New Kermit Lynch import Domaine de Gioielli?

As a complete unknown, I think they're a bit pricey at $28, to get very excited. I'd be more interested if they were, say $18. Does the touristy aspect of Corsica come into play like it can in Provence? I also think KLWM overprices Tempier ros. It's a big seller for them but I'm not a buyer. While the comparison may have some validity, I can't help but think it's more about marketing this new producer.

Why would JD be envious?
 
So in other words, price the wine higher so people will think it's a better wine?
The blog makes it sound like the wine is hard to get.
 
I certainly respect KL. He has imported many wonderful wines. OTOH, the best humor has a ring of truth to it and years ago I heard this joke at a SF wineshop.

Q:
How do you sell a $5 bottle of french wine for $15?

A:
Give it to Kermit Lynch.
 
I love his book, and like most of the wines he imports that I've tried. Sometimes it seems like you are paying royalties for the quality of his notes, though. More likely, you are paying for assurance of careful selection and handling of the wines.

One reason Kermit might be envious of Joe, however, is that Joe brings in carefully selected, very good wines that often are remarkably inexpensive.
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
I love his book, and like most of the wines he imports that I've tried. Sometimes it seems like you are paying royalties for the quality of his notes, though. More likely, you are paying for assurance of careful selection and handling of the wines.

One reason Kermit might be envious of Joe, however, is that Joe brings in carefully selected, very good wines that often are remarkably inexpensive.
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Hear, here.
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
you are paying for assurance of careful selection and handling of the wines.
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Careful, that might be Kermit Kool Aid in that glass.

Joe brings in carefully selected, very good wines that often are remarkably inexpensive.
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He's obviously cutting corners on care and handling.
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
I love his book, and like most of the wines he imports that I've tried. Sometimes it seems like you are paying royalties for the quality of his notes, though. More likely, you are paying for assurance of careful selection and handling of the wines.

One reason Kermit might be envious of Joe, however, is that Joe brings in carefully selected, very good wines that often are remarkably inexpensive.
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You have to remember that Kermit is retailer as well as importer and that actually creates problems for him. As Claude Kolm pointed out here (well, Therapy most likely) KLWM can't undercut the distributors he deals with, so he's constrained to charge high retail prices to keep his importing business going. That's why you'll find his wines for substantially less at Premier Cru than you do in his own store.

Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by Yule Kim:
I noticed the same thing at the new Weygandt store in DC as well.
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I have to say, I was a bit shocked at the prices there. But this makes sense: they have to buy their imports back from the same local distributors they sell to.
 
originally posted by SteveTimko:
New Kermit Lynch import Domaine de Gioielli?From Corsica. The comparison to Bandol, at least with the rose, piqued my interest.
Anyone tried it or have any thoughts about it?

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blog.kermitlynch.com
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Steve,
While I haven't tried the Gioielli,
I can recommend the wines from Punta Crena that Kermit brings in, mentioned I think in the same blog. I have a soft spot for the whites from Liguria, and am happy that Kermit has been bringing in some good ones, they can be hard to find. These are really good, and useful for me at the table. Especially the Pigato and even better the Mataossu. The wines are very aromatic, and the Mataossu is pretty unique. It reminded me a little of dry Gewurztraminer with a spicy edge to the fruit, but light and clean. The wines all have very good concentration, but alcohols are around 12%. The Pigato was fantastic with a pasta and clam dish with pesto sauce, and the Mataossu went great with some pan fried Columbia river smelts. The price was very fair for the quality, under $20 I think.
 
originally posted by MLipton:
You have to remember that Kermit is retailer as well as importer and that actually creates problems for him. KLWM can't undercut the distributors he deals with, so he's constrained to charge high retail prices to keep his importing business going. That's why you'll find his wines for substantially less at Premier Cru than you do in his own store.
Mark Lipton
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Right, the Kermit shop doesn't sell at a uniquely lower pricing structure for the reason given.

That doesn't relate to my opinion about the retail price of the Gioielli. That's because what is quoted in the KLWM blog is the "frontline" retail price or MSRP for the Gioielli wines at all outlets. It's the final price when standard markups are taken by all levels of distribution. As the importer, KLWM determines that price when they set wholesale pricing. Importers in this situation have the discretionary power to control the price of the wine. They've obtained the rights to import it, it's now a "brand" of theirs and depending on their assessments and goals, they wholesale price as they see fit. They are not bound to only tack on a certain percentage to the cellar door price, they can choose to "test" the market with aggressive pricing, in the hope that good marketing will convince consumers to pay that price. In the blog post, you see the marketing at work. Unless the cost from the producer actually forced it, I think this is priced based on
what KLWM thinks they can get, and not just the standard markup from producer cost. That is their prerogative of course and if it sells through then they've succeeded. In a few months, if this is being discounted, then they miscalculated.

The relationship between KLWM and Premier Cru is, um, "complicated". PC isn't a regular KLWM outlet.
When you see a KLWM wine at PC, there are a number of possible reasons. For instance, there are times
when folks with KLWM allocations of something very special and rare like Coche Dury Corton Charlemagne flip their allocation at PC, sometimes PC gets a producer like Chevillon in Europe from a gray market source, and sometimes KLWM dumps things to PC to get it sold.
 
originally posted by Ned Hoey:

The relationship between KLWM and Premier Cru is, um, "complicated". PC isn't a regular KLWM outlet.
When you see a KLWM wine at PC, there are a number of possible reasons. For instance, there are times
when folks with KLWM allocations of something very special and rare like Coche Dury Corton Charlemagne flip their allocation at PC, sometimes PC gets a producer like Chevillon in Europe from a gray market source, and sometimes KLWM dumps things to PC to get it sold.
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I'm sure that you're right, Ned, but I can recall walking into PC's storefront operation in E'ville (soon to move, I hear) and seeing '02 Chevillon Bourgogne, NSG VV and Passetoutgrains by the caseload, all for cheaper than they were selling in KLWM. They had the Kermit Lynch import sticker on them, too, and this was shortly after release in early '05.

Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by MLipton:

I'm sure that you're right, Ned, but I can recall walking into PC's storefront operation in E'ville (soon to move, I hear) and seeing '02 Chevillon Bourgogne, NSG VV and Passetoutgrains by the caseload, all for cheaper than they were selling in KLWM. They had the Kermit Lynch import sticker on them, too, and this was shortly after release in early '05.

Mark Lipton
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I think as a result of situations such as that, the relationship has terminated.
 
originally posted by MLipton:
I can recall walking into PC's storefront operation in E'ville (soon to move, I hear)
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They just upgraded the storefront in the last few years and added shelves.
I wonder if the wine business is shifting and they have to change their business model. Like now they need walk in customers because the Internet business isn't as strong.
 
You know, I'd like people to give specific examples of how Kermit consistently marks up wines higher than most. Because I'm pretty much aware of what the prices are leaving the cellar, and outside of a couple of examples (mostly in the past like Gentaz, BTW, perhaps a few other cases where the secondary market otherwise would allow the profit to go to flippers), that's not the case to my knowledge. So please enlighten me.

Ned Hoey recites an old adage that I heard too in the past in SF wine stores. In fact board member Larry Stein once, about 20+ years ago, made similar comments to me when he was working at Draper and Esquin, and then I pointed out to him the markups that D&E was taking on Philippe Leclerc that were far in excess of what Kermit was making, a fact that he was unaware of. And I remember another importer once making disparaging comments about how much Kermit was getting for his Beaujolais, as though no one in their right mind would pay that kind of money for Beaujolais. Well, right, if you imported the shit that that importer imported. Happily, I paid more for Chauvet, Lapierre, Foillard, Chignard, etc.

So please, people like Ned, instead of repeating the malicious comments of stores that buy by WA and WS ratings and by people who can only visit in France when taken by rival importers and don't have to worry about the fact that they can't speak French and have no idea what the cellar door prices are, please give me the facts, because as I said above, what I know by spending a great deal of time in the field, your comments are largely not true.
 
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