It was with great interest that I read WRO Editor Michael Franz’ Barolo report this week.
Barolo, IMHO, is among the world’s most important red wines. More important now than ever because of the feeding frenzy over the 2009 vintage of Bordeaux, which none other than critic Robert Parker has characterized as the vintage of his lifetime.
I have no qualms about the excitement being generated by ’09 Bordeaux. It is a very, very sexy vintage, although in my own experience I would not rate it as highly as Parker, the Mr. Bordeaux of our time.
Nevertheless, Parker is on record and the markets are rocking because top-drawer Bordeaux is now more expensive than ever. So what’s a poor (you can take that literally if you wish) wine enthusiast to do? I can’t get anywhere near the first growths or so-called "super seconds" available in the ’09 Bordeaux futures pool, but I do have several open slots in my cellar courtesy of a visit by Franz and friends in May.
Hence my interest in his Barolo assessments. I’m in the market for collectible red wines that I can cellar for a decade or more and enjoy after they’ve reached maturity.
Other than Bordeaux and Burgundy, my favorite wine collectibles come from Italy — Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello di Montalcino, the Super Tuscans and a handful of the remarkable Aglianico-based wines of Campania and Basilicata.
The best from these regions are renowned for their longevity, and mature to greatness in the same fashion as fine Bordeaux and Burgundy. And here’s the sweet part — though no one would describe these wines as cheap, or even inexpensive, they are a fraction of the cost of an ’09 first-growth Bordeaux.
Two of the most coveted producers from these areas, Gaja and Biondi-Santi, might go for as much as $250 a bottle from a good vintage, though I have found both for less. All of the others are much less, even for the best wines from the best vintages.
Just for fun, here is a brief wish list:
1. Gaja Sperss
2. Biondi-Santi Riserva Brunello di Montalcino
3. Feudi di San Gregorio Serpico
4. La Massa Georgio Primo Chianti Classico
5. Il Poggione Riserva Brunello di Montalcino
6. Ceretto Barolo Bricco Rocche
Next time you need a "great wine" fix for your cellar and you haven’t yet hit the lottery, spend a minute or two in the primo Italian section at your favorite wine shop. You won’t die of thirst!
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