They didn’t and had multiple chances to offer to do so. I didn’t ask either because if they’re not going to offer, I’m fine with taking responsibility for my decisions. But I’m also free to choose to not shop there anymore, which I don’t.
I’ve had great experiences with Chambers. Any off bottle of old wine has been immediately refunded without request. Your experience with Chambers is confusing.
I’m not sure where you get the idea they have a high cost structure. On current-release wines, you can often find a lower price in NY, but they’re not wildly out of line; just not on the forefront of discounting. But a high proportion of what they sell now they import themselves, eliminating middlemen, so their cost structure is actually low, and many of those wines offer good value as well as high quality.
Then maybe you should not be opining about the quality of their offerings. Is it just one bad bottle that put you in such a foul mood?
I’ve bought many old wines from them and have had very good luck. There are dozens of other Berserkers who will testify to the same experience. And on a couple of occasions where the wine was far over the hill or corked, they cheerfully refunded my money.
They guarantee their old wines, which gives them an incentive to choose carefully, which they do. Sorry you didn’t know about their refund policy.
I was perplexed as well! I had a positive customer experience with them prior to that instance. They had many chance to offer me a refund or store credit and didn’t after expressing my disappointment.
I second (or third, or fourth) this sentiment - I have bought and enjoyed bottles going back to the '50s from Chambers street, many of which have delivered magical experiences, and in the few cases where bottles have been DOA they refunded without question. Jaimie Wolf, John McIlwain, and the other staff I’ve interacted with have all been great.
Fred - I’m sorry to hear that you had a bad experience, but that is an outlier that is entirely at odds with my many, many interactions with them over the last ~7 years.
-
Among other reasons, having a storefront in Tribeca contributes to a high-cost structure–that’s extremely expensive. So if they sell the same bottle as another store which does not have similar costs (e.g. upstate NY or NJ), they have to sell that bottle at a higher price, all else equal. Then, of course–and this is not specific to them–if the bottle gets shipped from an out-of-state store, it’s possible to save an extra 10% or so on tax. I’d hate to be a commodity retailer in Manhattan competing with stores that sell the same stuff with much lower cost structures. Even if Chambers sells bottles they only have access to, those bottles still compete with other wines, in general, as a matter of opportunity cost. Finally, find some wines they sell that competing non-Manhattan stores sell as well and I’ll show you some big price differences. Why do you think those differences exist, consistently, if not for a higher cost structure?
-
I stated my opinion with the disclaimer. If many other people have good experiences, then my opinion will be given low weight by others. That is fine. I’m not trying to hurt the store, but be upfront about my own experience.
-
I did know their policy and wanted to see if they would honor it without me asking them to. They didn’t. It’s their store and they control the customer experience and they know what they’re doing.
I once had to return a bad bottle to Chambers. A member of their sales staff suggested the bottle was not bad and could not be refunded, but the next day another member of their sales staff said that member erred and apologetically/immediately credited the bottle. I consider them one of the most upstanding of the NYC wine shops and enjoy buying from them, and have total faith in buying their older bottles going forward. No one else that I am aware of even has such a policy at all! They have been willing to execute complicated special orders for me, without any fee. And they protect client allocations of wine, even if those clients are not whales. Interesting offline tasting events to boot.
Agreed. Except it’s been 12 years for me.
1 Like
I suppose I should reconsider my position on Chambers based on the overwhelmingly positive feedback on this thread regarding their older vintages.
You will be outnumbered as far as Chambers experience by a large margin.
They have a great rep here and for good reason.
Looks like AG agreed with you Fred on the Bussia. It’s his highest rated GF 2016.
I have the 15 Villero in the cellar but not looking to open anytime soon.
Have you tried Fratelli Alessandria or F. Rinaldi ? They should be ones you would enjoy based on the list below.
Alessandria’s Monvigliero is a more reasonable cost alternative to Burlotto. I haven’t had it but purchased on others recommendations.
You’ve only mentioned one bottle and have made a bunch of wild assumptions that are completely baseless. You seem to have some kind of grudge and yet zero knowledge of how they source wines or what the provenance and quality of those wines generally is. I would bet I’ve purchased far more aged wines from Chambers St than you have, and my results have almost always been good. Your whole stance here is irrational and bizarre.
1 Like
Yes, I think Frat. Alessandria is just waiting to be discovered. Their Gramolere, from the other side of the DOCG, in Serralunga, is also very good, in a very different style. Those two wines really reflect their very different sites.
While I like Alessandria’s Monvigliero, and it’s a very good wine that I buy in good vintages, I don’t think it’s an alternative to Burlotto’s version, which is a very distinct wine.
Good on you for being willing to reconsider – it’s become too rare an attribute these days. Chambers Street is one of the very best wine shops not just in NYC, but in the country. Jamie Wolff buys most of these older Italian wines directly from cellars in Italy, which he’s usually inspected himself. I’ve opened dozens of bottles and never had a terrible experience. I had an Accomasso leak once during shipment – which can happen with old corks and a trip across the country. They offered to refund the bottle if it wasn’t sound, but it was.
I will say that how you prepare older Nebbiolo for opening matters a lot. A whole lot. These bottles need to be stood up for at least a week – some will say much longer. They throw lots of sediment, and sediment diminishes old Nebbiolo quite a bit. The wines should be decanted off their sediment several hours before serving, and then returned to the bottle. It is very rare for an old Nebbiolo to diminish with moderate or even extended aeration. It’s amazing to observe a 50-year-old wine improve with air – even need air – but this happens often with older Nebbiolo.
Lastly, as has been said upthread – vintage matters a lot. The weather was more variable and the farming not as dialed in as today. There are years that are lighter and just won’t be great wines. In my experience, Chambers Street generally prices those lower, but not at $10. There are folks who want them for birth year, etc. But if you’re looking to drink as well as possible, then sticking to the stronger vintages is a good strategy.
Good luck on your second effort. I hope you get a better result.
I’m just starting to try more of these, but I have to say they are not cheap. The Monvigliero is now about $80, which is pretty much the same as Vajra Bricco. I don’t have enough experience with the Monvigliero to decide yet whether it is worth it, but the Vajra Bricco is my standard at that price point and hard to beat. Would be curious to hear from others who have tried more vintages…
I love BDV as well but am deep into 16 with some new producers like Alessandria’s. I can let you know how it compares in about 6 years ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
I recently purchased some bottles from Chambers and asked the provenance question. They reassured me on their sourcing and informed me they will refund all bad bottles, assuming the purchase was within a reasonable timeframe.
Back to the Fennocchio discussion, has anyone tried any older vintages? Those 82’ riservas looks tempting.
Curious, I went to Vinous and searched the oldest review for Fennocchio, a random 1989 vintage review. AG says “could have been an extraordinary, life-changing wine, but it was marred by dirty barrels.” How horrible, lol.
Yes, I had a bottle or two from the 90s in the mid-2000s and they have a fair deal of VA. I have a high tolerance, and this was at or a tad beyond my tolerance threshold.
The few I’ve had in recent years have been clean, however.