There is a short bump of maybe a month of price increases then back to normal. Except for the WOTY. That has had a lasting and large increase for the most part. It depends on the category but there will be some for sure.
Also, many of these wines received high scores months ago, so, to the extent still available, likely already have priced in whatever value a high WS score provides.
When I was ITB we sold Paloma 2001 Merlot and it got WOTY. It was already sold out when the review hit. I took lots of angry calls from several accounts screaming about how they were getting cheated by bigger accounts getting their allocations. Not a fun time.
Aw, good times. Barbara Richards had some good stories about people calling up the winery DESPERATE to get some the 2001 Merlot after the WOTY designation.
From WS:
“Since the debut vintage, 1994, I’ve reviewed 60 Cabernets and blends, nearly all of which have earned outstanding ratings of 90 or more points, with 15 in the classic range (95 to 100), and the wines have earned repeated appearances in the Top 100 and Top 10.”
I tasted some of the earlier releases and enjoyed them. “Full throttle” is a good description. I recall they were heavy wines, with depth of flavor and complexity. My interest in such wines changed, and I discovered other wines I liked better. I have not purchased or tasted any of the Lewis line up since around 2002 vintage. I recall the 2002 Cab was over ripe with a port like profile.