wholesale for the Eyrie proper version is about $200 and I’m guessing pricing is simply based on prestige and scarcity, it’s not as if they need to pay off a loan for the vineyard
I was more interested in fruit pricing up in OR these days for chardonnay grapes . . .
Cheers
Prices vary of course and some is tonnage, some is acreage. I have mostly tonnage and rate is somewhere in the $4000k for top sites. Can’t say what other people pay at the same sites, specifics can vary. And for sites I don’t work with, such as those OG Eyrie vines, who knows. I don’t begrudge anyone for charging what they can for their wines. This isn’t an easy business to make money, not all barrels end up bottled, there are lots of regulatory and other incremental costs. The more I do this, the less I worry what people charge. If they can get it, great. I’m in my lane and I think it works for me. Super impressed with Seth’s whole thing, the wines and how he’s positioned himself. Inspiring tbh, he once made a comment about not wanting to make neutral barrel chard and that candidly got me thinking about my prior adherence to neutral barrels only (mostly). Literally an inspiring moment.
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@Vincent_Fritzsche , thank you - that was the type of info I was looking for. In all honesty, those fruit prices are pretty reasonable, all things considered. That helps me understand how ‘reasonable’ most of the wine prices are up there!
How do they compare to what you see down there? I don’t imagine you make Chard but what are going rates that you see?
I do not make chardonnay but I know that many sites in the Sta Rita Hills are in that ballpark - but some are $1-3K higher per ton (or done on an acreage basis).
Cheers
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A question for those of you who are considering buying the Eyrie: Assuming you rarely or have never bought a $300 bottle, why would you consider this one given all the other choices worldwide in that price range?
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Confused by seths pricing tbh. Ive only had a few of his wines, but never thought they lived up to the price. Also, i can buy Walter scott chards from the same vineyards for 20 to 50% less. And ive liked WS better.
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I’m gonna take the plunge on a few. Is it worth it? Yes in the sense that I think Seth is raising the bar on what is possible with new world Chard, and I want to support him. Why? Because Chardonnay is my favorite varietal, I can make room in my wine budget, and wine is semi-irrational. I’m localish (Seattle) and Seth spent two hours tasting with me last summer spitballing about all things Chardonnay, so now not only do I love his wines, but I’m rooting for him a little more. Yeah I could find a number of other awesome Willamette chards for way less, but I want to support HIS crazy opinionated ocd idiosyncratic perfectionist mission.
The Eyrie is a single barrel, so you are likely paying for scarcity to a certain degree, and that brand new Damy barrel. If the wine sucks I won’t buy it again, but I have a feeling it won’t.
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As a business owner myself, I don’t blame him for selling them for whatever he can get. The wines I have tried from him are excellent. That said, I have stopped purchasing them, mostly due to pricing. Other factors are a full cellar, decreased consumption, etc.
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2021 called. It wants its prices back.
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At Walter Scott we buy under acreage contracts that range between $10,000 and $20,000 per.
As Vincent pointed out, there is huge variability. Vine density (and therefore yield/acre), organic practices (though not necessarily certification), and the specifics of farming Ken asks of our vineyard partners are all factors.
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I’m in a similar position. Not a business owner but work for a small company and constantly feel the impact of pricing sensitivity. I’ve had a few of his wines and thought they were really good. But there’s already a number of Oregon producers I really enjoy and I’d like to continue doing so. The pie is only so big. But don’t begrudge the pricing- if he can get it, good for him.
Thanks for your response. I am also a huge fan of OR Chardonnay and am excited to see it’s development (and we share the same locale). I also throw a bunch of money at a couple of my favorite producers because I love what they do and I want to support their success. Where we part ways is that they are making great wines in the $40-60 range which is a range that many people can comfortably afford. And that is what is really going to make OR Chardonnay successful in the wider marketplace. Seth is making a Lamborghini which strikes me as a vanity project and more the thing that turns people off elitist wines. I don’t have a great palate, but I simply can’t imagine that it is six times better than the wines I am considering. Yeah, lots of production costs. Just because it is possible doesn’t make it worth it (IMO). 
Vincent gives such a great answer. He is more mature than I. But Chardonnay pricing for years was well under that of Pinot. Around 2015 (maybe a bit earlier), growers really leveled the price discrepancy. It was necessary. Same cost for growing Pinot and Chardonnay. Both varietals require premium sites to grow premium fruit. I pay about $9600/acre for Chardonnay from Menefee (same as Pinot and Gamay). The site is owned by my Mom. No family discount, but at 3T/acre for Chard, I consider it a deal!
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Speaking of Morgen Long, I think I just picked up 5 magnums of Willamette Valley Chard(no mention of vintage, but might be 2018) and 3 reg bottles of 2018 Marine…all shipped from NY to Ca…all in $380! Do they even produce magnums? We’ll see what happens next week! Will be stoked if I actually get these!
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Yes they do make mags.
Yes, fruit pricing up here is/has to be more realistic.
Vintage variation here can be extraordinary, and we on the board may love 07, 11, and 13 but if I had needed $70/bottle it would not have happened.
That said, I don’t think the Eyrie Chardonnay is in that camp. It’s a unique site.
Thatbis a deal for acreage pricong these days.
Those home cooked dinners aren’t free!