I am completely stunned! Let me first say that I am a lover of domestic Pinot and have been since the mid 90’s. I am proudly on the lists of Rochioli, Kutch, Rivers Marie, and Littorai so I enjoy various styles. But when I saw WS’s review this morning of the 2017 Cerise Vineyard Anderson Valley KB I simply could not believe my eyes!!! $200!!! Michael and Dan have to be in disbelief! I actually was on their mailing list at their inception. Out of curiosity about a month ago, I was perusing CostCo and ran across the '17 KB RRV and thought I would try out of curiosity. What a complete and utter mess! Had I tasted blind, I would have been confident it was a sloppy, central valley Syrah. I literally poured it down the drain after an hour. Who is buying this stuff?
I’m not sure what $200 represents, but it is not the release price of this wine.
And what did WS have to say?
(Release price is $120 to mailing list).
I’ve dropped off their list (and cirq) because of pricing.
I had the 2017 KB RRV recently and also thought it was a mess, and totally different than the usual KB style. Seems like all things are moving in the wrong direction.
I gave away most of my kB. I think I have one bottle of rosellas floating around.
What is wrong with cinnamon-cola-cherry jam?
Nothing at all Victor…as long as it’s spread on toast! I apologize if Spectator posted the incorrect retail price…but i have noticed they have been aggressively raising their prices…just feels like the new owners are besmirching Micheal and Dan’s legacy.
I was only very briefly on the list and bought once as the prices got jacked up. I believe they have been bought and sold twice now. I am glad to have found Rivers Marie to add a small amount of Pinot to my cellar.
Toast? Pain grille!
Similar experience. I was on wayyy back in like 04/05-ish. Prices of wine kept escalating, shipping was getting ridiculous compared with others in CA, my tastes for that style shifted, dropped and never looked back. I think I might have one 07 left laying around.
Yeah, Private equity firm bought them, and then sold it after a few years (in the way PE firms do).
Still have a bunch of 12-14’s. They are actually drinking nicely. Havent bought in a long time due to prices and stylistic changes. Was fun while it lasted
Regardless of what one thinks about KB and its changes over the recent past, $120 for a prestige Napa Cab would be a bargain. Those wines start at $200. Funny, I remember Barbara Winiarski telling me–this was around 1974-- that Joe Heitz was her hero because he showed you could sell Napa Cab for more than $10.
Why is it people think over $100 for a terrific Pinot from Oregon or California seems high to most people, but the same price for a Napa Cab or fancy Bordeaux passes without notice??
Zinfandel lovers could make an argument here but they prefer to keep their mouths shut and reap the benefits.
My answer to that Mel is 1) >$100 is expensive to most of us regardless of what the label says and 2) track record.
Calif and Oregon Pinot does not have the same length of historical production and reputation that Napa Cab and Bordeaux does, particularly Bordeaux.
3rd, the most revered names in Burgundy and Bordeaux have something more-a proven record of value on the auction block or at resale.
And then, 4th, there is the small matter of aging ability since no one wants to buy an old bottle of decrepitude.
Surely you remember that old golden chestnut of marketing, “you don’t sell the steak, you sell the sizzle”
Although a five hundred year old chateau may add nothing to what is in the bottle, that Chateau represents something real from a historical perspective.
Now contrast that with Kosta Browne. No vineyards are owned, it is nothing more than a label representing a business operation.
Unlike Williams Selyem, there is not even a revered winemaker behind the label.
Mitch,
I agree that $100 is a lot of money to spend on a bottle,especially for us on social security.
The track record argument is entertaining but complicated.
As we see on the ‘tobacco and cigar box’ thread. wineries in Bordeaux have changed their winemaking techniques radically over the past thirty years. The '82s you drink today were made in a completely different way than the way they are now. You can say the same for a lot of Burgundy, as we see with the premox issue. You can also say that about KB.
But to use Williams Selyem and Au Bon Climat as examples, the wines are made pretty much the same way they were in 1985.
When I look at track record, I look closely. But you are right that most people make the argument to themselves that the '82s worked out well so I ll buy the 2019s.
My main point is that the market decides that with a few exception wines made with Cabernet and Merlot are kings, Pinot Noirs are Queens and maybe Nebbiolo is a Jack.
I put Neb and most Burgundy at Queen and the best domestic pinot at a ten of hearts.
Let’s look at it this way; there are many examples of Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Nebbiolo that will make one swoon and something in the brain clicks and says “I can just sit and enjoy a single glass of you for hours”. It is like ringing the bell at the cheap carnival so hard that the bell comes off the tower. The proverbial light bulb goes off that this is why some people get so deep into the hobby. The epiphany experience.
Domestic pinot just has not, up til now, reached that level. I am skeptical that it ever will. Not in my lifetime.
Thanks for posting. It has been at least 6 months since we’ve had an excuse to shred Kosta Browne. Any chance you could start a similar thread for Quilceda Creek?
Tom
I guess it would be counter productive to this thread to point out that Michael sold the Cirq wines for $125.
Tom
Mitch, you might want to do a little homework here. KB owns several vineyards including Cerise.
Tom