Rumblings on wine part 26.2

[David M. Bueker]

Part 26.2 of an on going series

It's not a golden age of wine. It's a platinum age of wine. That goes for the sheer quantity of fantastic wines available, as well as some of the prices. There really is too much good wine right now. The offers pour in, and there is no way to keep up. Deleted two offers more this week in a vain attempt to keep my head above the flood of bottles that keep arriving via UPS and FedEx. I really wanted to buy from both, but just could not do it. Each offer represented something that I do not have in the cellar. Ah well. Hopefully they will forgive my skipping this offer and give me another chance. If not there are more wines. Late August and September will once again prove that in spades when the next set of offers roll out.

Back on that price thing, relative value is the big deciding factor for me now. Sure there are California Pinot Noirs that top $50, $60 or even $75, but when I compare the quality level to benchmark Pinot (e..g Burgundy) that has also shot up in price I can't criticize the California producers.

One more comment on price, and then I will move on: Steve Edmunds' wines (did I get that apostrophe right? ) still represent great value. It does make me wonder why some other wines cost so much.

The profusion of bottlings from "non-traditional" grape varieties can only be good for wine. I opened a Rosé of Grenache Gris a couple of weeks ago for people who claimed to dislike Rosé. Well the wine was a huge hit. Opened some eyes to different possibilities that day, in a way that might not have happened with something more traditional. It was the Idlewild Wines Grenache Gris by the way. Try it!

It's hard to believe that 2014 marks the 20th year that I have been deeply into wine. It got serious with a bottle of 1992 Arrowood Merlot, and the train just kept picking up speed. There have been so many phases that I have lost count. First came the Zinfandel phase. It was followed by the German Riesling phase (more like an era that one!). Then came the Bordeaux phase. Champagne kicked in around that time and has stayed the course. Shortly after that came the Burgundy phase, but that petered out due to pricing. Same for Bordeaux actually. There was a brief infatuation with Alsace and the Loire, both ruined by the specter of premature oxidation. Tuscany slipped by while barely making an impression. Piemonte has come and gone for brief periods. California Pinot seems to have some staying power for me. Syrah is the current favorite. Whew! There are remnant of some phases and monuments to others in the cellar. what is nice is that when I pull a (non-premoxed) bottle I am rarely disappointed. I may not be a big buyer of Zinfandel or Bordeaux anymore, but I still enjoy the wines.

Lots of friends out there because of this hobby. It's been, and continues to be fun.

[Robin Garr]

Good rumble! And stop pointing out to Steve that he could be charging a lot more for that stuff!

[David M. Bueker]

No you miss my point. Steve's pricing should represent the high water mark. Everyone else needs to lower their prices to below his current rates.

Back on that price thing, relative value is the big deciding factor for me now. Sure there are California Pinot Noirs that top $50, $60 or even $75, but when I compare the quality level to benchmark Pinot (e..g Burgundy) that has also shot up in price I can't criticize the California producers..

So this means you're buying more California pinot noir? I get the notion of relative value and it's always been relevant to me, but CA pinot noir is so different from Burgundy, does it really take the place? Or is it just that you like both wines but feel you get better value for money from CA.

to me, 1990-1992 was the Golden Age of Cal Merlot so a very good time to get serious with Merlot..92 was probably the last vintage that I bought any significant quantities of Cal Merlot

[David M. Bueker]

Rahsaan,

I like both, and get better value in CA these days. Nothing scratches the Mugneret-Gibourg itch, but the prices for M-G are too much to bear. I won't even comment on Roumier or Rousseau.

David, in large part I sympathize with your views. There are more wines offered to me than I can afford to buy, even when I limit myself to wines that fit my stylistic preferences. I also have been priced out of many of my favorite producers (Chave is an exemplar; Chevillon is rapidly approaching that mark, too) I still find better value with my favorite under-the-radar Burgundy producers than I do with CA Pinot, but I feel an obligation to keep buying some CA wines to support the home state. CA Syrah represents a comparative value but still runs into competition from Texier and a few other newer N Rhone producers.

Mark Lipton

[David M. Bueker]

Chevillon has passed my comfort level. Combine that with the crappy new labels, and I am out. I am still buying Gonon and Texier, though the recent price jump on Gonon may signal an end to that in the not to distant future. Wind Gap Sonoma Coast Syrah is now $18/bottle cheaper than Gonon. Arnot-Roberts North Coast Syrah is $15/bottle cheaper.