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One more comment - Bordeaux is definitely doing a good job with 2019 in terms of my interest. Prices are down and quality is good - I actually broke down and bought a mixed case. The last vintage I bought was 2012 (even though I really like Bordeaux and that hasn't changed). It has seemed like EP wa...

I'll try answer your questions ... my comments in Italics. Forgive the formatting snafus. The numbers and data seem obscure The pricing regime up and down the chain and the storage of ‘non-released’ bottles is fairly bewildering. I’m not able to follow your issue. What data are you unsure of? And wh...

Oh, here’s an example of lack of transparency in pricing regime: where are price adjustments coming from? We have five layers (producer, negociant, importer, distributor, retailer) in most cases if I understand this right. So the pricing optimization/market management could potentially come from any...

Yes, thanks Russ, info is nice to see. I got sniped at the last second last night but also won a few auctions. All as it should be. Thank goodness for sniping, otherwise I’d buy wayyyy too much!

Well this discussion took a turn that surprised me. I didn’t expect to see such vigorous defense of the Bordeaux pricing regime. Yes, the word ‘manipulate’ isn’t fair - it implies something illegal or dishonest which is absolutely not what I meant. And I agree completely that we each participate at ...

Pricing certainly feels attractive, and I did buy a very small amount. But I also perceive (rightly or wrongly, the data isn’t really available) that the market is being manipulated in tried and true Bordeaux fashion. Yes stuff is selling out, but on what kind of quantity? It seems that a few dozen/...

Great feedback guys, thanks. Still don’t know what I’m going to buy. If anything.

I’m wondering what people think about the wines in the $40-$70ish price range. Seems like a relative bargain but I have tasted only a few of these from recent vintages (and certainly not 17/18/19 which are not out yet). I’d love to hear comments from people who have tasted the finished wines from 20...

Plenty of fine ideas on this thread. But my cure for regional/varietal exhaustion is Italy. Unbelievable variety and lots of tremendous value everywhere. A fairly large country with so many different wines, almost all food friendly. Imagine driving around the US and every restaurant served some loca...

I tasted the Chaffots and the 1er VV at La Paulee last year. Loved and bought them both. Overall I found the Chaffots drier, more earthy and mineral inflected, compared to the sweeter and richer 1er VV. I really look forward to drinking them in a decade or so!

I’m finding some lesser wines really open, nicely developed though still youthful, and really enjoyable. E.g. Alex Gambal Volnay Santenots 1er and a Jean Marc Bouley Volnay 1er recently. I was delighted to find a Chevillon Chaignots 1er open, humming and in an excellent place. A Mugnier Clos de la M...

Dinesh, thanks for hunting this down. I love the idea of contacting a Bordeaux winery for 20+ year old bottles. I would never have thought of doing that myself! Living in Northern California I have access to lots of wineries and my experience is that they have very little back catalog more than a fe...

I really like Turkey and Ridge, as do others here. But I’d mix in some Bedrock and Carlisle for sure.

I enjoy the podcast but don’t do Twitter. What’s going on? I don’t know what CMSA is either,

Plenty of good advice here, but I think the added variable is your taste. 1985 is going to show more development and softer edges. 1990 is going to show more fruit and the warmth of the vintage. 1996 will be more fruity, forward, and depending on storage, still relatively tannic. What do you like in...

For what it’s worth, I’ve has both the ‘16 and ‘17 WS Kabinett and enjoyed them both. ‘16 a bit more fruity and ‘17 more edgy/acidic but I’m delighted to have both in my cellar. I’d love to pick up more ‘12 and ‘15 if I could find them for good prices but am adding recent vintages steadily.

I’ve popped a couple 2015 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett this year. Softened some since release and showing beautifully. Crisp, balanced, deeply fruited with tons of grapefruit on the finish. Still a lot of youthful edge. Haven’t touched my Spätlese or Auslese yet. I really love Prüm Kabinetts on relea...

I always scratch my head when I read "this is typical Chambolle or Gevrey" because I don´t know what typical is since the styles of winemaking are so different from one producer to the other. I also think that the terroir theories are part of a romantic and good sounding story and sometimes even no...

So many good options. I really like Sauzet Combettes - though haven’t had this vintage - but he price seeks out of whack relative to other Chardonnays. On the other hand I’d jump at the Leflaive Bourgogne - a reference point wine for this level for me. I also think it would be pretty fun to build so...

@Tom, this sounds lovely. As a Barolo fanatic I have no disdain for such expressions of Nebbiolo. Rather, I hunt for them! I hope some of these get to California. But I have to say your Julia Child/hillside tumble image is one of the most hilariously evocative one I’ve seen here. But I’m really wond...

My experience with K&L low estimates are just that - low estimates. I’ve sold 15 or so cases over the years through K&L and usually get quite a bit higher than low estimate. It really depends though on how in demand your wine is. If you want to get a feel for sale prices K&L is very open. Check out ...

Excellent discussion. Thanks to everyone for the thoughtfulness on a road we’ve certainly been down before, but needs to be traveled repeatedly. I found Brad Baker’s “It is a combination of all things that makes for a truly great wine” a really nice summation that I agree with. And Marcus’ grounding...

While I agree with these recommendations, I too am a bit concerned about availability. But Hi-Time and Envoyer give you access to a ton of names outside of the big brands.

This was a fun CT exercise - the answer is 12 by the way. I was surprised to see that I'd bought full cases 15 times in my wine buying careen (typo intended!) but only four remain in my cellar. These are mostly 2010/2012 Bordeaux that aren't going to be touched for quite some time yet, and a case of...

A couple of weeks in, any updates on experiences? I’m curious to hear from enthusiasts like me as well as ITB folks. I’d love to visit if the situation is safe.

Thanks for sharing. Sounds lovely! I've had quite a few of the '16s from Molitor (though all white labels), it is a delightful vintage. Especially interesting to compare the 'regular,' one star, two star and three star bottlings. Totally idiosyncratic system but you can really see the quality go st...

Thanks for sharing. Sounds lovely! I've had quite a few of the '16s from Molitor (though all white labels), it is a delightful vintage. Especially interesting to compare the 'regular,' one star, two star and three star bottlings. Totally idiosyncratic system but you can really see the quality go ste...

I was really impressed by this wine, but forgot about it until I picked up a ‘17 Montmain and Montee de Tonnerre. They were excellent, and then I ordered some more! Droin is really delivering on classic Chablis.

Some beautiful wines! I bought them earlier this year and am really impressed by the depth, intensity and balance of the Occidental Ridge bottling. The Sonoma Coast wine (not part of this offer apparently) was fabulous, especially at its price point. Mine are all gone

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I pretty much know what I've bought and seldom 'go back to the well' to refill, so I can't relate too well. My problem is thinking wine's I bought years ago still need more age. [oops.gif] Look, I don't care what the drink 'em young crowd says. I'm not opening my '90s Burgundies until at least 2015...

Reading through this thread, I’ve thought - yes,yep, uh huh, yes I’ve done all that stuff. Except the humidor one, I didn’t really follow that.

Don’t worry be happy.

So Sarah, after this discussion and so many good ideas, do you have a plan? Who said I was looking for one? Certainly not me! :) As I have said up-thread - I wasn't asking for advice. My question was about what others have experienced. No where in the OP or after have I asked for any "help" dealing...

So Sarah, after this discussion and so many good ideas, do you have a plan?

Thanks for sharing these Alan. The weekend before the SiP I was at La Paulee, enjoying an indulgent week in NY. The highlight was a wonderful dinner at Anton’s with my brother and great friends. A 2002 Patrice Rion VR Suchots was absolutely singing and a lovely counterpoint to the 1986 Pichon Laland...

What fascinated me the most about the MFW issue today was that of the 100 or so wines tasted from a smattering of producers, mostly Kabis, feinherb and spatlesen, that the standout wines and highest ratings went to Falkenstein and Vollenweider. Both wonderful producers, but hardly the Egon Mullers ...

I loved the 2010 Villero, after trying it picked up a bunch of the Villero and Cannubi, slumbering in my cellar. Haven’t bought any more, a mistake I will have to rectify.

I have to say I was excited by the MFW report as well. German Riesling has had a string of good to very good vintages the last few years and I’ve been buying pretty steadily. I’ve really enjoyed the 2018 Fritz Haag as well as JJ Prüm, Willi Schaefer, and Donnhoff. I will go heavier on 2019 for sure.

At these prices, buy one of each, open them both and see what you think. If you like Nebbiolo the experience will be good and your credit card won’t be too offended.

You're right, too, about the auction market. There's really very little point. And since, as Alan said, they last pretty much forever, I might as well let them sit there. Saw this after I posted. I’m not sure that there’s very little point. You say you have hundreds of bottles. Send the entire list...

My interest in them has stayed fairly steady - which is modest. I always like them but almost always just reach for something else. My strong growing interest in Kabinett/Spätlese has something to do with it, for sure. Those satisfy my cravings for sweetish wine experiences more often. Still I open ...

There have been 11 auctions on this Spätlese this year at K&L and prices, while all over the place, have moved steadily upwards. Plus there are multiple threads here about how great this wine is. Don’t know if it’s our fault but tiny supply, big demand spike, and outliers like this appear. I’ve bid ...

Another thumbs up for Sec and Eric. I’ve done biz with Eric going back 5 years, and quite a lot in the last year or so. Steady, reliable, high quality.

Somewhat unpopular to say so, but there are $225 class Napa wines that I’ve found to be excellent, and better than $100 Napas. There are also some $75 Napa cabs that I’ve loved and enjoyed nearly as much. And some $300 bottles that I didn’t much care for. All a matter of personal taste - so worth te...

Ridge is a good example of a consistently great wine priced attractively for release buyers. And yes, it’s the only guaranteed annual buy list that I’m on. But what Matthew asked about was why people buy on lists that are fully market priced, often available later at a significant discount. My guess...

Thanks for the specific examples in this response William. Often I find vineyard comparisons vague or downright incomprehensible, but these are crystal clear.

Nice article, lots of detail that I hadn't seen before William. I've been enjoying these since the 2009 vintage, though didn't really start diving in until a few years later. Lovely wine.

Plenty of good advice here already. Much is dependent on the quantities you're talking about, but selling through auction is not hard at all if you have volume and (especially) the right labels. Thought I'd add what I did in a similar situation. I started out buying lots of Cabernet-based wines (Cal...

Thanks Howard, very helpful to see this kind of vertical. I really liked the 2004s, bought a few times and still they’re mostly gone. Just one Pajé left.

Interesting article on what seems to be a dire situation in Champagne https://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2020/05/concern-in-champagne-as-sales-collapse And yet digging deeper it seems like the lower end of the market (sub $20 champagne that doesn’t seem to exist in the US) is really suffering, and the ...

I haven't bought from Wine Access before but had a look. Interesting site - highly curated selection, or strangely limited choices? Depends on your point of view. I didn't see much here that got me excited, but 5 bottles of the Laherte Frere BdB NV for $150 (after the two discounts) is interesting. ...

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