Is it time to say farewell to Linne Calodo?

WINE TALK
21

good point Larry… my observation was more anecdotal in that I see many of the wineries I mentioned constantly planting, replanting and/or buying more real estate. I’ve talked with a few of the owners about the need of consistent sourcing of quality grapes and it being “easier” to do it in house (so to speak).

pricing is always going to be a sensitive subject and every purchaser has their own threshold of comfort for a bottle/allocation. It would be great if we had more producers like Carlisle or Bedrock putting out 20-25 SKUs and everything in the $20-$50 range (and Larry, I think your wines are great QPRs and I love the variety of SKUs), but if it was easy, then more wineries would do it.

22

BC, given the price point of the established folks (Saxum, LC, Booker, Epoch, etc.) who are the up and coming wineries with lower prices?

Herman Story and Jacob Toft are two who come to mind. Am curious about others to look out for.

23

McPrice Meyers, Jacob Toft, Paix Sur Terre… Kinero and Tangent for whites (though I did try Kinero’s Grenache that was outstanding!)

24

Thanks. I’ve been meaning to give MM a try, but haven’t pulled the trigger.

Isn’t Kinero Anthony Yount’s white wine adventure?

25

Yes, Kinero is Anthony’s own label - and his wines have been very well received, both his Roussanne and his Grenache Blanc.

McPrice Meyers and Herman Story, along with Barrel 27, certainly are great ‘value plays’ relative to many other wines coming out of the area. They don’t source exclusively from the Paso area, but instead get fruit from throughout the Central Coast, including good chunks from Santa Barbara County.

Cheers!

26

I mean, they have a wine aged in cement–what more do you guys want!!!

Discontinuing LC is something of a joke in my wine group, several have tried, none have maintained said abstinence. We did start buying more old world and/or more wines with less ETOH/concentration, but sooner or later, we bought more Linne. Sometimes a spouse was involved in demanding the mea culpa, but in all cases, cherry red smiles eventually returned.

The wines are big, concentrated, creative Rhone-ish blends, and they are damn tasty. They are not for everyone, especially those for whom wine is part and parcel of foot–they work with many meals, but overpower many others. Thankfully for the rest of us, they are very enjoyable on their own, albeit not all the time.

As to the closest substitutes, Booker and Saxum are most obvious–while Carlisle and Bedrock are often as good (or better), those are not terribly similar stylistically. If you want a bargain version, I’d say Sans Liege. Anyway, of the big, tasty Rhone plus Zin blends from Paso crowd, I prefer LC because I love all three wines for what they are (big and tasty), and would rather drink up whenever the hell I want to. Linnes will reward patience, but save the Nemesis, most are typically ready to go on release or within 6 months. They are not light, but do not carry the same weight as their counterparts.

But there is no question the prices have gone up a bunch, and for me the frustrating aspect is there does not seem to be the same secondary market compared to Saxum or Booker, and avoiding that market is part of why one pays those tarriffs. BUT – I can’t speak to Booker pricing, but the only Linnes that approach Saxum are the Overthinker and the (Linne Calodo) Booker Red, and approach is still the operative word. Two, while you can get Linne at retail, the Cherry Red, Overthinker, Nemesis or Booker Red generally do not show up, at least not at list price.

For full disclosure, this is my 4-legged friend Linne:
http://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/download/file.php?mode=view&id=20194
IMG_1475[1].JPG

27

I should join your group, wife still claims that a 2011 Outsider we had on our anniversary a couple of years ago is the best wine she’s ever had.

28

Just drank an '12 Rising Tides recently that was rocking. Their wines are definitely more restrained than they used to be, but also really good and showing great fresh fruit flavors when young.
I’d be in the club if it wasn’t because I’d normally get 2-3 Nemesis and that is my least favorite.

29

Because $72 - $92 gets me nearly all CdP base cuvees (many of which are better than the super cuvees), I would personally pass. Price is one part of it, style is another. I find myself in this conundrum whenever I go to Paso: I find myself liking the wines, but I generally perceive them to be poor value. Obviously, there are exceptions, and YMMV.

30

My wife and I discovered LC and met Matt early in our wine journey (~2002 iirc). We’ve supported him over the years and it’s been great to see his success. Despite the fact that it’s a special place for us, the last vintage we bought was 2011 (it was the last new world wine that I let go). Palette changed and his style hasn’t while prices have increased well beyond (although we do like the white – The Contrarian). I’m even selling on Commerce Corner what I have if anyone is interested in back vintages (at far less than current release price and some even less than original release price). FSoT: CA Cults (Marcassin, Mayacamas, Spottswoode, etc) & AFWEs (Rhys, Arcadian, Littorai, etc) - Commerce Corner - Wine Classifieds - WineBerserkers

31

Very interesting and timely bump of this thread.

I just got a phone call from a good friend of mine who has been a pretty diehard supporter of Linne Calodo. He told me that this release is likely pricing him out. We shall see if he does indeed drop, but I can say I haven’t piggy backed an order onto him in two years…

Arif, I will give him a heads up about your CC posting. he might be interested.

32

I wonder if this price point is the inflection point.

Thanks for pointing him to CC.

33

LC was reasonably priced at one time and we loved their wines enough to buy. Then they did major work on their property and tasting room, put in a gate and boom their prices went through the roof. When last there in March they were charging $40 per person for tiny pours and the wines were all high alcohol so now off of my list.

34

I agree that Saxum is on top, but would say my next picks would be Booker, Epoch, L’Aventure and LC above the rest

35

I finally spelled it right. Terry Hoage. Right up there with Epoch and LC.

36

[wow.gif]

and [rofl.gif]

Good for them … I guess?

37

Wondering if those tasting fees were waived with either a purchase or being a wine club member . . .

38

I think yes to both, & their guests

39

And one of the nicer tasting experiences in Paso. Reservations. Great looking tasting room, private server, usually 2-3 groups max, a small group can sit in soft chairs at a coffee table and enjoy nice wine and service in a large quiet area. Servers are knowledgeable and do nice descriptions. Revisiting wines is offered. Peaceful, relaxed, enjoy your friends, conversation, wine, no rush.
If you’ve just come from a crowded noisy tasting room where you elbowed to the front of the bar waving an empty glass, reminding the harried server which bottle you were on, surprised they didn’t know Grenache is a grape, while protesting the “club” hard sell, , it’s quite a change.

40

new member here (long time lurker) - I work at Linne Calodo (some on the board know of me; I’ve been at LC for 9+ years). Just wanted to clarify our tasting room policy since the thread drifted there. We currently charge $20 tasting fee (not $40) for a single person (or a couple if they wish to share the line-up). Two ounce pours, flight style. A tasting fee is waived with a two bottle purchase. Club members are waived. We do hold some events where a ticket is more than a tasting fee.

I’ll post again in about 9 years. j/k. Cheers!