When you are selling wines that approach 4-figure prices, the market is not particularly price- (or value-)sensitive. There are doubtless many consumers who will pay whatever it takes to get each new vintage of Arnoux-Lachaux Reignots, without a single consideration of rising prices.
Ignoring the multiple egos of VR and prices that often reflect what a neighbour is getting for wine X 'so I should have more for wine Y’
Since the start of Charles taking on the winemaking and moving front of house, he has consistently told me that he thinks that his Reignots is his favourite wine from the range, and in multiple vintages, from barrel, he has had a point - with the current raw materials and his approach to winemaking. Will that quality difference (vs their RSV) still be reflected when the wine is 10-20-years-old? Well, in the future it will only be people with deeper pockets than I that will decide that, but such is life. Certainly, Charles has invested; planting a small area of ‘en friche’ where there was once just an almond tree in Reignots, and made a very high-density planting here - still a little young for the big wine, but again, time will tell.
So whilst Liger-Belair and Lachaux/Arnoux may have the closest vines to the grand cru of La Romanée (but LB’s stretch higher up the slope), who is to say, in a warming world, that above is not now better than below - ie RSV - Charles is now charging more for the wine that he actually believes to be the better wine. If it was only about money he would be charging more for his RSV because it’s closer to RC, than his Reignots because it’s close to La Romanée…
[Edit] Actually, La Romanée is quite narrow, so Charles’ Reignots is probably closer to RC than his RSV is!
A few comments:
- Comparing Reignots 2015 to Reignots 2007 to claim huge improvement at the property is … a bit disingeneous…This happened for a lot of wines…
- To second guess the impact of wine making changes on the long term future of the wine is ambitious
- Clearly, as Bill notes, the few vines planted at high density where the tree was is not going to have any impact on wine quality any time soon
- As often noted, Vosne Gaudichots being very close/touching to la Tache does not result in wines of equivalent quality. And 200 meters is a very long distance in Cote d’or. We have many such claims (even some wine merchants claiming Combe d’Orveaux villages is close to Musigny confusing it with the 1er cru…)
So, what is left? Charles Lachaux is investing a lot there and hopes to get a return on his investment maybe prematurely… but who could blame him? Good for him if he succeeds in his marketing repositioning… as for the quality, as Bill says, some will know in 20 years whether this was a good bet (I’ll probably not be around or in a poor state then…)… There are a lot a great proven wines this kind of money can buy… especially now…
Friends,
Me too I was quite shocked when I saw the new price tag REIGNOTS holds. Having been a loyal client there since grandad ROBERT was still alive I hope that the old faithfull customers are not dropped in favour of new cash-cows. Roumier, Rousseau -to name but a few- have always been loyal to faithfull customers. I am afraid CHARLES took a wrong example following LALOU’S steps. Good when speaking of high quality Burgs. Disastrous when speaking of prices…And it is not that the wines were that cheap in the days of father Pascal…
SINCERELY JOHAN
Friends,
Did not want to start a new thread on the 2009s so I add my notes here.
Had a perfect REIGNOTS 2009 from LIGER BELAIR. Reminded me a bit of LA TACHE. Enormous finesse, deeply concentrated, aftertaste that lingered on and on. My friends scored it 98/100
Afterwards : a thrilling RUCHOTTES CHAMBERTIN 2009 from C Roumier. Light on its feet enormously profound. 98/100
A perfect evening thanks to my good friend FRANK (who is the main sponsor of my local basketball team) and his brother CARL.
SINCERELY JOHAN
Not to go off on a tangent but isn’t Duvalt blochet the most expensive 1er?
no. Cros and Roumier Amoureuses are.
Yeah probably right.
But Leroy 1ers creeping up there.
d’Auvenay and Coche Perrieres if you include whites
Fwiw back vintage arnoux-lachaux is now skyrocketing in price as well.
FWIW A-L shifted the release date of their vintage 2020 to fall 2023 … allocation in spring 2023 …
(seems they are liquid enough …)