Which way is Clos du Val heading?

[Chateau Vin]

http://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2016/12/ ... alwart?h=2

[AKR]

Great article.

I had a bottle of the 2013 over 3-4 days and it kept getting better.

So I bought a 3 or 4 pack.

If they are taking the Chappellet approach, I'll be happy.

The idea of dramatically reducing output, and raising prices will need some market validation first.

Normally wineries that pursue that tack can take their pricing cues from auction/secondary market behavior.

When people try it reverse, I think its much harder.

But we'll see.

I suppose an intermediate step they'll try will be more customer direct sales, which are way more profitable than letting supermarkets/distributors/Costco share in the hard vineyard work.

Still 45k cases (their new lower production numbers) is a lot to move privately.

[DavidG]

Interesting article.

At those prices, I can say that they won't be heading for my cellar.

[William P]

I was just tasting at the winery last week and I had taste of the 2013 "Estate" Cab. This was a special bottling that isn't yet available to the public nor was it available for tasting. How I got, well it was there and I asked. I was also informed that from hereon all wine will be estate wines, i.e. Cabs, Pinots and Chards. I must say it was a beautiful wine and no doubt equivalent to a special selection/reserve bottling. Still the price was $120. As most of you winos know, there is a price/quality ratio and there is worldwide competition. At that price range, there are some pretty incredible wines available. So while it was a beautiful wine, there are better at that price point.

[AKR]

And the reality is, at the triple digit price point, consumers want some 'cachet'.

It will take some time of making great wine, and having it slowly get limited in its distribution so that one doesn't see it in mass market environments, before I think the new price points are validated.

There is 3 decades of brand value already built up, for better or worse, that they will have to slowly to change the perception on.

Still the 2013's are good. And the CdV/Chappellet/Togni style isn't going to gross out Francophiles. (All of those are quasi related via winemaker/style DNA)

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If you think about what the Haut Brion cadres are doing with Quintus its not very dissimilar, except they have taken a different approach with the brand/estate name.

They want to position Quintus at a much higher price point, and decided that the l'Arrosee and Tertre Daugay estate names would never really support that, so they took those land/grapes, and just cooked up their own 'fantasy' name. It's like something out of the Super Tuscan marketing playbook.

And I'm not saying that is easier/better than the approach CdV is taking...if the evidence of K&L blowing out their 2012 Dragon de Quintus for $21 currently has any weight.

[Caffrey]

And the reality is, at the triple digit price point, consumers want some 'cachet'.

It will take some time of making great wine, and having it slowly get limited in its distribution so that one doesn't see it in mass market environments, before I think the new price points are validated.

There is 3 decades of brand value already built up, for better or worse, that they will have to slowly to change the perception on.

Still the 2013's are good. And the CdV/Chappellet/Togni style isn't going to gross out Francophiles. (All of those are quasi related via winemaker/style DNA)

Yep, they're pretty pricey aren't they.

[AKR]

2014 is on the shelves at my local TW for $50ish, and it is no longer carried by my supermarket, which is usually pretty darn competitive on Napa/Sonoma cabs. So clearly some conscious effort to reposition by not having this even be seen in the same retail space as KJ Vinters etc.

Chapplelet is about the same price, maybe $49 for the 2014, and seems like the better buy at that price point. Sadly our supermarket was frozen out of the 2013 (which got big price moving ratings) and skipped from 2012 to 2014. I suppose as a practical matter there is not that much difference, especially if people are drinking them right away, but as someone overly picky on vintages, since storage is now bumping up to capacity, I only want the years with the longest lifelines.