There are a few ways to buy wine.  1.) Buy it when you need to drink it, i.e. you are having a dinner party and need some wine to serve, or 2.) buy it because you like it, want it and/or think it’s a great deal, though you don’t have a specific plan for enjoying it.  There is a third way as well, which is to buy wine as an investment.

The vast majority of Americans buy wine to drink that night or within a few days.  A tiny number buy to invest, but purchasing a $3000 bottle of Petrus only to sell 10 years later hardly seems like fun to me.  I fall into category two, which is to say I buy wine because I know, at some point, I will enjoy drinking it.  I’m here to argue that you should buy for this reason as well and why it will make your life 46% better.

Over the past 4 or 5 years, I’ve amassed a collection of somewhere around 250 bottles of wine, give or take 50.  Not a bad collection for a non-rich 28 year old, but by no means impressive in the greater wine world.  Nonetheless, this small collection has made my wine experience 100 times more enjoyable and here’s why: Every bottle in my cellar has a time and place to be discovered and enjoyed.  I don’t know when or where that time and place will be, but that’s half the fun.

For example, I had been sitting on a bottle of L’Aventure Optimus and its big brother the Estate Cuvee for a couple of years.  I knew I wanted to drink these wines together and the perfect opportunity came recently when my parents were in town visiting.  We brought the wine to a great restaurant, had an awesome meal, and enjoyed the special wine together.  Drinking wine like that is so much more fun than ordering off of a restaurant list or heading to the local wine shop to pick up a bottle before dinner.

Here is another scenario:  I’ve always loved all of Ridge’s wines, especially their Lytton Springs and Geyserville bottling.  They’re great every year and I usually pick up a bottle or two for short term drinking.  But the 2009 vintage of both of these wines were an absolute blockbusters receiving 95 and 94 point scores respectively.  So naturally, I picked up a few extra bottles of both to, as the Cialas commercial says, drink “when the moment’s right”.  And much like the hassle of having to plan ahead to take that magic little pill, I’d rather be ready!  Consider this my Lytton Springs for daily use.

Enough with that ill-conceived analogy.  The point is, having good wine around is more fun than not.  Some will improve with age, but that’s not the point.  As time goes on, wine fades away from being an X dollar purchase and turns into a future memory (and occasionally a lost memory).  If you build up a small collection of wine you like, I think you will find as I have, that every time you open one, you will get a little more out of that wine, and out of life.

Three or four years ago Aussie wines were hot.  Really hot.  And I’m not just talking about their alcohol content.  Premium wineries like d’Arenberg were selling high-end Shiraz like it was going out of style.  Well, it turns out it was going out of style.  But you know what?  These are the same great wines that were flying off the shelves a few years ago and savvy consumers are starting to rediscover Australia – at a lower price tag.

The Dead Arm is d’Arenberg’s top Shiraz and the 2006 vintage was absolutely spectacular.  It scored 95+ points from Parker and 93 from Tanzer with the former saying it will last 30 years beyond its vintage date.  That’s a serious wine.  Since this deal is only available in half bottles, it’s a perfect purchase for solo drinking (I can personally attest to this), or to supplement another partially consumed bottle.  Or you can just open two bottles.  Usually this doesn’t make sense because two half bottles cost more than a full, but in this case two halves are cheaper than the lowest price I can find for a whole.

This is a massive wine that handles the high percentage of new French and American oak well.  Bright cherries on the nose transition in to dark blueberry reduction on the palate with a cutting acidity to balance.  Mineral flavors lurk underneath the huge fruit and with age, these will emerge to form a stunning, sophisticated wine.

Buy Here: 2006 D’Arenberg The Dead Arm Shiraz 375ml $21.95

Wine Advocate 95 points

“D’Arenberg’s flagship is the 2006 The Dead Arm Shiraz. Opaque purple-colored, the nose is reticent but gives up aromas of meat, bacon, game, truffles, blueberry, and blackberry. Firm, layered, and complex, this beautifully rendered Shiraz demands a decade of cellaring. It will be superb from 2018 to 2036.

D’Arenberg has been owned and operated by the Osborn family since its inception in 1912. The portfolio, with a focus on the Rhone varieties, is wide ranging and value-oriented from top to bottom. The winery produces a bevy of value priced reds and whites that were reviewed in Issue 178. They should not be overlooked. At the higher end of the portfolio there is one white wine on which to report.”

International Wine Cellar 93 points

“($65) Opaque ruby. Blackberry and candied cherry on the nose, with suave graphite and anise qualities adding complexity. Deep and rich but also focused, with powerful dark berry preserve flavors and a late kick of iron. There’s lots going on here, and this energetic wine is still painfully young. Finishes with mounting sweetness and a strong echo of minerals.”

Disclaimer: Spain has, by far, the best wine values in the world.

Remember what I said about Jorge Ordonez? No?  Well read up on him here on my post dedicated to his wine.  He’s a legendary wine importer and the 2009 Bodegas Volver Tempranillo is probably his best value ever.  Call me a fanboy.  Go ahead.  Jorge Ordonez is to me what Steve Jobs is to Apple fanatics.

I’ve had this wine for the last three vintages and the 2009 is the best yet.  Volver routinely scores 90 points but this year Robert Parker gave it 92 points saying “I would unquestionably drink as a house wine.”  Parker doesn’t review Spanish wines anymore, but he had this and thought it was so good that he wrote it up in his quarterly publication.  Need a back-up rating? Tanzer gave it 90+ points which is pretty much epic (he’s tough) for a $12 wine.

This wine pours an opaque purple/black and is incredibly polished.  It’s made in a modern style, with ripe flavors and sweet oak, but it’s not obnoxious or over the top.  I would love to do a blind tasting with this wine and a bottle of Numanthia Termes (also a Tempranillo), which is one of my favorites.  My guess is it would be a toss up – and Volver is half the price.  What’s more, as good as this wine is now, I would expect it to get better with a couple of years of bottle age – a perfect argument for buying a whole case.  I’ll be trying that one out on my wife.

According to Wine Searcher (the industry standard in wine price benchmarking), LA Wine Co. has everyone else beat by a full dollar.

Buy Here: 2009 Bodegas Volver Tempranillo 11.95

Robert Parker 92 points

“We next moved to a great value that I would unquestionably drink as a house wine, the 2009 Volver from La Mancha. Made from 50-year old Tempranillo vines, it sells for an astonishing $16-$17 a bottle.”

International Wine Cellar 90+ points

“($16) (100% tempranillo): Bright purple. Dark berries, cherry pit, licorice and tobacco on the nose. Slowly unfolds to offer sappy cassis and bitter cherry flavors lifted by tangy acidity and complicated by a peppery, spicy quality. Finishes gripping and long, with resonating cherry and spice notes. Give this some aeration or a couple more years of bottle age. “

L’Aventure’s 2008 Estate Cuvee would be it.  I’ve been telling anyone who will listen to buy this wine and with the price now down to $59.95, it makes a perfect gift for a friend or yourself!  Most retailers are charging over $70 for the 2008 vintage and the recently released 2009 vintage, which received the same score, is going for $85-90.  You can read up on what makes L’Aventure’s Cabernet/Syrah blend so awesome in one of my previous posts here.

Paso Robles is heating up and I predict that this wine will be mailing list only soon.  It certainly won’t be available for under $60.  This is an incredibly unique, rich,and mind blowing (but sophisticated) wine that I personally find unrivaled. Just look at how the reviewers rave about it.  Do a friend, or better yet, yourself a favor and buy some!

Buy Here: L’Aventure Estate Cuvee 2008 $59.95

Wine Advocate 94 points

“The finest 2008 I tasted is the 2008 Estate Cuvee, a blend of 50% Syrah, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 14% Petit Verdot. Mocha, fudge, blackberry, graphite, cassis, and smoky barbecue scents jump from the glass of this dense purple-colored 2008. Full-bodied, rich, textured, and layered, this terrific effort is surprisingly soft and accessible. Drink it over the next decade.

Consistently brilliant wines are produced by former St.-Emilion native, Stephan Asseo, who is now ensconced in the wine world of Paso Robles. These distinctively styled wines offer the power and exuberance of the fruit grown in this region along with a structured, delineated style (no doubt part of Asseo’s French DNA). These are all big wines, with the reds fashioned from innovative blends and displaying significant aging potential. The 2008 red wines are strong efforts, but they do not measure up to the brilliant 2007s Asseo produced. The two late-released 2007s I reviewed last year are certainly living up to my hype.”

International Wine Cellar 94 points

“($85; 50% syrah, 36% cabernet sauvignon and 14% petit verdot; 15.9% alcohol) Inky purple. Cassis, blueberry and smoky Indian spices on the expansive, heady nose, with a sexy floral quality that gains strength with air. Deep, sappy and palate-coating dark fruit compote flavors show unlikely energy and become spicier with air. Strikingly expressive, potent and compellingly fragrant wine that finishes with remarkable clarity and sweet persistence. This was raised in 100% new French oak, but I’d never have guessed it.”

Disclaimer: Spain has, by far, the best wine values in the world.

For my money, Spain has two premier red grapes: Garnacha (Grenache) and Tempranillo, though many other grapes play important supporting roles.  The Spanish version of Grenache can range from light and supple to huge and oaky.  This one forgoes the oak but has plenty of the spicy fruit flavors which define Spanish Grenache vs. the French or American versions.

Hailing from the Navarra region in Northern Spain, near the French border, this Garnacha splits the difference between Spanish spice and Southern Rhone sleek.  The nose is bright – focused on fruit over oak.  Immediately upon opening, this wine was on the lighter side with sweet cherry flavors coating the palate.  I opened it on Friday and today (Monday night), it’s gained weight and firmed up, showing its more serious side.  The wine is great either way, and the fact that it’s still good after having been open 3 days, suggests that it will improve with a few years of bottle age.

Slap a 91 point score on an American red and it could certainly add another digit to the incredible price of this wine.  This wine is more evidence that Spain leads the way when it comes to wine value.  But even with Spain’s proven track record, this is an exceptional value.  Caseworthy.

Buy Here: 2009 Artazuri Garnacha $8.99

Wine Advocate 91 points

“The 2009 Artazuri Garnacha is deep purple in color with an inviting nose of spice box, floral notes, and ripe black cherries. Dense, rich, and nicely proportioned on the palate, it has several years of aging potential but can be approached now.”

Which Napa winery releases their Cabernet almost a full year before most other high end producers?  Caymus. Why?  Because every single vintage sells out before the next is ready to be released.  Somehow Chuck Wagner manages to produce an incredibly consistent Cabernet regardless of the vintage, and his loyal fans recognize this.

Wanger put out a well produced informative video about how he makes Caymus wines.  If you are interested in the process, you would enjoy this video.  View the video on YouTube here.

Caymus’s consistency comes down to vineyard management and after watching the video, I was surprised to learn that Caymus harvests by machine- something that most high-end wineries would not admit to.  It obviously works for them, and I appreciate that Wagner isn’t interested in posturing.  The true secret to their consistency is the range of vineyards they have to choose from when producing each year’s wines.  In addition to their home Rutherford Vineyard, Caymus sources from vineyards throughout Napa allowing them to choose from each vintage’s best microclimates to produce their wine.

As expected, this is a very ripe, dark and rich Cabernet made in the typical Caymus style.  The nose is blueberry and vanilla with a palate dominated by dark chocolate and coffee.  This is a sweet wine, but balanced on the finish, with a nice acid that seems to be more prevalent in the 2009 vintage.  If you sometimes find Caymus too sweet, this vintage might be one to try.

This is my third vintage to write up on this blog and I can tell you confidently that 2009 is another winner from Caymus.  I can’t wait to see how Wagner works his magic with the difficult 2010 vintage.

For the lowest price on every vintage, LA Wine Co is the place to shop!

Buy Here: 2009 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon $59.95

Wine Spectator 91 points

“Supple and creamy-textured, with mocha, ripe plum and cherry flavors that show touches of tobacco, espresso and underbrush. Full-bodied, gaining tannic traction on the finish, elegant and readily approachable. Drink now through 2018.”

I just got back from a vacation in St. Thomas where everything, including wine, is obscenely expensive.  As I was standing in the  aisle of the local supermarket, Food Center, the wine I picked without hesitation was a Columbia Crest Chardonnay.  Sure, it was 150% the cost of the same wine here in the U.S. but even at that price it was still absolutely a great value.

Such is the case with nearly all of Columbia Crest’s wines and year after year the Cabernet Sauvignon from Horse Heaven Hills, labeled “H3″ is a standout among standouts.  Napa needs to watch its back because a trojan horse (or rabbit), called Washington’s Columbia Valley, is making wines that are every bit as good, though different, and much less expensive.

The 2009 Columbia Crest H3 Cabernet is one of those incredible values and at $9.95 it’s a strong contender for wine value of the year.  A compelling nose of blackberry, French oak (40% new), and earth leads to a beautifully structured wine with a notably silky texture and a palate of balanced fruit and acid.  The lengthy finish completes a wine that is easily worth 3x its single digit price tag.

LA Wine Co. has managed to keep the price below $10 despite the 90 point Wine Spectator score.  At that (or even St. Thomas’) price, it’s a case-worthy value.

Buy Here: Columbia Crest “H3″ Cabernet Sauvignon $9.95

Wine Spectator 90 points

“Focused, refined and appealing for its open-weave texture around a generous core of plum and currant fruit, finishing with hints of coffee and dark chocolate. Drink now through 2014. 69,000 cases made.”

The 2007 Marchesi de Frescobaldi Chianti Rufina Castello di Nipozzano Riserva (now that’s a mouthfull!), came in at #1 on Wine Enthusiast’s Wine of the Year list, and #65 on the same list for Wine Spectator.  Would you believe it only costs $17.95?

Those are pretty impressive credentials for any wine, let alone one that costs less than $20.  Think of it this way: four glasses of this chianti cost less than four Starbucks carmel macchiatos!  Tastes better too, and I would much rather have a case of this in my cellar than 12 cups of soy latte.

Chianti lovers will not find a better value for under $20.  Plain and simple.  Despite it’s origins in the cooler Rufina region of Tuscany, this Chianti is ripe, though it maintains the telltale Sangiovese acidity and minerality.  Though a little tight on day one, by day two it had opened up into a beautiful rich wine with dense chocolate flavors complemented by bright cherry tones.

Nothing more needs to be said about this incredible value.  It’s a Chianti, so naturally it will last for quite a few years, making a strong arguement for picking up a case.  At least.

Buy Here: 2007 Marchesi de Frescobaldi Chianti Rufina Castello di Nipozzano Riserva $17.95

Wine Enthusiast Top 100 #1 (93 points)

“From Frescobaldi’s gorgeous Nipozzano estate, this Riserva Sangiovese (with small percentages of Malvasia Nera, Cabernet and Merlot for extra density and intensity) opens with impressive generosity and personality. It offers lingering flavors of cherry, chocolate and dark spice. ”

Wine Spectator Top 100 #65 (91 points)

“A burly Rufina, offering dried dark fruits and chewy tannins, with an aftertaste of dark chocolate and mineral. Full and satisfying, with fresh acidity on the back palate. A go-to Chianti. Drink now. 121,000 cases made”

International Wine Cellar 91 points

“($22; 90% sangiovese, the rest colorino, malvasia nera, cabernet sauvignon and merlot) Deep violet-ruby. Fresh, fruity aromas of red cherry, blueberry and blackberry, with hints of underbrush and minerals; much less spicy, tarry and dark than some other recent vintages of this wine. Then bright and fresh in the mouth, with red cherry, plum and mineral flavors. Finishes smoothly tannic, polite and persistent. One of the better young Nipozzano vintages I recall: this really does remind you of the higher-altitude, cooler Rufina zone.” (IWC)

Rutherford Ranch is another example of a high volume producer that consistently delivers a fantastic product.  As a wine enthusiast (not capitalized), I love nothing more than finding a small producer that produces an incredible product that’s completely under-the-radar.  The problem is, one of two things generally happen.  1.) The small producer starts buying more grapes and becomes a bigger producer with lower quality or 2.) They get discovered and prices skyrocket.  Bottom line: it’s great to find some go-to lables that produce wine in such a quantity that it’s easy to get a hold of and has a high level of consistency.

My Short List of High Value/High Volume Producers (sticking to the U.S. here):

• Hahn Estates (All)
• Beringer (Regular, Reserve)
• Mondavi (Regular and Reserve, but not “Private Selection”)
• Columbia Crest (All)
• Talbott (All)

Add to that list, Rutherford Ranch, because this Chardonnay is a proven value as is their Cabernet.  The Chardonnay is textbook for Napa, displaying aromas of tangerine, honey, bread and smoke.  It has a nice texture and a persistence that’s impressive for an $11 wine, likely due to the barrel fermentation that occured for part of this wine.

Rutherford Ranch’s Napa Chardonnay received 88 points from Robert Parker.  It makes a perfect pairing for any grilled fish or chicken or all alone for that matter!  I made pan seared Atlantic salmon cakes with an arugula salad with goat cheese and candied pecans.  Perfect.

Buy Here: Rutherford Ranch Napa Chardonnay $10.95

Wine Advocate 88 points

“Offers up aromas of nectarines, orange blossoms, and peaches”

I drink a lot of different wines, from different countries and regions, but I collect only a few, and the wines of Chateauneuf du Pape in France’s Southern Rhone Valley are a favorite. Paul Autard is one of the premier winemakers in the Rhone region in part because, unlike many of France’s winemakers, he’s using modern techniques like new oak aging. Still, his wines end up staying true to tradition with fruit focused favors that made the region famous.

Outside of Bordeaux, Chateauneuf du Pape is arguably France’s most prestigious wine regions and that fact isn’t lost on the importers and wholesalers, which is to say, these wines aren’t cheap. Anything rated 90 points or above starts at $30 and goes all the way past the $500 mark. So when a potential 94 point CdP from a highly collectible label comes along for under $40, I pay attention.

Though Autard’s techniques are modern, his wines are classic CdP.  Oak only subtly influences the overall flavor which is dark and brooding, likely due to the 50% Syrah component – a higher percentage than most wines of this region.  Still the Grenache brightness, which focuses through the lengthy finish, adds lift to this age-worthy wine.

If you enjoy the wines of Southern Rhone, I would highly recommend this one.  Paul Autard’s wines are proven classics and at a price that’s nearly $5 lower than the next lowest price in the country (according to Wine Searcher), the deal is literally unbeatable!

Buy Here: 2009 Domaine Paul Autard Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee La Cote Ronde $39.95

Robert Parker 93 points

“Autard’s quasi-modern-styled offering is the dense plum/purple-colored 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee La Cote Ronde, a blend of equal parts Grenache and Syrah from relatively old vines (60 plus years) that sees some new oak barrels. However, the 2009 shows only subtle evidence of vanillin and toast. It is a seductive, full-bodied, opulent effort displaying notes of caramelized red and black fruits, herbs, licorice and a hint of ink. This full-bodied, rich 2009 is ideal for drinking over the next 12+ years.

The 2010s all reveal deeper colors, higher acids, and more focus and precision.”

Wine Spectator 93 points

“This is beautifully rendered, with sleek, polished layers of black- berry, cassis and boysenberry fruit inlaid with toasty spice and sweet anise notes. The long, ganache-coated finish glides along despite its heft, with a great roasted mesquite note that lingers on and on. Drink now through 2013.”