I am a new subscriber and just wanted to say THANK YOU for all great videos! I have always loved wine and wanted to learn more especially about bordeaux. So your bordeaux basic series have been extremely helpful. Also I really enjoy your BC Liquor Store monthly update as a Vancouver resident. Once again thank you!!
jay: thank you so much for the kind comments and taking time to leave a comment. I really appreciate this and it is very heartening to know that someone enjoys my videos. Cheers!
Actually there are a few good value wines under $100 (Euro in my case) in that top 10. So for me, that's already good value. Thanks for another nice vid, Tony! ☺
Interesting video and it is interesting to see the uproar over the various Top Ten lists every December. I understand the complaint about there not being enough value wines, but see your point as well- that the best wines will be expensive. One source of disagreement, I think, is what the lists are trying to capture. The best wines of the year? The most exciting wines? Wines for immediate consumption or cellaring? The criteria are purposefully vague, which gives the publisher lots of leeway in making their list, but that means some people will inevitably be disappointed.
noahcap: any list is really subjective especially if one of the criteria is wow factor. Personally, I always look but pay very little attention to it other than then Top 10 or even the #1 wine as most wines we will never see if BC. When I was a beginner, I paid more attention as I didn't know what to buy. Cheers!
Something for BC buyers and Canadians in general is to buy your wines after December 14th when the "tax holiday" kicks in. For a wine like those first growths, in BC, it'll save you over $150.
ryan: wow...I never thought of that! Yes, that is a huge savings. Got to tweet this out! But how to you get a savings of $150? I thought the tax holiday is only for GST so for a $880 wine, the tax savings would be $44, right? Cheers!
@TrophyWineHunter just reading more on this. The tax holiday is for GST and HST, so I had assumed it would apply to PST as well, but it looks like that's likely not the case, but it doesn't sound like it's set in stone yet either.
Il fauno is good, I used to drink it all the time. I have notice those mouton and Margaux and I’m tempted. I noticed the ‘18, ‘19 and ‘20 Margaux are on for $1160. I’m leaning that way over ‘17. Thoughts?
fridayfish: 18-20 are better vintages but any modern day 1st growth is pretty good so if I can save $300, I would. 2017 is not as good a vintage so you have to drink within the next 10 years....but some people want to drink early. Cheers!
I find that Caymus reco bit a divisive - and I tend to agree with the detractors here. Maybe it just isn't my style of wine. It does have a very nice nose, but I find it to be a bit syrupy.
killerjones: personally I like it as it, to me, represents Napa Cab in the traditional sense. When you get age on Caymus SS, it turns a bit leafy/herbal/minty, which is a characteristic of aged Cab. We probably drink Caymus SS too early. It does need 8-10 years to get to its drinking window. Cheers!
There are $100 bottles that could easily topple any of the “designer” 1855 first growths or other status producers. That’s why many of the “top” properties won’t allow their wines to be in blind tastings. I know my fair share of people that don’t know anything about wine, but they have more money than sense and they buy the usual suspects. And why? To impress people. End of story. The general snobbery around wine is part and parcel of what’s killing the wine business.
thomas: I agree that part of the attraction of trophy wines is status. But that is the case with any luxury good. Can you find a purse that is as sturdy as a Hermes bag for much less? Probably but there are some things that the Hermes bag symbolizes, part of its attraction is that it is exclusive and probably long term, Hermes bags last longer because more quality materials are used and more detail in how it is made. Snobbery around wine is not a new thing but I think it has been heightened in the last 30 years. I am probably part of the problem as I promote drinking Trophy wines but my channel is a way to explain why certain wines are priced higher. I generally don't blind taste as I am not in the industry and my main goal is to enjoy wine, not to prove how much I know or how much of an expert I am. In addition, that is not the way normal people drink wine. So I do prioritize the enjoyment of the wine over learning. Not against anyone else doing and I will blind if someone wants to drink that way but I don't really put too much credence into whether I get things right or wrong. I think the more you blind taste, the better you get at it but there is also a danger of blinding with the same group and tasting the same way, which actually is not really blind anymore since you already have clues about what people bring, how it is served, etc. Cheers!
I agree with a whole point but disagree about the reason, people do not do it because of “snobbery” its more about a sheep mentality and blindly doing what everyone else is doing.
@ thats not a snobbism though. thats been a village boy with alot of money and no taste. snobbism is probably more related to me, I hate these big names, I for fact know that none of them are actually great wines and true magic happens in small, unknown regions of the world and definitely not with cabernet sauvignon😁
mcray: how many newly released Brunellos have you found to be drinkable right after release? Then take those same bottles and taste them 10 years later. I am banking that I am right about this wine and in 10 years, it will be stunner. I think what is unique about Argiano is that is fleshy on release but it will firm up with about 10 years of aging. Just my intuition but we will see in 5 -10 years if I am right. Cheers!
Buying a young first growth wine makes little sense to me even with this discount when you can buy a ready to drink (20-30 years older) of the same wine for a similar price in an online auction (eery months)
motik: here is the counter argument to that: if you buy from BC liquor stores, you know providence whereas with online, you have the risk of how the bottle was handled and temperature variance during shipping. So if you already have first growths or have ability to buy from auction from a trusted source I agree. But if you are just getting into wines and don't have first growths, not a bad idea to take the discount. $880 today is like $30 thirty years ago. We are only going to see prices escalate so you just have to get used to inflation and sticker shock and adjust to modern pricing. So 30 years ago, $40 wine were top shelf wines whereas today, it is barely value wines. Cheers!
I am a new subscriber and just wanted to say THANK YOU for all great videos! I have always loved wine and wanted to learn more especially about bordeaux. So your bordeaux basic series have been extremely helpful. Also I really enjoy your BC Liquor Store monthly update as a Vancouver resident. Once again thank you!!
jay: thank you so much for the kind comments and taking time to leave a comment. I really appreciate this and it is very heartening to know that someone enjoys my videos. Cheers!
Actually there are a few good value wines under $100 (Euro in my case) in that top 10. So for me, that's already good value. Thanks for another nice vid, Tony! ☺
rick: can't comment as we don't get any of these wines in BC. Cheers!
Interesting video and it is interesting to see the uproar over the various Top Ten lists every December. I understand the complaint about there not being enough value wines, but see your point as well- that the best wines will be expensive. One source of disagreement, I think, is what the lists are trying to capture. The best wines of the year? The most exciting wines? Wines for immediate consumption or cellaring? The criteria are purposefully vague, which gives the publisher lots of leeway in making their list, but that means some people will inevitably be disappointed.
noahcap: any list is really subjective especially if one of the criteria is wow factor. Personally, I always look but pay very little attention to it other than then Top 10 or even the #1 wine as most wines we will never see if BC. When I was a beginner, I paid more attention as I didn't know what to buy. Cheers!
Here in UK,Chateau Gloria(i'm a big fan) those 3 btl. will cost about 200CAD$ after tax.
georgigeorgiev: do you mean CDN$200 for 3 bottles or CDN$200 per bottle?
Something for BC buyers and Canadians in general is to buy your wines after December 14th when the "tax holiday" kicks in. For a wine like those first growths, in BC, it'll save you over $150.
ryan: wow...I never thought of that! Yes, that is a huge savings. Got to tweet this out! But how to you get a savings of $150? I thought the tax holiday is only for GST so for a $880 wine, the tax savings would be $44, right? Cheers!
@TrophyWineHunter just reading more on this. The tax holiday is for GST and HST, so I had assumed it would apply to PST as well, but it looks like that's likely not the case, but it doesn't sound like it's set in stone yet either.
@TrophyWineHunter regardless, $50 off any $1000 wine purchase isn't bad either.
@@ryanlalonde6887 😀😀
@@ryanlalonde6887 agreed!
Great opportunity with Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste.
😀😀
Il fauno is good, I used to drink it all the time. I have notice those mouton and Margaux and I’m tempted. I noticed the ‘18, ‘19 and ‘20 Margaux are on for $1160. I’m leaning that way over ‘17. Thoughts?
fridayfish: 18-20 are better vintages but any modern day 1st growth is pretty good so if I can save $300, I would. 2017 is not as good a vintage so you have to drink within the next 10 years....but some people want to drink early. Cheers!
I find that Caymus reco bit a divisive - and I tend to agree with the detractors here. Maybe it just isn't my style of wine. It does have a very nice nose, but I find it to be a bit syrupy.
killerjones: personally I like it as it, to me, represents Napa Cab in the traditional sense. When you get age on Caymus SS, it turns a bit leafy/herbal/minty, which is a characteristic of aged Cab. We probably drink Caymus SS too early. It does need 8-10 years to get to its drinking window. Cheers!
Iam almost tempted to fly out to BC to buy first growth in Ontario no way cant get those prices.
😀😀
There are $100 bottles that could easily topple any of the “designer” 1855 first growths or other status producers. That’s why many of the “top” properties won’t allow their wines to be in blind tastings. I know my fair share of people that don’t know anything about wine, but they have more money than sense and they buy the usual suspects. And why? To impress people. End of story. The general snobbery around wine is part and parcel of what’s killing the wine business.
thomas: I agree that part of the attraction of trophy wines is status. But that is the case with any luxury good. Can you find a purse that is as sturdy as a Hermes bag for much less? Probably but there are some things that the Hermes bag symbolizes, part of its attraction is that it is exclusive and probably long term, Hermes bags last longer because more quality materials are used and more detail in how it is made.
Snobbery around wine is not a new thing but I think it has been heightened in the last 30 years. I am probably part of the problem as I promote drinking Trophy wines but my channel is a way to explain why certain wines are priced higher.
I generally don't blind taste as I am not in the industry and my main goal is to enjoy wine, not to prove how much I know or how much of an expert I am. In addition, that is not the way normal people drink wine. So I do prioritize the enjoyment of the wine over learning. Not against anyone else doing and I will blind if someone wants to drink that way but I don't really put too much credence into whether I get things right or wrong. I think the more you blind taste, the better you get at it but there is also a danger of blinding with the same group and tasting the same way, which actually is not really blind anymore since you already have clues about what people bring, how it is served, etc. Cheers!
I agree with a whole point but disagree about the reason, people do not do it because of “snobbery” its more about a sheep mentality and blindly doing what everyone else is doing.
@ yes I agree
@@Ruirspirul same reason people buy $500 T-shirts with a designer label on the front. The T-shirt probably cost $10.
@ thats not a snobbism though. thats been a village boy with alot of money and no taste. snobbism is probably more related to me, I hate these big names, I for fact know that none of them are actually great wines and true magic happens in small, unknown regions of the world and definitely not with cabernet sauvignon😁
Had the 2019 ARGIANO it was nice but never blew my socks off
mcray: how many newly released Brunellos have you found to be drinkable right after release? Then take those same bottles and taste them 10 years later. I am banking that I am right about this wine and in 10 years, it will be stunner.
I think what is unique about Argiano is that is fleshy on release but it will firm up with about 10 years of aging. Just my intuition but we will see in 5 -10 years if I am right. Cheers!
@ need to buy a case and forget about it for 10 years , problem is I like drinking them 😁
@ i hear you! So hard for me not to drink another bottle of 2018 now but I will try to wait a few more years before opening another bottle
Buying a young first growth wine makes little sense to me even with this discount when you can buy a ready to drink (20-30 years older) of the same wine for a similar price in an online auction (eery months)
motik: here is the counter argument to that: if you buy from BC liquor stores, you know providence whereas with online, you have the risk of how the bottle was handled and temperature variance during shipping. So if you already have first growths or have ability to buy from auction from a trusted source I agree. But if you are just getting into wines and don't have first growths, not a bad idea to take the discount.
$880 today is like $30 thirty years ago. We are only going to see prices escalate so you just have to get used to inflation and sticker shock and adjust to modern pricing. So 30 years ago, $40 wine were top shelf wines whereas today, it is barely value wines. Cheers!