Collecting Wines?

The assumption is that readers of this column do drink wines. Are you buying wines only when you plan to uncork a bottle or two for an upcoming dinner or send them as gifts?  Or you are now having enough of an interest that you want to start a collection?   

People collect wines for different reasons:

1. Have something on hand and not to worry about doing last minute shopping – A seasoned drinker probably knows his/her palate and will focus on accumulating wines along that line. Somebody newer to the game may just be developing a preference. One approach is to focus on a wine region at a time before trying another one. Many years ago, yours truly bought wines of the same vintage across about 30 Bordeaux estates to try. This is a way to “equalizes” the weather element and the different characters of the wines would more relate to individual terroir and wine making styles.

   
   

2. Have wines with different maturity profiles so there will always be something within the optimal drinking window for immediate pleasure – Thorough research is the key. Get recommendations from reliable and knowledgeable merchants. Reports from wine critics and comments from enthusiasts via Cellar Tracker will be useful too.

   
   

3. Create a collection to pass on – The groundwork is not unlike (2) above. The focus is perhaps to look for wines with long development potential. Buying En Primeur used to be a good way to get something with potential and at attractive prices although producers seem to have become greedy with very over-priced offers in recent years. One must also buy only from reputable merchants for En Primeur and not just chasing for the cheapest. You pay and are collecting the wines more than two years down the road and certainly don’t want the risk of the merchant going out of business during that interim.

   
   

4. As an investment for financial gain – We always caution such as the only motivation. Wine prices have risen a lot if we look at the past 25-year horizon. Still, it depends on when you enter the market. 2009/2010 Bordeaux En Primeur prices are still some 30-40% higher than current prices. The loss would be even bigger if one factors in the carrying costs for the last 15 years. So buy if you like the wine and not solely because you think it will appreciate. Always have them stored in bonded warehouses in the UK and only ship back if you want to consume them.  Good names are also much more liquid, any time you want to unload them.

Going now to some of our recent additions and see if any might be interest you:   

2014 Larmandier-Bernier Blanc de Blancs Les Chemins d'Avize Grand Cru (WA96 at HK$950/bottle) – This very good champagne continues to develop brilliantly, unfurling in the glass with aromas of citrus oil, freshly baked bread, white flowers, fresh mint, pastry cream and blanched almonds. Full-bodied, layered and vinous, it's chiseled and concentrated, with racy acids, chalky structure and a long, saline finish.

2022 Sadie Family Old Vines Series Skirpioen (WA96 at HK$380/bottle) – By a reputable South African estate and made from Chenin Blanc and Palomino, the 2022 Old Vine Series Skerpioen displays aromas of wax melon with hints of sea spray and lemon skin before offering a dusty floral essence. Medium-bodied and with excellent mineral tension, the palate bursts to life with energetic acidity, showing layers of freshness and complexity before ending with a lively, food-friendly finish. Only 7,400 bottles of this gorgeous wine were produced.  

2018 Domaine Henri Boillot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Mouchere Monopole (WA95 at HK$1,500/bottle) – Our favourite Burgundy domaine producing this white that has turned out brilliantly, wafting from the glass with aromas of pear, hazelnut, dried white flowers, citrus oil, blanched almonds and smoke. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, deep and multi-dimensional, with terrific concentration, searing levels of extract and a long, mineral finish. 

2015 Leoville Barton (WA95 at HK$370/half-bottle) – A good choice when you don’t want to drink too much as this Bordeaux red in half bottle size offers notions of warm red currants, black raspberries and dark chocolate with wafts of cigar box, violets and bay leaves. Elegant, medium-bodied and sporting great freshness, the taut, tightly wound palate of intense red fruits and floral accents is well-framed with firm, grainy tannins, finishing on a lingering mineral note.

2015 Rauzan-Segla (WA97 at HK$420/half-bottle) – Another excellent Bordeaux red in half bottle size with an expressive nose of baked blackberries, kirsch, warm cassis, baked plums and hints of cigar box, it is full-bodied, rich and expansive in the mouth, with layer upon layer of bold red and black fruit preserves over a velvety texture, finishing long and lively.

1996 Pichon Lalande (WA97 at HK$2,300/bottle) – If you want a really good older vintage Bordeaux red without having to pay an astronomical price, look no further than the 1996 Pichon Lalande which is really beginning to drink with style, wafting from the glass with an inviting nose of blackberries, cassis, cherries, rich soil tones, Cuban cigar and subtle hints of mint and bergamot. Medium to full-bodied, rich and fleshy, with an expansive, sumptuous core of fruit that's underpinned by ripe acids and ripe, powdery virile tannins, it concludes with a long, penetrating and sapid finish. 

2021 San Giusto a Rentennano Chianti Classico Reserva Le Baroncole (WA95 at HK$300/bottle) – Here's a beautiful bottle from the Toscana producer San Giusto a Rentennano that out-performs dozens of wines from the appellation that are priced two or three times higher than this. This organic red, out of mostly the Sangiovese grape varietal, is incredibly rich of black fruit and sweet plum. On the palate, the texture gives a strong sense of focus, with its fine tannins supporting the generous fruit weight.

2012 Turnbull Leopoldina Cabernet Sauvignon (RP97 at HK$1,350/bottle) – This Napa red possesses savory blackcurrant and blackberry fruit deftly touched by toasty oak. The wine builds incrementally on the palate to a full-bodied crescendo at the finish. The tannins are sweet but noticeable, and the finish is long and rich. This is a wine accessible when young and yet will last for two decades.

Thank you for reading. Please feel free to go to our website www.vinopolis.com.hk to browse the full wine list. Purchases can be made through the website or by sending us an e-mail or simply WhatsApp 9195-7383.