What's your price "zone" for excellent Pinot?

WINE TALK
#1

I have a lot of understanding about pricing Cabernet, cuz it’s what I live and breathe. But as I buy Pinot, I have far less sense of where the pricing zone is. I can tell that prices seem to have gone up a good amount the last four years. I even see some at $100 now, but I can’t imagine many people buy those. Do they?

What is your upper-end price range? Like Cabernet, will you pay more for SVDs than “blends?”

#2

Past $75/btl I really spend some time considering my options. PN from France of course requires a more robust ceiling.

#3

All the Pinot producers with the exception of Marcassin charge more for SVD then appellation. My upper end range is $100 Rochioli West Block. The funny thing is I can not imagine people paying more then $100 for a cab :slight_smile:

#4

Historically, most bottles in the $60+ range have satisfied my palate consistently (maybe 70%). On the flip side, I’d say 70%+ of bottles below the $30 price point have disappointed. Between $30 and $60 it’s been a hit or miss and same with above $100. All this is Cali and Oregon based. I have limited experience with Burgundy.

#5

I am probably going to regret asking this question, now. pileon [truce.gif] [snort.gif] neener

#6

I used to have a $50 ceiling, and most all of the best producers had most of their offerings below that.

Nowadays I think it’s $60, and it’s mostly only marquee names (Marcassin, Rochioli, DuMol, Williams Selyem, KB) that get much above that.

#7

Roy,
I thought you were going to ask - Why is Pinot so much cheaper than Cabernet? hitsfan

#8

Cali and Oregon:

There are pinots available that I like in the $30 to $50 range but they tend to be producers that I have tried before and you have to do some work to find them. In the $50 to $70 range I can find a lot of pinots that are excellent. Above $70, I feel a lot of personal price resistance and rarely venture into that arena. I have never paid more than $100 for a Cali or Oregon pinot, but have done so for cabs many times. Why the difference? I guess I just like cabs more.

#9

Most of what I buy to cellar is in the $40-60 range with the only exception being a few bottles of Rhys up to $80.

There is another sweet spot for AFWE-friendly Pinots in the $20-30 range where I like Navarro’s regular cuvée and the Ancienne, ABC La Bauge, and Windy Oaks Terra Narro. These are mostly buy and drink for me.

There is a lot of good stuff out there well within this range - Arcadian, Copain, Peay, Dehliner, etc. etc. I can’t see people having much luck with >$60-70 Pinots right now.

#10

My ceiling is $100… And I very rarely buy $100 Pinots. There is very little incentive. Roy, I think you started a thread on Cirq. That juice is $100, right?. I signed up but never purchased. I can’t rationalize a $100 Pinot when I’ve never tasted it.

I still cringe at anything over $75 and I really won’t buy a lot of these and I do expect something quite special when I do buy them.

$50-$70 is my wheelhouse for my cellar and try and stay under that for any weekday daily drinkers.

I think we’ve all wondered on this. But as we all know, there is no point in trying to make sense and rationalize wine pricing.

#11

Ill spend a couple hundred dollars on a cellared special bottle of Burgundy from auction or whatever but for young drinking I don’t like to spend more than 80.

#12

$50 is my new ceiling which leaves out Rhys, but I needed to recalibrate. The more fleshy fruity style of Pinot that I like tends to run around $30 for daily drinkers and I no longer buy to cellar.

#13

Lots of good Pinots in the $40 to $60 range. Have been buying KB since they started and love their wines but with shipping etc they are getting close to $100 and are probably getting close to being dropped.

#14

taking into the subjectivity of “excellent,” i’m finding really good stuff at between $35 and $55 (CA only). on a splurge i might justify spending $75 on a bottle of Pinot Noir, but nothing above that.

#15

It seems like the floor is around $40 (RM Sonoma Coast is a welcome exception. The comfortable zone is $49-$79 if that makes sense above that I really look hard before buying.

The most I’ve paid is $110 but I try to stay under $85ish.

#16

My personal sweet spot for USA Pinot is in the $50-$80 range. Seems like I’m finding a few values below that range, mostly from Oregon and a few from Cali (Littorai Les Larmes at $46 eg) too. I’ve ventured in the $80-$100 range for wines I’ve tried and just adore, but that’s been pretty rare. I have gone over $100 for older releases that are more in the ‘how does this wine age’ experimentation, but even that hasn’t been too necessary.

#17

Retail price of $60 is high enough. Still lots of good ones in the $40s.

#18

agree but I frequently pay more for Burgundy

#19

I hope this means you are going to make one, as I would love to see that.

With Pinot easily representing over half my collection I cring when it gets much above 70

I buy Rhys above that and will pay more for aged Arcadians. But have no interest in the kb or evening lands near 100.

If you produced Pinot in the copain / ceritas / arcadian style and kept it 50-70 a bottle I would be all over it.

#20

My threshold for any great wine is around $50. Right now that just seems to be the zone I can find a lot of options for great wine.

And there are lot of good wines around $20 as well, so I don’t have to spend $50 on every purchase. And they can be drunk without aging. This is where most of my purchases fall. Only about 35-40% of my purchasing is in the $50 zone.