I’m with Paul V , Paul G. CSM likely made their 1975 CS in Grandview (awesome) and Francois Mitjaville makes his Tetre Roeteboueff amazing wines in concrete tanks (as Rick Small told me) too. It’s not the tank’s fault. Tannins are entirely the credit/fault of the winemaker, not their vessels. It’s not the grill’s fault my burgers are dried out; it’s mine.
Many Loire valley wines are fermented and aged in concrete tanks. Anyway, the French don’t celebrate concrete tanks since it’s so common to them.
And I’m seeing wines sales all broken up into highly variable worlds. Dave’s comments are good. Small 45-120 case productions can regularly go for 85-120$. And while buyers do take those wines, many go as singles rarely by the case, which years ago in say 2007, they did. Everything is more changed and tossed around by both distributors, stores selling liquor, and dtc internet sales, plus discounters clearing house email lists like last bottle or Big Hammer Wines. It’s turning into chaos in the sales world and slipping towards the lowest price on lost gallons which inflation squeezes producers from cost of goods below.
CSM was fermenting Cabernet in concrete since the beginning at Grandview. The only facility old enough in Washington to far ahead of the new trend chasers!
For years now they also have 100 ton closed top tanks for Cab. Astonishing technology, roll over cap management and automated unloading of pomace.
Thanks Paul for the background. But I can't say I think that doubling down on concrete and stainless does anything good for Cabernet Sauvignon as far as my taste buds are concerned!
I trend toward premiumization makes sense, as much as I wish it were otherwise. Wine aficionados are predominantly well-to-do to wealthy individuals, who quickly graduate to premium wines or even started there with an expensive gateway wine and never looked back, because why would they? They can afford not to. Demographically, what's missing in any significant numbers are people like me - educated in wine but with minimal disposable income - and younger drinkers (purely po' broke and can't even consider it). The struggle will be keeping wine from devolving back into a rich person's cult hobby. That may be where the money is right now, but it leaves little room for growth. The counter-trend of so much wine needing to find negociants and/or selling off excess stock at hefty discounts pointing toward the downside to the premiumization strategy.
I’m with Paul V , Paul G. CSM likely made their 1975 CS in Grandview (awesome) and Francois Mitjaville makes his Tetre Roeteboueff amazing wines in concrete tanks (as Rick Small told me) too. It’s not the tank’s fault. Tannins are entirely the credit/fault of the winemaker, not their vessels. It’s not the grill’s fault my burgers are dried out; it’s mine.
Many Loire valley wines are fermented and aged in concrete tanks. Anyway, the French don’t celebrate concrete tanks since it’s so common to them.
And I’m seeing wines sales all broken up into highly variable worlds. Dave’s comments are good. Small 45-120 case productions can regularly go for 85-120$. And while buyers do take those wines, many go as singles rarely by the case, which years ago in say 2007, they did. Everything is more changed and tossed around by both distributors, stores selling liquor, and dtc internet sales, plus discounters clearing house email lists like last bottle or Big Hammer Wines. It’s turning into chaos in the sales world and slipping towards the lowest price on lost gallons which inflation squeezes producers from cost of goods below.
CSM was fermenting Cabernet in concrete since the beginning at Grandview. The only facility old enough in Washington to far ahead of the new trend chasers!
For years now they also have 100 ton closed top tanks for Cab. Astonishing technology, roll over cap management and automated unloading of pomace.
Thanks Paul for the background. But I can't say I think that doubling down on concrete and stainless does anything good for Cabernet Sauvignon as far as my taste buds are concerned!
I trend toward premiumization makes sense, as much as I wish it were otherwise. Wine aficionados are predominantly well-to-do to wealthy individuals, who quickly graduate to premium wines or even started there with an expensive gateway wine and never looked back, because why would they? They can afford not to. Demographically, what's missing in any significant numbers are people like me - educated in wine but with minimal disposable income - and younger drinkers (purely po' broke and can't even consider it). The struggle will be keeping wine from devolving back into a rich person's cult hobby. That may be where the money is right now, but it leaves little room for growth. The counter-trend of so much wine needing to find negociants and/or selling off excess stock at hefty discounts pointing toward the downside to the premiumization strategy.
Good points, thanks Dave!