Maison Ilan

i know a couple folks from dc recently visited him in burgundy - had nothing but great things to say about him and his wine.

i'm glad i got onto his mailing list!
 
Ray seems like a great guy and I'm really curious to try his wines. I hope he doesn't run the mailing list like a California operation though where you're shut out for life if you weren't a buyer on day one and every year thereafter. Hopefully they'll be available at retail, too.
 
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
Hopefully they'll be available at retail, too.
Click to expand...

Woodland Hills and possibly another shop that I can't recollect right now offered them about a month or so ago. I think they were priced about the same as the mailing list.
 
Ray participates a lot on the Berserker board, where he recently facilitated and extended series of Burgundy-related threads. He seems like a very decent guy, and a number of seasoned burgo-philes seem to like his wines.
 
originally posted by Ned Hoey:
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
Hopefully they'll be available at retail, too.
Click to expand...

Woodland Hills and possibly another shop that I can't recollect right now offered them about a month or so ago. I think they were priced about the same as the mailing list.
Click to expand...

Vins Rare and Woodland Hills still have the Charmes-Chambertin and Le Chambertin for sale.

Charmes-Chambertin "Aux Charmes":
mailing list price: 72e
Vins Rare: $159
Woodland Hills: $159

Le Chambertin:
mailing list price: 120e
Vins Rare: $239
Woodland Hills: $239
 
I remember reading someone’s report after making a visit to his cave a while ago. The report mentioned that despite the climat, he planned to use the same elevage on all wines from lieu dit thru GC. I found this interesting as it indicates his belief that his fruit is consistent (for lack of a better term) across the board. I don't know if this his current regiment. Is anyone else entertaining similar cellar practices? He certainly is getting a bit of press and I reckon, deservedly so. Hope to try his wines sometime.
 
originally posted by Matt Latuchie:
originally posted by Ned Hoey:
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
Hopefully they'll be available at retail, too.
Click to expand...

Woodland Hills and possibly another shop that I can't recollect right now offered them about a month or so ago. I think they were priced about the same as the mailing list.
Click to expand...

Vins Rare and Woodland Hills still have the Charmes-Chambertin and Le Chambertin for sale.

Charmes-Chambertin "Aux Charmes":
mailing list price: 72e
Vins Rare: $159
Woodland Hills: $159

Le Chambertin:
mailing list price: 120e
Vins Rare: $239
Woodland Hills: $239
Click to expand...

But I wasn't sure. And so even after currency, taxes, shipping for each source etc it's clear "about" could not reasonably describe the real difference. Thanks.
 
Ray is also a pretty open communicator, by the way, and I bet he'd be happy to answer questions directed to him about importers and his approach to wine-making.
 
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
Ray seems like a great guy and I'm really curious to try his wines. I hope he doesn't run the mailing list like a California operation though where you're shut out for life if you weren't a buyer on day one and every year thereafter. Hopefully they'll be available at retail, too.
Click to expand...

Not aspiring to buy through CA mailing lists, I probably have insufficient ire and rancor to exchange ideas in the proper spirit, but as I understand it, the mailing lists work as first come/first serve. Although one can imagine other methods (sell to the highest bidder, run a raffle for the right to buy), first come/first serve seems as fair as any. Seasons subscriptions to ballparks, opera houses, repertory theater, etc., etc., all work the same way, also giving first choice to clients fideles. I expect he'll run his mailing list that way because it's easy, efficient and as fair as any other way.
 
I visited Ray earlier this month when I was in Burgundy. I am a big fan (and have been on the mailing list since the beginning). We had his 2009 MSD Chaffots and Charmes Chambertins and all of the 2010s from barrel. Most of the 2010s were still undergoing malo, so were a bit hard to taste. But, clearly, the wines are outstanding. Very pure. Very distinct from one another. Not the biggest wine around or at this point the most complex, but really beautiful pure Pinot flavors that reflect their terroirs.

By the way, we went to dinner with Ray the night we visited at Ma Cuisine. Allen Meadows was there. During dinner, he came over to the table and really praised Ray to us. It was a very classy thing for Allen to do.
 
originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
Ray seems like a great guy and I'm really curious to try his wines. I hope he doesn't run the mailing list like a California operation though where you're shut out for life if you weren't a buyer on day one and every year thereafter. Hopefully they'll be available at retail, too.
Click to expand...

Not aspiring to buy through CA mailing lists, I probably have insufficient ire and rancor to exchange ideas in the proper spirit, but as I understand it, the mailing lists work as first come/first serve. Although one can imagine other methods (sell to the highest bidder, run a raffle for the right to buy), first come/first serve seems as fair as any. Seasons subscriptions to ballparks, opera houses, repertory theater, etc., etc., all work the same way, also giving first choice to clients fideles. I expect he'll run his mailing list that way because it's easy, efficient and as fair as any other way.
Click to expand...
It's of course fair for him to run his mailing list however he wants, because it's his wine to sell. But if he's running his mailing list like that I'm already out before he's even released any wine, because I didn't buy the 2009s when they were offered on futures last year. If Becky is getting the wine into retail channels, I will look forward to trying some that way.
 
It's a great story, but I wonder about e.g. the Japanese couple in south Jura working their frozen asses off (not far from Ganevat) trying to maintain a great terroir. They were pruning at 8am in the foggy morning, and had to ask where to get good salad leaves.

And theirs is not the only story.
 
originally posted by Yixin:
It's a great story, but I wonder about e.g. the Japanese couple in south Jura working their frozen asses off (not far from Ganevat) trying to maintain a great terroir. They were pruning at 8am in the foggy morning, and had to ask where to get good salad leaves.

And theirs is not the only story.
Click to expand...

Wonder if Cory and Guillaume can shed any light on this effort.
 
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
Ray seems like a great guy and I'm really curious to try his wines. I hope he doesn't run the mailing list like a California operation though where you're shut out for life if you weren't a buyer on day one and every year thereafter. Hopefully they'll be available at retail, too.
Click to expand...

Not aspiring to buy through CA mailing lists, I probably have insufficient ire and rancor to exchange ideas in the proper spirit, but as I understand it, the mailing lists work as first come/first serve. Although one can imagine other methods (sell to the highest bidder, run a raffle for the right to buy), first come/first serve seems as fair as any. Seasons subscriptions to ballparks, opera houses, repertory theater, etc., etc., all work the same way, also giving first choice to clients fideles. I expect he'll run his mailing list that way because it's easy, efficient and as fair as any other way.
Click to expand...
It's of course fair for him to run his mailing list however he wants, because it's his wine to sell. But if he's running his mailing list like that I'm already out before he's even released any wine, because I didn't buy the 2009s when they were offered on futures last year. If Becky is getting the wine into retail channels, I will look forward to trying some that way.
Click to expand...

You might want to check with Ray, but I think he is continuing to sell through the mailing list to those who originally bought that way (the people who in essence helped him get started) but otherwise is selling through Becky Wasserman. Could be a little off though.
 
originally posted by Gregg G:
I remember reading someone’s report after making a visit to his cave a while ago. The report mentioned that despite the climat, he planned to use the same elevage on all wines from lieu dit thru GC. I found this interesting as it indicates his belief that his fruit is consistent (for lack of a better term) across the board. I don't know if this his current regiment. Is anyone else entertaining similar cellar practices? He certainly is getting a bit of press and I reckon, deservedly so. Hope to try his wines sometime.
Click to expand...

I don't get the impression that he believes the fruit is "consistent" or similar or whatever that word implies. Instead, the idea is to do the same thing to each lot and highlight the differences of each plot, rather than different winemaking techniques. I think it's a noble effort to exhibit terroir. However, it makes sense to me to treat different lots of grapes differently, even in the quest for terroir-driven wine.
 
originally posted by Howard Cooper:
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
Ray seems like a great guy and I'm really curious to try his wines. I hope he doesn't run the mailing list like a California operation though where you're shut out for life if you weren't a buyer on day one and every year thereafter. Hopefully they'll be available at retail, too.
Click to expand...

Not aspiring to buy through CA mailing lists, I probably have insufficient ire and rancor to exchange ideas in the proper spirit, but as I understand it, the mailing lists work as first come/first serve. Although one can imagine other methods (sell to the highest bidder, run a raffle for the right to buy), first come/first serve seems as fair as any. Seasons subscriptions to ballparks, opera houses, repertory theater, etc., etc., all work the same way, also giving first choice to clients fideles. I expect he'll run his mailing list that way because it's easy, efficient and as fair as any other way.
Click to expand...
It's of course fair for him to run his mailing list however he wants, because it's his wine to sell. But if he's running his mailing list like that I'm already out before he's even released any wine, because I didn't buy the 2009s when they were offered on futures last year. If Becky is getting the wine into retail channels, I will look forward to trying some that way.
Click to expand...

You might want to check with Ray, but I think he is continuing to sell through the mailing list to those who originally bought that way (the people who in essence helped him get started) but otherwise is selling through Becky Wasserman. Could be a little off though.
Click to expand...

Personally I intend to bug Suzanne to taste hers.
 
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