I was on their list but never bought.
And at current pricing, i would rather get a three pack of a Kinsman SVD or the Memento Mori cabernet blend and call it a day…
NapaFlation is out of control…
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Don’t think anyone is really flipping Napa bottles these days (at current release pricing) unless you’re on the list for something like MacDonald or maybe Scarecrow (though with recent price increase the ‘margins’ are slim). Maybe Screagle? But that’s well outside my price range to know.
Putting the “value” debate of a $800/btl aside, if you’re a buyer and like Promontory wines and see it go for ~$700 at auction (after hammer fees), it’s not a huge leap to justify spending another $100–150 for direct provenance. At that price point, most buyers aren’t sweating the delta, or at least I don’t think so.
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You can find older vintages at quite a bit less (say 600 including hammer). I paid around 650 all in including tax/shipping for the 2015 vintage.
Don’t think about how much the bottle cost…
so are you saying you are not a buyer?
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You have Harlan, Promontory, Bond and then all the second labels like Maiden and Mascot. If you are a collector where should you go? - I have a decent collection of Harlan - I will be drinking some of them for sure. An '07 I had recently was sublime. But still - at over a 1000 dollars a bottle for Harlan it becomes a lot crazy. Same with First growth Bordeaux although in all fairness there has been less inflation with Bord firsts over the last decade than Napa. And when you go to high end Burgundy or Right Bank it is so out of touch with most wine aficionados it just isn’t conceivable to purchase. I think I am going to buy more Bedrock…
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Have you looked at the Rhone or Rioja?
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This is the solution to many of life’s problems…
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When someone else bought it.
For a very special occasion. I have two wine friends and we do something special every other month, and bottles like this show up, though not always.
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we were in for just one bottle this year. At this point, only staying on to snag one for 2022 as it’s a wedding year wine for us. Hopefully the pricing will come down given the overall market pullback, the mediocre vintage, etc. If EP comes down as expected this year, Napa will surely need to take a haircut too. A lot of the money driving the top end of the market is taking a beating.
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Promontory from my reading is unique, even if you receive Harlan, with a restrained yet wild side, and the property is stunningly beautiful and also unique. But I got my first offering this week, the 2021, for $825 per plus plus, and I was disappointed, there is no reason for me to be on the mailing list. I don’t fault them, the offer just didn’t trigger in me any loyalty or engage in a relationship, which has always been a big deal to me for Napa wines, remembering wineries opening their doors to our group in the 1990’s for free with barrel samples and personal hands on customer service year after year. Because of costs and the market, I get why those days are long gone, but it’s not hard to appear like they are trying to build a relationship and loyalty rather than a mailing arguing that you should feel grateful to give them your money. There’s nothing wrong with that, but that kind of marketing appeals to wine buyers very different from me and my wine friends regardless of income.
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I don’t see any Harlan properties going down in pricing - sideways yes but not backwards.
I don’t think anyone here argues they should have dropped their price. Just don’t set it so that the buyer is paying best-vintage-ever prices every vintage. I think they boxed themselves in, PR-wise that way.
But they’ll sell out and they created something new and special and their investment costs were very high and I doubt they will make a profit for years, And they might have decided they needed to send a clear message that Promontory, while different from Harlan, is very much at Harlan’s level. Maybe they’re just very proud of the wine.
But I was still disappointed when the mailer came, and I’d be very surprised to see the 2021 Promontory selling for more than $825 plus tax and shipping in the secondary market in years to come, and unsurprised to see it at $700 all in.
I do like Ribera del Duero as a DOP - (I probably just like wines that have some heavy oak treatment and not so much a love for Tempranillo) As for Rhone, I have dabbled in some of the good stuff over the years but probably like Grenache more than Syrah. But all in all, my taste buds have always kind of favored CS the most and somehow it leads me back to Napa (thank God I never was too smitten by old world Pinot - that has saved me a lot of money!)
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Yep - agree.
And you can get multivintage Promontory tastings for $250-350.
Their best vintage by ratings is 2018 (this is reliable to me, a great Napa vintage per Galloni, he handed out 100’s like candy that year only), and Promontory’s 2018 is starting at $605 (plus plus plus, but still less than $825 plus plus and probably a superior wine to 2021).
George
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That makes sense. I would have guess Southern Rhone in modern style would suite you (grenache +oak). There are some bigger wines in the southwest of france as well.
Have you tried Roc de Cambes in Bdx? Francois Mitjavile’s (Tertre Roteboeuf) and son make the wine there. Reasonable pricing by napa standards and bigger style of bdx.
I see no reason to purchase winery-direct from anyone in Napa anymore at the top end. I have before, but auction prices are just so much less now, that one has to take notice.
Inflation for current vintages of these wines has gotten absolutely insane - so much so that I’m getting turned off to the segment. Someone mentioned bdx first growths, and I find it very interesting to read about how “expensive” first growths, right bank grand crus, etc. are, but when you actually look at wine as a whole, they seem like downright bargains. They don’t just get more expensive every year of release, are true icons, and I can buy almost 3 bottles for the price of 1 Harlan.
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I like CdP - Janasse “Chaupin” is 100 pct Grenache - I burned through a case of '07 pretty quickly. Interestingly, this wine was aged primarily in Foudres so not as much oak treatment. Have not had Roc de Cambes nor Terte Roteboeuf. Kind of like the concept of belching cows climbing a vineyard.
First growth Bordeaux goes at $600/bottle at auction for good recent vintages. Great second growth like Montrose for $150. Something to think about with Napa prices
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