Shiraz grapes grow bountifully in the Land Down Under, where the climate is warm and the sunlight shines bright—particularly in the McLaren Vale wine region. This appellation is celebrated for consistently producing world-class Australian Shiraz—though Roman Bratasuik, owner of the Clarendon Hills winery, prefers to use this grape’s Old World name, Syrah, for his top-rated wines.
Some wines simply seem destined for greatness from the beginning. Hailing from the Côte-Rôtie appellation of the northern Rhône, a region rich with oenological history, Étienne Guigal’s empire was founded just over 60 years ago—not long at all, when you consider how many centuries many of the world’s top estates have existed. And yet, in just over half a century, Guigal has become a leading negociant for the Rhône and now vinifies as much as 40 percent of Côte-Rôtie wines.
Bordeaux’s Château Le Pin, generally referred to as just “Le Pin,” produces some of the most decadent and complex Merlot in the world. At the cost of $4,000 per bottle, on average, collectors are willing to pay top dollar to get a taste of these renowned wines. Château Le Pin’s best vintages can garner even higher prices on the secondary market; some of the top-ranked vintages are valued at $10,000 or more per bottle. Whether you’re a passionate fan of Bordeaux or an established investor looking to add to your portfolio of valuable wines, it’s important to know which years from Le Pin are considered the greatest in the estate’s history.
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-St-Vivant may not get quite the same attention from collectors as the producer’s other top wines, like La Romanée-Conti or La Tâche. However, it would be a mistake to pass over Romanée-St-Vivant. This wine is among the freshest and purest in Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s roster and is deeply enjoyable to drink. With succulent red fruit, silky tannins, perfumed florals, and a complex underlying spice, Romanée-St-Vivant is an intriguing and versatile Pinot Noir that pairs well with a variety of foods. It’s also one of the few wines from this producer that can be drunk either young or old and provides excellent value for the price, making it a popular choice among Burgundy collectors.
Whatever your reason for wanting to buy a bottle of Krug Champagne or open one you’ve had in your cellar for years, your thoughts have likely started drifting towards food—if they’re not there already. Food and Champagne go hand in hand. Whether you’re celebrating an anniversary or just putting together a great dinner, picking the right dish to go with a bottle of Champagne—and vice versa—can feel like a momentous decision.
Over the course of more than 100 years, Vega Sicilia has established itself as Spain’s most respected and luxurious winery, and that sterling reputation holds to this day. Many of the world’s leading wine connoisseurs praise the estate’s celebrated flagship wine, Único, including Spanish wine expert Luis Gutiérrez of Wine Advocate. He says this historic Ribera del Duero estate is “one of the greatest in the world” because of its unique terroir and its winemakers’ passion for crafting elegant, multilayered wines.
Though the youngest of all the estates ranked in the Bordeaux classification of 1855, Château Montrose quickly gained fame as an estate capable of producing incomparable wine. Since most years are good years for this estate, choosing from among the best vintages of Château Montrose is no easy task. Whether you intend to hold a bottle as an investment or just long enough to savor a glass at its peak, this guide will help—but buying multiple vintages certainly won’t hurt, either.
As two of the biggest names in the Napa Valley wine industry, Opus One and Caymus make highly sought-after Cabernet Sauvignon blends of outstanding quality. However, this is where their similarities end. When you compare Opus One vs. Caymus, there’s a clear difference in style and flavor. In this guide, you’ll learn what the flavor differences are between Opus One and Caymus as well as the differences in value, age-worthiness, and collectability so that you can curate your ideal collection of great Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.
Wines produced in the Margaux appellation in Bordeaux are often as complex and spirited as the histories of the estates that bear their names. The best vintages of Château Palmer are no exception. Often delicate, precise, and profoundly pleasing to the palate, the first taste of almost any of this estate’s Bordeaux leaves you wanting more—an exceptional achievement for a wine that was long ago, and perhaps unjustly, classified as a third growth.
To say first-growth Bordeaux wine is high in quality is an understatement. There are only five first-growth estates in Bordeaux, and each of them crafts some of the most elegant, prestigious, and valuable wines in the world. Wines with official first-growth classifications are often worth hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars more than their lesser-ranked peers and are considered by many to be the cornerstone of any serious French wine collection.
Colgin Cellars’ wines are supremely rare and exclusive. The Napa Valley winery sells fewer than 2,800 cases of wine per year to a handful of upscale restaurants and 8,000 members on its selective mailing list. Getting your hands on these complex and delectable red wines isn’t easy, particularly if you’re on the hunt for one of Colgin’s many 100-point vintages. These top-rated wines are highly sought-after among serious wine enthusiasts and tend to sell out very quickly on the secondary market.
The best vintages of Château Latour are among the longest-lived wines in the world. While certain wines like fine port and Tokaji are known to age for 100 years or more, it’s rare to find a red Bordeaux blend with the same aging potential. Château Latour is one of these extraordinary wines. For instance, the 1961 vintage—considered one of the greatest in the estate’s history—continues to develop in complexity even to this day. When Master of Wine Jancis Robinson tried the 1961 vintage a few years ago, she said, “I can hardly believe the drinking dates I am suggesting for this wine! Drink through 2040.”