Priced Out Of Bordeaux
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Last year, Bordeaux lovers watched in shock and awe as futures prices of the 2005 vintage soared to record highs. You could have paid $25,000 for a single case of Chateau Petrus 2005 to be delivered in 2008. Or, for that money, you could have taken title to a new Mini Cooper convertible. You might even have a few thousand dollars left over to buy wine that — unlike the Petrus — is currently drinkable.
Granted that, in a region rife with imperfect weather, the 2005 Bordeaux vintage was a thing of rare beauty. The 2006 vintage, on the other hand, was not in the same class, and it seemed as if prices of even the most desirable wines ought to retreat back into the realm of the realistic. But my heart sank when I saw in the catalog of Morrell Wines that the 2006 futures price of one of my favorite wines, Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion 2006, was not at all with my reach: $7,139. That’s what must be paid now for a wine that won’t be delivered until 2009, and it will not reach peak drinkability for more than a decade. The classically constructed 2004 vintage, meanwhile, is available at Zachys for $1,344 a case. Compared to the 2006 futures, that price seems like a pittance. At New York’s first wine auction of the new season, held last weekend at Aulden Cellars Sotheby’s, wine prices stayed stellar despite the stock market downturn. A case of Petrus 1982, for example, sold for $56,762, and Lafite Rothschild 1982 for $29,875. The convergence of futures and auction prices means that collectors who don’t have a heap of surplus cash are priced out of the upper tier of classic Bordeaux.
There are, however, wines that are designed in the “classic” style, by which I mean Bordeaux-style wines that can gain depth and nuance of flavor over many years. They’re keepers. The good news is that such overlooked wines are available now on the shelves of serious wine shops. Most are made from the same grapes as Bordeaux: cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, and malbec. But compared to classic Bordeaux wines, they are relative bargains.
I’ve selected nine keepers that, having flown under the radar of trophy chasers, have not suffered undue price inflation. But they will ennoble your table now and for years to come. Just don’t plan to fit more than a case or two in that Mini Cooper.
Robert Mondavi Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 ($45 at Morrell, morrellwine.com) The closest that Napa Valley gets to Bordeaux essence is in Oakville, Calif., where Mondavi has earned its spurs over 40 years. Cultists no longer seek Mondavi, but the wine has never been better: firm, fruited, and dustily tannic.
Cheval des Andes 2002, Vistalba, Mendoza ($63 at Sherry-Lehmann, sherry-lehmann.com) No wonder this still tightly wound wine seems imbued with the spirit of Bordeaux. Pierre Lurton, maker of Chateau Cheval Blanc and Chateau d’Yquem, has a hand in making it. Give it 10 years to bloom.
Craggy Range “Sophia,” 2004 ($47 at Star Wines, starwine.com) So sumptuously rich that you might wonder if this Bordeaux blend can go the distance. Count on the track record of winery boss Steve Smith, perhaps New Zealand’s greatest viticulturalist.
Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 ($89 at Astor Wines, astorwines.com) Think of this wine as an Aussie rendition of a darkly powerful Pauillac, maybe even a Chateau Mouton Rothschild. Bin 707 is nowhere near as famous, or as expensive, as Penfolds’s (and Australia’s) top wine, called Grange, but it will be a partner, rather than a prima donna, at the dinner table.
Columella 2002, Swartland, Sadie Family Vineyard ($70 at Astor Wines) Made by the visionary Eben Sadie, this South African wine is based on syrah, a Rhone Valley variety. But its purity of flavors, mingling smoke, and red berries, combined with a firm spine of acids and tannins, make this a must-have wine even for Bordeaux buffs.
Bodegas Roda, Roda I 2001 ($60 at Astor Wines) From a 15-year-old winery in Rioja, whose wines are cross-border cousins to Bordeaux. Nothing has been spared to make a wine as smooth and rich as liquid bittersweet chocolate. Its soft contours do not preclude a long life.
Montes Purple Angel 2003 ($55 at Morrell) Carmenère, once an important grape in Bordeaux, is now alive and well in Chile. Bright and brilliant, fruit and spice and youthful energy abound in this wine. And yes, it’s very purple. Decant it in the morning for evening drinking.
Ruffino Romitorio di Santedame 2001 ($57 at Wine Junction, winejunction.com) The rare colorino grape imparts scents of currants and cinnamon to this Tuscan beauty, while perfectly ripe merlot brings seductive fleshiness. A distinctive, long-lasting wine.
Chateau Pontet Canet 2004 ($48 at Garnet Wines, garnetwine.com) The wine director at Sotheby’s, Serena Sutcliffe, has praised vintages from the 1920s of this Pauillac property. Then Pontet Canet went behind a cloud for decades. Now it is back to making powerful, balanced wines for long maturation. The wine is truly the best of Bordeaux, at a price that has not caught up with its quality.