Purchasing Bordeaux at Total Wine

Hi. I would like to stock up on some Bordeaux and take advantage of the 20% coupon at Total Wine. Should I have any reservations about purchasing it there, especially older bottles? I dont know how well they store their bottles. What were your experiences?
Thank you

storage conditions vary by store. What do you mean by “older”?

FWIW, I’ve never had any reservations about buying Bdx. at Total Wine.

My experience has been that Total wine does few things well. BDX happens to be one of them and with the coupons the pricing is alright especially when you add in shipping for most online purchases. I don’t have any experience with the older and higher end selections they keep in the coolers but it is nice that they keep them in coolers. Light might be a concern over a long enough timeline. I have never had issues with the shelf items and the one corked bottle I did have was taken back by the store for an exchange with no questions asked.

I think Tim and Brian have it right. I’m not generally a fan of TW, but in Orlando, they have the deepest bench of Bordeaux. Their pricing is a little high, but with the 20% coupon that they regularly issue, the prices are very competitive. I generally stick to current releases. Not a fan of seeing a 2009 sitting on a shelf, so I pass on those. They do have older wines in the refrigerated compartments, but I have not bought any. I have never experienced a bottle condition issue that would be attributable to storage or delivery.

Hi. Really appreciate your responses. Mostly I am looking at 2014 and 15 to cellar, but also a few 09,10, and 11 to drink now.

And to answer Brian’s question, I am in Los Angeles ( SF Valley )

FWIW, I’ve never had any reservations about buying Bdx. at Total Wine.

Me either.

Then again, I’ve never done it . . .

I agree with the comments above. Subpar store overall, but strongest at BDX, and the coupons (or just the normal 6 bottle discount) make the prices competitive or maybe a bit better than that.

Make sure to read the fine print on the coupons. There can be exclusions and gimmicks.

Total Wine opened some stores in the Bay Area within the last 3 years, and I agree with the comments regarding the Bordeaux and the coupons. In the past, they have had coupons that gave 20% off for a purchase of 6 or more, or $20 off for every $100 you spent, and that made wines such as 2014 Domaine de Chevalier and Grand Puy Lacoste under $50, and Ridge Geyserville and Lytton Springs at under $30. Those were easy purchases. The oldest Bordeaux that I have bought there have been some 2012’s, so I cannot comment on anything older than that. The 12’s that we have opened have been fine.

Chris Seiber wrote:
Make sure to read the fine print on the coupons. There can be exclusions and gimmicks.

This is excellent advice. Most of the coupons that I see exclude any wine with a price that ends in a 7, such as $49.97.

Ed

I’ve never seen a 20% coupon from them.

Clearly they do not know you are a Berserker

I bought a '96 Montrose from them a few years back. Came out opaque/orange and just bad. Smelled and tasted like trashy fruit. However, they refunded me after a little grief from the manager. It said it was “winery direct”

Overall though, that’s my only issue. Don’t buy much from them anymore in TX since it’s cheaper for me to buy through JJB or Envoyer and then pay for shipping since TX has the three tier dist. system

Chuck, that’s because they don’t do coupons (or aren’t allowed to) in Texas. I’ve bought plenty of recent vintage Bdx from their DFW stores and haven’t had any issues with the bottles I’ve opened. As others said, the “mix 6” can be a good deal.

I’ve had the same experience. The fun part in Dallas is getting the good bottles that are allocated based on the wealth of the clientele in the area. Not shockingly, the Lewisville store (not a particularly wealthy area) does not get the same breadth of good bottles that the central Dallas-near-Highland Park/Preston Hollow happen to get. Even so, I snagged some 14 GPL and 14 Gruaud for good enough prices.

Probably at this point but I buy the majority of my BDX at TW. It is just about the only thing I go there for anymore, but the selection is the best I’ve found in DFW.

I think they are ok for the well known / cru classe BDX. Just be careful on their proprietary direct imports that are not sold anywhere else.

One handy thing about the TW near me, is that will recycle styro shippers. So I drop off the occasional one there. If you feel bad about throwing those out, check to see if yours will do that too.

I unsubscribed from the online coupon email offers, since it was just too many presales of $300 Chinese luxe wines and other baloney like that. And given the stories here on WB about them sandbagging futures buyers on 2015’s like Canon, VCC etc. or screwing up splits/magnums orders, I don’t trust them for buying on indent either.

But a 2nd growth on the shelf, with a coupon, likely safe enough.

Nope, no coupons in Texas.

We have 15% off winery direct wines and there are many good wines not just their corporate labels that fall under that category. Problem with Total Wine in the Minneapolis Market is they are higher priced than WineStreet Spirits and a few other shops I frequent. Never bought much from them expect the Mumm Brut Prestige which my wife enjoys.

I suppose I might pause before buying any back vintage bdx from them (although they rarely have any so it isn’t an issue), but I too have been very happy to use them for futures. 50% down instead of 100% and the size of the operation give me at least some comfort in what can feel like a risky transaction. They’ve delivered everything I bought in perfect condition.

Neal good point. They will be around a long time. In Minneapolis there are more people in the store in one hour than most shops see in a day.