Hello people, the neighbour of my parents offered me the following bottles to buy. (See list + some pictures of a few bottles)
They have been stored at his wine cellar – but I have not had the chance to check the temperature etc of the cellar. Also I think (but am not sure)he bought them directly from the winery/ merchants. (Will ask that when I meet him)
He has been collecting for lots of years and he drank a few bottles with my parents in the last years which were all good (but my parents wouldn’t notice faults imo so I don’t know)
He has not set a price but his wife checked the prices on Vivino. He thinks they are too high and so do I. Today I compared a few „average prices“ from Vivino to winesearcher low and there was quite a difference.
What would be your approach to buy those wines?
I am little concerned with the bad vintages (1994, 1997)
I am really interested what you guys would do, if you would be interested, or if you think the risk would be too high?
Also – what discount to market price you think would be a fair offer? How would that differ when I only buy a few selected bottles instead of the whole lot.
Thank you!!
by 4862570
6 Comments
Does he want you to buy all of it or can you pick and choose? If you don’t have to buy it all, obviously only buy good years. I would check auction prices realized. K&L has a site where you can do that. (https://www.klwines.com/Auction/Information/AuctionPastLotsList.aspx) I imagine wine sold at auction by reputable places is is good condition.
Proper storage is key. Cellar temperature of course, but that will only tell you about how he wine is being stored now. Check fill levels, look for evidence of leaky corks (swelling at the top of the capsule, stained labels), see if you can turn the capsule freely (if it turns, it’s good). And ask the guy to open a bottle or two and see if they taste cooked, look orange, etc. He’s got all this wine. He can afford it. If the cork crumbles upon opening, that’s not necessarily an indication of anything other than the quality of the cork. (I got to taste a 1986 Ornellaia yesterday and the cork absolutely fell apart but the wine was perfect.)
Hope this helps a little
I would not but a single bottle based on a vivino average. I might buy a few select bottles that peek my interest at wsp low. For a more substantial buy I would need a clear discount. Your friend could maybe send this wine list for an auction house and ask for an offer/estimate and you could negotiate based on that?
Everything assuming good storage conditions.
Do you like that style? Can you afford it? Has it been properly stored? It doesn’t really matter what we think if you don’t like it or can’t afford it.
From a negotiation standpoint, I would find out the Retail price and then discount that price by at least 50% to accommodate the associated risks.
That 96 Pontet is drinking well right now, not a great year in general (drinking better than was probably predicted) but you should be able to get it for a reasonable price. I’ve managed to score a few off WineBid for around $125.
Auction is going to be the best bet for cost evaluation (WineBid, K&L, etc) and work down from there. Other concern is how they were cellared of course. Maybe take a shot on a bottle or 2 that are in their prime, pop them and see if anything appears off, then go back for more if you’re satisfied.
I’d take winesearcher price over Vivino. The problem with Vivino being that wine is priced differently in different markets, plus some people add the cost they paid at a restaurant or even make mistakes. It also isn’t clear to me if Vivino is showing the particular vintage price or an average across all vintages. It’s messy.