A friend is on the wine committee of a local biz here in LA, and they are looking for a Pinot Noir that has a wholesale price of about $10-$11/bottle (so that would be the by-the-glass price). They want to find something that is fairly decent, and smells/tastes like Pinot Noir. It doesn’t need to be a domestic Pinot Noir.
Any recommendations at this price point that you would care to pass along?
Thanks,
Bruce
Cono Sur? Or something from Chile.
P Hickner
In case you didn’t get it on FB, the Au Bon Climat, suggested to us by WB members for a 20ish dollar Pinot is very good. On the week we featured it, we sold it for $8.00 a glass or $32 a bottle. In the restaurant world, they could probably get $14 or more a glass but survive on 10 to 12.
I’m not sure what the conversion of wholesale to retail is, but I think in that price range some smart buys would be Au Bon Climat, Navarro, Louis Latour Marsannay (though that one would be more vintage dependent).
Copain Tous Ensemble would be a step up, but at $24+ retail, the wholesale is going to be higher than you asked (again, not sure exactly what the conversion ratio is).
Even cheaper than any of those ($15 retail or so) is Villa Maria Private Bin from New Zealand, which I think is solid quality and varietally correct at a good price and easy availability. The 09-14 vintages all get over 87 on CT.
Well, let’s make it easy. At least here in IL in the the three tier system a $10 bottle wholesale is $15 a bottle retail. So you are looking for a 15 buck pinot?
Something from New Zealand would be my call.
Not knowing what’s available wholesale my top pick would be Escarpment’s Over the Edge Pinot Noir. That’s a whole lot of Pinot for very little coin.
A to Z Pinot Noir out of Oregon is excellent-for-the-price in the $18-$22 range.
Domaine Bart Bourgogne. Though not sure how long until the '14 comes out.
Thanks for the suggestions so far. They already have found a Pinot they can offer BTG for about $14; they still hope to find something for $10-$11 that’s good enough to serve.
Bruce
If they do, let us know what it is. $20 retail is the low end for me with Pinot Noir. I just haven’t found anything decent under $20.
La Crema Sonoma Coast might do the trick.
Domaine des Moirots Bourgogne Rouge. Not sure wholesale, but retail has been under $20 - not sure current price but I think the last time I had it a couple of years ago it was around $17 retail. http://www.weygandtmetzler.com/domaine-des-moirots
Boy, $20 is certainly achievable but once you go below that range, your options get very limited in my experience.
I think J. Christopher’s “JJ” is $12-$13 wholesale, it’s a very nice wine.
There’s always Willamette Valley Pinot…I don’t know if it’s any good but the price is what you’re looking for.
Some vintages of Acrobat (A to Z) can be nice as well and they’re $10-$11 wholesale.
I’m of no use beyond Oregon/California…
Maybe something in keg could get the quality up and price down. Whos kegging pinot these days?
There are many reasons pinot of type is hard to come by in that price range. Low yields, cool variable climats, does not take well to cellar work/fixing/adjustments/etc.
Good luck let us know what you find they can mark up 300-400%. Plenty of bottles(40-50/btl) at that price for home consumption and or even covering corkage at 20-30.
I was thinking of the Laetitia bubblies. They’re out above $20, but dollar-for-dollar they deliver better value than anything else I know of from California. Back in the day, their sparkling Brut Rose was the best value in the entire USA for any style of wine.
For still wines, Sam Balderas of Talbott Vineyards used to have a private label, called “Samantha Starr”, which was the best $14.99 Pinot I ever tasted [from anywhere in the entire world], but I don’t think he makes it anymore.
Anyway, unless something has gone dramatically wrong at Laetitia since the last time I tasted through their linecard, they need to be given strong consideration.
Popped a bottle tonight and reassured this would be a pretty solid “by the glass” offering. Of course it should be priced way less than $10 but I know how these things go…
2012 Jamieson Ranch Vineyards Pinot Noir Light Horse (USA, California)
This wine is getting better with age, gaining complexity. Started of a little tutti fruity on P&P but settled into a varietally correct pinot with plenty of charm. No where near a burgundy but very pleasant with red and dark cherries, spice and clean as a whistle with no oak in sight. Easy drinking and food friendly. Great qpr <$10.