Aged Wines - In need of some advice

[action2096]

All,

Having only become afflicted with this wine addiction over the last year or i'd appreciate some advice from some of the more seasoned veterans who regularly contribute to what i believe is an excellent forum.

From the small collection of wines i have managed to put together ( Only 10 cases but growing all the time) i don't really have too many from older vintages. I have a few hunter semillons from 96-98 but most of the reds are 2000-2003. I have'nt had an opportunity to drink a red wine in it "peak drinking window" so am at a bit of a loss when it comes to judging how long i should be keeping these wines.

I know that the "peak window" is a very personal thing but i don't want to sit around trying a wine for the next 5-10 years while i build up a better understanding of what my personal "window" is only to find that i prefer younger reds with 3-4 years in a bottle !!

I'm keen to try and sample a few older wines that would generally be believed to be at their peak but wouldn't really have a clue where to start. Obviously there are auctions such as langtons etc but i still would struggle to know

a) What is considered a fair price
b) Is the wine at or nearing it's peak

Is there anyone out there who could give me a few pointers on some wines from older vintages that i could give a go and what is should be expecting to pay ?? I'm not looking for those incredibly hard to find rare gems that are gonna cost me a fortune rather the easier to obtain that aren't going to cost me an arm & leg and will give me a better appreciation of aged red wines.

In order to try and assist with any reccomendations some wines i have tried recently and enjoyed would include

Grant Burge Filsell 02
Penfolds 389 02
St Hugos Cab Sav 01
Cape Mentelle Shiraz 02
Voyager Estate Shiraz 03
Mr Riggs Shiraz. Can't remember the vintage. Drank at a friends house and its all a bit hazy !!

I'm probably asking the impossible here but have a budget of about $20-40 p/b


Any advice would be much appreciated

Cheers
Chris

[Red Bigot]

Chris,

Buy a copy of Jeremy Oliver's wine annual, I find his drinking windows often match my preferences.

Auctions can be a bit of pot luck, both in prices and condition of the wine, and the 15% buyer's premium (and freight/insurance if you can't pick it up) is a bit of a dampner, I multiply my bid by 1.2 to calculate the actual price I would have to pay. Basically decide what price you are willing to pay and don't get into a bidding duel.

I've sent you a PM as well.

[MartinE]

Hi Chris,

I agree with the learned RB as usual and I would suggest that you try a few wineries like Seppelt, Killerby, Tim Adams and Tahbilk for instance who carry some back vintages.

If you want a few from auction why not bid up to the current retail?...15% on a couple of bottles ie $4-5 pb is a small price to calibrate your tastes. If you live in any of the capital cities apart from Brisbane you can attend the auctions live, view your intended purchase and save the delivery cost on say a mixed dozen.

Cheers,

MartinE

[GraemeG]

Brian's right that auctions can be pot-luck, but if you only small lots it can be a very interesting experience. I've done well with singles or pairs from time to time, but always wondered about cellaring. A 90 Mt Edelstone drink three months ago was a bit disappointing (for $70-odd) but a 92 Cyril was utterly stunning.

Not just Langtons, Lawsons in Sydney can be even more surreal. I bought a quite drinkable 64 Ch Canon for $60 last year! Don't be afraid to experiment. Even buying 3-4 bottle lots of older modest wines - say 1990 Wynns shiraz - for around $20 can be enlightening. Never get in biding wars, obviously...!

cheers,
Graeme