serious $$$'s, then look for something from the Langhe, like Giacoma Conterno's [yet to be released?] 2001 Monfortino
Although I doubt that it would be ready to drink in 17 years.

I know I should just not respond,but might I ask when someone says they want a wine for an event in 11-12 years, and don't want to spend more than $150, why out of all the wines in the world you'd choose to suggest one likely to cost around $300 and that you feel won't be ready?

If you're really serious about this, and you're willing to prove your seriousness with some serious $$$'s, then look for something from the Langhe, like Giacoma Conterno's [yet to be released?] 2001 Monfortino
Although I doubt that it would be ready to drink in 17 years.

I know I should just not respond,but might I ask when someone says they want a wine for an event in 11-12 years, and don't want to spend more than $150, why out of all the wines in the world you'd choose to suggest one likely to cost around $300 and that you feel won't be ready?

Sorry, I didn't see anything about a $150 limit.

By the way, why do we anticapte the kid graduating from high school at such a young age? Is he being home-schooled? [And are 12-year olds allowed to drink booze?]

Or was he adopted at the age of five?

[David M. Bueker]

Nathan - do the math. In 11-12 years a child born in 2001 will be graduating high school. (and dad can do pretty much what he pleases in his own house - see the thread on children sampling wine)

Now whether an 18 year old will even like Cabernet or Syrah at that stage is debatable, but that wasn't the question.

I suspect, David, it has to do with his son's birth year (will graduate from HS in 11-12 years would seem to make him about 6 now).
What a great listing of 2001 Brunello's, Bob Ross. Thanks for posting that. I am taking the list to my wine shop this afternoon.

Bingo! OW guessed it correctly. My son will be 6 in July and was born in 2001. OW wins my bottle of 1949 Latour!

I know that I am rolling the dice in many ways here: he might not like it, the wine might have been/could get damaged in some way, etc. If he doesn't like it, then more for me and mom! If it gets damaged, then it was fun doing it. Somehow, though, I think that he will like it and the wine will be fine. As of now he loves to open the bottles, smell the wine, lick the cork (he won't take a sip), and tell me what he smells/tastes. Sometimes he is remarkably accurate. Sometimes he could care less (he is only 6). And even though I don't drink much anymore, it still seems like a fun thing to do.

I work in a well stocked wine department and can get some other things that we don't carry. I can probably find something on this list you all have so kindly provided. I will also do some searching and see what is readily available to me right now. When I have those findings I will report back and look for some tasting notes on the boards.

Thanks for all of your help and knowledge. I'll post back later. And should you have any other suggestions, by all means, post them.

rwj

Bingo! OW guessed it correctly. My son will be 6 in July and was born in 2001. OW wins my bottle of 1949 Latour!

rwj

Would you like my mailing address, Robert, or would prefer that I stop by and pick it up when next in Austin????

Bingo! OW guessed it correctly. My son will be 6 in July and was born in 2001. OW wins my bottle of 1949 Latour!

rwj

Would you like my mailing address, Robert, or would prefer that I stop by and pick it up when next in Austin????

You'd better stop by and pick it up. That will give me some time to actually procure one .

rwj

I think that I found one. Here at my store we have a Corino Vigneto Roncaglie Barolo 2001 for $73. I have researched and found positive reviews. Any thoughts from the pros around here?

rwj