I have been filling out my cellar space with Burgundy reds from 2015-2020 over the past 3 years having caught the Burg Bug during the pandemic. I’ve used winesearcher extensively to locate many bottles that I’m very grateful to have secured before the retail stock got absorbed recently. I know I’m asking volunteers to divulge their most secretive wine tips but would anyone have any sources for grand and premier cru bottles that don’t appear on winesearcher? Knightsbridge Wine is one I located and have used. Saison Cellars I browsed but didn’t find any treasures I wanted. If it helps, PM me or put it in invisible ink!
I’m also curious if any up and coming domaines like Berthaut-Gerbet, Barthod, Leroux, Hudelot-Noellat for examples have mailing list allocations? I belong to a few choice Napa lists like Maybach, Scarecrow, Fingers Crossed etc but have never sourced Burgundy wines this way.
And I am repeating once again my gratitude for this board and all the knowledge so freely imparted. I joined up with Carlisle this Spring and placed my first order of hard to get zins from them. Got the idea about it from here.
Ardeis, in my opinion the best way to source is making a connection at a local wine shop that has a good assortment of Burgundy. Like you alluded to above many allocated and sought after items don’t make it to winesearcher with the higher end offers not even making it to the shelf of your local store. The best best is finding a local wine shop, supporting them (don’t just attempt to cherry pick), and making a connection so you have a pulse on when product is arriving.
Thanks have done that. In fact owner of boutique wine shop I frequent most is in our local wine club, Grapenuts Wine Group of Tampa. I suspect when my doctoring days are concluded I will probably go to work for him part-time! He has sourced a few burgs for me but he’s beholden to the 3 tier system in FL and hence our major distributors National and Johnson Bros.
Hi Ardeis. My strategy (developed about 15 years after I started buying) was to find a single retailer that had a good percentage of the wines I wanted and to consolidate (almost) all my purchases there. I tried to be totally up front about what I was hoping to get, how much I spend annually and the wines I might be interested in getting in the future. Probably helps that I buy up and down the range and also a significant amount of German wine as well. I buy roughly the same burgs every year, and over time I’ve done pretty well, been treated more than fairly and don’t spent any time thinking about wines that I didn’t get. It doesn’t help to complain when you miss something. Allocating high end burgundy is impossible. The tricky part for you is that you are walking into the teeth of 2021, where I expect I will anywhere from 0-3 bottles from producers that I used to get a case of. Not sure how a newcomer will end up with anything in 2021 but worth trying.