Why I Stopped Buying Harlan Estate
Pricing for the last few vintages of Harlan Estate:
2001 – 225
2002 – 245
2003 – 265
2004 – 350????
2001 and 2002 vintages saw perfect scores (100) from Robert Parker Jr. Granted, this is a business, and I understand Bill Harlan is a savvy businessman, but wow, that sure is a turnoff, especially when this vintage didn’t score nearly as well as some previous vintages, with Parker predicting between 93-96.
It also appears that many new to the mailing list were offered the 2004 Estate, which means one of two things:
1. Production is up from 2000 Cases, or
2. Regular customers were also put off by the price increase, and they opted out this year.
Perhaps it’s a combination of both. I do recall a letter from Harlan saying they were ramping up the vineyards planted to the Maiden to eventually become part of the estate bottle, but I’m not sure when that would happen. I did have a large allocation increase over the 2003 vintage, but that could be because I ordered the estate 3 years in a row.
Researching some of the wine boards, apparently, I wasn’t the only one to drop off the list this year, as many long time buyers felt the same way as me.
So there you have it. If production has increased, it is more widely available, and not as precious. If long time customers were turned off by the price increase, it might be wise to rethink the pricing strategy, especially when these wine lovers are loyal and consistent, an ideal customer.
That said, I’ve got a message for Bill Harlan: It’s just fermented grape juice dude.
March 20th, 2007 at 2:17 pm
at those prices, i could not agree with you more jathan.
March 31st, 2007 at 3:07 pm
I agree, fine vintage has always commanded a fine price but perhaps this one has gone a tad to far too soon. Sad when you think about it.
April 10th, 2007 at 8:39 pm
yea, It should only raise it twenty more bucks according to his price increases each year. I will just spend my money on high fuel prices,everyone wants to rip us off, and thats a bunch of sour grapes. lmac
May 21st, 2007 at 12:05 pm
I always wondered what the original prices were for mailing list customers. Thanks for letting me know. What will be interesting is also to see how the secondary market reacts to the price increases and potential increase in supply…
May 24th, 2007 at 7:24 am
I doubt the 04 will do near as well as the 01 and 02 which have more than doubled on the secondary market. Only time will tell.
-J8
September 3rd, 2007 at 3:05 am
Given that Bill Harlan sees the wine as the equivalent of First Growth in California, you can compare the prices of recent vintages of First Growth Bordeaux… prices have basically doubled in the last 2 years. The 2004 will be released at $450, which is a 70% from 2 years ago…
Is it really expensive? Yes. Will I buy? Yes, because wine prices will probably continue trending up.
September 29th, 2007 at 9:52 am
Hi Peech,
Thanks for your comments. The difference with Bordeaux is the latest vintage rated extremely well by numerous critics, and can now command those price increases. Bill Harlan seems to be raising prices regardless of how the wine rates. IMHO, you can find wine that is just as good, if not better, for a lot less money.
First Growths are in demand around the world, more than overpriced Cabernet from California. Besides, he seems to be the only one that calls himself a “first growth” in Napa, when there are plenty of other wineries that rate similarly, consistently, and yet still leave their pricing reasonably structured.
Maybe his strategy has always been to cater only to the rich. If the U.S. economy experiences a down turn, who else can afford spending all that money on fermented grape juice?
December 18th, 2007 at 7:17 am
As a person (snob) with a “nothing rated under 90″ policy for my cellar, and who doesn’t think twice about spending over $100 for a fine cabernet, the Harlan Estate wines are no longer a good value for drinking. There are far too many excellent cabernets out there for much much lower prices. I tried The Maiden last year and was unimpressed, hoping that time will improve it. However, if prices keep doubling after release, I’ll be happy to buy my allocation and sell it to pay for wines I do like.