What is the most egregious wine pricing you have seen?

[JamieBahrain]

Just ordered a 2005 Torbreck The Laird at $1000AUD per bottle .

[TiggerK]

Just ordered a 2005 Torbreck The Laird at $1000AUD per bottle .

[JamieBahrain]

Yep that's how I feel. But it's for a Run Rig vertical with my wine group.

[Ian S]

Sense (Jamie's wine group) < Money (Jamie's wine group)

[michel]

Just ordered a 2005 Torbreck The Laird at $1000AUD per bottle .

More expensive than magnum of 2010 Vogue Musigny

[sjw_11]

This may be a contender:

"We are delighted to share a unique piece of Yalumba history. A hand-crafted Octave Barrel, housing 12 vintages of our flagship Shiraz, The Octavius.

Our Cooper Shaun Gibson and Carpenter Rolf Egert created the half Octave Barrel to showcase the 12 bottles of our Rare and Fine Old Vine Shiraz. This collection includes a bottle of the yet-to-be released and much anticipated 2013 vintage.

Following an invitation last year to taste through all 20 vintages of The Octavius, wine writer David Brookes said:
"The chance to try a retrospective tasting of an iconic Australian wine is both a privilege and a fascinating exposure to the evolution of a wine's style over the years, while remaining true to its bloodline. This is certainly true of Yalumba The Octavius. Those early wines were aged in 90-litre American oak octaves, and today they look spectacular."

Anyone keen, it will be auctioned:
http://www.barossa.com/wine/barossa-win ... rs-auction

[Ian S]

Actually quite a neat idea, after all it allows you to sniff and lick the barrel, to get an accurate representation of the wines still in their bottles.

[michel]

Actually quite a neat idea, after all it allows you to sniff and lick the barrel, to get an accurate representation of the wines still in their bottles.

Brilliant

[Rossco]

It was about 10 years ago, but still cuts deep.

I was at a well known japanese restautant in Crown (Melbourne) looking at the wine list.

Bottle of current release Tahbilk Cab Sav was about $ 55

At that time, the big green warehouse was retailing at $ 13.50

[Cloth Ears]

My sister tells the story of when they moved and started frequenting a bottle-shop in Pakenham in the early '00's - they had a lot of 'old wine' which they had in specials bins that no-one wanted. Older things, like 15yo Wolf Blass black label at half the original price, etc. Because no-one down that way wanted anything old, they wanted new wines or beer.

Needless to say, this story was only wheeled out AFTER the afore-mentioned bottle-o had been cleaned out.

Egregious, yes, but for the retailer, not the purchaser.

[sjw_11]

Just thinking about the winery category. Dave Powell would have to be a candidate for this in his new Powell & Son venture. Two 2015 shiraz labels (Marananga and Flaxman Valley) for $750pb. He's setting the bar high. Not much track record yet, although he does have prior form at Torbreck of course.

Just saw an offer on these... a Victorian merchant is doing an introductory discount: knocked down from $750 to a mere $677 a bottle.

Lisa Perotti-Brown has given one of them 97pts and the other 99pts so I guess they will sell.

Particularly aggressive even relative is the Grenache:
Powell & Son Brennecker Grenache 2015 $275 $270

Even their Roussane Marsanne has an RRP of $50 which must make it one of the most expensive white wines in Australia with zero pedigree!

[RobK]

Bringing this topic back to ground, I thought the pricing of 1996 Penfolds Bin 28 at Rockpool Bar and Grill was fairly outrageous at $150 pb when it was sold for around $15 pb.

Gulp

That's insane

[phillisc]

Just thinking about the winery category. Dave Powell would have to be a candidate for this in his new Powell & Son venture. Two 2015 shiraz labels (Marananga and Flaxman Valley) for $750pb. He's setting the bar high. Not much track record yet, although he does have prior form at Torbreck of course.

Malcolm, something tells me that this is not going to last very long.

Speaking of restaurants, Jim Barry Watervale on the list for $42...$7 across the road in the pub.

Cheers
Craig

[Ian S]

Lisa Perotti-Brown has given one of them 97pts and the other 99pts so I guess they will sell.

Hmm, not so sure of that. Judging by what's circling the drain in the local auction scene, there will be a good few investors / speculators that got caught out by Parker (and then Miller) getting carried away with scoring wines of a certain style. I very much doubt LPB has anywhere near the influence of those days, nor the local commentators. Indeed how much would you trust the palate of someone who tastes 900 Sonoma wines in a week?

[Diddy]

2012 Hill of Grace just offered at $825

[Hunter]

Mates rates, $580. Im getting onboard.
Still extreme tho ..

[Polymer]

Indeed how much would you trust the palate of someone who tastes 900 Sonoma wines in a week?

People do all the time...You don't know how many these people have tasted when they 're doing their trips...and yet some people trust what they're saying...Personally I don't care what they say about a wine so it makes no difference to me...

That said, it isn't that hard to do 100+ in a full day..not at all...

The hard part is actually writing notes for them while you're tasting them...So assuming a huge chunk of those are given NR...and then the ones that meet the cut but not special and given a very generic write up...and more time is spent on the special ones..it can probably work out...time spent tasting those wines would also follow a similar path...so NR ones you spend less time with...better ones you spend more...

You build up the amount of wine you can taste in a day with experience in doing it...I don't mean experience with wine, I actually mean experience in tasting many wines over the course of a day...which I'm sure these professionals have done over the course of their careers...

[phillisc]

Mates rates, $580. Im getting onboard.
Still extreme tho ..

Some value there perhaps at 30% off
Cheers
Craig

[Mark Carrington]

This thread unfailingly cheers me up. There is nowt as strange as folk

[Hunter]

Just thinking about the winery category. Dave Powell would have to be a candidate for this in his new Powell & Son venture. Two 2015 shiraz labels (Marananga and Flaxman Valley) for $750pb. He's setting the bar high. Not much track record yet, although he does have prior form at Torbreck of course.

Good on him i rekon. I recently tried the whole range with dave, i was impressed..
We all F up .. and we all deserve a second chance. I wish all the best to him.. and wel all be reading about his son in years to come.

[Rory]

Back on topic.. there's a wealthy bloke on the Mornington Peninsula who is trying to flog his Chardonnay & Pinot at $45 wholesale (so about $70 retail)
The Chardonnay is so full of oak it splinters your teeth, the Pinot is average at best.
He has "rich mates" that will buy his wine, so he proposes.

No need to name the label, but it is a story of blind arrogance and a nod to how poor the palates must be in his rich mates.

[Mahmoud Ali]

2012 Hill of Grace is offered at $825 a bottle and at $580 a bottle it is a good deal. However twenty years later an equivalent wine costing $50 bests the Hill of Grace in a blind tasting.

Who would have guessed?

[JamieBahrain]

2012 Hill of Grace is offered at $825 a bottle and at $580 a bottle it is a good deal. However twenty years later an equivalent wine costing $50 bests the Hill of Grace in a blind tasting.

Who would have guessed?

Not me ! HofG is a definitive wine and there's nothing I've seen come close at $50.

Sadly, I've put my sizable collection of HofG up many times, in structured tastings, blind and vertical and in a number of offlines to prove how darn good this wine is when immaculately cellared. I've only shared "a" bottle with a great friend and "a" bottle with my wife. Down to only 8 bottles now which are entirely reserved for my closest. I actually have a lot of regrets putting these wines up generously as they are tough to replace at $800 and the scenario actually makes me question my cellar in some ways .

[phillisc]

A profound post...however, even the greatest wines are all consumed at some stage.
As for price don't get me started...perhaps with the departure of the chef from the HoG restaurant this week(with a decline in reservations) has increased cost pressures.
Stupid concept anyway.

Cheers
Craig

[Mahmoud Ali]

2012 Hill of Grace is offered at $825 a bottle and at $580 a bottle it is a good deal. However twenty years later an equivalent wine costing $50 bests the Hill of Grace in a blind tasting.

Who would have guessed?

Not me ! HofG is a definitive wine and there's nothing I've seen come close at $50.

Sadly, I've put my sizable collection of HofG up many times, in structured tastings, blind and vertical and in a number of offlines to prove how darn good this wine is when immaculately cellared. I've only shared "a" bottle with a great friend and "a" bottle with my wife. Down to only 8 bottles now which are entirely reserved for my closest. I actually have a lot of regrets putting these wines up generously as they are tough to replace at $800 and the scenario actually makes me question my cellar in some ways .

I've no doubt that the HoG is a very fine wine however there are other old vine shiraz wines from single vineyards that are also well made. Each has it's own maturation trajectory where it reaches its apogee. At blind tastings it is very possible that some of these wines, like a Wendouree, a Meshach, or a St Henri, could provide an equivalent level of pleasure or satifaction as a HoG. And over time, and at different tastings, the results could easily be different.

As for the price of wines, it is something relative and flexible, based on demand, market conditions, and of course affordability. The HoG is priced for its rarity and reputation and just as HoG can be discounted from $825 to $580, so can other wines. As you pointed out:

Mature Cullens turning up in Hong Kong $50 retail !! It's murder for the Aussie fine wine industry or perhaps just another one of those dodgy wine investment schemes gone bust? I'm shocked at what $50 buying- Meshach, Tahbilk Old Vines....

Over the years I have paid $50 and less for my Meshach, Aberfeldy, Langmeil Freedom, and the Dead Arm, and just slightly more for my recent St Henri. I cannot imagine trading them for a single bottle of HoG, as fine as it might be. Of course if I could afford all of them ..... then it would be a different story.

Cheers .......................... Mahmoud.

[felixp21]

Lots of crazy pricing thru the years, most often seen in the so-called "top-end" restaurants.
Recently saw a bottle of Leroux Volnay PC on the list in that sky-high culinary tribute to pretentiousness in Melbourne for $490, the same bottle retailing in HK for the equivalent of AUD $65. The whole list in that place is, honestly, laughable.
To be fair, though, some of Australia's best restaurants actually have great wine lists at particularly decent value, Attica being the prime example.

[felixp21]

2012 Hill of Grace is offered at $825 a bottle and at $580 a bottle it is a good deal. However twenty years later an equivalent wine costing $50 bests the Hill of Grace in a blind tasting.

Who would have guessed?

Not me ! HofG is a definitive wine and there's nothing I've seen come close at $50.

Sadly, I've put my sizable collection of HofG up many times, in structured tastings, blind and vertical and in a number of offlines to prove how darn good this wine is when immaculately cellared. I've only shared "a" bottle with a great friend and "a" bottle with my wife. Down to only 8 bottles now which are entirely reserved for my closest. I actually have a lot of regrets putting these wines up generously as they are tough to replace at $800 and the scenario actually makes me question my cellar in some ways .

although no longer much of a shiraz drinker, Amon Ra from 04,05 and 06 are wines that reached the pinnacle of SA shiraz, and I don't think they were much more than $50. Never had them up against HoG or Grange, but it might be an interesting exercise.
agree that the HK wine markets are flooded with top end Aussie stuff, talking to a few of the guys at Prowine the other day, it seems that the stuff just doesn't sell (other than Grange HoG and 707). Market much more receptive to the middle and lower end wines from Aus.

[sjw_11]

Not even the most expensive Laird referred to in this thread, but I just noticed the email from the once Ultimo wine cellars now corporate behemoth offering the 2012 Laird at $809.99 which gets a nod for three reasons: 1) I once bought a car that cost less than that; 2) why on earth the 9.99??; 3) the kind offer of 10% off if you buy 6....

I could also nominate this quote for my wine marketing hyperbole thread: "this vineyard also has an "X factor" which gives the wine an extra something that cannot be fully explained"...

[dave vino]

Blind Freddy could see the X-Factor in this vineyard, just look at it, scrrrrreeeeeaming with X-Factor, I was half expecting to bump into Simon Cowell.

[Ian S]

Not even the most expensive Laird referred to in this thread, but I just noticed the email from the once Ultimo wine cellars now corporate behemoth offering the 2012 Laird at $809.99 which gets a nod for three reasons: 1) I once bought a car that cost less than that; 2) why on earth the 9.99??; 3) the kind offer of 10% off if you buy 6....

I could also nominate this quote for my wine marketing hyperbole thread: "this vineyard also has an "X factor" which gives the wine an extra something that cannot be fully explained"...

...that would be the price. Inexplicable.