jrickards wrote:This is Jon again (Jim's son). The first reply was me, and as I a said I'm not a sophisticated drinker.

The second reply was from Eliza, Jim's wife. We are a small family winery, so we are all participating in this Woot event! This is our first time using this sort of media and we are all very excited about engaging you all.

jon

We're so happy to have all of you with us today!

jrickards wrote:Here is a picture of my dad with some visitors and the famous mustaches!

(not sure if this will work, so you may have to cut and paste this into a new browser)

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150681218198851&set=a.82033338850.80931.82010658850&type=3&theater

Clickable Link

jrickards wrote:This is Jon again (Jim's son). The first reply was me, and as I a said I'm not a sophisticated drinker.

The second reply was from Eliza, Jim's wife. We are a small family winery, so we are all participating in this Woot event! This is our first time using this sort of media and we are all very excited about engaging you all.

jon

OK, I can go with two different opinions, but would like to know the reasoning of how each of you came to a different opinion. Let's assume proper cellering, the consumption windows are rather contradictory. I need a nudge here.

Jon and Eliza,
Thanks for your comments. I'm in for an order. And living in Sacramento, I'll make a trip out to your winery this summer to marvel at Jim's moustache. Cheers!

jimjacks66 wrote:What is the drinking window for each? It is interesting that the Old Vine Zin is actually a blend of Zin, Petite Sirah, Carignane and Mataro. Curious what the winery says about this.

The Old Vine Zinfandel is a field blend of 80% Zinfandel, 10% Petite Sirah, 5% Carignane, 4% Mataro and a 1% smattering of Alicante Bouschet, Muscat Canelli and Golden Chasselas. When Jim Rickards planted the Ancestor Selections Vineyard, he used the same ratio of vines, but on a larger scale.

Both wines are drinking really well right now, but should continue to age gracefully for another 5-6 years.

Cheers!

Sue Straight (aka The Wine Wench)
Director of Sales & Marketing
J. Rickards Winery

rjquillin wrote:OK, I can go with two different opinions, but would like to know the reasoning of how each of you came to a different opinion. Let's assume proper cellering, the consumption windows are rather contradictory. I need a nudge here.

Hi, Eliza here. Jim and I have been making wine since 1991. Our Cabernet from that year still holds up. And, friends who still have some of our amature wine from the early 2000's say the zins are still amazing. They have been carefully aged in our home. So, with the larger volume (500 cases vs. 50) and warehouse exposure, storage, etc. of these releases, Jon's coaching from Blaine (on the winemaking team) to drink in 5 years is a good response. Eliza

In for one and by the looks of the button just in time too.

jetman5443 wrote:I'm pretty new at understanding/decoding wine descriptions.

Would you say these wines are very rich in tannin?

Are they sweet or jammy at all?

My GF and I prefer dry, tannin rich, big bold wines. Do these fit that bill?

Thanks in advance...

I would say that both of these wines are balanced - there is enough fruit and spice to satisfy those who want blackberries, raspberries and spice and the tannins are there, but integrated. In other words...you're gonna LOVE these!!

rjquillin wrote:OK, I can go with two different opinions, but would like to know the reasoning of how each of you came to a different opinion. Let's assume proper cellering, the consumption windows are rather contradictory. I need a nudge here.

Both wines are drinking really well now, and will continue to age gracefully for another 5-6 years. It depends how you like your wines - do you prefer them younger and fruit-forward or more aged and softer? Everyone is different.

danzigdan wrote:I love Zinfandel but I think I may have too many at the moment. Woot needs to come up with some Petit Sirah soon!

We have an awesome Petite Sirah too!

J.Rickards Alexander Valley Zinfandel

J.Rickards Alexander Valley Zinfandel
Current numbers (updated each minute)
First sucker: narnett
Speed to first woot: 6m 26.790s
Last wooter to woot: catfishhunters99

Nothing like a bouncing "I want one" to get me off the fence. The idea of supporting a small family business + great reviews from commenters + bouncy = in for one.

In for one... couldn't resist! (And yes, their petite sirah is dang good... every bit as good as, say, Quixote. They also make a sémillon that's worth seeking out - I was really surprised at how good that wine was.)

In for one already, so it's sort of moot, but:

Anyone know anything about the pricing on this one? There's not a lot on Wine Searcher, etc.

Looks to be about 15-20% off the winery's price, all tolled.

Great family owned winery. Have visited in the past and will stop by again in May.Along with their very good reds they have an excellent Sauvignon Blanc.

I don't see the bounce.

We have been to J. Rickards, walked the vineyard with the owner and got quite an education on growing grapes and making wine (as well as playing with the dogs). We are members of the wine club. It is an excellent place to visit. The wines are as wonderful as the experience. And while I am quite a Zin fan and tend to stay away from white wine, don't miss some of their white offerings as well. Their sauvignon blanc is quite remarkable.

In for one. I'll have to wear the moustache over my goatee!

jrickards wrote:We have an amazing Petite Sirah too. My dad considers is one of the best he has ever had.

I LOVE ZIN....and although I'm flush with wine right now, good Zin is to me, is like kryptonite to Superman

So it sounds like you guys have great Zin, great CS, and great Petite Sirah....man oh man would a four pack sampler of these babies be awesome on wine.woot

WaltW wrote:I don't see the bounce.

It was bouncing earlier...tricked me into pulling the trigger... :-)

bsevern wrote:I LOVE ZIN....and although I'm flush with wine right now, good Zin is to me, is like kryptonite to Superman

So it sounds like you guys have great Zin, great CS, and great Petite Sirah....man oh man would a four pack sampler of these babies be awesome on wine.woot

So noted.
AND...you can always stop by for a visit!

I've had some great field blends. One in particular really stands out, from, of all places, 1800's vineyards in Oakley, CA (bottled by a Napa winery). It consisted of Petite Sirah, Syrah, Mourvedre, Malbec, Carigagne, Alicante Bouschet, Tinta Cao and Viognier. Sounds like everything including the kitchen sink, but it really works well, beautiful dark fruits galore, lots of blueberry fruit, very, very tasty. It sounds like your field blend is very similar in flavor profile, and I can't wait to try it!

In for one!

therealwinewench wrote:The Old Vine Zinfandel is a field blend of 80% Zinfandel, 10% Petite Sirah, 5% Carignane, 4% Mataro and a 1% smattering of Alicante Bouschet, Muscat Canelli and Golden Chasselas. When Jim Rickards planted the Ancestor Selections Vineyard, he used the same ratio of vines, but on a larger scale.

Both wines are drinking really well right now, but should continue to age gracefully for another 5-6 years.

Cheers!

Sue Straight (aka The Wine Wench)
Director of Sales & Marketing
J. Rickards Winery

I hope some knowledgable wooters can chime in. I had the 2007 inspiration Zin this past weekend and loved it. Exactly the type o zin i enjoy. I pulled the trigger on the current offer and compared specs ( since both are from alexander valley though different vintages). the total acid and brix were very similar and the alcohol is about 1 percent lower in today's offer. The real difference was in PH 3.28 vs. 3.83 (current offer). Will this make a huge differnce? If so, in what way? Thanks!

Winery: i noticed you use both american and french oak. Why is that? Further, what percent of each then what percent of the latter question are new vs. Old? Thanks!

bdigest wrote:It was bouncing earlier...tricked me into pulling the trigger... :-)

I didn't see the bounce bthough noticed the
LASTCALL which enticed me to jump i. I am thinking WD contacted the winery who then allocated more to the offer?

losthighwayz wrote:I didn't see the bounce bthough noticed the
LASTCALL which enticed me to jump i. I am thinking WD contacted the winery who then allocated more to the offer?

Is the last call from twitter?

Hey kids... let's add to that punch-out moustache coaster offer and give 20% off their next order, if they use the special discount code they receive with their Woot purchase! Good on-line, by phone or at the winery. Eliza

Sounds like some good juice! Winery comments and participation pushed me over the fence.

In for one.

Current numbers (updated each minute)
First sucker: narnett
Speed to first woot: 6m 26.790s
Last wooter to woot: bobrush12866

Wine Woot number 99 for me...

Hey WD...Let's make sure Number 100 is very memorable!...Scott, Wellington, Meeker, Corison, Ty, etc.

jrickards wrote:Hey kids... let's add to that punch-out moustache coaster offer and give 20% off their next order, if they use the special discount code they receive with their Woot purchase! Good on-line, by phone or at the winery. Eliza

Who can argue with a deal like that. In for 1.

jrickards wrote:Hey kids... let's add to that punch-out moustache coaster offer and give 20% off their next order, if they use the special discount code they receive with their Woot purchase! Good on-line, by phone or at the winery. Eliza

Well if you say so... great way to try our awesome Petite Sirah or Cabernet, or that Malbec you can't get anywhere else. Any white wine drinkers out there? The Sauv Blanc and Muscat will blow you away!

jrickards wrote:Any white wine drinkers out there? The Sauv Blanc and Muscat will blow you away!

Oooo!

losthighwayz wrote:I hope some knowledgable wooters can chime in. I had the 2007 inspiration Zin this past weekend and loved it. Exactly the type o zin i enjoy. I pulled the trigger on the current offer and compared specs ( since both are from alexander valley though different vintages). the total acid and brix were very similar and the alcohol is about 1 percent lower in today's offer. The real difference was in PH 3.28 vs. 3.83 (current offer). Will this make a huge differnce? If so, in what way? Thanks!

Yes. That is a substantial difference in pH. Are you sure the one was 3.28 for a zin. That sounds really low. Anyway, if those #s are accurate, yes. The difference will be the acidity level in the wine. The wine with 3.28 will be much more zippy, zingy, whatever word you like. It would also cleanse your palate from food, especially fatty food (steak) much much better. Necessary read part 1 and part 2.

Winery:

First of all, thank you very much for your amazing input and participation on these boards! Second of all, we love extra incentives to order so thank for that, as well! And now thirdly, and most importantly, when do we get to put our grubby hands on your PS?!?!?!

Sincerely,

Wine.Woot addicts of these forums

Visited the winery a couple weeks ago during the Wine Road Barrel tasting. Loved the winery, their story and the Zins! Only had room for one bottle to bring back to Chicago. Visiting again in June!

losthighwayz wrote:Winery: i noticed you use both american and french oak. Why is that? Further, what percent of each then what percent of the latter question are new vs. Old? Thanks!

I see we're bouncing again, so want to respond to the barrel question. For the zins, it's about 60/40 American vs. French and about 70/30 old vs. new. We like one year old French barrels that were used for Pinot (Jim calls it weak red wine) so that not a lot of oak flavor is imparted, but the tight grain helps to adjust the exposure in aging. The new American oak flavors are the ones we like in the zins, but keep it under check with the balance. Thanks to all for your kind words and we hope WW will have us back again. Cheers!

I wasn't going to pull the trigger... but great winery participation and coasters with a punch out mustache? I had to.... in for 1

kylemittskus wrote:Winery:

First of all, thank you very much for your amazing input and participation on these boards! Second of all, we love extra incentives to order so thank for that, as well! And now thirdly, and most importantly, when do we get to put our grubby hands on your PS?!?!?!

Sincerely,

Wine.Woot addicts of these forums

oh Yes, we NEED your PS!!!

mommadeb1 wrote:I wasn't going to pull the trigger... but great winery participation and coasters with a punch out mustache? I had to.... in for 1

I'm with you! Nice winery participation, positive input from folks who have experience with the wines and the coasters are hard to resist. Even though there is no room at the inn, a set of these are headed my way.