Not a huge big deal but...

Bill Lundstrom

Bill Lundstrom

Bill Lundstrom
Just got my 09 Foillard and "Imported by Kermit Lynch" is prominently displayed at the top of the front label.

I have seen the importer displayed on the front label of many wines, but its usually in small print at the bottom of the label. pretty unobtrusive.

This seems tacky and unneccessary to me. Thoughts?
 
possiblely later tonight. maybe someone can beat me to it.

it's not horrible but it bothers me. quite a bit actually, the more i look at it.
 
i think even more obtrusive on the morgon 09. there is a brown band across the top of the white label so it really sticks out.

kind of like meeting (insert beautifal actress, or super model of your choice)and there's a big zit on the middle of her forehead.
 
Seems to be the talk of teh interwebz lately. Actually talked about it with John at CSW in September. I can't stand it, especially in regards to the Foillard. Kermit's name is larger than the producer! I know it's on other producer's bottles as well. It's grotesque. It just smacks of egoism. 'Too lazy to turn the bottle around, here I'll slap my name on the front THIS big'. Maybe it's an aesthetic thing. He's probably just trying build up his brand; the cult of Kermit.
 
It's cynical, but likely to be effective. (A phrase I find myself saying way too much for my tastes lately.)

I mean are any of us going to buy less Foillard because of this?
 
I saw it at CSW yesterday. Ugly, but as Kevin says it probably won't affect my purchases. Not that I'm buying any wine now. Really. None*.

*accurate to within +/- some bottles
 
This doesn't seem like a big deal from where I stand. Back labels are much larger, and sometimes they replace non-export back labels that contain useful information (such as, in Champagne, disgorgement date, dosage, etc.). That is a true handicap for American bottles.
 
The waiter mistakes himself for the chef.
Click to expand...
Well, but in this case the waiter is known for a great deal of influence on/meddling in the kitchen, so I'm not sure the analogy's accurate.

I don't love it aesthetically or...I dunno what the word is, "self-regardically" or whatever...but it's a smart branding decision, and I think it will work. And like Kevin says, it's not like we're going to be swearing off Foillard as a result.
 
Funny. I just got a few bottles and was just going to post about the same thing.

It seemed offensive to me, especially given Foillard's track record/fame. For some reason it bothers me less to see Kermit's name on the front of Dupeuble.

But, I'm sure the Foillard 'fame' of which I speak is fairly limited and I can see that the wines might need an extra salespush outside of the wine board community. Although difficult to know if this is necessary to sell bottles right now given the 09 hype.

In an ideal world we would get two labels (one with KL on the front/one without), place them in similar shops and see which sold better. But I'm not holding my breath.
 
No, but Kermit's reputation is built on...well, the wines, yes, but also his insistence on certain conditions regarding those wines. Not just shipping conditions, either.
 
Kermit has always been an astute businessman. It's seemed as though he's been revamping his approach to his business over the past year or so in general, going for higher visibility, engaging in new fora, exploring new business venues. Evidence includes willingness to ship around the country, his appearance on Vanderchuck's show, the new Kermit Lynch wine club. The markets they are a'changin,' and Kermit aims to stay at the forefront, it seems to me. Even mild-mannered Joe Dressner has been heard to subscribe to the principle of shameless self-promotion.
 
I think it's cheesy. People who care about the importer turn the bottle. It won't mean anything to your average joe.

I also really dislike the range of things he's doing - it varies bottle to bottle and none of them seem to work well. I think marketers would call that confusing the brand. I would much prefer a classy bottom label - a smaller and cool thing along the bottom akin to his back label. A bit like importers of yore.
 
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