Sunday, May 31, 2009

It’s low… very low … very low, even lower if at all possible

A famous cru I won’t mention (to be kind) does not communicate export analysis of its wine for Japan even though it is sold on the open market!
It's already tough to be denied such analysis for wine produced and sold with an exclusive distribution, nevertheless we were able to buy some from a merchant, private customers, at a private auction, and even on the open market. It is also hard to have to sacrifice one of these expensive bottles for tests that are intended to endorse a system of state protection, but when it is for a wine sold on the open market, it is a good reason to be angry, no?
These tests exist.
They are always made by chateaux exporting their wine - so why refuse and make it difficult to sell these wines whose reputation can only benefit from the free movement in the 2nd hand trade.
So this year when wine is particularly difficult to sell, I decided not offer this cru 2nd hand!

Equally surprising, the demands from some of the crus for information on places where their wines are being sold. With 36 bottles of their 1er cru 1855, sold in boxes of 6 bottles from our basic allocation plus 60 bottles purchased, we had to bother over 16 customers in 10 different countries.
This wine produces more than 100,000 bottles and makes sure to remind me each time a little more how low they think of me, even though I’ve been a loyal customer for over 20 years and even bought 240 bottles in 1998 (yes I did), but with successive harvests lower as well as its 1st and 2nd, 3rd, 4th sales installment the satellite crus don’t have enough wine for my small wholesale business. It’s certain that I am not enough of a threat for it doesn’t even give me a minimum of "respect".

One thing for sure though is that small streams feed into large rivers, but as I don’t play golf and have no second house in the Arcachon basin, my "privileges" are close to zero.

I jokingly say that I will be forced to sell wine of these Chateaux whose stocks are being depleted before being released and whose inventory is being sold to investment funds. It will lead to possible backlashes.

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