Checking Out Library Wine: Stored Older Vintages

By Ray Isle

One new way to find value is with so-called library releases. More wineries are selling these perfectly stored older vintages right from their cellars, through their tasting rooms or online.

1999 Qupé Bien Nacido Hillside Estate Syrah ($50). Photo © Fredrika Stjärne.

Beringer Vineyards

This Napa Valley powerhouse sells older vintages at its St. Helena tasting room, including good deals like a magnum of 1998 Knights Valley Cabernet for $65.

Burgess Cellars

This prescient producer has kept back some of every vintage of its fragrant, balanced Cabernet, all the way to 1979. The 1991, a terrific vintage, is $68.

Qupé

A Central Coast specialist in Rhône-style reds, Qupé has released a good range of older vintages, like its smoky, intense 1999 Bien Nacido Hillside Estate Syrah for $50.

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Published May 2010