By Gaby Israel
2002 Schloss Reinhartshausen Riesling Spätlese, Prädikatswein, Erbacher Schlossberg, Rheingau, Germany – $19.95.
2002 was a great vintage for Riesling in Germany. Experiencing a 10 year old Riesling for only $20 is a no brainer when it comes to buying decision. I would buy 3 bottles, try one now and try the other two after 3 and 5 years later. Try it with a good slow cooked smoked pork… and call me in the morning :)
2007 Elderton Shiraz Command Single Vineyard vs. 2006 Barossa Valley Estate Shiraz Ebenezer.
Here’s a tricky one. Two outstanding-giants Shiraz wines from Barossa Valley. If you have the extra cash, buy them both, but if you need to choose, here is my advice. Lucky enough, to make our decision easier, the 2006 Ebenezer is both cheaper and seems to have longer cellaring potential, which make it the winner. The 2006 Shiraz Ebenezer is a top Shiraz from an excellent vintage in that region. Buy 2-6 bottles for the cellar.
2009 Domaine La Millière Vieilles Vignes Michel Arnaud, Prop-Récolt., A.C., Châteauneuf-Du-Pape, Rhône, France – $47.95
Although 2009 wasn’t as spectacular as 2007 in Châteauneuf-Du-Pape, it is a still a vintage to follow and look for treasures for the cellar like this one. Very supportive reviews by Natalie MacLean and Robert Parker. The cellaring potential here gives it a GPCi of ~3.2, which is exactly what we should look for in great wines for the cellar. This is my #1 choice of this release.
2005 Caparzo Brunello Di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy – $39.95
So tempting… Again, if you have the extra $ this month go for it. However, with the current economy… here is my advice. If you have been following me for some time, you know that I’m a big Brunello fan, so this is a hard one… 2005 was a good Brunello vintage, but not as good as 2006 or 2004. This Brunello can probably lay down until 2020 and costs $40. Not a favorable GPCi. For this money, I would either buy 2 bottles of the 2002 Schloss Reinhartshausen Riesling Spatlese or add $8 and buy another bottle of the 2009 Domaine La Millière Vieilles Vignes Châteauneuf-Du-Pape. They are not Brunello replacements, but budget is still budget. A very difficult decision.
Gaby Israel has been providing wine tasting notes and buying recommendations for several years now. The name WineGPCi (pronounced Wine Gypsy) was given by his friends. GPCi stands for Gaby’s Potential Cellaring 
Index. While searching for “treasures for the cellar” without going to the bank, the GPCi was initially used to calculate the ratio between the price of the wine and the number of years it can potentially be cellared for; trying to find the wines that had the smallest index/ratio possible. Any good wine that had a GPCi of 3.5 and under, was worth buying (mainly if you were planning to develop a cellar).
Many years and “750 bottles in the cellar” after, his knowledge, experience and passion continued to grow. He continues to focus on helping the consumer finding “logical” ways of buying wines and planning the budget for it. His great passion for wine revolves around old-world wines such as Spain, France and Italy while experimenting the new world exciting regions of Chile, Argentina, Australia, Canada, the US and others.
