Once upon a time not so long ago, ex-château Bordeaux was in the midst of a historical identity crisis. After centuries of being lauded as one of the finest wine regions in the world, fraud and a market bubble forced its winemakers to make a drastic move: forgo en primeur sales in favor of ex-château.
How much would you pay for a bottle of 1995 Latour? If I told you that the bottle had remained at the Latour estate since it was bottled nearly two decades ago, would you be willing to pay more for it than a bottle that had passed through dozens of hands?
In 2013, collectors had to make this exact choice after Latour decided to drop out of en-primeur sales altogether and sell off older wines from 1995 instead. Latour held onto the 1995 bottles, waiting until they reached peak drinking age, then sold them directly to collectors as ex-château wines.
But what are ex-château wines?
High prices are mistaken too often as a guarantee of high quality. While it’s true that many of the best wines in the world are also among the most expensive, simply buying an expensive wine does not guarantee that you will enjoy it. Nor does a low price tag necessarily mean that a wine isn’t worth adding to your collection.
For example, you can find some of the best Cabernet wines for under $200 if you know where to look.
In the world of wine, less is more—at least when it comes to handling and transportation. Whether you relish local wines or seek to collect cases from around the world, you want assurance that the journey from the vineyard to your doorstep was as straightforward and uneventful as possible.
Why? If you aim to enjoy the wine at your next dinner party, you’ll want to serve nothing less than the best a bottle has to offer. And if you’d prefer to resell the wine for profit instead, you’ll receive the greatest ROI from a bottle that’s all but guaranteed perfect provenance.
In either case, the best approach may be to buy directly from producers.
All great sequels do two things: they maintain the high quality of the original, and they stand on their own as something unique, and perhaps something better. For wine enthusiasts, the release of the 2016 Brunello di Montalcino wines may just prove them to be the perfect sequel to the legendary 2015 vintages.
Most wines travel hundreds, or thousands, of miles and pass through many doors before they complete their journey with the pop of a cork. This process factors into the price and—more importantly—the provenance of these wines. The farther the wines travel, and the more complex the journey, the greater the increase in cost and the higher the chances of a mishap. Winery direct shipping offers a faster, safer alternative that limits the extent to which these wines are handled and the risk of damage occurring during transportation.
Located in the South Australia wine state just a short drive south of Adelaide, McLaren Vale is considered to be among the most significant viticultural areas in the world. For a relatively small region, it’s impressively diverse. A number of different red and white grape varieties thrive here thanks to the varied terroirs that coexist within this one appellation. The producers themselves also come in many shapes and sizes; McLaren Vale is home to both industry giants and small, high-end wineries alike.
Some wines seem destined for greatness. Founded in Pauillac—one of the most prolific and praised Left Bank appellations of Bordeaux—by the Governor of the Médoc himself in the early 1700s, Château Pontet-Canet has produced some of the most poignant and intriguing Red Bordeaux blends to date.
If you’re eager to add a few radiant red wines to a well-stocked cellar of Bordeaux, or if you’re interested in starting a new Pauillac or Bordeaux collection, save a place for a few bottles of Château Pontet-Canet’s best vintages.
Clarendon Hills’ flagship Astralis Syrah is known for its lush, concentrated, and incredibly age-worthy characteristics. Alex Bratasiuk, director at the iconic Australian winery Clarendon Hills, has been working for his dad, Roman Bratasiuk, CEO, for as long as he can remember. “From pocket money earned as a young kid, to being involved in 10 or…
As rich in history as they are in flavor and complexity, this producer’s red and white blends are a must-have for any connoisseur interested in adding some quality Bordeaux wine to their collection. It can be difficult to know where to start when so many of their wines have received such high acclaim, but our guide below to Château Haut-Brion’s best vintages of all time provides an excellent place to begin your search.
Mark Aubert’s winery first sprang into existence from California’s rich soils in 1999, and ever since, Aubert Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines have been climbing steadily higher in professional and public opinion, like grapevines reaching for the sun. Of course, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are the state’s most prolifically planted varieties. With so many other notable California producers specializing in similar wines—Peter Michael, Williams Selyem, and Donum among them—what is it about Aubert wines that merits an ever-growing waiting list just to join the winery’s mailing list?
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.
