two versions of the same wine

I recently purchased Clos Galena Priorat 2004 for what I thought was a very good price. It was advertised nearly half off. After doing a little research I found out that there are two versions from this winery, one at the higher price that was advertised and one just slightly higher than what I paid. I am having difficulty figuring out if I was the victim of misleading advertising or not, as I cannot determine which is which, but I think they were advertising the premium label price, but selling the less expensive one.

The one I purchased has a horizontal label that is about one inch tall and has a small sketch of a vine to the right of the name. The label is off white and black, very plain. It does have faint gray horizontal stripes.

I bought this from Wines Til Sold Out, a "deal of the day" kind of site, but the wine selections change several times daily. Has anybody had experiences with this sales site and are they trustworthy? (a question I should have already asked before I bought) I would like to contact them to complain if indeed what they claimed to be the retail price was really the price of the winery's premium version and not the version they were selling.

[David M. Bueker]

Did you buy this one?



or this one?



And what did you pay? It's hard to answer your question without the price. I see the wine shown above has been purchased at Wines Til Sold Out per listings on CellarTracker. They do have two wines (sort of like the grand vin and a second label).

The real "Clos Galena" (the top one) shows up at about $45 on the web, while the second shows up at about $25.

The top cuvee is usually listed as Clos Galena Clos Galena.

[David M. Bueker]

The top cuvee is usually listed as Clos Galena Clos Galena.

From the department of redundancy department.

Yes, that is what I thought. I bought the second one pictured. Wines Til Sold Out had it listed retail at about $40...can't remember exactly, but I paid $19.99 and I remember it was about half price, according to their site. Not nearly the deal it was presented as. I will definitely be contacting them.

Thanks for your help.

I usually just delete the WTSO offers* but luckily haven't emptied my trash. The offer from 8/22 reads:
Hi Dale,
Today we are offering Domaine de la Cartoixa Galena (by Clos Galena) Priorat 2004 originally priced at $41.49 and available now for only $19.99. Ground shipping is free with your purchase of 4 bottle(s).
************** 52% OFF!! ************
************* SUPERB!
DENSE AND VERY RICH WITH LAYER AFTER LAYER OF DELICIOUS RED FRUIT FLAVOR
***** DO NOT MISS THIS BARGAIN!
Robert Parker – 92 Rating!
"Clos Galena was established just six years ago and is organically farmed. It contains a mix of old vines and new plantings. The 2004 Galena is composed of 35% Garnacha Negra, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, and 15% Carinena aged 12 months in French and American oak. It is an internationally styled effort with a dark ruby color, spicy red currant and black cherry aromas with a touch of vanilla in the background. Medium to full-bodied, it has a supple texture, layers of sweet, ripe fruit, and a long, heady finish. Allow another 2-4 years of bottle age and drink it over the following 10 years."


That sounds to me like they were offering the Galena, and represented it as such. The Clos Galena got a 95, and sells for $40-60. The Galena seems to have prices ranging from $29-$41 on WineSearcher Pro. I'd say $20 with free shipping is a very good price.

In general I find that WTSO's "original prices" are very high retail, but that is true of many sales pitches.

Overall, I think you did fine if you like that style of Priorat.

*one thing I like about WTSO is that the exact wine is listed in title. I don't have to open email. I delete at least 95% without opening, of the less than 5% I open I might buy 1 in 15. But I was very happy with $40 Mumm Cremant, $11 05 Canon Fronsac, $99 85 Cuvee Charlie, all with free shipping.

[David M. Bueker]

I agree with dale - your price is very fair.

In response to the last two posts: as I continued to research, I found the Clos Gelena, Clos Gelena listing for around $40 - 50 and the Galena listing for $24 - 30. I did indeed get the $19.99 price, and it did save me some money (especially considering I live in Ohio, where we get very few deals on any wine and spirits). The 52% off statement did lead one to believe it was the Clos Galena, Clos Galena.

To be fair to WTSO, I did contact them with my complaint, and they have given me with a satisfactory response, so I will continue to do business with them and recommend their site to others.

And, in the future I will be more diligent in my research before I purchase, when purchasing a wine with which I am not familiar.

[David M. Bueker]

And, in the future I will be more diligent in my research before I purchase, when purchasing a wine with which I am not familiar.

Something we should all do (see Dale Williams' post on wine buying in a recession).