Is it me, or are there TONS of attractives wines right now?

[Blanquito]

Is it me, or are there TONS of attractives wines out there in the market right now?...and most of it's not Bordeaux. Epic vintages + great prices = bad for the credit card statement.

A few highlights:
-Tuscany and Piedmont are on a serious roll, with Chianti offering some of the world's finest values right now, IHMO.
-2007 Southern Rhone.
-The Loire Valley is on the up and up.

Plus, I continue to back-fill on 2001 German Riesling (picking up about 4 mixed cases in recent months for a song) and 2001 Sauternes (just got the 2001 Lafaurie Peyraguey for $40... per 750 ml, much cheaper than release!). I also found the 2005 Carbonnieux blanc for $21, again way cheaper than release.

I just can't get excited about the current releases and futures from Bordeaux right now. These days, it's all about Riesling, Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, and Grenache.

Maybe 2009 Bordeaux will bring me back to my sense BWE senses... but only if the Bordelais set prices sensibly.

[AlexR]

2001 Lafaurie Peyraguey for $40? That's truly a great deal.

You ask (rhetorically, pehaps) : "Maybe 2009 Bordeaux will bring me back to my sense BWE senses... but only if the Bordelais set prices sensibly".

Maybe pigs will fly .

The only serious answer that is to source the wines overlooked by the critics.
Bordeaux is 11,000 châteaux.
The top-rung ones have gone sky high but, mercifully, there are plenty of others - very good wines - just a rung or two down.

Best regards,
Alex R.

[JCNorthway]

I agree on the availability of high quality wines from areas such as the Rhone, Tuscany, Piedmonte. But here in Chicago I am generally not seeing great pricing. For all the talk of the large surpluses in the supply chain, the major retailers seem to be largely holding the line on pricing for now.

And interestingly, we are getting close to a retailer monopoly here in the Windy City. The previously formidable Sam's Wines, which was bought out by private equity investors 3-4 years ago, has been mis-managed into virtual ruin and has just sold out to Binny's (I'd hate to have been one of the investors in that one). So we have only one semi-serious competitor - Wine Discount Center - which does not have nearly the selection of Binny's. It will be interesting to see how this alters the retail pricing in the city.

Jon

[Blanquito]

JC, I admit most of the deals I'm finding are via the internet, not locally. But 2006 Tuscan wines seem widely available.

Alex, when I saw the Lafaurie Peyraguey 2001 for $40, I jumped on it for all they had which was 6 full bottles (after calling twice to make sure the wine really existed at that price, as it seemed to good to be true). I've had this 2001 sticky twice now (once from Arv and once from the BD) and I've been captivated on both occasions.

I do love the Petit Chateau in great years. Is there any word on the street over in Aquitaine about possible pricing for 2009? Higher than 2005?

[AlexR]

Patrick,

Too early to speculate about 2009 pricing.
The great châteaux will test the waters in April 2010.

The financial crisis hasn't hit everyone... I'm sure you read that some banks have actually grown and the bonuses are rolling in as though nothing happened.
Wikipedia says there are approximately 2,142,000,000 Chinese. They had a bad year last year: only 8% growth...
Now if just a tiny fraction of one percent of the Chinese start going after Pichon Longueville, Figeac, et al*...

All the best,
Alex
*I know, and if they all stood on a chair and jumped at the same time, and if pigs had wings...