Maison Ilan Question

I have a question regarding Maison Ilan and shipping.

When you order directly from them and the wine comes to the States, are folks charged a duty on the wines?

What are the shipping charges typically?

Are there any hassles that folks have had in terms of receiving the wines (getting them through customs, etc.)

Thanks in advance

+1. Received my allocation offer today. I am considering ending a buying hiatus for this, but I’m curious about how the shipping works and what it costs.

Have any of these hit the States? I’m dying to try some.

I don’t think so

+1

There are few wines I want to try more.

No. None have hit anywhere, yet.

+2.

WHWC still has some Charmes and Chaffots available as a pre-arrival. Chambertin gone a long time ago.

And… ordered. Thanks for the heads up! WHWC is great.

None have been shipped so far. I am sure Ray is frustrated, but as a consumer, I can’t see buying more at this point. I am waiting on 09 and 10. Its an interesting project and I want to support Ray. I am sure there are lots of issues that keep popping up. Still, how do I know if I like the wine unless I can taste. Ray, any idea when we will get the wine?

Went in and bought across the board. I need some good wines for long-term cellaring since 2011 is a birth-year. I think the wines will be physically shipped in spring 2013, then we’ll see…

Hello Loren,
thank you for chiming in. I’ve mentioned this in several emails as well as called you a few times hoping to reach you directly. Though, I wanted to take this opportunity to say that I apologize for the wine shipment being two months behind. I assure you that the capsules will be delivered soon which will allow me to finish the final touches on the packaging, letting me ship out the 2009s. I appreciate your patience and hope that you are satisfied once they are delivered. I anticipate this to be quite soon. I also wanted to thank you for being one of the 83 original buyers of our wines. Not many people were there to be supportive of what we are doing, so thank you for being one of those that did. As a token of my appreciation of your being one of these first 83 buyers and being understanding of your dissatisfaction, I would like to give you a full refund on your complete order of 2009s while still sending you out your bottles free of charge. If anyone else is equally dissatisfied, please contact me directly and I will make sure that you are satisfied as well.


Hello everyone,
so before stepping foot in Burgundy, I had no idea what to expect. I didn’t know anything about fermentations, didn’t have a place to live or to process the grapes, I couldn’t speak French, and I didn’t have any contacts for grapes. The little details that are terribly important such as bottles, corks, labels, wine boxes and how to sell our wine were all things that I have been researching since my first visit in January 2009. I managed to set up a good many of these things, however, some of these details allowed me more time to research.

I had five weeks to prepare for my first Burgundy harvest, and 19 months to prepare for packaging. Not one step in the process from me receiving the grapes to selecting capsules and wine cases was subjected to corners being cut. I chose to find the equipment that I wanted, the best corks I could find (from Corsica, details seared in, no ink), most classic (while being quite light in weight!!) bottles I could find, designed my own labels and chose the best printer I could find, picked the best capsule company available, etc. No step was done to save time, money, effort, etc.

When I initially forecasted November 2011 for the date that the wines would be shipped, I had no idea that I would encounter delay after delay with ONE aspect of my plan. The capsules have been the One issue that has pushed things back. It really is fascinating that after all of the admin and other hurdles I jumped through (including moving my while family to Burgundy in that same period of time), that delays with the delivery of my capsules would be the one detail that pushed our delivery for the 2009s back a few months.

I ordered these capsules in August and was told they would arrive late September. I have since received several dates that have come and gone. After speaking with several managers, it has been revealed that the capsules (being produced by an outside company) have been delayed on the production side due to the order being so small. It seems the large orders received priority over me, even though my order was composed of enough capsules for both 2009 and 2010 as well as half of the 2011 production. I have since been reassured that the capsules are in fact being pressed and will arrive shortly at my winery.

Of note, some of the original buyers have picked up their wines, choosing to not wait for the custom capsules. The other option was to avoid issues of delay by grabbing some generic capsules locally. The wines would be delivered earlier, but this would be a complete failure in my view. Looking at the bottles containing the wine that I view as a direct reflection of my experiences left incomplete isn’t a comforting feeling for me personally, (this would have occurred through cutting corners as well), I know that being a bit behind schedule, but with the wines exactly as they should be, was the right decision.

I apologize for such a long post, but I believe that when people put their interest, trust and money into a purchase of my wines, that it means something to me.

Thank you again for your patience and continued interest, everyone.


Cheers,

Ray

Ray,

Can you speak as to my questions regarding shipping the wines to the States:

Are buyers charged a duty on the wines?

What are the shipping charges expected to be for a case or several cases?

Are there epected to be any additional hassles (getting them through customs, etc.)?

Thanks!

Steve

Great CS and communication, Ray.

Just e-mailed in my inaugural purchase of Ray’s wines. With everything I hear and read, it’s likely to become an annual tradition.

Hey Steve
my pleasure. If a case of 12 - 75cl bottles were to leave today from my door to your’s in New York, complete charges would be around $90 total, which includes shipping on the container, insurance, clearing customs, and ground shipping once in the US (arriving in California). There will be lower charges for those closer to the West Coast. Also, there will be pickup options which would dramatically cut costs.

No hassels expected at all. We use the best in the business, JF Hillebrand which is used by a fairly respected list of businesses. While I work from a garage, this is by no means a half-way setup.

Hi Ray,

I hate to do this in a forum, but I just want to make sure you received my emails (and that they’re not ending up somewhere in cyberspace!). First one sent on Jan. 19 and the second this morning. Thanks.

Xavier

Hello Xavier
no worries. This is what forums are for. I received your email. I apologize, the amount of emails/calls I have received has made it difficult to respond earlier. I will do so now. Thanks for your patience.

If anyone has sent in an order but has yet to receive a confirmation, rest assured, I will get to you shortly. I make it a point to do each step of this process myself and this can at times result in slower response times. Each order that has been sent in is registered and will be taken care of quickly.

Thanks again!

Cheers,

Ray

Ray, if people want to really appreciate what you have done, they should first contemplate what an extraordinary thing Jamie Kutch did, then realize that you did it in another country in a language you didn’t know. All I can say is wow!

Loren,

Not the same as getting them yourself, but here are my thoughts on the 2009s and 2010s having tasted them this summer. burgundy day 2 - WINE TALK - WineBerserkers

What is the extraordinary thing that Jamie Kutch did? I know Ray’s story, but not Jaime’s.