Good vintage is all in the year(2)
Recent standouts
I'd love to regale you with stories of the great vintages of years past, of some of the greatest wines ever made that many decades later still taste superb. Just take a look at the 1961 Chateau Petrus, one of the greatest wines ever made. Wonderful, but certainly not practical. Older wines from great vintages are scarce and cost a fortune. If you don't know the bottle's history and how it was kept they are also very risky investments. Fret not, there are still some excellent recent vintages that are relatively reasonably priced and suitable for drinking and collection.
Recent great vintages to buy now in Shanghai:
Bordeaux 2005:
"The top Cru Bourgeios wines from 2005 will provide super drinking over the next five-10 years while the 2005 first-fifth growth wines and best Right Bank wines will age beautifully and appreciate in value and taste."
Burgundy 2005:
"For investment buy one of the highly regarded Premier and Grand Cru wines."
Southern Rhone 2007:
"Many Cotes du Rhone drinking beautifully now, most top Gigondas will gain from some cellaring; top Chateauneuf-du-Pape will last for decades."
Tuscany 2006:
"Buy everything from this great vintage."
Piedmont 2006:
"Pick Barbera reds for drinking now and Barbaresco and Barolo wines for storage and collection."
Rioja 2004:
"Purchase only the top Reserva, Grand Reserva and Real wines from the best-known producers such as Marques de Riscal, Bodegas Escudero and Muga.
Napa/Sonoma 2007:
"2007 is the vintage to buy and drink over the next 10 years."
