Happy New Year!

originally posted by SFJoe:

I have a hard time getting excited about the LaLas. The wines are so stupidly expensive
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That's for sure. Some of them are great wines IMO, but the tariff is just too durned high.

The Livingstone-Learmonth book IS good (reading more previews online)--looks like I will have to buy it...
 
I certainly agree on the pricing of the LaLas and while I find many of them technically good, they're not what I look for from Cote-Rotie.
 
I have had some amazing La bottlings. Really. Stunning stuff. At times.

Do I read Kermit's jeremiad in "Adventures" and take that to heart as well? Yes. I understand the objection.

Are the La's crazy expensive? Yes, but so are other items (Chave, for instance). This has pretty much become the standard globally: one to three producers/bottlings have stratospheric pricing while there are many great, good, and very good wines that aren't priced as such produced of similar appellation (Gaja and Giacomo Conterno "Monprivato" vs. Barolo in general, for instance, or even Huet and Foreau vs. Pinon, Chidaine, Champalou, etc.). This is the current system of pricing, really. Basically, certain names catch fire with the sorts of types who want the best of everything, and they chase those names solely, and that results in very high pricing for those particular items. Perhaps this will change a bit as now the auction market is flatlining.

There is no question that there is excellent Cote-Rotie out there that doesn't start with La.

But that is not to say the La wines themselves don't leave lasting taste memories, apart from price considerations. I mean, '90 La Turque is excellent stuff. Or so I think.
 
originally posted by Levi Dalton:


Are the La's crazy expensive? Yes, but so are other items (Chave, for instance). This has pretty much become the standard globally: one to three producers/bottlings have stratospheric pricing while there are many great, good, and very good wines that aren't priced as such produced of similar appellation (Gaja and Giacomo Conterno "Monprivato" vs. Barolo in general, for instance, or even Huet and Foreau vs. Pinon, Chidaine, Champalou, etc.). This is the current system of pricing, really. Basically, certain names catch fire with the sorts of types who want the best of everything, and they chase those names solely, and that results in very high pricing for those particular items. Perhaps this will change a bit as now the auction market is flatlining.
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I was struck by this as well. On the other hand, it opens up the possibility of some really good bottles for a lot less money. I wonder to what extent the critics have contributed to this, since they go on and on about the big stars, and you hear little about the others. But this would explain the lower prices as well...
 
Maybe it's easier for me to like them as I haven't had to pay for a lot of the bottles I've consumed, but older LaLas are a really nice drink. I haven't tasted many young but when I have I usually don't like them. I still prefer my Jamet, Gentaz and Barge (heck, even Jasmin) from the appellation, but I'll happily drink a bottle or two with friends.

But the prices are frankly stupid, agreed.
 
I own one La ('90 Landonne). Anyone want to help me drink it?

I also have a few other makers' wines from the same vineyard, for the diagonally-compared among us.
 
originally posted by Brad Kane:
originally posted by Yixin:
Jamet, Gentaz
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For those keeping score at home, Coad, this is what I look for from Cote-Rotie. Especially from '88 and '91.
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Useful tip--Jamet about half the price (maybe less) of the Guigal, Gentaz hard to know (nothing shows up on Wine Searcher). This is probably something to look for in Europe...
 
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
I own one La ('90 Landonne). Anyone want to help me drink it?

I also have a few other makers' wines from the same vineyard, for the diagonally-compared among us.
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I volunteer. A '90 might be a bit ripe for most of the geeks around here, but I'm not scared of that.
 
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
Carl -- Gentaz has been dead a while.

Chris -- Let's get a couple more wineaux and choose an evening in February.
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I'll happily share it with you if you bring it to the cassoulet jeebus.
 
Huh, I just looked in the inventory and I have '01 Guigal, as well as '94 and '95 Rostaing.

Where did I get that Guigal?
 
originally posted by SFJoe:
Huh, I just looked in the inventory and I have '01 Guigal, as well as '94 and '95 Rostaing.

Where did I get that Guigal?
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Client, I'm sure. Or maybe sasha.
 
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