Wines you would buy regularly if the prices came down 25%

What wines do you like and would regularly buy, or stopped buying but would restart, if the prices dropped 25%?

I think most of us had wines we bought for some time, but then the prices moved up to where they weren’t affordable, become more expensive than other alternatives, or otherwise just stopped being a buy, and we all or mostly fell away.

And there were other wines we tried, liked them and were interested in starting to buy, but saw the prices were just a little higher than what would get you started being a customer

To be clear, the point of this question is not to criticize wineries and/or the retail chain for pricing wines too high, to tell anyone they ought to sell their wines for less, or anything like that. And if you’re answering the question correctly, it should be wines you like very much that are in your answer – if it’s a wine you don’t like, then the price coming down 25% shouldn’t be of interest to you. So this isn’t the thread for tirades about overpriced vodka blueberry milkshakes and other things you don’t like.

This also doesn’t have to be just new world mailing list wines, it can be any kinds of wines that you like but whose price has crept above (but not too far above) your “buy” point.

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For me, I’ve liked Rhys, but between accumulating a lot of it and the prices getting up there, I’m down to very little or no activity. Yet if the price dropped 25% ($79 Alpine Chardonnay at $59.25), I’d still be buying a decent amount.

Tyler is a winery I really like, but I look at the email releases wistfully, and the pricing is just a little high for me to click buy. Plus, they usually sell for under, and sometimes well under, release at retail.

I’ve been buying Sea Smoke Southing every year since the 2002 vintage, but they bumped the price way up to $80 last year, and I’m right on the edge. I’ll maybe buy a couple bottles a year, but I’d be happily buying 6+ a year if the price were $60.

A number of Barolo producers have shot out of my price range, particularly G Mascarello, yet I’m not even sure 25% would bring them back to where I’d buy more than a bottle or two on a rare occasion.

I’ve accumulated a decent amount of PYCM (mostly the lesser appellation ones) the last several years, but I think I’m just about out now and looking for a next PYCM. 25% lower prices would still have me buying it regularly.

How about you?

Vilmart is probably another. I love the Grand Cellier d’Or and Couer de Cuvee, but the prices are just about to rise out of my “other than occasional splurge” range.

I bought a couple of bottles of Taittinger CdC 2008 at about $200. If the price were to come down 25% to about $150, I would buy a bunch more. More likely, the price will go up. This is a fabulous wine.

Sadie Family Columella
Paul Hobbs Beckstoffer Las Piedras

I wish I would have bought more Cedric Bouchard at 25% less. I have a feeling I will still be in this same position in 2 years as well though.

I think C Bouchard is still worth it. Yes the prices have gone up but the wine is unique in Champagne. If it dropped I would buy lots more…if I could find it!

It would be a “back-up the truck” buy at $150

I was planning to buy a case of '08, if the pricing stayed the same. So far, I’ve bought none.

Funny, I was thinking Cedric Bouchard, too.

A lot of the examples that come to mind are wines that are already good value for the quality, just usually out of my budget, but would drop into my range and become regular or occasional purchases. For example:

LdH Vina Tondonia
La Rioja Alta 904
Malartic Lagraviere Blanc
Donnhoff Spatleses and Ausleses
Tablas Creek Esprits

What killed me on Sea Smoke is that between taxes* and shipping these bottles crept up to $100.

*Of course I pay applicable use taxes . . . curiously some California wineries charge no tax, others what appears to be California sales tax, and still others DC regular sales tax. Only Sea Smoke appears to charge the DC tax on liquor/wine.

I buy way less Côte d’Or than before but more Cote de Chalonnaise and Oregon. Going to cut my Napa Cab budget about in half next year. Going to play a new game with all Napa, “Is it better or cheaper than Pontet Canet”.

Quilceda Creek, Cayuse, Littorai, Rhys, and Sea Smoke have been excised from my purchases owing to price/quality. It doesn’t help that if I’m honest with myself…I’m drinking far more whites these days and I can usually get 2 or 3 interesting whites for the price of a single bottle of said excised reds.

I would buy more Shafer Hillside Select. Having a hard time with the price where its at and subsequently dropped from the list finally this year.

Tablas Creek was the first that popped to mind as I was looking at an offer last week. I have no issues with Tondonia being priced 35-40 which is where I have been getting it (tho suppose I would buy more if 25% less)

That’s a cool game!

Interesting question. Similar to Howard, I’m thinking of what I already buy, but might do so more regularly.

Emidio Pepe- I already buy it, but I’d buy/drink more.

And, in general, Burgundy. Especially Chambolle.

Not sure, but one that springs to mind is D’Angerville, which have become very pricey in this market so have stopped buying or even considering completely. Would likely buy more GG’s to which a great # have moved JUST past my personal ‘worth it/ not worth it’ gut metric. Howard’s CdC example is a very good one. I would probably buy that again if 25% off.
A number of Champagne really, along with a good number of white burgs

We still get Sea Smoke on allocation, but the price rise will probably boot us out.

And Burgundy pricing has already removed most of them from my buying. There seems to have been a 15-25% price rise in Burgundy over the last few years.

Paolo Bea
Valentini
Brovia