quote:

Originally posted by CSM:

quote:

Originally posted by KSC02:
Their website still refers to the May release.
I received the printed material yesterday.

I changed the dates and submitted via email this morning.

That's what I did as well (changed the order form dates).

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Originally posted by KSC02:

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Originally posted by CSM:

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Originally posted by KSC02:
Their website still refers to the May release.
I received the printed material yesterday.

I changed the dates and submitted via email this morning.

That's what I did as well (changed the order form dates).

Guilty of this as well.

Admittedly odd that the catalog is received by the public before the website can keep up.
You'd think someone might nudge the web guy awake

It really doesn't matter when the catalogue goes online or when it's received by snail mail. Lots of time before the Oct. 20th order deadline.

My reference is regarding a clear lack of continuity regarding the dissemination of important information. Taking into consideration several of the releases involved, this is indeed a big one for the LCBO.

Never good for any business to look amateurishly disorganized. Never.

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I can start by eliminating 2 I would love to buy but are priced out of my comfort zone...2004 Grange $499 and 2006 Masseto $399.

I had thought about picking up 05 Grange when it comes out but at those prices I might as well search for it in the US...

quote:

Originally posted by KSC02:
My reference is regarding a clear lack of continuity regarding the dissemination of important information. Taking into consideration several of the releases involved, this is indeed a big one for the LCBO.

Never good for any business to look amateurishly disorganized. Never.

As far as I can recall, LCBO has never emphasized its web sales channel and the tree killing copy have always come out in advance of the electronic version. Nothing new here.

As far as your "never" statement is concerned, I agree 99.99%. The 0.01% applies to LCBO as this has been their modus operandi forever and looking amateurish is not a material concern when your customers are guaranteed. They are not a regular business as they go in a free market economy. I'm kinda surprised you're realizing this now.

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Originally posted by Machine:
Is this thing online anywhere? I have not got mailing yet

It's now up on the website here.

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Originally posted by Stevey:
I'm kinda surprised you're realizing this now.

Agreed. No surprise regarding any Canadian government monopoly. My attempt at making a point.

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Originally posted by Sweatred:

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I can start by eliminating 2 I would love to buy but are priced out of my comfort zone...2004 Grange $499 and 2006 Masseto $399.

I had thought about picking up 05 Grange when it comes out but at those prices I might as well search for it in the US...

WL selling for $375USD

Catalogue is Here.

The price of the Masseto is actually very good when compared to the first prices coming out in Europe and England at over $800 Cdn. There are 480 bottles and 15 magnums.Just a note, I talked to the importer of Flaccianello today and was told that Vintages will not receive the 2006 vintage. Shame, because it scores 99 pts by J.S. and will be a great wine of the year. Buy now from the States, mine are arriving at the store this week.$95 US.

Ouch, this one could be expensive. Or maybe not at all if I don't get much of what I order.

FWIW... I've regularly submitted my orders on the last possible day. I usually get some of the wines on my list.

I think it all depends on how popular the wine you want is. It's got a 98 point rating or higher no matter the cost, chances are that you won't get it.

All this discussion of when to send in an order, how to best play the system triggered a psychology 101 memory for me. Are you familiar with that psychology experiment involving rats pushing a lever to obtain a reward of a food pellet? When the pattern is predictable, such as a pellet after every tenth push, rats will not play this game as long and determinedly as when the reward comes after a variable (random) number of pushes. A variable number of tries until being rewarded is also the best way to keep humans hooked. This is the basis on which slot machines operate and, it seems...the Classics program. The LCBO may not be that dumb after all – they’ve got this rat hooked, every couple years or so throwing me another pellet. And by the sounds of it, the rest of this thread’s contributors as well.

I like the analogy between getting wine from the Classics catalogue and rat pellets. Good thing my wife doesn't read this forum though!

I have spent a few days this week at the Fonte de Medici in Tuscany on a work layover and I have had a chance to snoop around some of the wine shops here. None of them had yet received the 2006 Masseto, although all were expecting it in shortly. I have gotten on somewhat familiar terms with some of them, so I asked what their pricing would be. All were rather cagey on this topic, saying somewhere between 300 and 400 Euros ($480-640 CAD). One said it should be approximately €250 ($400 CAD), but would more likely end up at €300+.

So the moral of the story is that the LCBO price may be as good as it gets. It will depend on what the market response is, but I have a feeling that the import brokers and Ornellaia will hang tough on this. The best price I can find for the 2004 Masseto (rated similarly to the 06) in Italy is $500 CAD. I believe the US pricing is the same if not higher.

As an aside, the pricing on the 06 Flaccianello is getting a bit slippery since its WS99 rating came out. It is hard to find in Castellina in Chianti and the price has slid up to €60. I was able to find it at a shop in Radda for €40, but I don't know if they had any more left by the time I walked to my car.

Wines which get bid up by high ratings are the place we do get 'value' from the LCBO - if you can get the wine in the first instance. With Masseto's high price tag, you should have a decent chance.

So open up your hearts, minds, and wallets...

I agree with on the wine that the '06 Masseto is a good price at $400 CDN as the market it pushing this price high due to its lineage, Parker's glowing review and 99 score. I expect this wine to be lottery destined.

Re the Flaccianello, I don't know why the LCBO is passing on this vintage. They also passed on the 2004 which got big ratings as well but the relatively lowly rated 2005, IIRC, appeared on May 2009 Classics. Don't understand what their buyers are thinking. I ended up buying the '04 Flaccianello in Hong Kong and probably the '06 as well as US prices are already too high.

My efforts to limit purchases lately have een unexpectedly successful so I will continue the trend and buy only some Montes Purple Angel, which I've been dying to try for years, loving quality carmenere as I do. Not that I won't also ask for some of the high-end chateauneufs-du-pape, but expectations of actually getting any are pretty low. Which is fine because the Vintages auction, and upcoming regular releases will severely test my new-found buying discipline....

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Originally posted by Stevey:
I agree with on the wine that the '06 Masseto is a good price at $400 CDN as the market it pushing this price high due to its lineage, Parker's glowing review and 99 score. I expect this wine to be lottery destined.

Parker did NOT rate the 2006 Masseto. Antonio Galloni takes care of the Italian beat for WA. Please stop attributing reviews to someone that didn't write the note.

Personally, AG99 is WAY more valuable to me from a qualitative perspective on Italian wine than RP99.

The LCBO did not pass on the Flaccianello 2006, the importer will not give any to the LCBO to sell. It's on back order now through the importer. I have bought 9 so far; 3 from the States at $95 US and 6 through the Ontario agent at $87Cdn. The SAQ will eventually get it. My favorite Italian wine scores 99pts, remains under a hundred bucks and will surely be wine of the year, wow, Xmas came early. The Masseto is a steal, spend lads spend

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Originally posted by futronic:

Parker did NOT rate the 2006 Masseto. Antonio Galloni takes care of the Italian beat for WA. Please stop attributing reviews to someone that didn't write the note.
...

Yes, apologies for being so imprecise with my attributions and I will stop immediately. When I say Parker, I meant Parker's WA in the same way that sometimes I refer WS instead of Suckling or Molesworth or whatever. Silly me. Next time I'll try to do better so as to not offend you.

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Originally posted by jovin:
The LCBO did not pass on the Flaccianello 2006, the importer will not give any to the LCBO to sell. It's on back order now through the importer. I have bought 9 so far; 3 from the States at $95 US and 6 through the Ontario agent at $87Cdn. The SAQ will eventually get it. My favorite Italian wine scores 99pts, remains under a hundred bucks and will surely be wine of the year, wow, Xmas came early. The Masseto is a steal, spend lads spend

I've put my back order in with the importer. If this doesn't come to fruition, I'll get it in from a Hong Kong who carries it. I would be surprised if this was the WOTY though because of its relatively high price in such a recessionary economy, but we'll see.

$500 for grange. Wow!

The Clos de Papes is worth ordering a case, waiting for a couple of weeks until you get the call saying that you are SOL and ultimately getting none.

Ditto on the 2006 Flacc, not expecting to get any though.

Wondering whether the big CDP's will be scaled back to 1 bottle per person (instead of 2) like they were for 2005 DRC's.

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Originally posted by Stevey:

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Originally posted by futronic:

Parker did NOT rate the 2006 Masseto. Antonio Galloni takes care of the Italian beat for WA. Please stop attributing reviews to someone that didn't write the note.
...

Yes, apologies for being so imprecise with my attributions and I will stop immediately. When I say Parker, I meant Parker's WA in the same way that sometimes I refer WS instead of Suckling or Molesworth or whatever. Silly me. Next time I'll try to do better so as to not offend you.

Excellent. My point is that it's misleading. Even in other threads it's been discussed that for WS people should refer to the critic as well. That said, WS is the publication, as is WA. The publication is not RP; that's the critic.