Should I invest in 2019?

[JimHow]

Fingers crossed!

[gene m.]

Fingers crossed!

from my wine in-box....
Your next offering from Fingers Crossed will begin Tuesday, August 24, 2021.

We have taken the final bottle count of our miniscule production (that didn't take very long), and compiled the list for our RESERVED OFFERING GROUP, also known as YOU. Next, we shall begin filling envelopes with offering letters containing a few fun morsels about us, the year 2019, and all that good stuff.

Until soon,
Nikolas & Julia Krankl

Note: it is 2019 vintage, it is a futures program, and the best and worst of all: it ain't bordeaux: it's roussane/grenache/syrah that's a whole lot cheaper than sine quo non (25-30% of the price) in a big wooden box wrapped in toilet paper

all this fuss over gamay/bojo on a bordeaux lovers wine board is perplexing.

[JimHow]

Now it's out of stock, I guess it was a good deal after all!

[JoelD]

Now it's out of stock, I guess it was a good deal after all!

I bought the last 4 after seeing this thread too late. It shows as a future arrival now, but when we ordered it was an "in stock" item right?

[JimHow]

Yes it was definitely in stock.

[Musigny 151]

When prices for 2020 came out, I decided that instead of buying them, I should see what I could get from 2019. It is an absolute no brainer, and I focused on examples that are 40% or less than 2020. Even if2020 is hard to sell, the pricing was back to 2018 norms.

I make no bones about it. Buying 2019 is pure speculation. I will be well into my eighties when they are ready to drink, but as a portfolio diversification, they make absolute sense. I can’t help feeling that we are about to hit some pretty serious inflation, and wine has become a decent hedge. So although I personally will not be drinking the wines, my son will either have some pretty fantastic bottles in his future or he can sell them.

If I were drinking though, 2019 is most certainly a vintage to buy. For all of the same reasons.Excellent quality, and priced relatively low. Palmer 2019 is $230 a bottle, 2020 is back to normal, $330. So I bought, and added several cases to my initial purchases last year.

So apart from some financial guidelines, my nature got in the way, so I only bought wines that I liked rather than the Pavies and L’Eglise Clinet which had similar savings, but I am not fond of. So yes, yes, VCC, but also Palmer, Pichon Lalande and nine bottles of Cheval Blanc. My credit card was groaning, but there large as life were some magnums of well VCC, so I bought another case.

A long winded way of telling you Jim, get out the credit card, polish it off and buy, buy, buy.

[JimHow]

I will buy. I will buy, my master.
I will buy like the wind.

[JimHow]

Seriously, it makes sense.
I like wines in the 8-15 year range.
Sometimes I think, gee, I should sell one of my houses.
Gee, I should sell my wine cellar.
Well, my houses and my wine cellar aren’t going anywhere.
I can still enjoy them, and if I decide to sell them 5, 10, 15 years from now, then so be it. And if I don’t sell them by the time I die they will be valuable assets for my heirs to do with them what they want.

[Musigny 151]

As an FYI Zachys is selling magnums of 2019 VCC for $500.

[JimHow]

There seem to be lots of well priced 2019s at Zachys.
I’m going to order a bunch from there and then buy more when they go on sale in NH.

[DavidG]

I've lost count of how many times I've sworn off buying the next vintage. I bought 5 cases of 2019s. Prices are good and I like what I've read. Hoping I can still pull corks when I'm 85-90.

[Claudius2]

David
Yeah I said the same thing after loading up on 2016’s. I said no way am I buying lots of En Primeur again. I suppose it was easy in 2017 (good but not great vintage which is still a hard sell) and 2018 (expensive here and too much alcohol for my palate).

But I busted last year an bought quite a few cases of 2019’s EP and have not found it hard to ignore 2020. But for the foreseeable future I’m out of the EP game and in Singapore it really does make sense to buy that way. Was temped to buy Carmes HB based on Izak’s review but the local price killed that off.

The situation was similar in Australia as few importers wanted to load up on Bordeaux and relied on EP sales. It may not make sense in many markets but in Australasian and Asian markets, it actually does make sense as otherwise you end up paying far more or later but from auctions.

Cheers
Mark

[jckba]

Yes it was definitely in stock.

I just got an email stating that my in stock Zachys order for the Thivin CZ is ready for pickup

[JimHow]

Nice! I'm still waiting for the email saying it has been shipped, but I expect that won't come til after the weekend.

[Claudius2]

Izak
I totally agree with your comments about Castillon and to a degree, the St Emilion satellites as they are reasonably priced and have to over deliver in value compared to the more famous estates and regions.

Whilst I do follow your argument about Margaux I am not as convinced that high alcohol can always be hidden behind rich fruit. As an Australian, I saw significant change in alc content during the 90’s with many warmer climate estates chased RPJnr points. They certainly got huge scores and were Uber concentrated but the alcohol started to show thru the fruit as they aged. Similarly, some right bank wines are too alcoholic for my taste. The Tertre Duguay 2005 yesterday was more akin to a hot climate Shiraz than a St Emilion with the 15% alcohol and overt porty characters throwing it out of balance.

As a general rule and after drinking wine for some decades my palate cries foul at around 14,5% and that applies to all varieties. Overtly alcoholic Chardonnay upsets my palate just as much as a Parkerised Barossa or McLaren Shiraz.

Interestingly, many Australian estates even in hotter regions are now reigning in baume levels and seeking to retain freshness and balance rather than power and concentration.

[JCNorthway]

I have succumbed and ordered only my second case of 2019 futures - Chateau Siran. And I may be adding another couple as the budget permits.

[DavidG]

Attaboy, Jon!

[JimHow]

Well done, Jon. Very well done indeed.

[Blanquito]

I bought 5 cases of 2019s.

Wow, well done!

[Claudius2]

I bought 5 cases of 2019s.

Wow, well done!

Err,
Well I bought quite a lot more than that so I have not bought any 2020’s at all.
The issue I have is that once I decide to buy I seem to get too carried away with it all and keep seeing more labels I just have to buy. Oh well.

The vintages I have most of are 2009 and 2010 so they better both be good as otherwise I am in trouble!

Cheers
Mark

[DavidG]

I bought 5 cases of 2019s.

Wow, well done!

Err,
Well I bought quite a lot more than that so I have not bought any 2020’s at all.
The issue I have is that once I decide to buy I seem to get too carried away with it all and keep seeing more labels I just have to buy. Oh well.

The vintages I have most of are 2009 and 2010 so they better both be good as otherwise I am in trouble!

Cheers
Mark

Thank you Mark. Patrick was starting to make me feel a bit guilty there.

I didn't think 5 cases was all that much. Not for a Bordeaux Wine Enthusiast. I'm glad to see that you have helped put things into the proper perspective.

[OrlandoRobert]

I bought 5 cases of 2019s.

Wow, well done!

Doc is a stud. I’m not worthy of BWE.

I’ve not even bought any 2018!

I did recently buy some 2017!

[JimHow]

So far I bought zero from 2017, six bottles of 2018 Haut Brisson, six bottles of 2019 La Conseillante, and a case of 2019 Tour St. Christophe.

I intend to buy a case each of 2019 Lynch Bages, Leoville Barton, Calon Segur, and Corbin, and a bottle or two each of the rest of the usual suspects.