I am quite a fan of the 07 vintage I have to confess. Makes me a Parker whore in the eyes of people on this board I guess. All the special cuvees just made for Parker. Wow. As if making better wine is something undesirable.
Anyway, can I just reiterate: US PRICES GONE CRAZY DO NOT REFLECT CDP PRICING HERE AT THE DOMAINE.
You can still buy Pierre Usseglios Mon Aieul (100 PP) at the Domaine for the original price although they ask you to buy also the base cuvee to drive away the flippers. Many are still available and I have paid not more than €43 for ANY wine or special cuvee including Mon Aieul, Clos des Papes, etc. (Da Capo will be the exception). Retailers gone wild is not the same as the Domaine gone crazy because they receive 96-100 points for a wine.
Just my 2 cents
Christian
P.S. I was never a fan of Parker, but this constant bashing in every thread is killing all the fun here.
This new BB is a young one. Created by many geeks who have “killed” the father. It will take some times before this BB will mature and will cut all links for this “father”.
About CDP : it is obvious here that, due to a “small” production and hype comments by Parker, the effect on price has gone crazy. For me, except rayas, CDP is only a “hunter” wine. Here in Europe, when prices are going like that to the sky, we simply shift for an other AOC.
Apparently, this is not the case in USA. Well, hopefully many of you are not only driven by a Guru : you make your own opinion by tasting. The key for serenity.
Indeed, looking for non-hype appelations is a good idea if you are not happy with prices.
I recently did a tasting tour through Vinsobre, some 30kms from Chateauneuf and just opposite
Vaison la Romaine - excellent quality, good development over the past few years and almost
unknown even in France…
Christian, I think it’s worth pointing out that not everyone agrees that the special cuvees represent a straightforward qualitative improvement, but rather a choice about the style… and that Parker points encourage other winemakers to adopt special cuvees and make changes to the wines based on a desire to score high with Parker. This doesn’t necessarily mean the changes make the wines “better” in the eyes of all.
I agree that tastes are different and that not everyone agrees about the statement that special cuvees are better wines. Myself, I prefer the Usseglio Mon Aieul to the Deux Freres, so no problem with that. But overall, tasting 30-40 special cuvees, I would boldly state that the majority is a notch above the base cuvees, and not all are different styles, just more stringent selection, older vines, different parcels.
European prices (outside the Domaine) have gone pretty crazy as well. How much are the UK merchants selling 2007 Usseglio Mon Aieul for? What about the Paris brokers?
The Domaines, if they have kept their prices “cheap,” kudos to them, although, one could argue thaat Mon Aieul, just a few years ago, was significantly less than 43 euros ex Domaine.
Nevertheless, we should applaud them for holding prices, even if it is just a few btls that they are selling at this point.
Also, it depends on which domaines one is talking about. The prices for a Clos des Papes has gone up 30-40% from the domaine over the last 5-7 years in EUR terms.
absolutely, but at around 40 Euros it is still good value if you like the style.
The only Domaines that have put prices up beyond any sensible level ex-Domaine are
a) Pegau Da Capo 2007 €150 (reserved 3, unsure if I will buy)
b) Mordoree Plume de Peintre 2005 €100 (ex Domaine when the 100 points were out, bought 3)
c) Barroche Pure €90 (although Julien admits it was more a joke when his inventory was almost sold out to see if anybody would buy at these prices - his regular price was around €40)
Maybe somebody else can throw in some more, but there are not many.
that makes € 450 or USD 675 for 3 bottles of wine What if it is corked ? What if
my children mix it with Coke to drink it ? What if my wife decides she needs a drink and
pops one ? Also, I could buy 90 bottles of St. Cosme CdR for the price…
Anyhow, lets wait until February when it is in bottle and then I´ll see how the
economy is going and if I still have a job (work in the finance industry) I might buy
it…
Cheers
Christian
P.S.: When I re-read my own post I think I´ll buy the 90 bottles of St. Cosme. Great syrah for a great price.
Christian, the low pre-arrival price is $400. Sell two for $700. Drink one bottle for free. If you don’t want them, please ask Laurence to transfer ownership to me. I’ll be happy to take them.
Just attended a CdP 2007 tasting. Many of the wines were overwrought, burying their fruit not with tannin that will melt away but with a bitter overextracted quality. I’ll stick with cheaper CdR, I suppose. Those who must have CdP should buy selectively; there are a few gems, but you can’t tell from Parker’s notes.
Some luxury cuvées may have been created for critics, but I think keeping up with the neighbors plays a larger role in the proliferation of them.
Domaine A makes a Super CndP and sells 100cs at a premium price. A mild profit. More importantly, the buzz and image presented helps them sell out of the regular CndP of which there is way more (and way more consumers who can access and afford it.) The next vintage, do you think that Domaine B isn’t going to see this business model and copy it?
This business model is pretty prevalent in all sorts of luxury markets even without singularly influential critics, it is not surprising to be copied in wine.
![[thankyou.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/d/df165fe9c1593d19166ae7e1ffe5e272089cc07b.gif "thankyou"){kind=small}
![[cry.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/8/853b6e76c6e8406be77a6727c2a27ad1672678b3.gif "cry"){kind=small}
What if it is corked ? What if![[truce.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/d/d33e712b50d5efc2425bf219c404fbdb7ed0ba50.gif "truce"){kind=small}
Also, I could buy 90 bottles of St. Cosme CdR for the price…