Carolina Wine Company! No surprise there, as their emails have been a source of mirth for years. But today's was a special winner:
$175 Brunello for Only $29.99!!! The 1997 Sesti Brunello, at 97 points, was the International Wine cellar's top-rated Brunello EVER, and a "deep, sensuous, generous, compelling" classic. The lowest price in the Country for it is $175. Sesti's 1999 Brunello, which wasn't reviewed here but was one of Jancis Robinson's three best wines of this great vintage (and had huge press in Italy and Germany as well), was in our view even better. But the 2003 Brunello is Sesti's richest, most impressive and potentially greatest Brunello EVER! And we can offer it at the frankly insane PRE- ARRIVAL price of only $29.99 by the case!
OK, maybe the 2003 is a deal at $30 (or not). But calling it a "$175 wine" because a different (overhyped) vintage is that price on Winesearcher? They don't mention that the only place the 1997 is listed happens to be a store where EVERYTHING is ridiculously overpriced (a quick glance shows the '97 Abadia Retuerta Palomar - a $40 wine- for $135, but my favorite is the '96 Camensac for $125- methinks they somehow accidently dropped that 1 in there- I paid less than $20).
I actually have the '99 Sesti (its possible I bought from CWC back in the day), a pretty good wine, so I won't say the 2003 isn't worth $30, but I wouldn't chance it on an overripe vintage.