Are DRC & Leflaive Montys worth their price of admission?

WINE TALK
1

If you’re fortunate enough to be drinking the full Monty on the regs, is there a justification for DRC and Leflaive’s massive sticker price by comparison to their Montrachet producing peers? I know these wines are incredibly rare, but at what point does the rarity factor of these wines start to outweigh their true quality? Does the incredibly careful attention to detail and winemaking truly push these wines into otherworldly territory? Thanks!

2

I’ll respond as someone who has never tasted these wines and doesn’t expect to. Given the price, I am certain that tasting them would not change these answers: no, a long time ago, and no.

On the other hand, if I made a couple hundred million dollars, I bet my answer would change.

3

I think the real answer is, “if you have to ask the price you cannot afford it.”

I know that I can’t. [wink.gif]

4

Mark,
seriously … there are a lot of really fine Montrachet producers available for far less (still a lot, but it´s Montrachet), so for one who hasn´t tasted at least half of the others (and many Batard, Bievenue, Chevalier …) it makes no sense to spend 1000s of bucks for a DRC or Leflaive …

The few times I have tasted a DRC Monty it was (sadly) THE best or one of the best of the tasting, but the differences to a (let´s say) Ramonet, Lafon (still pricey), a Colin, Amiot, Thenard, Fontaine-Gagnard etc. are not otherwordly, but they exist … more in style, more in details than in breathtaking quality.
(I had less luck with Leflaive, both times the bottles were kind of shut down, not really singing … one could get a hint of the eventual quality, but not really forthcoming).

So I´d recommend
either taste a Drouhin (Laguiche), Bouchard, Remoissenet Monty … or some serious Batards, Chevaliers etc. - OR look for an opportunity to participate in a tasting where you have only to spend your fair share of 100 to 200 bucks on a (tiny) glass of DRC/Leflaive Monty … far more intelligent than 2000-3000+ on a bottle (which might be corked … or far too young and not really enjoyable for many years … )

PS: these wines need age … the best Ms I´ve had were all 15, 20, 25+ years old …

5

You could go to the Legends Dinner at the Paulee this Friday. For the low price of $7250.00 you can try about a dozen DRCs and nine or so Leflaives. Included in these wines is one Montrachet and one DRC RC. Hefty price, but should be awesome. Disclosure…I am not going, but if someone were treating I would thank them profusely

6

Not a bad value compared to single bottle prices, and that single bottle might be corked even. What a horror that would be. Every time I think about buying a bottle I think of all the great $200-500 bottles I’d rather try or feel more comfortable with instead, and go with that plan.

Have been lucky enough to have had a couple DRC’s reds poured for me and they have been great experiences but I think they are best enjoyed with many millions in the bank, and even then there may be are spouses, children, and all kinds of social status intricacies that can get involved with what is just another bottle of wine.

7

Worth it solely for the balla tasting notes I get to post after.

8

DRC, Patek Philippe, Stuart Weitzman shoes…

Value is relative.

Once something becomes the icon of luxury in its niche, the price/performance curve becomes asymptotic.

DRC is the Nike Air Yeezy 2 SP “Red October” of wine.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nike-Air-Yeezy-2-SP-Red-October-nrg-solar-platinum-ii-1-blink-net-zen-yeezys-i-/141466686634?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item20f01254aa

Only 19,999 dolla, balla.

9 
Mark,
seriously ... there are a lot of really fine Montrachet producers available for far less (still a lot, but it´s Montrachet), so for one who hasn´t tasted at least half of the others (and many Batard, Bievenue, Chevalier ...) it makes no sense to spend 1000s of bucks for a DRC or Leflaive ....

I agree totally with above.

Personally I prefer Bouchard and for a richer version of Monty, Prieur is also my favourite. champagne.gif

10

Mark asked :

I know these wines are incredibly rare, but at what point does the rarity factor of these wines start to outweigh their true quality? Does the incredibly careful attention to detail and winemaking truly push these wines into otherworldly territory? Thanks!

Mark…the answer to your point about rarity factor should only be answered by yourself. For me, it should not be… [drinkers.gif]

Anyone who is funtunate enought to make wine in Montrachet …is careful enough in detail to make : what they believe the best expression ( in their own view ) of a representation of what Montrachet is about about.

Now let do back to the basic of about Burgundy wine.

Shouldn’t it always be : producer - bearing in mind of course your best may not be my best ?

[highfive.gif]

11

Gerhard said :


So I´d recommend
either taste a Drouhin (Laguiche), Bouchard, Remoissenet Monty … or some serious Batards, Chevaliers etc. - OR look for an opportunity to participate in a tasting where you have only to spend your fair share of 100 to 200 bucks on a (tiny) glass of DRC/Leflaive Monty … far more intelligent than 2000-3000+ on a bottle (which might be corked … or far too young and not really enjoyable for many years … )

PS: these wines need age … the best Ms I´ve had were all 15, 20, 25+ years old

Mark…do not listen too too much to Gerhard.

Spend your money and change your toilet first… [wow.gif]

12

The very best and most famous/prestigious wines in any category have a big step up in price, and some portion of that step up is bound to be the label and reputation.

Are wines like DRC, Grange, Screaming Eagle, First Growths, Petrus, Vega Sicilia, Monfortino, d’Yquem and so forth so much better than the next best wines in their categories as to justify the full price difference? Probably not. But they’re great wines, and there is some extra value to having experienced what those benchmark wines are, if you get the opportunity.

13

i would have thought mark had found some drc monty’s at $450 a pop by now?

yes. i think they are that good. no. not worth the price of admission because now the bar has been raised so high you’ll always yearn for another sip.

14

Hmmmm…I nearly forget that Mark found a case of 12 of Bouhcard’s Monty at around US $45 a pop.

I remembered he did open one and tried it… [basic-smile.gif]

15

One out of three is not bad… [stirthepothal.gif] at least my wife wears Stuart Weitzman. [rofl.gif]

Cheers!
Marshall [berserker.gif]

16

balla

17

Cant speak to drc, but tried the 96 leflaive at the paulee legends dinner. Would rather save some cash and get coche corton (admittedly maybe not the most accessible wine)

18

It is somewhat like the benefits of a high end stereo system. As you move from a $100 stereo system to. $1000 syetem, the quality takes a big jump, but as you go from $1000 to 10,000 to $100,000 the difference in quality is discernible but less dramatic to the casual listener. For someone who is focused upon these more subtle differences and for whom money is no object, the upgrade in quality may be well worth it. For others, not so much. In my experience wine is so variable in terms of bottle variation, cork issues, and how even a sound wine can show at any given time that one must be emotionally prepared for disappointment, which is difficult when one has been seduced by hype and ratings to overspend for certain bottles. Don’t go into a casino with more money than you can afford to lose, and don’t spend more on a bottle of wine that you can stand to see underperform or have to pour down the sink. I have had some great wines through the generosity of friends or because I bought them years ago when they were expensive but not stupid, but is a Leflaive Montrachet worth 10 times their Chevalier? Only if you have enough money that it is not a stretch.

19

In the end this is a discussion about your discretionary spend as nobody will dispute that these are fabulous wines. The issue if you become wealthy enough to afford these wines is not whether they are value for money but rather whether you will ever be lucky enough to order or purchase them.

20

Well said, Robert. This question has been asked hundreds of times on wine boards over the years, whether about specific wines or wine regions. In my dotage, I can afford both wines, I suppose, and I have had the Leflaive in the past, but I doubt that I will buy either again. Why? As noted above, there are other Montrachets of equal and sometimes better quality at lower prices. Taking nothing away from the long and distinguished track records of both wines, as well as the differences in Montrachet winemaking styles, there must inevitably come a point where you are drinking the label rarher than seeking out the best Montrachet for your money. For me, there is no substitute for DRC RC or La Tache. There is only one of each. There are a number of outstanding winemakers making Montrachet, including those two.

Point two: I have had a lot of Chevalier-Montrachet and even the occasional Batard-Montrachet that I liked better than some of the Montrachets that I have had. Not the same wine, the three, but close enough in similarity and pleasure delivered. Also, one of the interesting quirks of Burgundy is that there are definitely “Batard” vintages and “Chevalier” vintages, as well as “Montrachet” vintages, where one of the three outshines the other two. There are times when smart money buys Batard or Chevalier. You could make the case that smart money OFTEN buys Batard or Chevalier.

Point three: regardless of my disposable income at any point in time, I feel compelled to do a cost-benefit analysis on wines like Montrachet vis a vis other great wines, and Montrachet is one where the other wines will win out most of the time. When available, I can buy the best Monfortino or Giacosa red labels for the release price of a bottle of DRC Montrachet. I can (or maybe could) buy two bottles of 1989 Haut-Brion. The list could go on for a very long time. DRC Montrachet cannot win the challenge, ever, for me. As much as I love white Burgundy, there will never be one made that can deliver the pleasure that I get from a multitude of red wines. And $100,000 stereo systems are rarely, if ever, worth the money. My conclusion would have to be “I just want to drink DRC Montrachet, logic and reason be damned!” I hasten to add that I doubt that many drinkers of DRC or Leflaive Montrachet, and there are necessarily precious few of them, ever perform the Klapp cost-benefit analysis, cost being no object to many, and interest in fine wines quite possibly too narrow in some as well…