Fascinating! Never expected to see 2007 Screaming Eagle at Costco. Any idea how many 3 packs were there? And who do you think is next? Maya? Colgin? Bryant?
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Not sure because by the time I got down there they had put these away and just had two bottles out on locked display
I’m not sure I agree that its that much different than seeing them priced similarly on Winebid. Given the low Costco markup, the seller probably made out better than if he had gone through an auction house. Still a pretty good markup. Now if it was offered at list price, that would be a different story.
I’m actually surprised they have not been repurchased by the winery by now. I’m sure they monitor this sort of thing very closely. And I’m fairly certain it has nothing to do with not being sold out on release. I agree with a restaurant going under as a likely source.
It is a decent price compared to what I’ve been seeing in the broader market. Not good enough for flipping, but its a good price if you are just trying to get your hands on some and are not on the list.
Please go ahead and buy it - then bring it to our table at the Berserkerfest
Corporate giant Costco buys from failing restaurants? That’s not even legal most places.
patently illegal here in CA I believe. I don’t think Costco would do that even if it was.
really? why? don’t wine stores buy from restaurants too?
No, the supply chain goes one direction, no reverse allowed in most cases.
So it’s illegal for wine stores to buy collections? Cause couldn’t they just say it’s a collection?
Don’t know, but this is a major blow to SE’s brand. Being sold where ordinary people can get their proletarian hands on it will dissuade the bourgeoisie, that’s for sure. What’s the point in paying $1k+ for a bottle that’s not impossible to get?
I don’t know the laws in California but in Illinois and most other states Costco couldn’t purchase this from a private source. Even if they could I find it highly unlikely that such a large corporate store would entertain this. Has SE changed distributors in this area lately. That would be my guess. A nice way for them to throw a parting shot.
Red wine must be 10 years old and whites 5 for them to be sold at AUCTION. There really is no mechanism for store’s absorbing wines from private folks within the law. Some DO, of course, but I really doubt that corporate types like Costco would.
Does Screaming Eagle show up on shelves or restaurants in states other than CA? I imagine they are winery-direct in CA, meaning no distributor, to select restaurants and wine stores.
I’ll hold out till it hits Cindy.
The 2007 showed up last year at Spec’s downtown here in Houston at around $2K per bottle. Came through normal distribution and quickly sold (I think they had 3, but do not recall.)
During my time in the business, each Costco wine manager was given relative autonomy in choosing their wine selection - aside from the huge purchases of less expensive wine that were prearranged at the corporate level. So saying a chain like Costco wouldn’t buy from a certain source isn’t really a relevant point, because that purchasing manager can buy from any legal source they want to and they manage the inventory/selection at their store level. If it is illegal in CA to buy from a restaurant going out of business that is a different story. I do think it is possible that a distributor that was supposed to sell to a restaurant couldn’t move it due to demand at that level drying up and shipped it off to Costco for cash flow. It happens with highly allocated wine all too often (Never would have believed with Screagle though!). If that is what happened I bet that distributor doesn’t see any wine from them ever again.
Not entirely true in Costco’s case out here in the Bay Area. There is a regional buyer that sits over in Livermore as I understand it. That understanding came directly from the wine manager at the Novato Costco and the wine manager at the newly renovated Redwood City (where the Screagle is located). These 2 Costco stores are the ‘high end’ in terms of wine selection. Prior to the renovation in Redwood City, the Novato store was the holy grail…apparently they sold more 2005 Bordeaux then any other vintage of wine prior - just out of the Novato store - ‘pallets’ of all growth levels.
Anyway, this regional buyer is the person most likely to make any/all high end purchases whether from a winery, a distributor or a large corporation like Foster’s Wine Group, Constellation or similar. I have no idea where the Screagles came from, but I’d bet good money that it was obtain by the regional buyer considering the esteemed nature of the Novato and Redwood City stores.
***Also, it was mention that the Scottsdale Costco is also a higher end wine seller and in the ranks with RWC and Novato.
Good info. Thanks!
It’s still $750 per bottle over the mailing list price, so I’m not sure they’re “of yesteryear” just yet. But it’s definitely a strange moment.