Still Buying Pax?

WINE TALK
21

Too pricey for me this time. Not to say I won’t buy in the future. Also, it seems like a lot of Pax wines end up on sale. Part of that is part business relationships that have been severed, but I think they will continue to end up there. Good wines though if they were less expensive.

22

on the freaking fence…

23

2007 Pax Nepenthe Marsanne/Roussanne/Viognier, 750ml Price: $65.00
2007 Pax Cuvee Moriah Grenache Syrah Mourvedre Sonoma County, 750ml Price: $50.00
2007 Pax Syrah Walker Vine Hill, 750ml Price: $55.00
2007 Pax Syrah Obsidian Vineyard Knights Valley, 750ml Price: $75.00

I remember trying the 07 Nepenthe out of tank and being blown away. Its such a shame the price tag is $65 as this is easily an outstanding $40 white rhone blend from CA. No way I would pay $65 plus shipping and tax.

The prices on the Moriah and Walker Vine Hill are still pretty fair, I dont think these have moved much over the last few vintages.

24

The entry point for Pax is $50, but the “wow” single vineyard wines clock in at about $75 and $90. I would put the majority of their stuff at an average of $60.

25

Yeah, that is steep considering the competition.

26

Haven’t bought anything directly since the '04s. Enjoy the higher end offerings, but the pricing and bottle size got in the way.

27

Bottle size has been changed to be more rack friendly. This was rolled out for the late release 06’s and all 07’s going forward. Its about time too because those damn bottles were so big and a pain in the ass to rack.

28

Rico Suave, they need to roll back the pricing structure as well.

29

Often at auction for 25-35% off list price.
That’s where I got the few bottles I’ve been through.

30

Right on. I compare this to Copain, which I buy in a fairly significant volume each year. Lots of single vineyard bottlings, and consistently really good juice. Their top end is (I think) a $60 pinot, and quite a bit is priced from $35 - $50.

I get that Pax get big numbers from WA, and that certainly drives their pricing model. I also see that they have allocated me pretty much all I want to buy across the board this Spring, and I haven’t purchased anything other than their rose since 2007. I’m lucky to get a 3-pack allocation from Copain. At some point, I would have to think that their pricing would be driven by supply and demand instead of points.

31

Ironically, I just received an email from Pax as a gentle reminder of the Spring 2009 release.

32

I guess I FINALLY fell off the active list as I haven’t seen or heard anything from them this release.

33

Ditto

JD

34

I must be a sucker or an idiot cause I’m still buying ( from someone else’s allocation) [shock.gif]

35

I’m taking this year off due to having six cases of prior vintages (mostly '04 and '05, with about a case of '03 and '06 each) in my collection. Plus putting together the money for my own label and college tuition required a cutback in purchases.

36

I am out (and have been for the past few releases). I like the wines - sometimes quite a bit, but dropped for many of the reasons mentioned above.

  1. Availability at retail and auction (at lower prices)
  2. Availability and better value of other Cali Syrah options
37

i have not bought anything from them in over 3 years and i still get the mailers…

Good wines but this is an easy pass for me because of the insane pricing. They are a lot of other producers out there that cost less that give me the same pleasure drinking.

38

Good round up on Wind Gap, Ken. From our POV, we are out on Pax and in on Wind Gap. I love the Pinot Gris and the Chards are beautiful as well. Also, agree about the style change except for the Grenache, which was actually our least fave, so I’m glad he’s going the other way with his wines now.

Cheers