Received a 2018 Loring Futures offer via email. I assume as a result of purchasing a few bottles with Berserker Day.
I did a search and it would appear the last active discussion on Loring Futures was the 2016 vintage with some threads going back to 2011.
Does anyone still buy these? I’m new to Loring, so not sure what to expect.
Can you explain what the deals are for those of us who do not get these emails? What kind of discount are you receiving and when will you receive the wines?
As far as Brian’s wines, there usually are plenty of notes on them - he also is active on WB Day and there are threads there and his wines were well received at Falltacular a couple of weeks ago - again, threads are there to search.
Keep us updated please.
Cheers!
2018 Santa Lucia Highlands & 2018 Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir
$24.99/bottle case price
$28.99/bottle six pack price
I think that is a $5-10/per bottle savings but I’m not positive.
Those are the AVA wines and a better value, in my opinion, than the single vineyard stuff that will come at another time, in a different offer. Expect fruit-forward Cali-style pinot. Brian will tell you to drink them young. They will mellow a bit with time, so it’s a matter of preference.
I’m still pretty much all in on Loring wines, both pinots and chards. I will buy a mixed six pack of these. To paraphrase Tom Hill, I have followed Brian “from before the very start.” He was a cellar rat working weekends at Cottonwood Canyon and starting to make wine while he kept his day job in software. In one of his first offerings, he gave away three packs of unlabled half bottles of pinot.
As an aside, the current issue of “Prince of Pinot” (it is free) has a nice retrospective on Brian and his winery. His fruit sources have changed a bit, now mostly Santa Lucia and S Rita Hills.
I think you buy futures when you’re confident that you’re buying wines that you’re going to enjoy. I’ve purchased futures from Loring for a few years now. I’ve never had a bottle I didn’t enjoy and at $24.99 per bottle in a mixed case, I think they’re a great value.
Didn’t get the email but have bought in the past. Picked up a case of half bottles during the latest Berserker Days offer. I have never had a Loring that wasn’t enjoyable.
Will be buying again if offered.
Cheers,
Curt
I can’t recommend buying Loring futures enough. I only signed up for this website to participate in Loring’s Bezerker Day offer (and bought a bunch of others too). St. Rita Hills is where it’s at but both are great. I get many cases and it’s the go to table wine in our household for the year.
I do receive emails from Loring, but the prices at the local Total Wine are better, especially with their coupons.
That’s a really interesting comment. Where are you located and how many Loring SKUs do they have there? One would think that you’d get it cheaper directly from Brian, but perhaps the coupons and no shipping tip the scale?
Cheers.
Larry, it seems to me over the years, that the price of wine from the producer has almost always been higher than the retailers. I know some have told me they would not want to undercut those who distribute their wines and that makes sense to me. Isn’t that usually the case or am I behind the times here since I don’t buy a lot of wines directly from the source?
Williams Selyem is the only winery I know of that sells wine at the same price to everyone regardless of distributor, restaurant, retailer or individual. That why WS wines in the wild are almost always 15-20% more than DTC pricing.
Most lists I’m on the DTC pre-shipping bottle price is within 5-10% of the local retail price which I attribute to shipping and carry cost.
I have no experience with Loring. BD10 was my first purchase from any channel. I’ve never purchased from Total Wine either.
Blake,
I guess it depends upon the winery and their ‘philosophy’. There are some local wineries who may have a ‘loss leader’ of a wine whereby they’ll sell it cheaper than their customers can get it - but then again, they won’t pour it in their tasting rooms.
And I guess I’m looking at the ‘old school’ concept of offering a wine club discount to your customers - seems that many have gone against that and instead, their wines are so ‘limited’ that they just charge one price.
With my wine club, I make sure that I price my wines to wholesale so that they are not cheaper than my wine club can purchase them - cheaper then someone walking in off the street will pay for them at my tasting room or on my website, but I do my best to ‘look after’ my wine club members.
Cheers.
We try to make the futures purchases worth the wait. And we work really hard to make sure they deliver not only on price, but also on tastiness. And as always, if you have ANY issue with a wine, even if you thought it wasn’t up to standards, please contact us and we’ll make things right. It doesn’t do us or you (our customer) any good if a wine disappoints.
The 2018s are shaping up to be pretty amazing. I hate the “Best Ever” tag… but ask around. I think the consensus is that 2018 was pretty darn good for CA Pinot.
Hi Larry.
I am located in Los Angeles. I dont know particular SKUs. I need to go to the store and look them up.
As far as discussion of mail list wineries, Turley sells for considerably less to its members than you get get anywhere else, at least in my experience.
BTW, I need to visit your winery nexr time I am in Santa Ynez. Have been hearing great things.