The BWE Spring 2023 Great Wine Buying Freeze Contest (a la Seinfeld): who can hold out the longest?

[JimHow]

An easy exemption, Mr. Golodetz. Granted.

[Blanquito]

What about Rollandized chateau? Are their pre-Michel era wines automatically exemption eligible?

And now defunct chateau, like Magdelaine and La Tour Haut Brion, these of course have a standing exemption, I assume.

[smoore4]

Does rosé count??

[JimHow]

Only for residents of Florida, Steve. Exemption granted.

[robert goulet]

Freeze??? Bahahahaha.....Neverrrrr!

[Musigny 151]

I just added three bottles of wine to a previous order of Canon, which became suddenly available. I am out.

[Blanquito]

Freeze??? Bahahahaha.....Neverrrrr!

Spoken like a true Floridian!

[JimHow]

I just added three bottles of wine to a previous order of Canon, which became suddenly available. I am out.

Well done, Musigny151. In the spirit of the Blanquito Challenge. No excuses.

[marcs]

After not buying anything for some time, I just had a spectacular failure involving overpaying for half a case of 1989 Lynch Bages. I blame Jim for his incessant over praise of this wine.

Perhaps the most trademark BWE failure of self-control ever. I deserve an award

[Blanquito]

No way, you’re still good, Marcus: the 1989 Lynch Bages — the greatest wine known to humanity — has a permanent buying freeze exemption. It’s number is retired.

[JimHow]

Well, yes, of course, there is the iconic "1989 Lynch Exemption."
Nonetheless, Marcus's excursion into the '89 Lynch auction market is to me worthy of a whole separate thread and discussion.

[Nicklasss]

Failures after failures... no resistance, sin after sin... who is BWE Christ? Please, we need a savior!

[JimHow]

I will outlast Blanquito and all other BWEers and will not purchase wine before Labor Day weekend.
BD

[Blanquito]

I’m just trying to make it one week at a time!

[JimHow]

I feel strong.

[stefan]

Something must be wrong with me. I have almost infinite exemptions, yet I am not buying any wine.

[jal]

Something must be wrong with me. I have almost infinite exemptions, yet I am not buying any wine.

The day is young

[stefan]

I just bought a birthday wine for my son-in-law a few minutes ago, but that doesn't provide the same pleasure as buying wine to drink. I don't even feel an urge to buy. I keep thinking about having to get stuff delivered and packed away in a new wine cellar and moving wines I already have to the new location. Maybe when I get that done the urge will come back. Maybe it is like regaining libido after recovering from docs messing around with your privates. I guess time will tell...

[JimHow]

You’ve lost your libido, Stefan? We truly are lost.

[stefan]

BD, you would understand if I explained the procedure that causes that, BD. However, it would raise your blood pressure to a dangerously high level. Fortunately, the effect is temporary.

[Blanquito]

Fail.

[JimHow]

uh oh...

[Blanquito]

2019 d’Issan $45, 2019 Beychevelle $65… on the shelf… at the local Costco… what’s a Bordeaux lover to do?

[JimHow]

Well done. Very well done indeed. We are BWE.

[Blanquito]

Yeah, sometimes life puts these little tests on the path for you… someone in front of you drops a $20 bill… the fishmonger calls on you when it wasn’t your turn… a family isn’t seated together on a flight with you in the middle… the local shop is selling the latest Bordeaux vintage at the same pricing as during the peak of the pandemic… you do the right thing, you just do it.

[robert goulet]

Freeze??? Bahahahaha.....Neverrrrr!

Spoken like a true Floridian!

Orlando Bobby taught me well!

[stefan]

I used the new cellar exemption from the BD to purchase a few Goodfellow wines this morning.

12 2021 Richard's Cuvée, Whistling Ridge Chardonnay $56 offer price ($70 retail)
12 2021 "Psycho Killer" Temperance Hill Chardonnay $64 offer price ($80 retail)
6 2021 Temperance Hill Chardonnay $48 offer price ($60 retail)
6 2021 Tsai Vineyard Chardonnay $40 offer price ($50 retail)

4 2021 Block Eleven, Fir Crest Pinot Noir $48 offer price ($60 retail)
12 2021 West Field, Temperance Hill Pinot Noir $56 offer price ($70 retail)
2 2021 Temperance Hill Pinot Noir $40 offer price ($50 retail)
3 2021 Whistling Ridge Pinot Noir $40 offer price ($50 retail)
3 2021 Durant Vineyard Pinot Noir $40 offer price ($50 retail)

[JCNorthway]

I saw the email and was tempted. But the urge passed . . .

[Winona Chief]

Last week, all Bordeaux were 20% off at Calvert Woodley in DC. I didn’t buy anything.

So far since the Buying Freeze began, I’ve purchased 4 bottles of exempted Champagne (which is less than the amount of Champagne consumed during this period).

I do anticipate that I will be buying some white Burgundy very soon because I am running low and there are some very good 2020s still available and I’d like to get some before they are gone.

Chris Bublitz

[jal]

Who is still in?
Except for two bottles of Champagne in the Paris Duty Free (general Champagne exemption) and some bottles I bought and left in Israel (general buy and consume abroad exemption) I am holding steady but barely. Today some good offerings came my way and I stopped myself even though I now have plenty of storage.

[Blanquito]

This was, without a doubt, hands down, the worst buying freeze in my sordid, checkered history of failed freezes. The only consolation is the thought (hope) that Stefan and Nicola are proud of me in my failure!

[stefan]

I congratulate you, Patrick, in your glorious failure.

I will win the competition easily. I have not bought a single non exempted bottle and am not tempted to do so.

[Nicklasss]

Congratulations Patrick, yes i'm proud of you. Those 2019 from Costco... gosh i'm so jalous that we don't have that here.

Anyway, the 3 big lies of BWE :

1. Join a wine buying freeze on January and engage to not buy wines for the coming months or year.

2. Promess to not buy a single bottle of the new vintage. I already know that even if some have too much wines, some think they are too old, some are mostly chasing older vintages, EVERYONE HERE will buy minimum a 2022.

3. Lynch Bages being a 5th Classified Growth or lower. Well we all know it deserve higher Classified Growth status. We are not all aligned on the same number, but this is minor thing.

[jal]

I congratulate you, Patrick, in your glorious failure.

I will win the competition easily. I have not bought a single non exempted bottle and am not tempted to do so.

[Nicklasss]

I congratulate you, Patrick, in your glorious failure.

I will win the competition easily. I have not bought a single non exempted bottle and am not tempted to do so.

I personnally think that stefan is the base or reference, on which the specialists are developping AI.