Cameron Hughes, co-founder of the eponymously named, e-commerce wine brand, has announced his new wine project, de Négoce [day-NA-go-SHAY which is modeled on the French “en primeur” system, widely used by well-regarded Bordeaux wineries. The name refers to the time-honored wine trade practiced by those known as négociants. Also called futures, the system is based on offering wines in barrel to consumers before bottling and release. The advantage to consumers is to acquire sought-after wines at attractive pre-release pricing.
“I’ve had the idea of doing a wine futures project for a long time and I believe now is the time. People will be looking for great value items, produced in small quantities, that they can buy one case at a time before the wine sells out,” Hughes said.
Hughes says the advantage to buying futures is the opportunity to obtain limited production wines straight from the barrel at deep discounts. He believes buying wine from his personally curated barrel selections will not only serve as an endorsement of quality, but will allow access to prices not seen since the 1970s (due to record harvest volume and a softening economy). The wines will be sold by the case only, not available at traditional retail, and offered exclusively through the de Négoce website.
The first de Négoce releases include a 2018 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, a 2017 vintage from Napa Valley’s famed Stagecoach Vineyard, and a Napa Valley Coombsville Bordeaux blend, with more selections to come. Pricing is expected to range from $120 to $180 per case. Depending on availability, quantities will average about 1000 cases each. Customers are limited to purchasing one case at a time per person where legal for wine shipments.