Ask me if I care. Several years ago, before I got on the list, a friend ITB asked me if I wanted some Sea Smoke. I didn’t have a clue, but if someone ITB was asking, I figured I’d better get some. I’ve been taking a partial allocation the past several years. I had a soft spot for SS since they were my first allocation. I even have some verticles going back to 06 and 07.
This year, I’m passing on my allocation. I still like Sea Smoke; but with Bedrock, Carlisle, Maybach, Rhys and Schrader on my list, I’m going to let SS slide this year.
Interested parties will find this on Commerce Corner later today or tomorrow.
I am still on the waiting list, but saw both 2009 Ten and Southing available via retail this past fall for reasonable prices. Perhaps it was the difference in crop yield or more people passing on allocations. I didn’t receive an allocation email, so perhaps in 2012.
I have an allocation. Still not sure if I’m going to buy. Sea Smoke offers me a lot of Southing but usually only one bottle of Bottela. I’ve been collecting/drinking SS since 05. It may be time to enjoy what I have and wait until the next offering.
I’m guessing the answer is yes. You started a thread about it, you have bought and enjoyed their wines in prior years, and you are offering your allocation on CC (instead of just passing) presumably because you care about having the opportunity to buy in the future.
Was I right? Do I win a prize?
How do they compare after changing wine makers? I’ve lost track of them after the 2006 vintage.
The wines have dialed back in ripeness and alcohol levels. They’re not trying to be Copain or anything, but they’re more into the middle of the spectrum now, with alcohols in the low and mid 14% range. 2010 Southing is 14.42%, 2010 Botella is 14.35%.
The biggest thing is to give the wines a few years. Southing tends to be a bit clumsy and disjointed in the first two years or so from release, and they probably improve for at least 6-8 years from the vintage. The 2005s are probably getting to their peak around now.
The only thing I’m getting more iffy about is the Ten. The pricing is pretty steep, and they are pretty heavily oaked, which integrates over a longer time if you are patient, but I’m not sure I find value proposition strong relative to the Southing and Botella, or relative to other wine at that price point. I’ll probably buy one to throw on the pile, but I’ll mostly take the other two.
1 Botella (limited availability…first come, first served).
8 Southing
6 Ten
2 Chard
1 Southing Mag.(limited also)
Taking:
None.
I’ve been buying SS since the '03 vintage and most of that time have purchased my full allocation. In the last couple of years I’ve shared the allocation with another board member. I have about 6,000 allocation points and peaked out as a C1 on SS’s weird ranking system. (They don’t indicate your “ranking” anymore on your allocation). I still have over 2 cases in the cellar and I think I will take some time to go through that before ordering again. QPR, while never great, is even worse now, especially with Botella going away. This was my first mailing list producer (was it a cult wine? I dunno) and I think that’s one of the reasons it was tough to let it go. I guess I just find better value elsewhere in the $60-85 price point these days (not that I buy much at that level).
I’m not listing this on CC, but if anyone wants all or part of it, please PM me. As you know, it can just be paid and shipped direct. I would rather a WB’er get some than just letting it fall back into the “pool”.
There is a case study for a MBA student regarding the dynamics of the “rise and fall” of SS. I think the recent price increase is a big negative. Seems as though the list is under some duress and must be a concern.
Maybe this is just the natural evolution of a wine.
I don’t know that I see any evidence of a “fall” or “duress.” But I suspect you’re right, that we’re seeing a fairly typical arc for a coveted mailing list producer like this. After the initial rush of high scores, popularity with consumers and scarcity (resulting from well-below-market pricing), the price gradually works its way up closer to the actual market value for the wine, production increases to respond to the demand, some of the newness and cachet of the label fades, and the pricing and demand come into more of an equilibrium.
As much as it’s nice for the consumer who got in early, it understandably isn’t the objective of the winery to continue to sell their wines at well below the market price (and let flippers realize the delta) or to keep eager consumers on waiting lists for years and years.
So, it’s no real surprise that the prices are no longer as much of a bargain, nor the demand and buzz as great, as in the early years. And it’s understandable that some buyers from the early days will move on to other things, decide that the QPR isn’t as good anymore, their tastes have changed, they already have enough in their cellars, and all, making way for others to fill in.
I normally stay out of these threads, but feel I need to refute this statement. Sea Smoke has always been 100% estate fruit. Any production increases in the early years were just a function of the vines maturing and able to carry more fruit. The production numbers have been fairly stable for some time, with differences coming from vintage variations due to weather influences. Sea Smoke has never purchased fruit.
Also, I do not expect for Botella be phased out entirely. As the vines have matured, much of the vineyard is producing more sophisticated wines that fall into Southing profile, rather than the Botella profile, thus the bigger production of Southing vs. Botella. But there are some blocks of the vineyard that will always produce the earlier drinking wines of Botella.
Poppy, I was speaking rather generally about the arc of mailing lists, and I didn’t say or mean to imply anything about Sea Smoke purchasing fruit versus using estate fruit. Sorry if that was unclear.
Thanks for the information about the production levels and Botella, though, and as you can probably tell, I’m one of those who thinks very highly of Sea Smoke wines.
Anyone tasted barrel samples of the 2010 vintage? How is it tasting? I got the email and it said that it is more fruit forward this year… Is it somewhat of an early drinking wine compared to other vintages?
I don’t think they were selling at well less than market price. The last few years I’ve tried sharing my allocation, and had absolutely no takers. Also, if you follow Wine Commune, the last few releases can always be had at or just below release price.
This is me exactly. I could have written this post (except being able to find someone to share allocation).
You’re talking about “the last few years” – I meant that back in vintages 2001-2005, Southing sold for $45-50, and you’d pay 150-200% of that at auction or retail. Botella was $25-30 and had a higher markup than that (percentage wise). I’m not saying anyone was getting rich flipping them, but they were definitely selling pretty well below market price in those years – barring the odd exception, there was no way you were walking into wine shops or going online and buying 2002 Southing for $45 and 2002 Botella for $25.
As I said right after the parenthetical about below-market pricing, the typical arc is for the winery’s release price and the fair market price to come closer into line, and I think that’s what you’ve experienced in trying to sell/share your allocation the last few years.
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I’ve been taking a partial allocation the past several years. I had a soft spot for SS since they were my first allocation. I even have some verticles going back to 06 and 07.![[snort.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/b/bdc3944606213c4dca6c1169cf0a166c8bc4f8c9.gif "snort.gif"){kind=small}
I offered it up just in case someone wanted in.