Anyone get this in the mail? Any takers?

I got this. The only thing I am interested in purchasing at Del Dotto's prices are the new pinots. The vineyard was acquired from W.H. Smith. Supposedly the pinots must be laid down for a year or so.

I tasted their new ports from the barrel last March...and they were terrific...the blend was my favorite but again, their prices are what keeps me from buying much.

I like ttepper very much & cave girl. And, they both work for Del Dotto. I also like Del Dotto wines, but I don't like the prices. I just think that the prices are high for what they are selling. That's just my honest opinion. People of Del Dotto though are great! And, if you visit, you will have a blast!

Those visiting should also try the truffles. Awesome!

I tasted the pinot from barrel back in Sept. Very good IMHO but didn't purchase as I didn't think it was better than other pinots that I can get for less (Siduri, LWC, Brewer Clifton, August West, KB, Freeman, etc). Given limited resources, it was hard to justify the "premium" pricing.

I did purchase the 2003 Cabernet Franc--excellent (from barrel); worth the tarriff.

I had the same problem with the prices...including the price on their tour at $40 a pop.

Pretty sure I paid $20 in 2003. Has it really doubled in two years?

ttepper's time isn't cheap, you know!

stemor:

We visited, I guess,’ 3 years ago now. I came with a group of 6-8 friends, but can’t remember the exact number. And, there was no charge for us. But, may be because @ that time I had a good relationship with the cave girl. She did the tour for us. I still do, but just don’t get to talk to her much any more.

Man, $40.00 is a lot. Do they wave the fee if one purchases some wine? We did purchase wine after the tour.

I didn't take the tour this time--they just took me back to taste the cab franc and we stopped and tasted the pinot on the way back.

Cave Girl has always been very gracious re gratis tours for wine board friends. Although I have never paid, it is my understanding the price of the tour is now $40. Even though you taste a lot of excellent wine, that does seem a bit steep, IMHO. I have no idea if they refund the tour $$ with a purchase.

Quote:

---

Man, $40.00 is a lot. Do they wave the fee if one purchases some wine? We did purchase wine after the tour.

---

no

To some people, the $40 price tag for the tour may be pretty steep. But you sure do drink a helluva a lot more wine on that tour than any winery in the world (I would imagine.) Not only do you try several (and by several, I mean 6-10) wines out of barrel, wines that have been bottled (the finished product) as well as ports. By the time you are done, you have easily tasted nearly 20 wines. To me, it is more than worth it.

Quote:

---

To me, it is more than worth it.

---

At $20, I would say it was worth it. Notmore than worth it. At $40, that's just nuts. Two people can pool their $40 fee and buy a rockin' $80 bottle and have themselves a nice picnic. Tasting rooms (and tours) are supposed to be marketing tools to introduce and push the product. They're not supposed to be profit centers. I have no problem with a winery trying to recoup some of its expenses. But $40 seems more like buying admission to Disneyland than offsetting the tasting room overhead.

Jimmy to a certain extent that is exactly what is going on. Del Dotto is in the vanguard of the Disneyfication of the wine country.

Myself, I try to keep away from vins charging tasting fees. And, I have not been charged a tasting fee in a long time. And, we come out there every year.

But, those that charge tasting fees should absolutely drop the fee if an individual purchases wine(s). Especially, a Mailing List customer.

La Jota: never used to charge a fee. Now, since the sale of La Jota to (Markham, correct?), they charge a fee. My brother called to make an appt with them last time we were out there, they would not wave the fee. My brother tells them, I’ve been on your list since 1992, buying by the cases your wine. I have spent thousands & thousands of dollars on your wine the last 10-15 years. All I want is to taste the new wines of the futures that I bought since I am out there in the area.

The guy said, the tasting fee cannot be waved.

My brother no longer buys La Jota.

You gotta wonder?!? - for $20.00 ($40.00 with his wife), they lost thousands of dollars in future purchases/business.

To confirm, the tour is $40 and they do not refund anything with a purchase.

We visited in 2002 and the cost was $20. In 2003, it was $30. This past year, it had increased to $40 and the place was jam packed and the music blaring. There were some VIP's there that were given the royal treatment. Our group, however, was treated like herded cattle being led around the caves. They couldn't get us out of there fast enough. The Del Dotto daughter joined our tour and was obnoxious and toasted.

The place has lost its charm and we won't return, regardless of the amount of wine they pour.

I've never had a bad experience at Del Dotto, but $40 bucks is taking it too far imo, and smacks pure greed. I guess tho the adage of "what the market will bear" applies, and it certainly doesn't sound as if the market has any trouble bearing the tarrif.

$40 is way over the top. We didn't pay THAT much but still way too much at the prior $30 entry fee. It was interesting tasting how the different oaks in barrels influence the flavor, and doing some blending. Frankly, I learned alot more in a walk thru at Neal with Gove - which has also had alot more impact on me in the long run. My cellar contains ALOT of Neal wines and zero Del Dotto. I especially didn't appreciate the hard sell at the end of the tour hitting us up for even more money on the way out. If the money spent on the tour/tasting has been deducted from purchase, I might feel differently.

Granted, the caves themselves are cool, but bottom line is I would not recommend this to other visitors. From reading davidns trip notes to Disney, you can get as much or more there for the money at the California exhibits.

Jeez, I hadn't thought about it on a "comparison" basis. It does seem like quite a bit when compared to the cost of a daily pass to Disneyland. Maybe Disneyland is a pretty good deal.

The DelDotto caves are absolutely amazing. And the amount of wine one gets to drink is almost too much. The total experience in the cave with a wine thief and getting taste after taste from many many barrels is like nothing else in California.

We used to visit Bob and Georgia all the time. I did the cave tour so many times I could have lead it. I've even had a group of 30 friends up there for an early-morning before opening to the public tour (which was really amazing for all the wine "novices" in the group). But that was before the price went up.

Would I do it for $40? If one has never done the tour I would recommend paying the $40 and doing it... once. If you are only slightly in to wine it is well worth doing just for the learning experience. But once is enough at $40.

Besides, you probably wouldn't think twice about spending $40 on a nice bottle of Cab. Or $40 on a couple of glasses of wine at a dinner. I guarantee you will walk out of the place falling-down drunk if that is what you want to do. Believe me there is no shortage of wine that they will give you and if you want more just hold your glass out.