I do not agree. First, the EP campaign informs consumers all over the world on the vintage, quality, and character. Without the onslaught of information, buyers and drinkers would be at a disadvantage, when it comes time to actually buy the wines. There is no other market that is newsworthy during that time. This is a huge publicity campaign that is unique to Bordeaux. It is good for the chateau, and good for consumers.
While corporate owners do not need the money, there are vineyard owners whose sole source of income is their vineyard. Many of those owners have numerous share holders, Mostly family) that want, and demand some income.
Everything is not cut and dried, or simple.
That being said, that really does not matter to consumers who have their own issues, and needs to contend with.
It should not matter to you, or consumers when the info is provided.
EP is a massive undertaking. Think about it, there is no other wine region that does this. It is easy for everyone to provide barrel samples at the same time. But bottling dates, and release dates vary quite a bit from estate to estate. It is one thing to provide a barrel tasting sample, as that is an ounce, or two or three, and numerous people can participate. It is another undertaking to request bottled samples. Bottled wines are much more expensive to provide than samples, as there is a cost to produce and bottle, and a bigger cost to pop. Plus, bottled samples take a while to settle down, so you have an additional delay of 6 months, give or take.
So, yes, that would probably be a more difficult, and costly undertaking.
And yet they do it every year. You give ratings both in barrel and in bottle when released. All that matters to me as a consumer is that I have information before I purchase. They could do the information gathering/dissemination and sales process two years later without any disadvantage to consumers.
There are few fewer people able to taste in bottle. Plus, there are several chateaux that do not send samples, so you need to go to the property. And those are the wines that could increase on price.
I taste in bottle at my home office. I receive the samples. Itās quite different than going.
The estates interest in EP is not the same as the consumer.
Thatās my opinion. YMMV.
Besides the board would be lacking in thousands of posts and what would there be to complain about ?
Every other region tastes in bottle. And the Chateaux regularly go on tour for the UGC. Say what you will about en primeur, but an in-bottle tasting of top Bordeaux would quite literally be one of the easiest things in the world of wine to organize.
You should re-read the reasons I wrote about the difficulty in this. No other wine region has an open door policy for wine tasting, meaning you, or at least most known people can taste everywhere, Petrus, Le Pin, all the First Growths etc. There is no other wine region that provides access to every wine available for sale. Between the estates, and the numerous organizations like the UGC, GCCSE, Cirque, Pessac Leognan CC, Cru Bourgeois, all the consultants etc., it is not done anywhere, except Bordeaux.
The UGC is great! But it is not the same conditions as tasting seated in a quiet environment, with good stemware, and cool temperatures, while allowing tasters to spend as much time as they like on a sample. And while an incredible amount of producers are members of the UGC, not all members participate, and there are numerous, big, and important estates that do not belong to the UGC.
And there are hundreds of small estates producing great, value oriented wines that are not in the UGC as well.
I am only pointing out the reality of the situation. None of this is about promoting sales of EP.
Not saying itās nothing, but hundreds (thousands?) of Burgundy cuvees get professionally tasted every year - in bottle. But 150 of the top Bordeaux would be too difficult if EP was done away with? Iām sorry but that doesnāt pass the smell test.
