Just got email that my normal allocation was reduced but looks like price increased from $155 to $175 a bottle as well.
Same here. Allocation cut from 4x750 plus a mag to 2x750 plus a mag. Have been a buyer since 2010 vintage.
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WTF!
Been a futures member since the 2010 vintage and a case buyer since the 2019 vintage, cut back to 4 x 750ml
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No allocation cut for me. I have been buying 4 for years, and get 4 in 2022.
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Anyone get an allocation of more than 3L? Iāve been a futures buyer for around 40 years and mine was reduced from 6 750s and a mag to 2 750s and the mag.
@JonathanG Iām in the same boat but just got an allocation. 4 bottles, same as in 2019. Hope yours come through.
The whole point of my joining was to access this iconic Cali wine so Iām cool for the moment but there seems to be frustration surrounding this futures program. Is it that a bunch of new people like myself joined up and Ridge has had trouble meeting the increased demand? Low yield vintages? Did they change the program from how they did things in the past? Wondering how longtime members are viewing this.
I donāt know what counts as ālong timeā and obviously it appears to depend on what you typically purchase, but from my perspective buying since the 2007 vintage, nothing has really changed except the price (which changes everywhere, so I donāt hold it against them). Iāve never had an allocation reduced (but my purchasing is always on the small side ā ranging from 2 to 4 bottles over the years), and Iāve never been made to purchase Estate wines or anything else that I donāt want. So, while I definitely understand why others are frustrated, personally itās a non-issue. If I wasnāt on WB and reading this thread, I would have no idea that anything was different.
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Price for 2022 futures is $175 / bottle. I did not get an allocation in 2021, but the futures prices was $145 for 2020 and $141 for 2019.
Sucks to see this thread keep popping up. I had to cut the cord before they charged the estate wines this year. There is too much other good wine to pay for their estate wines while waiting for MB.
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2012 $95
2013 $98 3%
2014 $105 7%
2015 $110 5%
2016 $115 5%
2017 $124 8%
2018 $132 6%
2019 $141 7%
2020 $145 3%
2021 $155 7%
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Why cut across the board and not pro rata? Silly
I like Ridge wine but this looks to be my last futures purchase.
I was allocated 2 x 750 plus 1 mag. The 2022 futures prices plus shipping is pushing close to full retail. Iād rather buy back vintages in the auction market.
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Similar experience here. Futures member since 2004. Offer cut back from 6 to 4 x750, although they said āWe hope to be able to return you to your desired allocation quantityā¦ā
I wonder if the across-the-board cuts are an attempt to balance the allocation and make sure there is some available for newer customers? As a longer-term member Iām not required to buy the Estate wines. But I can understand how it would be a bad experience if a newer customer spending the $$ on the Estate wines doesnāt get an allocation.
While I do like and buy a lot of Ridge wine, in general I donāt like the practice of forcing people to buy one product in order to get access to another product. Each product should stand on its own.
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When did you join? We joined 2 years ago and this is our first allocation.
The membership is fine for us even if we donāt get an allocation because we go to the winery like 4-5x a yearā¦ in fact if we donāt get an allocation, the MB list is the cheapest way to get invites to members events and free tastings!
Ridge confirmed via email that the max allocation for this vintage is 3L.
This is a bonkers way to approach this. You are effectively punishing your most loyal customers, loyal being defined as those who purchased the most from a volume perspective.
I just received the same allocation. Im taking 4x375ml and 2x750ml
I previously was allocated 6 (but somehow was able to buy 12x from 2019.
Ridge cut allocations due to reduced yields I understand. Im just fine with 4 bottles/yr if they dont ever change it back. Just glad to get somethingā¦
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Its an interesting conundrum. How much should you sell to the longer term customers and sacrifice one of: (1) the chance to sell at full retail, (2) increasing wholesale distribution quantities, or (3) newer list members that may become longer term membersā¦
For me, i think 4 bottles is a fair allocation. Unless you are a die hard monte bello drinker, do you really need more each year than that?
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Short answer ā¦ yes. These are wines with a lifespan of 30 or more years. Being limited to less than a handful of bottles makes it impossible to enjoy the wine throughout its development. Thatās why I bought a case of 750s and 2 mags up until a few years ago, before dropping to my current (or maybe former now) 6 +1 allocation.
Itās clear to me that Ridge has screwed up badly by not limiting the MB Collector membership. Theyāve pissed off new members by not offering them allocations of MB in recent years and now theyāve pissed off long standing members by cutting their allocations in an attempt to appease some (but not all) newer members.
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Are all allocation emails sent at the same time? (I havenāt gotten an email yet)
The reality of wine is that it is ultimately an agricultural product. Yield and production volume changes year to year. Some years thereās simply not enough to go around.
Itās impossible to please everyone. Seems from the outside Ridge is trying itās best to balance making their wines available to who may want to try it and isnāt on the list (i.e. retail and brew club members) and ensuring long time customers are able to purchase some of their wines. I donāt think anything theyāre doing is incredibly unreasonable.
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