New Online Sale

Like a thief in the night, the new sale of the PLCB Online Store snuck up on us, unannounced.

I recalled that an earlier e-mail had stated that there would be a new online sale starting 12/1, so I thought I'd have a look-see just in case. And wouldn't you know it, there it was.

It's not as dramatic an affair as the Sommelier Collection Sale, but that may well be because I'm not as familiar with some of the wines, particularly at the lower end, as I was in that case. Still, the few items I was familiar with look very good indeed: Guigal Hermitage '01 for $49.99, Chapoutier La Sizeranne '00 for $39.99, Ch. Lafon-Rochet '05 for $24.99.

A lot of attractive Rhone, some Burgundy that, while not cheap, may well be worth the money for those who have it: a couple of top-end Maison Leroy reds, for instance, like the '04 Gevrey-Chambertin for $139.99. Not cheap, but the best quote from Wine-Searcher was $224.99.

These are great prices, really. Thing is, everyday I get e-mails from auction houses and online retailers reporting slashed pricing and other incentives. It's hard to tell how good these prices will look when the new year rolls around and the post-holiday reality of unsold inventory hits the industry like a lead-stuffed brick in the noggin. Already, I picked up some excellent Port at outrageous discounts, roughly half what I could have expected to pay a month ago.

So go. Report back. Tell us of anything you see that excites you. Maybe we can tease out the really amazing deals from the merely good ones.

Well, some of the more interesting items are going quickly: the Ch. Lafon-Rochet is entirely gone; the Jadot Marsannay '04, a steal at $9.99, was sold out at the online store by early this morning, but can still found in small quantities in a couple of stores. Nowhere where I can reach it easily, though, and in quantities too small to transfer.

The one that got my attention was the 2001 Artesa Reserve Cabernet for $29.99, lowest price I can see anywhere online is $70. But I'm practically swimming in wine right now...

Mark

You say that like it's a bad thing...

I went out and actually begged my local Store manager to scour the Commonwealth for the Marsannay. Hope some comes in by-and-by.

I'm going to mull this sale carefully: I don't actually *need* anything, much to the contrary, so I want to be selective.

Did you happen to notice whether they were charging for shipping? They usually make it free around the holidays...

It's just getting harder to justify (to my wife) adding more storage racks that's all.

Free shipping on orders of $200 and above.

You DO know about the LCB search page, correct?
http://www.lcb.state.pa.us/webapp/Product_Manageme nt/psi_ProductDefault_Inter.asp

For the Marsannay it looks like there's 9 bottles in Sewickley, 5 in Greensburg, and 3 in Macintyre Square which is 10 mins from my house. As of Sunday night anyway. You can do a UPS transfer pretty cheaply, although it'll cost almost as much as the wine at this point.

Mark

Actually, if they like you, the Manager of your local LCB Store can transfer stock over the standard supply channels, at no cost. I gave her exactly the list you came up with, plus one other store had three on hand. She made some calls, exacted some promises, and hopefully that means there are no longer any bottles actually to be had. Except by yours truly. "Hehehe", he cackles, excessively pleased with himself.

Of course, occasionally the whole thing goes cockeyed. I try to look at it as a sport: enjoy the wins and shake off the losses.

The search page is one of my favorite computer games. Amazing how often I'm a winner, too. All sorts of goodies at ridiculous prices out there, if you know how to look: not long ago, I got a case of '99 Barolo for twenty-something per bottle. Likewise, SLOs, which are usually badly overpriced, occasionally yield excellent bargains: a half-bottle of Penfolds St. Henri, one of my favorite Aussie shirazes, was for a long time a smidge over ten dollars. A full bottle starts at about $40, in the real world. They recently raised that price, though. But there are others, if you're willing to dig.

I thought there were some good deals, not earth shattering, but I ordered a few--
2001 Bodegas Caro
2004 Bodegas Dos Victorias Toro Gran Elías Mora
2003 E. Guigal Hermitage
2004 Pierre Lionnet Cornas Terre Brûlée
2002 Swanson Vineyards Alexis Estate Red Wine
2001 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie Château d'Ampuis

This sale is all close out wines. All the stores were sending their inventory back to the warehouse for the sale.

I was told that everything priced at $20 and up was being transferred back to the ecommerce (aka pawineandspirits.com) warehouse while the cheaper stuff was to remain in stores...

Mark

Whoever got the 2002 Triacca Valtellina Superiore Sassella for $10/btl got a great deal. I waited to check CT notes and missed out. I don't think that there was much - it's out of the system now.