Yarden Viogner Deal

[Isaac C]

Varietal is having a really big sale on the Yarden Viogner, as low as $8.99 if you purchase 3 cases. Anyone tasted this recently and have an idea what the drinking window is?

http://www.varietal.us/eCampaign/campaign1128.html

[Craig Winchell]

2006 vintage. If it were drinking well, I'd go for it myself, since Agua Dulce doesn't make any white wines of any note (Just Chard, and not kosher until 2011 vintage, now in barrel). $324 for 36 bottles seems very reasonable. So I am also interested in how it's drinking now, and what people perceive as the drinking window.

the first thing I notice is that this is a dealtime deal, limited time frame. We do things like that ourselves at Agua Dulce. There are several reason for a retailer to go that direction:
1) Wine is getting old, Yarden wants to liquidate, arranged a great deal for this retailer specifically to do this, or Yarden offered great deal to the retailer who wants to limit the effect on discounted prices on future vintages, or a host of other reasons having to do to oversupply and liquidation

2) Retailer wants to ascertain who the players are who can absorb good deals, for the future when they might want to offer great deals on wine to the players, without making such prices public.

3)Retailer wants to develop an internet/mail order business by starting with a bang.

4) Retailer wants to start a wine club business and will use this opportunity to select for consumers to be wine club members, then try to sell them on the monthly/quarterly wine club while they are concluding this sale opportunity

Or a host of other potential reasons

[ChaimShraga]

Say what? Someone wants to take a chance on 6 year old Viognier?

[Yehoshua Werth]

Some of the 07's are very good some are ok.

Have not had the 06' this year

[Craig Winchell]

Admittedly on the old side for Viognier, but potentially still viable, depending upon starting conditions.

[Jonathan K]

Say what? Someone wants to take a chance on 6 year old Viognier?

That's what I was thinking. Unless it is Condrieu, I wouldn't buy a 2006 Viognier in bulk, unless I had tasted it very recently and was about to entertain a large party.

[Yehoshua Werth]

Better than store bought cooking wine even if it is over the edge

[Craig Winchell]

"Now with six years of age it has developed into a beautiful mature Golden Meursault like wine with freshly bake apple pie and toasty biscuits characters.
Wow this is impressive for an Israeli Viognier!!!"

That's their description, and not exactly a Viognier description, but definitely not like an old, oxidized wine. So figure that at 6 years, it's lost much of its fresh fruitiness. I really don't mind that as long as it's clean, nice golden rather than brown or piss-colored-golden, and has the characteristics as described. At $9/bottle, it doesn't need to be a perfect wine, just enjoyable. And it certainly doesn't need to be new-wine-fruity.

[Yossie Horwitz]

I last had the wine 18 months ago and it was very much on its last legs at the time. Probably worth the risk for a bottle or two, not 36...

[Craig Winchell]

Well, Yossie, that's the answer then. In that case, unless they already held an enormous position in that wine, they are probably front-men for Yarden to liquidate the last of their over-the-hill wine. And might be able to do it, too, because most kosher-keepers are not particularly wine-savvy, but are drawn to a bargain. Of course, they must also figure that many of those will cease their relationship with Varietal once they see that the wine is not even worth the discounted price. If they taste wine in the store, there might be particular advantages to walk-in customers.

[Craig Winchell]

So how are the 2007 vintage Yarden Viogniers doing now? Yehoshua said earlier some are good, some are not. Is that Yarden, or all Israeli Viogniers? How specifically is the 2007 drinking now?

[Joel D Parker]

Better than store bought cooking wine even if it is over the edge

I respectfully disagree in this case. If you're going to cook with cheap wine make sure it's at least got acid. There's nothing that will dull your cooking like a non-acidic wine, which is generally what gets lost over the years. I would rather cook with 2buck chuck that's got zing than 9 dollar alcoholic butter-water just because it's got the Yarden label. Plus, unless you're cooking for a family of 15, you're not going to get through three cases any time soon.

Best,

Joel

[Isaac Chavel]

Yehoshua Werth wrote:Better than store bought cooking wine even if it is over the edge

I respectfully disagree in this case. If you're going to cook with cheap wine make sure it's at least got acid. There's nothing that will dull your cooking like a non-acidic wine, which is generally what gets lost over the years. I would rather cook with 2buck chuck that's got zing than 9 dollar alcoholic butter-water just because it's got the Yarden label. Plus, unless you're cooking for a family of 15, you're not going to get through three cases any time soon.

[Alexander F]

So how are the 2007 vintage Yarden Viogniers doing now? Yehoshua said earlier some are good, some are not. Is that Yarden, or all Israeli Viogniers? How specifically is the 2007 drinking now?

Last summer it already started showing signs of petrolium. IMHO, 15.5%AbV made it a bit heavy, although alcohol was well integrated.

[Lior Yogev]

Sorry that I don't have the time to read the entire thread and perhaps I repeat other comments, but my two cents nonetheless:

From my limited experience, there are no crazy prices in wine. If something is too cheap - there is a very good reason for it

For the case in question, this is:
A wine originally not meant for aging, at the age of six
In my taste, a wine dominated by the oak
The price is not THAT attractive even for a new vintage (I think it is ~13$ in Israel)

This looks like a clear case of a shop being stuck with a large inventory of a non-popular wine (both because the variety is less known and popular and because IMHO it's not an attractive wine to start with) that approaches or exceeds its drinking window.

Lior

[Daniel Kovnat]

Cost of Yarden Viognier at the winery is more like 70 shekels (equivalent of about $19).
Just not meant for aging six years, even in the most rigidly controlled wine cellar.

[Lior Yogev]

The wineries (in Israel) are usually the most expansive option for buying the wines. At winedepot it is under 52NIS (but an older vintage as well)

Lior

[ChaimShraga]

Time to sum up how it looks from my end. Not a terrific wine in the first place, made of a variety not meant for aging, sold a few years past its peak at suspicious prices. And we just devoted 16 posts to this (17, including mine).

[Yehoshua Werth]

Yehoshua Werth wrote:Better than store bought cooking wine even if it is over the edge

I respectfully disagree in this case. If you're going to cook with cheap wine make sure it's at least got acid. There's nothing that will dull your cooking like a non-acidic wine, which is generally what gets lost over the years. I would rather cook with 2buck chuck that's got zing than 9 dollar alcoholic butter-water just because it's got the Yarden label. Plus, unless you're cooking for a family of 15, you're not going to get through three cases any time soon.

The Bottle I drank(2007) 3 weeks ago still had a little acid and the Fruit was solid.. Just NOT what a Fresh one would be.
Love be with your day...

ever tasted some of the Grocery store bought cooking wine? The reason groceries can sell it at all is the fact they deem it not fit for drinking

[Gabriel Geller]

Some of the 07's are very good some are ok.

I still have some bottles left of that stuff, I'll open one later this week and will report back.

[Sam M]

I had this wine Friday night. It was very good. crisp and lively.
Sam

[Yossie Horwitz]

Sam - are you referring to the 2006 or the 2007?

[Sam M]

Yossie,
The 2006. I thought it was more than fine. Actually their description of the wine is right on.
I bought a case. I'll use it over the summer so I'm not worried about longevity.
Sam

[Bill Coleman]

Varietal is having a really big sale on the Yarden Viogner, as low as $8.99 if you purchase 3 cases. Anyone tasted this recently and have an idea what the drinking window is?

http://www.varietal.us/eCampaign/campaign1128.html

Oh, dear! Just opened a bottle [2006], looks like apple juice, tastes awful. Poured it back for cooking wine, but I'm not sure that's going to fly.