TN: Domain Drouhin Lauren

GREAT!!! I have a case of 1998....was not showing well upon last tasting...thought it might be shut down last winter. Was planning to try again this spring...

Any one else have experience with the 98 DDO-Laurene?

evening

Hi there,

A question that has always perplexed me. I just went to Google and typed Domaine Drouhin Laurene 2000 and searched. The first hit was from a restaurant and the second from someone likey to be a states-side wine merchant. He was selling this bottle for 50 USD (plus shipping). That is approximately 38 EUR at a time when Euro, by general consensus, is quite strong vis-à-vis the USD. Just a couple of years back, 50 USD would have been 50 EUR and a further few years back more like 60.

I just checked on the website of a wine merchant in my neighbourhood and he had this offer:

Nuits Saint-Georges 1er Cru AOC, Les Chaignots - Louis Jadot 1999 for

Now why the American wine is quite expensive in money terms. Is it really a good value at that price? Or is it because of taxation and/or customer tastes & preferences that the prices have been driven so high?

Cheers

It is a nice wine. A premium offering. It is good PQR if you compare to its class within Oregon Pinot.

Why so high...#1-limited qty, #2-market> Friday night we went out to a local establishment with friends for

evening

Hi there,

A question that has always perplexed me. I just went to Google and typed Domaine Drouhin Laurene 2000 and searched. The first hit was from a restaurant and the second from someone likey to be a states-side wine merchant. He was selling this bottle for 50 USD (plus shipping). That is approximately 38 EUR at a time when Euro, by general consensus, is quite strong vis-à-vis the USD. Just a couple of years back, 50 USD would have been 50 EUR and a further few years back more like 60.

I just checked on the website of a wine merchant in my neighbourhood and he had this offer:

Nuits Saint-Georges 1er Cru AOC, Les Chaignots - Louis Jadot 1999 for

Now why the American wine is quite expensive in money terms. Is it really a good value at that price? Or is it because of taxation and/or customer tastes & preferences that the prices have been driven so high?

Cheers

No, but I did recently taste the 2001 ($55US). It was served in a flight alongside a couple of 2002 Jadot Burgundies [Beaune Bressandes, Côte de Beaune (40US) & Gevrey-Chambertin, Estournelles Saint-Jacques, Côte de Nuits ($75US)]. I thought the Burgundies were overpriced for the quality (especially the Gevrey). There was also the 2003 Argyle, Willamette, OR ($20US) and 1999 Husch Knoll Vyd. ($31US) in the flight. Anyway, the Drouhin was the best of the American wines IMO, and perhaps a bit better than the Burgundies, but at $55 it was no bargain.

In the next flight was all California Pinot Noirs. These were from Gary Farrell, Williams Selyem, Domaine Carneros and Saintsbury. Collectively, they were a _big_ step up from the first flight, as were the wines in the next flight (Sanford, Hartley-Ostini and Morgan).

All in all, I found the Drouhin to be a solid wine among the entire lot, but not worth the price. The best QPR (and my top wine of the night) was the

Tom S

Collectively,

Thanks for the rather extensive comments - and with the prices - Tom. And how I wish I was on similar flights as you. Perhaps it is the class that I fly, but at best I end up with a choice of 2 whites and 2 reds. And none of them are nearly as nice or even eclectic (and I daresay expensive) as the ones you name.

Now one may or may not like a certain wine - from France or from America - but it is rather strange, at least to me, when most of the Oregon PNs that I have seen are priced at Burgundy premiere cru levels. So its either those prices or funnily-named swill from Ernst and Julio Gallo (beg their pardons for the exaggeration). Ahh, who said life is fair!

Russian River sounds interesting. I had a lovely Sauvignon Blanc from the region by the glass in a grill in Charlotte, NC on a trip last month. Somehow the name of the area stuck in my mind and I tried a Pinot Noir from the region (for both wines, I do not remember the name of the grower or the vintner, a capital mistake, as I have learned). It was an unfortunate choice and reminded me of the tart, closed offerings of Spätburgender closer home in Germany.

But now I indeed know better and have taken down the exact name of the Russian River wine that you mention and hope to try it, if an appropriate situation obtains. Luckily enough, I have been almost always lucky with the name Willamette Valley among PNs and do wager to buy a bottle (or a glass, depending on the situation) when I see them somewhere and its within my budget.

Cheers

FYI..I love the Oregon Pinots and they have gotten quite pricey in recent years.

If I had to criticize them the better > > Any one else have experience with the 98 DDO-Laurene?

Collectively,

Thanks for the rather extensive comments - and with the prices - Tom. And how I wish I was on similar flights as you. Perhaps it is the class that I fly, but at best I end up with a choice of 2 whites and 2 reds. And none of them are nearly as nice or even eclectic (and I daresay expensive) as the ones you name.

Now one may or may not like a certain wine - from France or from America - but it is rather strange, at least to me, when most of the Oregon PNs that I have seen are priced at Burgundy premiere cru levels. So its either those prices or funnily-named swill from Ernst and Julio Gallo (beg their pardons for the exaggeration). Ahh, who said life is fair!

Russian River sounds interesting. I had a lovely Sauvignon Blanc from the region by the glass in a grill in Charlotte, NC on a trip last month. Somehow the name of the area stuck in my mind and I tried a Pinot Noir from the region (for both wines, I do not remember the name of the grower or the vintner, a capital mistake, as I have learned). It was an unfortunate choice and reminded me of the tart, closed offerings of Spätburgender closer home in Germany.

But now I indeed know better and have taken down the exact name of the Russian River wine that you mention and hope to try it, if an appropriate situation obtains. Luckily enough, I have been almost always lucky with the name Willamette Valley among PNs and do wager to buy a bottle (or a glass, depending on the situation) when I see them somewhere and its within my budget.

Cheers

Tom, I passed on the Beaune Bressandes @ $26 (I went for the Boucherottes and Coucheraux)- $40 is approaching highway robbery! The Saintsbury Rserve was one of my favorite CA PNs back in vintages around '95, glad to hear they're back to form.

"And how I wish I was on similar flights as you. Perhaps it is the class that I fly, but at best I end up with a choice of 2 whites and 2 reds. And none of them are nearly as nice or even eclectic (and I daresay expensive) as the ones you name. "

I believe Tom was referring to flights of wines (wines served beside each other). :)

LOL! Until I read your post, Dale, I didn't "get" that he thought I tasted all those wines on an airplane. I wish!

Tom S

beside

Duh indeed! Egg on the face and all that...

And Tom, its "she" not he.

Cheers

running

and/or

I can't really speak to the differences but locally (Washington state) I have seen the 2000 Domaine Drouhin Lauren carried at local wine merchants for $55 before adding tax. IMHO, I think the wine is a very good wine but at $55 I thought it was pretty expensive. I asked the merchant for some more budget minded options, that might have some of the same qualities. She introduced me to another Oregon producer, Scott Paul, who I am told worked for Domaine Drouhin. The wine is good (I will post seperate notes) but costs > $20 USD.

Oregon Pinot's have been developing a strong reputation over the years, and I think their prices have been reflecting the demand in some respects (whether it is truly a good QPR or not).

Thanks,

Tom AZ

alfazert at nwlink dot com

Salut/Hi Tom AZ,

Good to see you posting again.

le/on 6 Feb 2005 19:24:28 -0800, tu disais/you said:-

A delightful wine, IMO. We tasted it at Domaine Drouhin themselves last fall, not long after meeting you both. As it happens, the day we were there, Jacquie & I had booked in at the Joel Palmer house, for a mushroom feast. Well, to cut a LONG story short, we were given the rest of the "Lauren" we'd tasted at the Domaine, so we took it straight down to the restaurant to be decanted and to await our arrival 4 hours later.

We thought we almost got a hint of eucalyptus.

spicey notes. As the evening

Yup, that's more or less what we found, except that by the time we came to drink it, our bottle was beatifully opened, with the tannins well softened, and full of lovely PN characteristics.

By the way, do you happen to remember what those oysters were that we tasted with you in that Oyster bar near the market, and which we raved over? I keep trying to remember, but the name just doesn't come.

Yup. So would I, especially if they're Burgundy lovers as the wine was far less "in your face" in style than some we tasted (and liked too, btw).