The Brian Devine Cellar

[JLee]

Makes one wonder, what exactly is wrong with the 2005 vintage?

The price?

[Markus_S]

Are these wines he is bored with or…

Maybe he is simply tired, as a man who gets tired of London.

[Markus_S]

he comes yearly to the Cornwell white Burg dinners. I’ve seen him for years but never really talked to him. My guess is he’s realized he is pretty old and has way too much wine. …

Honestly I’m looking forward to the Alan Weinberg cellar!

gee, thanks, will be sold after I die.

We can wait. We’re a patient lot.

[Dennis_Borczon]

Geez, now at least I know why it is impossible to get some of these wines in the US at reasonable prices. It looks like Mr Devine hoovered up half the US supply of 2005 Burgs!!

[Fred_C]

he comes yearly to the Cornwell white Burg dinners. I’ve seen him for years but never really talked to him. My guess is he’s realized he is pretty old and has way too much wine. But the Benchmark pricing is high. It is not as if this is Glamis Castle inventory. Needs a 30% price reduction.

Honestly I’m looking forward to the Alan Weinberg cellar!

gee, thanks, will be sold after I die. If I buy much more, my wife promises that that will be very soon.

I meant you realizing you have way too much wine part!

I wish you the best health and look forward to many many more wine dinners with you my friend!

[Fred_C]

he comes yearly to the Cornwell white Burg dinners. I’ve seen him for years but never really talked to him. My guess is he’s realized he is pretty old and has way too much wine. But the Benchmark pricing is high. It is not as if this is Glamis Castle inventory. Needs a 30% price reduction.

Honestly I’m looking forward to the Alan Weinberg cellar!

I’m looking forward to all your cellars!!

It will be quite unfortunate indeed if I can’t drink through my meager 300 bottle cellar!

[Poppy_Davis]

Makes one wonder, what exactly is wrong with the 2005 vintage?

This ^. Major dump of 2005’s.

I’m certain that these wines were purchased with absolutely zero intention of drinking them. It was a great vintage and I’m sure he saw the investment potential.

[Mel_Hill]

really sweet guy and unfortunately was one of the larger premier cru victims.

rudy client as well IIRC

[Kelly_Walker]

Who am I to say that offering is way over priced…well it is way over priced. If it sells through at those prices then wine buyers of high-end Bordeaux and Burgundy are going to feel a lot of pain going forward. Thankfully I am past the significant acquisition phase.

[Rauno_E_NZ]

Well, the value play here is clearly the Domaine Leroy Clos de la Roche 2005, where you can pick up all five for only slightly more than the single of Musigny ! And at least as good a BH score

[Tom_Reddick]

Looks as if he spent many millions of $ on the 2005 vintage and then realized he was nuts/couldn’t drink anywhere near all of it.

Do you find this pretty common in big cellars you see? I ask because it is something I have noticed over time. Not necessarily with the newer investor/collector set- I am rarely called in for cellars like that- but certainly with older cellars built up at a time when you bought these wines to drink and there was not a highly liquid secondary market, I have found that the cellars show a pattern of very heavy buying over a fairly short period of time and then a substantial decrease afterward. It is rare to see collections where someone collected consistent quantities over a period of more than 10-15 years in my experience.

It would suggest your theory is quite accurate- though the owners themselves might phrase it in a more self-flattering way

[Tom_Reddick]

More generally- on what basis are you all claiming this cellar is overpriced? Check out recent auction results. Look at the current broker prices coming out of Europe, even for more recent vintages. I do not think it can possibly last much longer, but these numbers reflect a very scary reality at the top end of the market.

[Chuck_Miller]

Looks as if he spent many millions of $ on the 2005 vintage and then realized he was nuts/couldn’t drink anywhere near all of it.

Do you find this pretty common in big cellars you see? I ask because it is something I have noticed over time. Not necessarily with the newer investor/collector set- I am rarely called in for cellars like that- but certainly with older cellars built up at a time when you bought these wines to drink and there was not a highly liquid secondary market, I have found that the cellars show a pattern of very heavy buying over a fairly short period of time and then a substantial decrease afterward. It is rare to see collections where someone collected consistent quantities over a period of more than 10-15 years in my experience.

It would suggest your theory is quite accurate- though the owners themselves might phrase it in a more self-flattering way

Tom, I see some fairly large cellars, but most of the people I deal with, including the larger collectors, generally bought to drink, not as an investment. However, they bought ‘enthusiastically’ and ‘optimistically’. The enthusiasm caused them to acquire too much wine even for an overly optimistic person, and as they age, many either 1) naturally drink less than when they were younger; 2) are told to drink less or no wine due to medical conditions; or 3) die sooner than they hoped. Actually, I think most of us will die sooner than we hope!

[alan_weinberg]

Makes one wonder, what exactly is wrong with the 2005 vintage?

This ^. Major dump of 2005’s.

I’m certain that these wines were purchased with absolutely zero intention of drinking them. It was a great vintage and I’m sure he saw the investment potential.

I don’t think he needed or needs the money. I suspect it was passion that fueled the chase. Many of us have far too much wine. I’ll probably be on my deathbed interrupting last rites to make one final purchase.

[Nathan_Smyth]

In general, the various Montrachet prices look way low.

Is that because of Prem-Ox in 2005?

[Dav1d_Sawyer]

$30,515 for '05 Leroy Musigny?

[Michael_Bowden]

$30,515 for '05 Leroy Musigny?

Lowest price (retail) in America and 3rd lowest in world right now. The 2nd lowest is just a few hundred cheaper. How is this a head scratcher for you? This is one of the rarest wines in Burgundy and is highly sought after for collectors due to that as well as quality of the juice inside.

[Tom_Reddick]

$30,515 for '05 Leroy Musigny?

In the past 12 months, most bottles of every vintage of Leroy Musigny from the past 20-25 years that have come to auction have sold for over $10,000 a bottle- and very recently far above that. This is not the only rare burgundy that has a similar pattern- so I am hard pressed to attribute the change to a single collector, though it is possible there is one or two billionaires moving the dial on several wines at the moment.

[Tom_Reddick]

In general, the various Montrachet prices look way low.

Is that because of Prem-Ox in 2005?

Could be. As far as I know, it is the only vintage where pre-mox has been attributed to DRC Montrachet, and in a worrying number of instances.

[Dav1d_Sawyer]

$30,515 for '05 Leroy Musigny?

In the past 12 months, most bottles of every vintage of Leroy Musigny from the past 20-25 years that have come to auction have sold for over $10,000 a bottle- and very recently far above that. This is not the only rare burgundy that has a similar pattern- so I am hard pressed to attribute the change to a single collector, though it is possible there is one or two billionaires moving the dial on several wines at the moment.

I wasn’t aware that it had gone up that much at auction. Thanks for the info.