If I ordered my 6 bottles of 4-Barrel… with tax and shipping, it would cost me $250 more than last year.
I can buy a few bottles of darn good pinot for $250.
Sorry… still trying to ruminate over how to justify a close to 40% increase… my guess would be investor demands.
This was also my first thought.
The whole production is less than 1200 bottles… why would they care about a few bottles on the auction market??
With so few cases produced, it leaves more bottles for KB to reallocate to other customers who might want them, making said customers happy.
So I guess the new motto should be " screw the old customers, let’s get new ones".
The price on the SVDs stayed the same as last year, so I am not sure they are “screwing the old customers”. They raised pricing on one highly flippable wine that many existing customers (i.e. also old) would love to have. With ~1200 bottle made, this is probably less about making extra money and KB trying to figure out how to allocate these in manner that gets them into the hands of a larger number of loyal customers while also cutting out some of those that see their annual allocation as an annuity.
Highly flippable ?? I see a 2010 4 Barrel at auction with what appears to be a minimum bid, and no current bid, of $100. I paid $87 all in for my 2010s and I’m guessing I’d lose money if that was my bottle consigned to that auction. Winebid has 5 2013s with an opening bid of $185. Assuming they sell at that level, the net to the seller is probably around $150. My all in cost for the 2013s was $100, so I’d gross $50, less any costs to get the bottle to WineBid. No wonder everyone is flipping these bottles !!
Annual allocation as perpetuity. What does that mean. If you don’t buy you don’t get allocated. I have spent almost $50 thousand dollars with them and they have now weeded me out to an unknown buyer. A small increase would have been acceptable. So if someone flips a wine that should set the price at the winery?
Kosta Who?
Double tasking - I’m mixing Berserkers and stats this afternoon. Meant to say annuity.
You’re doing this all wrong - it’s more important to be seen as cool than to drink wine you like. Think back to the lessons you learned in junior high school.
Now go edit your post to read something like “I’m leaving those for the score whores. I’ll use that money instead to get killer bottles of no-dosage grower Champagne, off vintage Chinon, Jura white and traditional Barolo.”
Heard back from KB and they said they can’t make more and they want to share more and not cut allocations. So basically if they raise price high enough and long time customers will drop out and they can offer them to new customers. So screw you long time loyal customers.
Kosta Söze
Looking on WS Pro, the Four Barrel sells for $240-340. So if they bumped the price up to $125, they may have just decided to realize a slightly bigger percentage of the market value on those. “Wanting to share more with other customers” is probably a polite euphemism for that.
I’m in for my allocation. Would be interested in 4-barrel being passed on elsewhere via PM as I’m still shutout there.
I hope they screw me with a 4-Barrel allocation soon 
Interestingly, if you compare the listings now with last year, those high priced bottles were there, and haven’t changed. So someone may be trying to sell at those premiums, but it doesn’t look like they are making sales.
Has anyone drunk much 4 barrel ?
I have been on the SVD list since the 2006 vintage. Never been offered the 4-barrel, but have tried it about six times when friends open them up. I have always enjoyed the wines, but not sure it’s worth $125+.
So I know I keep asking a lot of questions, but I’m still a bit confused.
Has anyone that’s been on the list for a long time and received the four Barrel in the past not been offered at this time?
Also, did anyone have their allocation of Cour Barrel cut his time?
Yes, I understand the price increase is quite drastic, how do you put a price on a special wine like this?
Cheers.