BARREL BACK MOUNTAIN

OPENS TO RAVE REVIEWS

 

 

The third in a series of films about the world of wine has just opened to great reviews. In the wake of last year’s Mondovino (globalisation in the wine trade?? hard to believe!) and Sideways, filmgoers are flocking to the latest Hollywood take on wine country.

 

Barrelback Mountain deals with the first job of two young winemakers. Jake is fresh out of Fresno State; Heath, a few credits short of a Master’s degree from UC Davis. They are hired to run herd on some young wines at a traditional winery up on Barrelback Mountain. Their job is to barrel down some wines that need to go through ML while keeping evaporation losses and VA to a minimum. The story begins when  Jake comes back from town with some ‘barrel alternatives’ —products purchased from cooperages represented by barrel salesmen with names like Duane, Bayard, Manny, Phil, Francoise and Laurence.

 

Of course, a little like the Sorcerer’s Apprentice, once the protagonists start sliding down the slippery slope they get deeper into a “barrel alternative lifestyle”.  Heath buys some chips and inserts but leaves them in too long. They try to cover their errors with Mega Red and blending, but nothing works.

 

The two lads learn their lesson and are given a second chance. They start over next year with barrels ordered from us. A ‘happy ending’ for both of them ensues when they get good jobs with billionaires who just want to make world-class wine. The two young winemakers learn that our barrels, made with properly-seasoned staves are perfect for making great wine.

 

And every year, just for old times’ sake, they sneak back to Barrelback Mountain and slip some inserts into a tank. Then they call me up on the phone and say, tears in their eyes, We just don’t know how to quit using your barrels, Mel.

 

I cried a lot. 100 points.

 

 

2006 prices: Prices have gone up for the simple reason that the price of French oak is going up. Both wineries and cooperages enjoyed an excellent 2005. Many coopers went through a significant part of their inventory and had to replenish stocks of wood.

 

2006 FRANCOIS FRERES HUNGARY PRICES:

 

 

Barrel description:                  Less than container:            Container:

Bordeaux:

225 Liter Export                          $510                                          $490

225 Liter export thin stave       $510                                           $490

Chateau Tradition                    $570                                          $545

Chateau Ferre                          $550                                           $530

 

Burgundy:

228 Liter export                         $510                                            $490

228 Liter Traditional                  $555                                             $535

228 L Prestige Pinot                  $595                                             $565

Larger Sizes:

265 Liter                                     $535                                               $505

300 Liter                                     $598                                               $568

350 Liter                                     $635                                               $595

400 Liter                                     $710                                               $680

500 Liter                                     $780                                               $750

 

 As always, barrel prices are FOB warehouse Napa.  Container prices include delivery for wineries in California.  There is an up charge for container delivery to wineries in Oregon and Washington.

 

Our sales of Hungarian barrel climb dramatically every year. Demand is beginning to outstrip our ability to supply so act promptly.

 

Three year wood: We have some three year air dry available, but I am holding them back for people who bought them in 2005. PRICES FOR these barrels will go up March 15, so don’t delay !

 

 

 

 

 

 

TARANSAUD PRICES 2006

 

Prices are FOB warehouse American Canyon. Storage of barrels for more than one month billed at $5 per barrel per month. For large container we can deliver to the winery and save you money if you take the barrels off the container so we don’t have to unload it.

 

 

Bordeaux:

225 L Center of France export………….………...728€

225 L Center of France export thin stave…….....720€

225 L Export Forets Diverses……………….….……676€

225 L Chateau Ferre, Center of France………...745€

225 L Chateau, Full-tilt boogie…………………....755€

 

Burgundy:

Export Center of France……………………………699€

Export, Forets Diverses……………………………….676€

 

LARGE BARRELS, EVEN MORE HIGHLY ALLOCATED

Cigare, 300 L, Center of France………………….867€

350 L, Center of France……………………….…...948€

350 L, Forets Diverses………………………….…....918€

400 L, Center of France……………………………1020€

500L, Center of France……………………..…….1367€

 

I have very few of the larger barrels this year.

 

For Bordeaux center of France barrel my allocation is the  same as last year. I  have more Burgundy barrels and more forets diverses barrels.  I must turn in all my pre-harvest delivery orders in by the end of April, so if you do want more let me know now and we will see what we can do. If I don’t hear from you by late March  I will assume your interest has waned. 

 

 

TARANSAUD TANKS:  We are seeing another hot year for tank sales. So, if you are interested, let us know soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2006 FRANCOIS FRERES PRICES:

Those of you who keep newsletters will note that we have not raised prices since 2002. Not only does oak go up every year, but energy costs (ocean freight and trucking) have gone up as well.

April delivery: 598 Euros

May delivery: 624 Euros

Everyone loves these low prices, so act quickly. Its first come, first served. It takes over thirty days for the barrels to cross the ocean so don’t delay.

 

June/July/August:

1-10 barrels:     690 Euros

11-24:                680 Euros

25-49:                665 Euros

50-74:                660 Euros

75-99:                655 Euros

100-124:            645 Euros

125-149:            635 Euros

150+:                 625 Euros

 

All prices FOB Napa except for full containers. There is a 15 Euro up charge for Troncais and a 20 Euro up charge for wood hoops.           

Rather than let barrel sit in their warehouse, the Francois’ give excellent prices for early delivery. Remember, first come, first served. Many of you know that for Francois Freres I have adopted the pigs-to-the-trough system of allocations.

 

Three year old wood: We will have some barrels (both Bordeaux and Burgundy shape) available in three year old wood at a slight up charge. We also have thin-stave export barrels this year! Limited quantities are available so please contact us about this.

 

 

Agents all over the country…..Folks in Oregon, BC and Washington can contact Rick de Ferrari for their Francois Freres barrel needs. Rick also sells Taransaud in Oregon, BC and Eastern Washington. Rick de Ferrari: 503 472 8883/email: rick@oregonbarrelworks.com

 

 In New York, Pennsylvania and the New England states contact Morten Hallgren for your Francois Freres barrel needs.  Morten Hallgren: Phone: 607-794-0707;e-mail: ravines@citlink.net

 

TIPS FROM MOKE AND MEL

ON SELLING WINE IN THE USA

 

Most barrel salesmen are happy to tell you how to make wine. We naturally know not just what barrel to use, but when to pick, what kind of yeast to use, when to pump over and when to punch down. We know when to barrel down, when to taste and when to bottle.  And, of course, we know that your wine is nothing more than a delivery system for our barrels, but we usually keep that to ourselves. If you don’t believe me, ask Bayard Fox or Duane Wall. Even ex-barrel salesmen know everything… ask John Schilter.  Of course, French barrel salesmen know even more …Just ask Alain Fouquet.

 

Not only do we know everything about making wine, we know everything about selling it. And to show what great guys we are, we are sharing our tips for different markets.

 

Peoples’ Republic of Berkeley: Your wine is made by a cooperative of indigenous peoples from the rain forest. The wine is aged in recyclable barrels made of special grasses and bamboos that replenish the soil, repair the hole in the ozone layer, and eliminate Republicans, Democrats, and the petite bourgeoisie.

 

Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and parts of Eastern Washington: Your winery has seceded from the United States and formed its own posse comitatus. No federal employee from the United States of Satan is allowed on your free land.  

 

Texas: Your winery shows the brilliance of supply side economics. Instead of growing grapes, you are growing a prosperous new America, thanks to recent tax cuts. None of your wine goes with vegetarian cuisine, which is un-American. Ten per cent of your profits go to George Bush and it’s just a coincidence that you received a special wine depletion allowance in the latest budget bill.

 

Utah: Your wine is really carefully flavored Hawaiian Punch.

 

Los Angeles: Your wine was thanked at the latest Oscar awards ceremony by Stephen Spielberg, Robert Evans, Michael Douglas, Angelina Jolie, and Lindsay Lohan.

 

New York: Your wine can be retailed for less than replacement wholesale. Also, its combined score from Tanzer, Parker and the Wine Spectator is over 400.

 

 

 

BARRELS IN STOCK: I’ve been humming ‘Let’s sell barrels like it was 1999’ for the past few years and this year my prayers were answered. In 2005 we enjoyed harvests here and in France that were high in both   quality and quantity. The combination of fine harvests and strong wine sales challenged us to keep up with the demand.  At long  last we have barrels back in stock.

Francois Freres:

Bordeaux three year air dry, Allier……………………….……….……..$810

 

Burgundy two year air dry ……………………………………….…….….$770

 

Burgundy three year air dry……………………………………………… $810

 

For two year and three year air-dried Burgundy barrels, Bertranges, Allier and Vosges are available in a variety of toast levels

 

30 gallon barrels……………………………………………………………..$395

 

 

Francois Freres Hungary…………………………………………………….$505

Bordeaux thin-stave.

 

Tonnellerie Taransaud: We may have a few barrels later this month. Also, at least one winery has extras they are willing to sell.

 

 

BARREL PRICES FOR 2006:  While we don’t have prices for 2006, it is a safe bet that they will go up. Oak prices at the recent auctions in France went up over 15%.  Cooperages will have to raise prices or face difficulties down the road.

 

On behalf of everyone here at Knox Industries, I’d like to wish all of you a Happy and Prosperous New Year!!

Mel Knox's Newsletter July 2005

FATHER CRUSH IS FLYING AGAIN! BARRELS FOR GOOD WINEMAKERS IN BAG In our last issue we mentioned that it was time to place your orders, that the delay between shipment from the cooperage and delivery to the winery, etc would be much longer this year. This was intended to encourage people who wanted barrels before harvest to get in touch with us. The only people who called me about this were other barrel salesmen, who actually thanked me.

In the meantime, the news: NEW ARRIVAL AT KNOX INDUSTRIES: Melissa Basine has replaced Sally Lowry, who retired in March. Besides being a trained theologian, Melissa is a wizard with computers. She would like to communicate via e mail, so please send her your e mail address. Ask her one of those theological/enological questions like, ‘What kind of wine do angels drink while standing on the head of a pin?’ Or, “If Angels made wine, where would they get the barrels?’. You may reach her at: knoxbarrels@pacbell.net. She would like to send out notifications of barrel arrivals, etc via e mail. Her goal is to get Knox Industries caught up with end of the 20th century technology before the end of the current decade.

TCA and TeCA: Both Francois Freres and Taransaud now have active programs to prevent your wine from being ruined by these compounds and their evil relatives: Taransaud is the industry leader in wood testing and certification, as they have been testing for these compounds since early 2002, when they first started to offer certification of freedom from TCA. Now both cooperages have serious procedures in place to protect you and your wines. Both cooperages test their stave wood throughout the process of making staves and barrels. First, the wood is tested upon arrival. Then it is tested prior to jointing and manufacture. Finally the barrels are tested prior to shipment.

USED TANK FOR SALE: Harlan Estate has a five-year-old Taransaud Tank for sale. It is a 48 hectoliter (roughly five ton) fermenter which includes the fittings, cooling panels, and a stainless steel top with an inner removeable cap. You can punch down and then do a prolonged cuvaison. Harlan is replacing their new tanks every five years, so new used tanks will be available in the years to come. $8500. If you are interested, call Bob Levy at 707-486-2696.

BARRELS FOR SALE: We have sold out of barrels through the end of September. We do get cancellations and we do have some barrels left over from winter, so don’t hesitate to call. Francois Freres: we are sold out for all shipments before their August vacation. We should be getting more barrels late September/early October. I may have some extra 265 liter barrels. Francois Freres Hungary: The demand for these excellent quality, and reasonably priced barrels has been fantastic this year. The cooperage is running at capacity and the summer production schedule is full. We will be able to get more in mid November. I have been joking about allocating these barrels for several years. Perhaps next year my jokes will become reality. Tonnellerie Taransaud: Think Thanksgiving, although I do have some barrels in the warehouse. Books on Barrels: I am getting more copies of Manuel de la Tonnellerie, by Nicholas Vivas. Dr. Vivas does research at UC Bordeaux and the second edition of his book will soon be in my hands. One catch: it’s in French. Interested in getting a copy of this research-filled tome on oak and barrels?? Call us. Small barrels: we now have small barrels in stock: Francois Freres: 57 liter: $245 114 liter: $395 Above, with wood hoops:$405 Tonnellerie Taransaud: 114 liter barrels: $460…when available

EURO SUFFERING! The dollar has hit a recent high against the Euro. It is currently trading around $1.21/1.22 to the Euro and this is a better rate than the one we saw last year at this time. People ask me where I think the dollar is going and my first answer is that if I knew, you would have to pay a lot of money to talk to me. In any event, if you are interested in buying forward now, call us. If you are paying in Euros, call your bank.

Oregon Barrel Works

Old world traditions New world innovations

Full Service Cooperage and Pacific Northwest Rep for:

Francois Freres / Taransaud / Jacques Garnier / Oregon Oak Barrels