2002 Burgs @ Palate, Food & Wine

[Sharon Bowman]

Sometimes I wonder to what extent things have changed, with the surge in prices and demand for certain wines. What's oddly French, I think, though, is that once you're "in" (and most likely have had to have been in before the surge), everything plays out as though you were buying someone's uncle's Bourgueil. I.e., prices are wicked reasonable and you go and pick up what you want every year. A friend of mine gets his Coche-Dury also for 20-odd euros.

 

[Rahsaan]

I've heard the same thing about Raveneau and was lucky enough to be friendly with a Paris merchant who sold me some bottles from his 'personal stash'. I.E. very reasonably priced. Until I mistakenly claimed that one of them was corked!

Oh well. Live and learn.

 

[Ned Hoey]

originally posted by Sharon Bowman:

originally posted by Marc D:
I had formed an impression that the wine was all spoken for and pre sold to distributors and importers.

That's a very American take on it. I have French friends who have been getting their wine from him for years.

Though I assume by now he's reached a saturation point.

Seems like a distinction without a difference.

 

[Rahsaan]

Well to be fair, he sells to more than just distributors and importers.

 

[Claude Kolm]

originally posted by Ned Hoey:

originally posted by Sharon Bowman:

originally posted by Marc D:
I had formed an impression that the wine was all spoken for and pre sold to distributors and importers.

That's a very American take on it. I have French friends who have been getting their wine from him for years.

Though I assume by now he's reached a saturation point.

Seems like a distinction without a difference.

I'm not sure I understand the intended points above. I don't know about Raveneau, but some high demand producers sell to private customers (who tend to be longstanding because the list closed a long time ago) at a lower price than they do to the trade -- essentially the producers haven't passed the big increases of the last few decades on to their longstanding customers and are letting the trade subsidize them.

 

[Yixin]

Same in all the areas I've been to.