Five I Wish I’d Bought
Hindsight is 20/20, as they say, so here are the wines I should have bought in my early days of collecting
Jacques Selosse Initial
Blanc de Blancs NV
I remember the days when this creamy, hazelnut-suffused NV from superstar grower Jacques Selosse was no more than a slight selfindulgence and a hip alternative to your nicer big-house NV Brut. Having experienced a 110 per cent price increase since autumn 2010, it’s now more of an occasional treat.
Armand Rousseau Clos St Jacques Premier Cru 1993 This wine used to feel like the insider’s grand cru (Clos St Jacques is a premier cru but many argue it deserves grand cru status). These days it’s priced like one, having risen 430 per cent in value since 2010. However, 1993 was a deeply underrated vintage and remains lower in price than other strong vintages from the Nineties. The wine itself remains a lyrical, perfumed epiphany.
Giacomo Conterno Barolo Monfortino Riserva 2004 Ten years ago, Roberto Conterno’s Monfortino was considered roughly on a par with his uncle Aldo Conterno’s Granbussia, though many believed the brighter future belonged to the seamless and approachable Granbussia. It’s a sign of the swing towards traditionalism that Monfortino, with its austere, unyielding grip only gradually unveiling tar and rose‑laced splendour, has risen 200 per cent in price while similar vintages of Granbussia have only gained about 50 per cent.
Roagna Asili Vecchie Viti 2004
Had I known that the unassuming Luca Roagna, with his wild, heath‑like vineyards and penchant for hands‑off winemaking, would be the name to watch by the end of the decade, I might have been less quick to glug down his ethereal, unexpectedly dainty Barbarescos. Now that they’ve increased 360 per cent in price in a decade, I’ve become sadly stingy with my Asili.
Bartolo Mascarello Barolo 2004
It was already apparent a decade ago that these wines were rock-star material, and a 560 per cent price increase later, it’s confirmed. These hardcore traditionalists have eschewed every trend—single-cru Barolo, aggressive green harvests, new oak ageing—and have come out smelling of roses, both literally and figuratively. Their beguiling mix of rigour and blossoming charm has proved a dynamite combo.