Is collecting wine like collecting baseball cards?
The Thinker:
As I got more and more into my wine project especially post Christmas, the thrill of the hunt took over. I remember as a kid visiting baseball card shops looking for a Roger Clemens or Bo Jackson “rookie card” then painstakingly sliding it inside a plastic sleeve to be protected for all-time. Or at least until my folks pulled it out of my closet and asked ” what is he going to do with all of this junk?”
As our collection has grown from 20 to 50 to over 100 bottles I have looked to diversify both regions (France, Italy, Napa) and wineries (I am heavily drawn to those we have visited).
I soon found myself trying to find highly rated wines with limited production (cases produced). In the US, this often led me to boutique vineyards in Napa. You’ve heard of them I am sure. Screaming Eagle anyone? Given that I was not looking to invest $1k USD in a bottle of wine so early in starting up our collection – I had to look harder.
Enter Hundred Acre. I’ve heard it whispered about as a cult wine. From Howell Mountain in Napa, Hundred Acre is produced by Jayson Woodbridge who is one of the rock stars of Napa Valley. The wine is almost impossible to get on the East Coast of the US and visitors to their website are created with nothing more than an offer to join an email wait list to perhaps get the offer to make a purchase.
Hence my excitement when I came across one bottle of 2009 Hundred Acre Cabernet Sauvignon in Westport, CT earlier this spring. The price? My wife reads this blog so I respectfully demur but it is easily the most expensive vintage in our collection. In fact, I drove straight home, took one picture and put it right into the wine fridge.
Although not rated as high as the 2012-2014 vintages (which were all close to 100) – my little piece of heaven has a respectable 96 rating from Robert Parker and 94 from Wine Spectator.
While I do not flip open the fridge to look at this bottle as often as I checked on my Roger Clemons rookie card – I still take a peek every month or so.
