Pulled up a few bottles today (it is Saturday), including a Ravenswood Zinfandel Russian River Valley Belloni 1997 with a $17.49 price tag on it and a Raveneau Chablis Montée de Tonnerre 1997 bought for $55 back in 2000...

I'm only 38, but wine prices these days make me feel like an old man sometimes.

Of course, the recession does have some advantages: close outs I recently picked up include Domaine Charvin Châteauneuf du-Pape 2006 for $30 (I mean, what does Laurent Charvin have to do to get respect?) and some Tardieu-Laurent Bandol 2003 for $22...

I peel the tags off all my bottles before I cellar. I don't want my friends and relatives to feel guilty or uncomfortable drinking wines of a certain price. More importantly, I don't want my wife knowing how much I spent on wine. I keep a log elsewhere, so I know what I paid, but once it's in my cellar, it's there to be enjoyed, regardless of the price.

As to the larger picture of wine prices, yes the rise in prices has been both shocking and depressing over recent years. This is probably magnified for you, as CdP, and Rhone in general, seem to be areas where this is especially true. I am seeing an encouraging trend of closeouts, sales and a general leveling out of prices, no doubt driven by the economy, but I'm still amazed at some of the prices being asked for wines these days. It seems to me that all these Californian wines that have doubled in price over the past 4-5 years (many high-end chards, pinots, cabs, syrahs) should start dropping release prices, rather than just leveling off.

quote:

Originally posted by Redhawk:
I peel the tags off all my bottles before I cellar. I don't want my friends and relatives to feel guilty or uncomfortable drinking wines of a certain price. More importantly, I don't want my wife knowing how much I spent on wine.

Ditto.

I was wandering in a large wineshop today, grousing at the prices. Nothing I enjoy seemed to be coming down. I was amazed that some were up 50% from just a couple years ago.
I feel like a grumpy old man. Move over, Board-O.

Thanks for the post James. I concur completely on Domaine Charvin's value. Even in a top-notch year like '05 it could be had for $50.

I have very few tags on my bottles. I have removed them on purpose for years, but now I wish I had left them on the bottle.

I do have a First Growth from the 1967 Bordeaux vintage, I believe, marked $17.85!

had a bottle of 78 BV GDL that had a price tag of 11$

1983 Palmer had a $40 original price tag.