Wine drinkers

[126coupe]

I have been stocking up on 2005 Bordeaux's. This is a stellar year. Not since 1961 has their been such a great vintage. Wines never get a 100 point rating, but 2005 has a few.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Which vineyards in particular? I'm sort of new to this stuff and if I'm going to bother going after a few bottles, which ones would you recommend for future use?

[The Gaijin]

Has the weak US dollar caught up with these imports yet?

[Tobra]

Originally Posted by The Gaijin

Has the weak US dollar caught up with these imports yet?

shocking if it has not

I tend to buy American, Aussie or South American wines because I know them better

[John_AZ]

I usually check with my local merchant-BevMo: http://www.bevmo.com/productlist.asp?N=4294946515 for advice. I am not in the $150-300+ price league. I do compare with Wine Spectator or Morrell: http://morrellwine.com/pages.php?id=preferedfutures.

John_AZ

[126coupe]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

Which vineyards in particular? I'm sort of new to this stuff and if I'm going to bother going after a few bottles, which ones would you recommend for future use?

I am not an expert either, I leave it up to the experts at my local wine store.
I did by a case of Chateau Bellefont-Belcier @ 40.00 per bottle. This one I will store for a few years or longer.
I bought a half of case of Chateau d' Armailhac @ 53.00 per bottle, this one I will cellar also. That being said you can find great examples in the 15-20 range

[imcarthur]

Prices are high since it was a great vintage. I bought some Château Clos Des Jacobins (St Emilion) & Château Dauzac (Margaux) as futures 2 years ago.

I’ve always found the best resource is Decanter. For 2005 see Bordeaux 2005.

Like all good Bordeaux, these wines will need 8-10 years to really develop.

Ian

[berettafan]

How's about some links for the $15-$20 stuff!

Cellar tracker has been my resource thus far (talking a month or so).

[John_AZ]

Originally Posted by berettafan

How's about some links for the $15-$20 stuff!

Cellar tracker has been my resource thus far (talking a month or so).

See post 5-BevMo...

Imcarthur, thanks for the Decanter link. UK/South Bank

John_AZ

[berettafan]

Wow, Bevmo is a great site!

Have you done any clubs with them?

[John_AZ]

Originally Posted by berettafan

Wow, Bevmo is a great site!

Have you done any clubs with them?

Clubs? Not able to compute....I am on their email list and since local, I stop in.
A new competitor just opened as well: www.totalwine.com.
Maybe closer to your location.
Both of these are near to a retirement community called Sun City. I guess the retired folks need a bracer ever so often.

John_AZ

[berettafan]

Sorry, didn't 'splain. There seem to be quite a few 'wine clubs' online whereby you commit to a monthly fee ($25-$50 typically) and get a monthly shipment of 2 wines selected by the vendor. Wineries do it as well but i don't think i'd want to be tied into just one brand.

[imcarthur]

If you are serious about Bordeaux, at some point you might want to look into buying futures or En Primeur. The critics taste the vintage in early spring & publish their results - like that Decanter link. You place your order with a retailer who accepts futures orders & pay 50% of the price. At this point, the wine is still at the chateau in barrels. It is delivered about 2 years later & you pay the balance. For example: I bought my 2005s in mid-2006 & I will take delivery in June or July 2008.

I find that it's the best way to buy the chateaux that I want. As for the price - that's why they call them futures. Sometimes when the bottles hit the shelves, the price is slightly higher & sometimes it's lower. Never by much. My retailer (the LCBO of Ontario) allows lots as small as 3 bottles, so I find that it's a great way to get a nice selection without the fuss. I've been doing this since the 1999 vintage.

Ian