Ah…No. Levet is allocated now and a victim of 2015 hype.
No it’s not. At least not where I shop. Similar pricing to 2013 & 2014.
True, I was allocated it for the first time, but was still easy to find from multiple sources. The Gonon is a bit less available. I own lots of both of these, and enjoy them for differing reasons, but the Levet is another dimension of French syrah.
But we are talking about 2016 and 2015…
The Bay Area is not Kermit Lynch.
A small importer, whom had some partnership issues, that led to the wines being picked up very late.
That’s what I mean. The 2015 Levet is similar in price to prior, recent vintages. No 2016s out yet.
My thought is some of those retailers that got $100 bucks for 15 are going to ask $80 or so for 16 and see if it sticks. My guess is that it won’t and prices will settle a bit. 16 seems to be a very good year but not one the non hardcore are going to chase.
From the KL site it’s Interesting that Decanter gave the 15 - 91pt and the 16 - 95pt
Most European “traders” are now marking these wines to market which is driving up the prices.
Prior to the 2015 vintage this was not happening.
British palate versus American palate? Suckling gave the 2015 a 96-97, JD gave it a 95.
There are other wines I’d buy at $80 before this one. Many of them. And while I bought Gonon here in Seattle years ago (2010 vintage), I have never seen it on a shelf here.
Well yes, but 16 reads like a ripe fruit year too. I’d think the Euro palate would elevate 2011 ![[basic-smile.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/8/83717c74df9b0ce202453063bc4f11baf0ee6b8a.gif "smile"){kind=small}
JLL seems to rate most 16 close or on par with 15.
Depends upon what you mean by similar. Wholesale price of Levet Chavaroche increased 30% from 2014 to 2015, and the 2015s were the first vintage that I know of allocated by Rosenthal.
2011 Gonon is excellent, as is the 2011 Levet.
Yep…
The ex seattle Kermit guy is the new NY sales manager, I think he likes to punish us as all of the allocations that we get are a tiny amount to where they were.
I mentioned this before (different thread) but I bought 10’ and 11’ wholesale from my neighbor (who sells the Kermit book) for $30 each. I bought a case of each + mags and there was no issue with supply… 4-5 vintages later it’s now a different story… no one gets more than 2-6 bottle allocations and there are less than 5cs that come to the state…
i dunno about similar. 15 Chavaroche has a 15-20% change from the prior vintages on release.
It looks like 16 will have less pronounced ripeness. That seems to be true from Beaujolais and the Northern Rhone to Piedmont. (I don’t know about Burgundy or Bordeaux.)
I spoke with Eric Texier yesterday the Dressner/Chambers Street tasting here in NYC, and he said that the wines in '15 tend to reflect the vintage while in '16 they reflect the terroir more. The owner of Clos Bellane, a producer in Valreas at the northern edge of the Southern Rhone, said something similar a couple of weeks ago when he was in town. He said his '16 Cotes du Rhone is better than his '15. (Bellane is 50% syrah grown at some altitude on soils more like the Northern Rhone.)
Based on the Beaujolais I’ve tasted and the lesser wines in Piedmont (nebbiolo and dolcetto), the '16s seem ripe but exquisitely balanced. The '15s are usually delicious and fruity, but for my palate, often a little less precise and detailed because the fruit was so ripe.
I’m not knocking the '15s. It’s really a matter of preference.
Good to hear those thoughts on 16 from Rhône producers John.
I’ve found some pleasure in 15 Beaujolais but for the most part I’m drinking them early as they are leaning on the edge for me.
My CT notes say $65 for 2010 Levet chavaroche and $68 for 2015. Maybe I overpaid five years ago.
I was offered Levet La Chave from several sources, all in the $70-$75 range for the 2015. Most I ever paid in a prior vintage was $55, which is what I paid for 2014.
Euros or dollars? And is that the only price being offered - or just the cheapest?
Just trying to figure out if folks in the US are simply trying to capitalize on the newfound popularity - or if pricing from the winery itself is going up (which it ought to a bit to capture some of the increased demand just like other wineries do) . . .
Cheers.
Would be british pound in UK ;p. Even if it’s Pound it’d only be $39 US when converted. Patrick alluded to some of the price increase reasons in Europe up top. Don’t think the domaine is the one pumping the price.