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| - So I immediately went to the wine section, as I am wont to do in a place like this. I arrive at a 2004 Pio Cesare Barbaresco. I find the price tag. $80!!! I exclaim to myself, 'Jesus Christ!' Immediately, the manager comes over and asks what am I saying "Jesus Christ" about, and I say, '$80 for a Barbaresco?' And he launches into how he is merely charging 30% markup, and how it's a fair price for a Barbaresco of that vintage, especially for Pio Cesare. I told him that I could get Barolos for less money than that, and that everything is cheaper now, implying that he should be aware of the market development. (Edit: I saw that this same bottle goes for $54 at Total Wine, by the way.) I think this guy thinks it's still 2005 in Scottsdale, where any idiot with money to burn would pay the asking price, no questions asked. I didn't even get into the outrageous markup on their half bottle of 20 year tawny. What's the point? I just walked out, disgusted with this place.
In this day and age, wine-searcher.com is the great equalizer for the consumer. It has taken away the information asymmetry dynamic that was so pervasive in wine. As more consumers catch on, places like Oakville will either have to lower prices or they will just have to quit selling wine.
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