WTN: 2 very good wines- Drouhin and FX Pichler

Roast chicken with carrots, couscous, and salad
2020 Drouhin Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru
I’m a big fan of the Drouhin multi-vineyard Chambolle, but this is my first time with the Vosne, and I’m very impressed. Black cherry, spice, forest floor meets mild barnyard. Very earthy, floral, with long finish. On night 3 still going strong, with coffee and more pronounced spicy notes. Young, will put away and hope I can keep my hands off. B+/A- for now, great potential.

No wine Wednesday with”Sicilian” tuna steak (in a spicy tomato/olive/caper sauce( and broccoli rabe

Shrimp tempura, kimchi dumplings, shanghai tips
2008 FX Pichler M Gruner Veltliner Smaragd
I tend not to buy FX Pichler, as there is a premium over other producers I like as much. But very glad I bought this one! Honied but not hot or heavy. Grapefruit pith, ripe tropical fruits,green pea, mineral. No sign of age except a light petrol note, very long. A-


Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.

[David M. Bueker]

Both sound excellent. What are they getting for the Vosne 1er?

2008 FX Pichler M Gruner Veltliner Smaragd
I tend not to buy FX Pichler, as there is a premium over other producers I like as much. But very glad I bought this one!

Agreed. I also tend not to buy FX Pichler because of the price premium. But I enjoy them when I drink them!

Both sound excellent. What are they getting for the Vosne 1er?

Not cheap, I think it was $115. But Burg prices are so high. This is apparently Malconsorts, Petit Monts, and Chaumes.

There are basically no (still) whites I’ll pay >$100 for. Bubbly and mature reds, yes, but most whites either don’t reliably age and the ones that do (chiefly rieslings) generally cost nowhere near three figures. I’ve gone into the high $80s, low $90’s for a few white burgs here and there, and those same wines are now >$125, pushing me out for good of the more famous appellations.

[David M. Bueker]

There are basically no (still) whites I’ll pay >$100 for. Bubbly and mature reds, yes, but most whites either don’t reliably age and the ones that do (chiefly rieslings) generally cost nowhere near three figures. I’ve gone into the high $80s, low $90’s for a few white burgs here and there, and those same wines are now >$125, pushing me out for good of the more famous appellations.

Not chasing Keller? How about wildly inflated Julien Haart?

There are basically no (still) whites I’ll pay >$100 for. Bubbly and mature reds, yes, but most whites either don’t reliably age and the ones that do (chiefly rieslings) generally cost nowhere near three figures. I’ve gone into the high $80s, low $90’s for a few white burgs here and there, and those same wines are now >$125, pushing me out for good of the more famous appellations.

Not chasing Keller? How about wildly inflated Julien Haart?

Keller and Haart are well beyond $100. But while there are lots of excellent dry rieslings under $100, I wouldn't say "nowhere near three figures". They are inching closer, and most seem to fall $50-100. Of course they're still a bargain compared to white Burgundy, where that price range is mostly village! But I suppose we're all careful shoppers and pick our spots.

At first I balked at the idea that still whites wouldn't be worth more than $100. But then I realized I probably apply the same purchasing rules!

With a few notable exceptions like Egon, German wines were so inexpensive for so long, I have a permablock on going much above $50 (have a large stash already in the cellar has definitely helped). I’ve bought some Austrian Riesling for $55-$60 like Nikolaihof’s Steiner Hund Reserve Riesling, but that’s where I’ve topped out. With careful searching mostly on auctions I’ve found a steady supply of Alzinger Riesling smaragds for <$50, though that’s getting harder to sustain.

Unsure where the pricing of white wine came from, as David asked for pricing on the Vosne-Romanee. There are a few white Burgs that don't premox I might go over $100 (Fevre Clos). But most of the whites I've paid more than $100 had some age to them (Clos Ste Hune, Laville Haut Brion, pre=premox Niellons).
I think Keller GGs are awesome, but have not bought since escalation,

Sorry for the mixed signals, after the comments about FX Pichler pricing, I looked at the currently prices for the Gruner you had and was shocked to it’s >$100 across the US.
Cheapest on WSPro*:
https://www.winebid.com/BuyWine/Item/9355933

*There is a place called ‘Super Saver Wine’ in a strip mall in NJ that claims to have the 05 for $70, but looks like their inventory might be a little out of date.