The $2500 Wine Cellar, part 2

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2008 Langmeil Valley Floor Shiraz $24

Australia is Syrah country to many people, though in Australia it would be Shiraz. Shiraz has gotten a bad rap over the past decade, as have many Australian wines, for being too big, too sweet and generally over done.

There are plenty of delicious, well balanced and age worthy Shiraz wines made in Australia and tons of them are really good values. I’m particularly partial to the Langmeil wines. These seem to be big and rich in the classic style, yet they integrate well with age, revealing taut structure and great length.

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Comments

LoriRackel

764822 15

Hi Gregory, I am faithfully following your articles. Is it possible to have a shopping list format attached for us Eager Beavers?
Lori from Alberta, Canada

Jan 20, 2012 at 4:50 PM
CherieJN

932257 17

Loving this series! A shopping list would be fantastic too. Thanks!

Jan 21, 2012 at 11:43 AM
ChefJune

359212 29

<Now on to part II of the $2500 Cellar.> ??? so, where is it?

Jan 22, 2012 at 9:41 AM
Brewtown-
Brian

452279 11

Thanks for the picks, Greg! I can't wait for your nebbiolo selectiions for the cellar.

As someone who is just beginning to build a modest collection, I am interested in your concluding point about lesser vintages. This subject confuses me a bit. Sure, a great vintage could produce a bigger wine. A bigger wine could use more time in bottle to mellow and show its nuances. One the other hand, an off vintage often comes from less ripe grapes. Less ripe grapes produce wines with lower ABV and higher acidity. But isn't that the formula for long term aging?

The 2007 Barolo is a good case study. This is considered a great vintage but it is ady to drink nows, in its youth.

Jan 23, 2012 at 10:05 AM
ChefJune

359212 29

Thanks for pointing me back to the thread. I guess I had a "DOH" moment yesterday! Found an interesting comment you made: "Bucklin’s Old Hill Ranch is very likely the oldest Zinfandel vineyard in California." If you're not familiar with Nichelini Wines in the Chiles Valley, they may have the oldest Zinfandel vineyard. They've been making wine since before 1900... http://www.nicheliniwinery.com

Jan 24, 2012 at 1:03 AM