So you stole them from me! (Just kidding, good for you).
I’m still not sure how to be “allocated”. I thought that was just for crazy burgundy. Perhaps I’m not a big enough fish. Not trying to corner the market; just get 1-2 mixed cases to lay down for future fun. Would love to try Gisela (and have 1-2 to try in the future).
2022 or 2021?
Well they were on the price list and I asked for some. But we didn’t pick out our 22s yet so maybe something went wrong in between.
Interesting. My information originates from a retailer who gets the wines personally delivered by Winzer Weber himself …
Irrelevant at the end. I have much more Falkenstein Magnums than occasions to open them …
Probably right then, I collect our bottles in 2 weeks so will find out!
How to ‘get an allocation’ … well it’s kind of like fight club. The first rule of fight club is … nobody talks about fight club. But here I go anyway.
I’ve been at this wine thing pretty hard for over a decade and I don’t have any allocations. I’d like some, for sure! It seems like formal allocations (at least in the US) for European wine are mostly a thing of the past. Instead what is going on is that if you buy wine from a vendor, you can ask them if they have a list for future vintages. Some do, some don’t. Most won’t talk about it. Some have ‘pre-release’ lists - in other words they email their reliable, interested clients before putting things on the web. Some have the lists and forget to use them.
Basically, trying to get in demand wines is a nightmare. It’s taken me years, but I have found a very small number of reliable retailers who send me pre-release offers. I spend as much as I can with them! Reliable access to ultra high end wines (mostly means Burgundy, but there a few in the extreme high end of a few other regions) requires spending (wild guess here, this isn’t me) in the $100k+ a year range. Want access to ultra in-demand European wine at ‘cellar door’ prices? Forget about it. Not available to US buyers unless you are a mega spender, have connections, and travel to visit your favored producers several times a year.
So, which vendors can reliably allocate you wine (or Falkenstein in particular)? I’d go online, buy from whomever you can today, and then ask about next year’s list. Vinopolis, MacArthur, and E&R are all solid, reliable shops. I don’t know some of the others I see with Falkenstein in stock (today, per WSPro).
Good luck!
Maciej: We only bottled 150 magnums of 2022 Meyer Nepal. These were leftovers from the previous batch. The pallet of 500 mags wasn’t delivered on time, whereas we received the 750-ml bottles months before the start of bottling. On the positive side, there are more bottles of 2022 Meyer Nepal to go around.
You might want to ask PDX Wine for suggestions.
Thank you for clarifying this Lars. The lucky few who get them will have a dilemma: to drink or to flip for profit. By the way, Gisela 21 last week was outstanding, and I am sure that her 1 year younger sister will turn out just fine as well. I am a bit puzzled by the comments here zooming in on the acidity. Isn‘t everybody here drinking zero dosage Champagne?
Not here from what I can tell. Only the outsiders who want to look like insiders.
You’re welcome, Maciej. The '22 Gisela is also outstanding. I’m drinking '22 Mutter Anna.
Thank you! Found a few (not Gisela, but a nice assortment for drinking and trying) from the retailers you called out.
The list/preorder thing is new to me. Not a $100k spender and still learning this wine thing so I appreciated the explanation.
Thanks Lars! Was able to get together ~case from a few places and will probably hunt for more if I can find it
Too bad about the magnums in 2022! I think they are such a fun format for sharing plus the Riesling magnum bottles are so pretty on a dinner table.
My pleasure, Joshua. I’m glad that you were able to put a case together from a few places.
While I agree with you about German Riesling mags, I like that more regular bottles of 2022 Meyer Nepal are available.
I should add that Kily Import, in Seattle, has yet to receive its selections.
Lars, do you have an ETA for Kily. As soon as the ‘22s showed up in Portland, I asked my local retailer to contact them so that I could “make a reservation, and my retailer was told it would be a while. Ben
Ben, I don’t know for sure. It might be the end of September. Kily Import was a little late in placing an order.
I emailed kily, have not yet heard back.
NYC will receive a boatload of wines by October. Chambers Street Wines, Flatiron Wines, and Leon & Son all offer Hofgut Falkenstein.
Quick update: the orders still need to be picked up for Kily Import and MFW Wine Co. This means that the wines will probably arrive in October at the earliest.