Thursday, August 12, 2010

Funky Llama Pinot Grigio 2009

Unfortunately this Argentine white drops off in the direction of sweetness, which is a no no for a Pinot Grigio. If you don't mind this, you might try it, although it's puzzling to me why, unlike all the other varietals from this winery, it's promotional price is a dollar higher at $4.99.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

First, when you say “Anyone can test the veracity of this claim by crossing over into NJ, where every single bottle on special in PA is routinely on offer for a quarter to a third less” is a complete lie. I seriously doubt that Merryvale 2006 Profile is “routinely” offered as a third less than the PLCB price of $69.99 (quoted at $135.00). Sure every day “table wines” like Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio or Yellow Tail products are $1-$2 cheaper, I’ll give you that, but to say other states can match our “Chairman Specials” as you so incorrectly put it, is just a not true. Pennsylvania is the largest purchaser of California wines in the world. Take a look at Virginia, they relinquished control of liquor in 1985 and still to this day have never made that kind of money for the state as they did in 1985. I’ve heard a number of people get really excited when they walk through a Wine & Spirits store in PA and say, “Man, this is cheaper then at the winery.” Now, to make that happen is quite something. Thanks for your time, maybe you website will soon read “Struggles of a Wine Curmudgeon in Colorado”…if we’re lucky.

Paul P Bernard said...

You may well be right about the more expensive Californias, but if
you've read the introduction to my blog you will have noticed that
these fall well outside my purview. I review what you rather condescendingly call "everyday table wines" because that is what I can afford to drink. If your chief interest is making money for the state,I'll grant you that the PLCB is a winner. Most of us, however, don't enjoy having our pockets picked daily.

Anonymous said...

First off, to give you an example of the PLCB’s buying power, I arbitrarily picked one off the top of my head…it so happened to be Merryvale Profile. Here’s another, Don Olegario Albarino for $8.99, quoted at $19. Instead of “everyday table wines” if I would have said, “listed codes”…would you have understood what I meant? The majority of people would not have. Sure, I had to sacrifice a little PC, to get my point across, but you understood what type of wine I was referring to. I, in no way, can afford Merryvale myself. Usually, my max price is $20, there are many delicious wines for that price point. I respect your reviews and use them frequently, and most of the time your spot on, it just a little frustrating knowing how hard I bust my hump to give the PLCB a good reputation when it’s constantly shown in a negative light…I’m trying to change that, as are most of my colleagues. I’m not going to say every single employee feels the same, and I can’t help when a customer has one bad experience, which leaves a horrible taste in his/her mouth for the rest of their shopping experiences.

Paul P Bernard said...

I take your point. In fact, in my experience, most PLCB employess have been helpful and curteous, it's just been that when confronted with a problem, some of them have taken a very bureaucratic stance. As to pricing, the question arises, what does "quoted at" mean? Where, and by whom? A simple search of the web reveals that these wines are available somewhere, usually in NY and NJ, for less than the Chairman's Special price. I grant you that these are sale prices being quoted, but in this economy one practically is forced to look for sale products, and where there is no competition these are scarce. Along these lines, could I
ask you to use your influence to suggest that the PLCB pursues a more active policy in remaindering products and make deep slashes in what it remainders. This not only gets the stuff out the door but gives the customer the impression that he's gotten a real bargain, a mental attitude that, in the long run, is always to the advantage of the seller.Finally, allow me a question: You may have noticed that I hardly ever review CA wines. Of course, there are some excellent ones, but they tend to be very expensive. Can you suggest a couple of good ones that fall in my price range? Thanks for your interest.