Bordeaux primeur 2009 and NZ wines prices - thoughts...

I've received today some information about Bordeaux primeur 2009. Apparently, Robert Parker comments:
"I have bever tasted such powerful and concentrated Medocs. First and most importantly, for soe Medocs and Graves, 2009 may turn out to be the finest vinatge i have tasted in 32 years of covering Bordeaux. From top to bottom, 2009 is not as consistent as 2005, but the peaks pf quality in 2009 may turn out to be historic. The vintage displays many of the characteristics of such creamy-textured, opulent, fat, succulent years as 1959, 1982, 1990 and some of the northern Medocs of 2003. Yet, the 2009s also have structure, freshness, acid levels as well as vibrancy and precision of such cooler years as 1986, 1996 and 2000. In that sense, this is the glory of the 2009s. For as big and rich as well as high in alcohol as they are, they are also remarkably delicate, fresh and pure. This paradox, albeit a wonderful one, is unprecedented in the three plus decades i have been tasting Bordeaux barrel samples. This is a magical vintage!"

Doesn't this sound promising! I checked the 2009 En Primeur prices we can get in NZ. Well, this is real food for thoughts. Imagine that in NZ to drink something of reasonnable quality and specifically reasonnable complexity, you have to buy at NZ$30 (approx. 15euros) and when you want something nice you spend between NZ$40 and $50 (20-25 euros) - without being crazy. Prices for NZ wines are just high, and not less high on the own NZ market. With the global financial crisis prices have dropped, and you can now find simple wines (never any default but never any complexity)under NZ$10 (5 euros), which was not really the case few years ago - but this is derived from and entails another subject.
So i just looked at what i could buy for the same average amount spent on NZ wines. And this is quite amazing to see that even En Primeur from overseas, with taxes, extra packaging, freight etc., i could buy some cru classe (Chateau Carbonnieux in Pessac Leognan), some cru bourgeois (Sociando Mallet in Haut Medoc, Chateau Carbonnieux in Moulis, Chateau Potensac in Medoc), some 2nd wine (Carmes de Rieussec in Sauternes, Demoiselle de Sociando Mallet), some Grand cru classe (Chateau de Camensac in Haut Medoc) etc etc. the list is really long. i agree, it's not because the wines are classified that they are good, but i happened to have tasted the above, and i like them and find good qualities to them - Bordeaux that are not hugely expensive but deliver special and specific qualities.
Maybe that's the thing, the list is really long and you're spoilt for choice, and the wineries have to compete without being cheap. And in NZ at NZ$40-50, you are not spoilt for choice and although you sometimes find this complex and surprising wine, it is not that commun. Do you always find complexity and surprising wines in Bordeaux (for example) for that price? Well no, but it does happen quite a bit, and consumers are ready to pay that much but they expect complexity. The wines have to deliver for the price - fair enough, isn't it?
So i'm not saying NZ wines are not complex, i'm saying the price is high for the complexity you get compared to wines from elsewhere - here the example was Bordeaux (En primeur - yes), but it is full of wines from other regions/countries that deliver better quality-complexity- surprise effect for money than NZ wines.
And if we think of low prices, the difference is even bigger. You can actually find little beauties under 7 euros (NZ$14) in european wines. The great thing with NZ wines is that even cheap (and some producers from Europe would even think that i'm talking nonsense as they consider 7 euros isn't cheap at all), there are really rarely winemaking defaults. The wines are always clean. So that's nice for cheap and cheerful; but for cheap and valuable, a bit of complexity or at least of character is essential... much more difficult in NZ Wines, if not impossible!