Cameron Hughes strikes again

Cameron Hughes has been a negociant since 2001, gathering unwanted wines from top California producers and selling them for a fraction of the cost under his own label. With the promise he won’t reveal the name of the producer, he has tapped into a secondary market fueled by a growing excess of bulk wine.

Hughes sold the Cameron Hughes label to Vintage Wine, but now he has a new venture: sell wine en premeur. Modeled after the advance sales program in Bordeaux, Hughes agrees to accept a tranche of wine from Producer A. He tells his customer base — now numbering 10,000 — about his agreement in an email. The customer agrees to buy at least a case of the wine. Once the tranche is sold, he releases the wine to the customer. Sometimes it has been bottled just days ago. Wines that sells under his de Negoce label for $10 are sold by Producer A for $40 or even $90.

Normally, we wouldn’t fall for such a scheme because we’d be gambling our money on trust. How do we know he’s getting the wine, say, from Chateau Montelena and not Menage e Trois? However, we tasted several of these wine with Hughes himself on Zoom and were stunned by their quality. No question, these wines are coming from quality producers. An $18 de Negoce cabernet sauvignon from Diamond Mountain was extraordinary — we wish we could buy a case but it was already sold out. Hughes said the producer is selling the same bottle for $100.

A very good $15 sauvignon blanc was sourced from Stagecoach Vineyard. Another cabernet sauvignon from Dry Creek sold for a ridiculous $10.

Those who pride themselves in top-drawer wines from a particular vineyard may not be as satisified sharing a wine under the obscure de Negoce label. It may be like sporting a knock-off Rolex watch. But if looks don’t bother you, this is worth the gamble. You can even reduce the risk by splitting cases with friends and family.

Cheaper cabernet sauvignon on the way?

California continues to struggle with a glut of grapes, particularly the vaunted cabernet sauvignon. The growing crops bode well for consumers, but not necessary grape growers who are searching for buyers in a market interrupted by the corona virus.

In the last two decades, vintners have ripped out their merlot and replanted with cabernet sauvignon to address the trend to California’s top cash crop. But that change has resulted in more bulk cabernet and more coming as young vines mature.

Top producers are unlikely to make more wine because it can destabilize the lofty prices they charge. More likely, they could sell off more of their estate grapes. If they don’t have estate vineyards, it is unlikely they will buy more grapes from the glut. Cameron Hughes, who often scarves up these excess grapes, will have a field day selling wine from top vineyards at reduced prices (with the promise he won’t name the source).

Other producers of inexpensive wines will find better quality at reduced prices. Those of us who buy wines in the $15-20 category mostly likely will be buying better wine at the same price.