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I have been on the waiting (and waiting, and waiting) list at Saxum Vinyards since their wine was declared #1 by Wine Spectator.
I received this E-mail today...I just couldn't resist sharing.
Greetings Saxum Wait List Members,
We are grateful for your continued patience and interest in purchasing our wines. Regrettably, we were unable to send you an allocation during our release this summer. At the moment, the average wait time is 4-6 years from your sign-up date. Sorry to send out disappointing news, we just like to let you know we still have your contact information and hope to send you an offer in the future.
Best Wishes,
Justin & Heather Smith
“Faster, Faster, until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death.” - Hunter S. Thompson
"I couldn't find the sports car of my dreams, so I built it myself." ~Dr. Ferdinand Porsche
"968Forums, a quaint little drinking community with a serious horsepower problem"
"Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn-out, shouting, 'Holy sh*t! What a ride!'"- Unknown
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A perfect example of Wine Marketing 101. A high score from wine spectator or some other similar rating source enables the winemaker to create an aura of exclusivity. This only works if your palate is comparable to the wine spectators palate, which, where California Wines are concerned tends to favor big high alcohol fruit bombs.
The beauty of creating this level of exclusivity is that the wine is all sold out before it is even released which means the winemaker has the money in his pocket before he delivers the product. This is an enviable situation because you know in advance that you'll sell everything you produce at an inflated price. the problem is you'd better be able to produce the same product year after year which also means that you'll be doing some "enhancements" from time to time in order to duplicate the product.
Chris Vais
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[quote name='Rap' timestamp='1378333679' post='148720']
If you die tomorrow will you have enjoyed the waiting list more than the thousands of potential great bottles of wine you might have purchased and enjoyed?
[/quote]
RAP,
You know better than to think I'm sitting on the sidelines waiting to drink this single wine. My cellar runneth over...and when it doesn't I go out and purchase more. Melva and I have, in the last 12 months, been to; Oregon for Pinot Noir, Charlottesville for the Barboursville Octagon (among others), New York Finger Lakes, and Santa Barbara/Paso Robles...no grass growing under our wine stomping feet <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.png" class="smilie" alt="" />
I'm always on the hunt for small, carefully crafted, low volume, high quality wines. I like to see the vines and the operation as part of the process. It is very difficult (especially living in PA) to put hands on some of these without actually visiting wineries and then joining wine clubs. I like to study and chase (almost) as much as I like to drink.
Next Spring/Summer we make our first foray into Europe for their wines.
The fun continues,
Jay
“Faster, Faster, until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death.” - Hunter S. Thompson
"I couldn't find the sports car of my dreams, so I built it myself." ~Dr. Ferdinand Porsche
"968Forums, a quaint little drinking community with a serious horsepower problem"
"Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn-out, shouting, 'Holy sh*t! What a ride!'"- Unknown
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On the subject of boxed wines, there are some pretty good European wines that come in boxes. Unfortunately, the same can't be said about American wines, but that may change. Winemaking is essentially a green industry, until you get to the packaging and distribution of wine. You would think the CO2 generated during the fermentation process would be the biggest greenhouse gas contributor, but it isn't. It is the transportation and distribution of wines.
To deal with this, we have started using light weight glass bottles. Gone are the days of the heavy bottles that were supposed to convey a sense o quality. We are going to enter into a program with some of the wine bars that serve our wines to supply wine to them is a tank similar to a beer keg. Cheaper shipping costs, the tanks are refillable, and the quality of wine is unaffected.
Most people buy wine and drink it within a matter of days form the date of purchase. Very few of us, in the US, lay down wines for aging so putting wine that will be consumed sooner rather than later in a box makes really good sense. I can think of no good reason why "Two Buck Chuck" or any other product that comes from Bronco Wines should be put in anything other than a box. The wine has no aging potential at all. It does not need to be in bottle with a cork other than for the fact that it exudes a sense of quality which is betrayed the instant you open the bottle and pour a glass.
Chris Vais
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One of my favorite wines is Benton Lane (Oregon Pinot) and I still cringe when I see the screw top. This is on their "First Class" (the best of the best).
I still have wines from the 80's in my cellar...they would stack really well if they were in boxes <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/glare.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />
Jay
“Faster, Faster, until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death.” - Hunter S. Thompson
"I couldn't find the sports car of my dreams, so I built it myself." ~Dr. Ferdinand Porsche
"968Forums, a quaint little drinking community with a serious horsepower problem"
"Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn-out, shouting, 'Holy sh*t! What a ride!'"- Unknown
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Here is Benton Lane's explanation.
Jay
“Faster, Faster, until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death.” - Hunter S. Thompson
"I couldn't find the sports car of my dreams, so I built it myself." ~Dr. Ferdinand Porsche
"968Forums, a quaint little drinking community with a serious horsepower problem"
"Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn-out, shouting, 'Holy sh*t! What a ride!'"- Unknown
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I think the Benton Lane explanation that Jay attached is as good an explanation I have seen. The greater change that occurs in red wine as it ages is that some of the tannin precipitates out, which is why you always decant older red wine. The fruit forward flavors of a young wine recede into the background and the flavors associated with the vilification process, referred to as vinuosity in technical wine tasting terms, come forward, dominating the wines nose and palate, as you swallow the mouthful you should the flavors of the fruit on the "return" as it is prefer to in technical wine tasting. Corks do permit a small amount of oxygen to enter the bottle, provided the cork doesn't deteriorate with age, but remember that contact with oxygen is the enemy of all wines and it is the reason that we go to great lengths at all stages of the production process to avoid oxygen contact. I don't believe that oxygen is essential to a wines proper aging so to me screw caps make sense. We don't currently use them, because it would require an expensive equipment change that we can't afford at the moment.
The biggest impediment to converting to screw caps is the perception of quality. The public's perception is that if the wine comes with a screw cap its probably going to taste like "Night Train".
Chris Vais
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+ 2 Years, I am now 1/3 to 1/2 of the way towards my first allocation :glare:
<p style="font-size:15px;color:rgb(96,96,96);font-family:Helvetica;">Greetings Saxum Wait List Members,
<p style="font-size:15px;color:rgb(96,96,96);font-family:Helvetica;">We are grateful for your continued patience and interest in purchasing our wines. Regrettably, we were unable to send you an allocation during our release this summer. At the moment, the average wait time is 4-6 years from your sign-up date. Sorry to send out disappointing news, we just like to let you know we still have your contact information and hope to send you an offer in the future.
<p style="font-size:15px;color:rgb(96,96,96);font-family:Helvetica;">
Best Wishes,
<p style="font-size:15px;color:rgb(96,96,96);font-family:Helvetica;">Justin & Heather Smith
Saxum Vineyards
“Faster, Faster, until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death.” - Hunter S. Thompson
"I couldn't find the sports car of my dreams, so I built it myself." ~Dr. Ferdinand Porsche
"968Forums, a quaint little drinking community with a serious horsepower problem"
"Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn-out, shouting, 'Holy sh*t! What a ride!'"- Unknown
(This post was last modified: 08-27-2015, 11:32 AM by
94SilverCab.)
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I can hardly wait for the honor of paying +/-$150/bottle...and yes, I will purchase my full allocation when it becomes available...as long as the color matches my shoes :glare:
Jay
“Faster, Faster, until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death.” - Hunter S. Thompson
"I couldn't find the sports car of my dreams, so I built it myself." ~Dr. Ferdinand Porsche
"968Forums, a quaint little drinking community with a serious horsepower problem"
"Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn-out, shouting, 'Holy sh*t! What a ride!'"- Unknown
