Do the Parker scores increase the risk that futures buyers won't get the wines?

This is shamelessly derived from a post on the “other” board, that one from someone who (unlike me) actually made a lot of futures purchases and is concerned, now that many of his purchases ended up with astronomical scores, that he may never end up getting them.

I’m sure the answer is that it depends a lot on who the seller is, but as a general statement, how big of a risk is this to futures buyers? On one hand, they seem to be in a frenzy of excitement that their purchases got high bottle scores from Parker, but could those 99 and 100 point scores also be their undoing when it comes to eventually taking delivery of their wine?

I guess the question for your retailer is whether to incur the wrath of their customers and some bad publicity, versus realizing the big pricing upside of selling those bottles at their new, upwardly-adjusted market value. Would any of your better-known retailers consider doing something like that? Refund the purchase price to some futures buyers and say “sorry, we never got delivery of your wines,” and then sell the wines in some fashion for their new pumped up RMP 100 point prices?

among another reason why i don’t buy bordeaux futures. absolutely love the wine, but not willing to deal with that crap or the crazy prices. damn i do love the wines though.

Chris, none of “your better-known” retailers" would do that IMO, but sometimes their suppliers might. I’d think this very rare, however. You will undoubted be OK on your recent purchase of 89 point plonk.

I’m more worried about a cow falling on my car. But then, I didn’t buy any wines worth doing this with, and only a few anyway. I did get a notice today that my first 2009 Bdx is ready for pickup at K&L, though.

Happend to me with 2000 futures. I was told by the retailer that they were shorted on L’Eglise-Clinet by their supplier. I asked them to source if from someone else and they said they could not. Retailer offered another wine with a comparable future price but without the “Parker-bump” post review to replace it.

At the time, I was purchasing only a few cases on futures per year, and another mixed case or two when I visited the store since they were not local to me. If I had been a bigger customer, then they might have considered sourcing this or a different replacement wine at their loss.

I have no way of knowing if this was a supplier issue or if the retailer just passed these on to a more favored customer.

Posner’s (Grapes in Westchester) latest email begins by pooh-poohing the no. of 100 point '09 Bdx. Then he offers a Juan Gil for $12/bottle. Maybe that’s the way to go!

I’m very fond of Bordeaux too. There is a lot of good wine out there, however, and I can’t say that I actively miss them.

You have to draw the line somewhere, or you end up like those sad Burg nuts on this board! [wow.gif]

Mike, you seem like a good guy, but your constant quips about French wine (and Burgundy in particular) do get tiresome. Intended to be funny, I know, and any one such quip in isolation can be funny and enjoyed by all, but when it is repeated so relentlessly…

Sorry Lew, sometimes (like the old story about the Scorpion and Frog riding across a river together), I just can’t help myself! [wink.gif]

We all have our individual “lines in the sand.” Didn’t mean to hurt feelings or draw value judgements.

LOL, good line.