Received an email from Walter Hansel that they were lowering prices across the board.
Given inflationary pressures everywhere, obviously this is atypical.
Drinking a 2021 Cuvée Alyce chard right now and, as usual, really enjoying it a lot. If you enjoy a fairly well oaked, tropical fruits laden California chard, I think it’s really nice for the style. $31 for the latest vintage of their top cuvée seems like a bargain.
Received as well…actually two emails this week. Was a fan of the North Slope Pinot Noir for years, though found recent bottles to be very “spritzy” and stopped buying.
Is this a ‘sale’ or did they say in their email this was a permanent situation? Really curious to hear.
And they are offering Fed Ex Prioirty Overnight for $12 when you purchase a case - can’t see how they can do that if you by a case at $19 per bottle and still make much $$$
Wow, it actually happened. What was said never could be accomplished has happened…
Kudos to them for taking the gamble here instead of selling for pennies to a liquidation site.
If I was in their club I would be supporting their move.
In other news, I am frequently asked how we are able to provide such quality wines at these affordable prices. Everything we do is to maximize quantity without jeopardizing quality.
Our Vineyard staff and winemaking staff are one and the same.
Our facility is efficient but not showy. We price our wines by determining the cost to produce and adding a small margin.
This results in quality and affordable everyday priced wines.
We have chosen to reduce all of our retail offerings across the board to reward your patronage and encourage future purchases.
As always, we thank you for your continued support and we ask that you recommend us to friends and family.
A Walter Hansel South Slope Pinot was the first RRV Pinot I ever had, when I was still living back in England. Been a fan ever since. Really nice wines at reasonable prices. The Chardonnays drink really nicely at 5-10 years. If anyone was going to be realistic and lower prices to meet the customer where they are, I’m not too surprised it was them.
I posited the idea that a non-vanity-project winery could reduce pricing and have customers be happy about it on balance. I hope this proves to be the case for Hansel.
It’s a good gambit. Making a move 1st could help them stand out and hopefully regain traction. I predicted many wineries would just hold price for the next 2-4 years but I think this is a better strategy. It gets noticed rather than just sitting in the pack.
Good luck to Hansel. I hope it turns out to be a good move for them.
Funny, I always thought Hansel was an outstanding QPR in the region, and I was one who said how do they keep their prices so low compared to the market.
I’m full up on RR Pinots but given the price reduction, could easily make Hansel more of a regular house wine. Wish him all the best.
Steve has always felt that wine should not be expensive. I guess he got that from selling Hondas.We bought two from him before he sold out to his nephew.On the other handle also sold BMWs and always had a special model on hand.
