The 2012 was surprisingly accessible after a few hours of air. I’d be curious to know your thoughts as well once you open the 2012. The price hike is steep on the 2013. I’m still not 100% certain yet on going for it, but I’ll probably roll the dice and pick a few up. Cheers!
Need to see how the wine gets allocated this year since the Bootleggers is coming onboard. Really want the 2014 too so might have to suck it up for this year.
Cirq website updated-with information on the 2013 Treehouse and 2013 Bootleggers.
New from Spectator Insider:
CIRQ
Pinot Noir russian river Valley Bootlegger’s Hill 2013
95 points | $125 | 694 cases made | Red
A thrilling expression of delicate, charming, understated elegance, this captures moderately ripe plum and blueberry flavors with aro- matic rose petal aromas. Most impressive is the focus and delivery of flavor, which glides along, touching sweet spots and lingering. Drink now through 2022.
Wow. $125 per? Who is making a more expensive domestic pinot these days?
No knock in them - just trying to understand.
Cheers.
I got you a new t-shirt, Will:
For reference, production by case:
Treehouse:
2011: 472
2012: 1397
2013: 1748
Bootlegger’s:
2013: 694
Everyone does things differently, but my guess is that folks who bought Treehouse from the outset will get an allocation of that in similar numbers of bottles (maybe with a cap? Wasn’t it limited to 3/person in 2011?), with the remainder allocated to the other oldest purchasers.
FWIW, the website says they follow something that looks like the Kosta-Browne model (surprise!) - i.e., last year’s order is this year’s allocation: CIRQ Estate - Join our mailing list / Create an account
larry schaffer
Yesterday, 3:58pm
Wow. $125 per? Who is making a more expensive domestic pinot these days?
There are few out there at release price that creep over $100. Marcassin, Archery Summit, Sea Smoke, Del Dotto reserve… Morlet, Peter Michael, Aubert, and Kistler and even the SVD KB wines are all inching into that realm now too.
… Fairly frustrating if you ask me…
A friend of mine who is on the KB list got an email which came of kinda desperate asking if he wanted to join the Cirq mailing list even to the point where there were three answers Yes, Maybe, and Remove me. Good on them for a nice review from WS but like others at $125 that’s tough. The KB SVD’s without tax hovering at 90 per bottle now I believe.
I received that email from Cirq as well. Kinda strange. Guess they are trying to get their ducks in a row to see who is in and who is out (wonder if they will adjust pricing based on the response, or lack of response)? Some wineries are doing weird business practices lately to try to maximize their revenue. Not a fan of goofy tactics.
I’m on the cirq mailing list and got that email (or one like it) from Cirq - basically asking if I wanted to stay on list. It was a bit curious - I kind of wonder how many people say “no” before receiving the offer.
Is it not good business practice to maximize revenue? And if people are waiting years for KB SVD wines here’s a chance for a “sister” wine that’s perceived/rated (no rocks please) to be even better. Easier to sell new products to existing customers than to get new customers. My issue would be that buying Cirq would help you move up the KB list, and vice versa.
Of course it is good business practice to maximize revenue… However, I said some wineries are doing weird business practices to maximize revenue. All businesses try to maximize revenue as they should, but they need to balance that with their “practices” in the quest to chase every penny from the consumer - customer service, benefits to the consumer, quality of product, etc. Like most folks here I’m sure, I’ve dumped wineries and allocation lists for lack of direct customer service, lack of communication, just sheer snottiness (a whole host of things that can affect that business’s revenue). Did I in my individual actions affect their bottom dollar? No. But if a wide customer base has bad experiences (whatever those may perceivably and subjectively be), then that could obviously affect revenue. So I think any business needs to be mindful of how they come off and how they operate overall - especially in the hospitality industry - which is what I believe the wine business ultimately is.
If you wanna hike up the cost of your bottle of wine from $100 to $125 in one vintage, you’ll certainly increase revenue in theory (everything else being equal), but that’s only if people choose to continue to buy your product…
+1 for all of this. Well said. I guess what I was getting at if they aren’t seeing as high a demand for the product they’re going to try something different. I think it should also be said in this case Kosta Browne customers (the same friend and others) got actual snail mail invitations to the Cirq list (along with the email) so it just gives a little pause for concern that the demand is perhaps not as high as it is perceived to the points Chris made here. I enjoyed a bottle of '11 Cirq not too long ago. I wasn’t blown out of the water at $125, could I have waited? Sure but wanted to see where things were at. I don’t want to come across as a “hater” on anyone trying to make a buck but I just thought the sales/marketing tactic seemed a bit desperate overall given the image of KB’s previous founder at the helm of Cirq.
I’m certain I did not express any prior interest in cirq, although attributed the email and paper letter to my long-time purchasing of KB. Simple explanation for the communication would be: new wine, new grape source doesn’t equal anywhere near $125, no matter the winemaker/brand affiliation. KB in general is a stretch for me, esp the SVDs but I do like the wine.
Another Spectator Insider review just came out on the Treehouse:
Cirq
Pinot Noir Russian River Valley Treehouse 2013
94 points | $125 | 1,748 cases made | Red
Combining power and finesse, this is rich and extracted, with a supple yet gutsy core of mineral-laced tannins that weave into a mix of gravelly, loamy earth, juicy blackberry and wild berry. Drink now through 2022.
Officially July 19.
Allocation is live. I am allocated up to 3 bottles of each (Treehouse and Bootlegger’s). Wish list up to 6. Wine is good, and really want to try to Bootlegger’s, but money is a bit tight these days and $125+ is giving me paralysis by analysis. Need to think about this one for a bit.
With tax and shipping, it comes to over $140 per bottle for me.
I’m going to have to do some soul searching!!!
Anybody try Chenoweth Pinot? I bought 1 2012 and 1 2103 Chenoweth Pinot. Blend of Treehouse and Bootlegger’s, plus his Home Ranch (what/where ever that is). Maybe Cirq rejected grapes, but still good? Or maybe he kept some good grapes for himself? At $65 figured worth a shot. Maybe will try on this weekend and see how it tastes-if good maybe will pass on the $125 Cirq and buy more Chenoweth.