I was at a party last night with a number of key Bordeaux winemakers such as Paul Pontailler of Margaux and Alan Vautier of Ausone, and they were pretty shocked that some of you had not received your 2005 futures. They think you have been had. I hope you get your wines.

I finally got some of my order (Bahans) from Sam's yesterday...Still waiting for my SHL....

Premier Cru says '05 LLC is on the water and they expect another container with '05 Malescot (and some random other old orders of mine) to get filled and be on the water in a couple of days.

quote:

Originally posted by french16:
I finally got some of my order (Bahans) from Sam's yesterday...Still waiting for my SHL....

I'm still waiting for my SHL too from Sams. Misery enjoys company...

If I have recieved all of my futures in Canada over a year ago, I'm pretty sure there is a serious problem with people still waiting.

quote:

I was at a party last night with a number of key Bordeaux winemakers such as Paul Pontailler of Margaux and Alan Vautier of Ausone, and they were pretty shocked that some of you had not received your 2005 futures. They think you have been had. I hope you get your wines.

Thanks for asking James. Somewhere out there, either the negotiants, distributors or retailers know what happened. Why are my wines still out on order? Nobody knows, but it doesn't help give people confidence to invest in the next vintage. I'm hesitant to lay more money down for another vintage when my 2005 is not in my cellar.

this is horrible. I hope that everyone who purchases from these rogue retailers do not again. Shame on you Premier Cru!!!!

quote:

Originally posted by mareff:
this is horrible. I hope that everyone who purchases from these rogue retailers do not again. Shame on you Premier Cru!!!!

Also not pleased with premier cru, but most with experience seem to have no worries about not getting their wine. Also, is buying 'pre-arrival' from a grey market suppliers really the same as ordering futures?

quote:

Originally posted by french16:
I finally got some of my order (Bahans) from Sam's yesterday...Still waiting for my SHL....

I got mine the other week. If you have at least a sixer, I'd seriously think of cracking one as a reference. I have (had) a sixer, and was glad I did. Not so with my other '05s.

quote:

Originally posted by James Suckling:
I was at a party last night with a number of key Bordeaux winemakers such as Paul Pontailler of Margaux and Alan Vautier of Ausone, and they were pretty shocked that some of you had not received your 2005 futures. They think you have been had. I hope you get your wines.

James, seriously, it probably warrants a blog, or if the problem is really that wide spread, a regular article.

People need to purchase futures from reputable retailers. I bought from both Zachys and Acker Merrill. I received everything in October. Just my two cents

mareff I don't think the problem is rouge retailers. Almost all my futures were purchased from large retailers who I have had no problems with until the 2005 vintage. Also, in the case of Binnys I have received 7 out of 9 orders of 6 bottle lots. Sam's I have received 15 out of 20 orders and with PC I have received 2 out of 3. I have had better luck with east coast retailers but they cost more, and with the 2005 vintage they were sometimes very overpriced.

My incentive for buying 2005 futures from Premier Cru:

2005 Malescot: $69.95/bottle (Zachys: $150)
2005 Kirwan magnum: $103.00 (Zachys: $180)
2005 LLC: $275 (ouch... I forgot I paid that much) (Zachys: $420)

2004 LLC bottles were $77.99 and magnums $159.00... They came in beautiful shape and much closer to "on-time"... Why wouldn't I buy 2005s? I didn't know they'd be this late.

Regarding doing an article, James... I'd love to know the mechanics behind the acquisition and shipping process... How big these containers are... how long they might sit as they get filled... how much it costs an importer to ship a container (per bottle)... where the slower retailers are getting the wine from... what scams to watch out for. Could go a lot of directions. But instead of drinking fine wine in a fine restaurant with nice people, you'd have to get a disguise and dress like a dock worker and do stake-outs. I can see why you might hesitate.

And I'd like to say a belated, "Thanks!" to James Suckling for slipping some hints about some excellent 2005s to focus on.

Lentini, was that first tranche prices? I did not realize that PC was that much less expensive than others

I bought Pontet Canet at $75.00 and Cos at $175

Yes, those were from Premier Cru's very initial offerings. I'm not sure if they qualify literally as first tranche if the wines come via some sort of gray market route.

The Zachys prices I listed are their current prices... I don't know their first tranche pricing. Sometimes Zachys can have decent prices (sometimes grossly not), but even their best is $10/20 more than cheapest. Of course in some cases that is worth it for their reliability and quality.

I ordered my 2007 Las Cases from Zachys, in fact. (*blush*, yes I got a 2007 bordeaux on futures)

yeah, getting WS to do an article is a great idea, that way if PC is doing something unseemly then they will get shut down and none of us will get our wine.

Premier may be slow, but they have some of the best prices on the web. And they always respond to my inquiries.
IMO, not to worry, the wine are coming.

I spoke to some wine merchants and chateau owners this week in Bordeaux on how you have not been delivered your 2005 futures yet, and they were really shocked. Most have already shipped their 2006s to the states. YOU ARE IN TROUBLE.

It's a good thing the 2005 Bordeaux won't mature until at least 2015.

quote:

Originally posted by James Suckling:
I spoke to some wine merchants and chateau owners this week in Bordeaux on how you have not been delivered your 2005 futures yet, and they were really shocked. Most have already shipped their 2006s to the states. YOU ARE IN TROUBLE.

Hopefully, someone will revive this thread in a few months, maybe October, or so, and see how many people actually got screwed and how many actually received their wines between now and then.

I am only waiting on one magnum, everything else is delivered, but I am very interested in this topic, and I will be sure to report back when I get mine.

I was told by Sams 5-7 weeks yet for my Ch. Talbot... that would be first week of May,,, when I again email a followup and am told they will fill it soon....

Premier Cru has been giving me the "container is on the water" line concerning my LLC for nine months and counting. Funny, because I could swear I saw this wine on their web site at much higher market prices for awhile...

So, the other day I stop into my favorite LWS and check up on the status of my delinquent '05 Leoville Poyferre. The manager, who thought they'd show up in March with the already-arrived '06 Poyferre (and '05 magnums incidently), finally scratched his head, and generously offered me an equivalent value of any wines he's got in stock, at his cost.

So, I basically converted the cash I spent on futures of a six-pack of Poyferre into nine bottles of '05 Smith-Haut-Lafitte Blanc, plus a very cheap bottle of '05 Doisy-Vedrines. End result: I'm happy (I LOVE both wines), and they're happy, as they would have gone out and paid retail for the Poyferre if I'd insisted.

I am still waiting on 2 bottles of Haut Bergey, and the store acknowledged that they are having an issue with it, so I had them ship the balance of the wine they were holding for me as we had a bit of a cool spell and that is probably it for shipping here until late Fall. I would expect to receive the 2 bottles later or get a refund. No big deal to me as that one has not gone up in price and was a minimal outlay.