WD,

Any chance The Shark himself might stop by here to chat a bit? I bet that would sell a few extra bottles. Hey! I should go make a user name, "TheShark" and pretend I'm him........... Genius!!!!
"Allow me to introduce myself, Wile E. Coyote - Super Genius"

smlauren wrote:WD,

Any chance The Shark himself might stop by here to chat a bit? I bet that would sell a few extra bottles. Hey! I should go make a user name, "TheShark" and pretend I'm him........... Genius!!!!
"Allow me to introduce myself, Wile E. Coyote - Super Genius"

Oh! And I get the top of the page again!!! I'm buyin Lotto tickets tonight!

Daystar wrote:So.....Can anyone comment on this wine? Had it before? Worth the price point? Worth me wootlegging it from NC to OH?

Well, I have, but I'm biased since I'm the one selling it on Woot. I have had it, and liked it quite well. But I like bolder wines, versus earthier wines. I did find the full tasting notes I can share:

2001 Greg Norman Reserve Shiraz

TASTING NOTES
The 2001 Greg Norman Reserve Shiraz is a rich, deep, red color, indicating great power and intensity. The nose shows complex layers of fruit with rich, dark plum and blackberry notes complemented by warm earth notes and spicy oak aromas. The palate is full bodied and elegant with dark plum and blackberry flavors complemented by touches of eucalypt and mint. Supple, silky tannins form the basis of this finely structured and balanced Shiraz. This wine would make a great accompaniment to braised spare ribs, lamb cassoulet or a rich venison stew.

GRAPE SOURCE
The fruit for this wine was sourced from premium vineyards in Coonawarra and Padthaway region of South Australia. The 2001 vintage was characterized by an exceptionally long ripening season. The cool, clear nights helped to retain the distinctive cool climate Shiraz characters - intense flavors and elegant structure.

VINIFICATION
After crushing the fruit was fermented for 7 days in small rotary and static fermenters. Special fruit parcels were then pressed to barrel to complete 16 months’ fermentation in new American oak hogsheads (79%), with a portion in seasoned oak barrels (21%).

WINEMAKER - Andrew Hales

CELLARING - Excellent drinking now but will reward careful cellaring for up to 10 years.

TECHNICAL DETAILS
Alcohol: 14%
pH: 3.38
Acidity: 0.72 g/100ml
Harvest Date: March 2001

AWARDS
Wine Spectator
Rated 91 Supple, generous and open-textured, offering a nice range of dark berry and cherry flavors shaded with mineral, tar and licorice notes that sing harmoniously against lacy acidity on the finish. Drink now through 2016.
(Harvey Steiman) April 18, 2007

Wine & Spirits October 2007
2001 Greg Norman Estates Reserve Shiraz Limestone Coast Rated 88 This mellow, red-fruited shiraz is lush with generous flavor, then it finishes light, leaving an elegant impression. Its plummy flavors are soft and simple. For roast eggplant stuffed with lamb. (Joshua Greene)


2002 Greg Norman Reserve Shiraz


TASTING NOTES
The 2002 Greg Norman Reserve Shiraz is a rich, deep, red colour, indicating great power and intensity. The nose shows complex layers of fruit with rich, dark plum and blackberry notes complemented by earthy notes and spicy oak aromas. The palate is full bodied and elegant with dark plum and blackberry flavors complemented by touches of eucalypt and mint. Supple, silky tannins form the basis of this finely structured and balanced Shiraz. This wine would make a great accompaniment to braised spare ribs, lamb cassoulet or a rich venison stew.

GRAPE SOURCE
The fruit for this wine was sourced from vineyards in Padthaway, Wrattonbully and the legendary Coonawarra region in South Australia, which has become legendary for its wines made from vineyards grown on rich red soils overlying hard limestone rock. The 2002 vintage was exceptional. The cool vintage ensured that the fruit developed intense varietal fruit characters, elegant tannins and firm structure.

VINIFICATION
After crushing the fruit was fermented for 7 days in small rotary and static fermenters. Special fruit parcels were then pressed to barrel to complete 22 months’ fermentation in a combination of American and French oak barrels. The finished wine is then cellared in bottle for 36 months prior to release.

WINEMAKER
Andrew Hales

CELLARING
Excellent drinking now, but will reward careful cellaring over the next 10 years.

TECHNICAL DETAILS
Appellation: Limestone Coast, South Australia
Blend: 100% Shiraz
Alcohol: 14.5%
pH: 3.38
Total Acidity: 0.72 g/100ml
Harvest Date: March 2002
Bottle Date: January 2004

jwhite6114 wrote:All of 'em? Cuz I am still pondering ... but if ALL of 'em are in, then I'd better jump in soon, too. The trick, this week, is the price -- it's definitely on the high side for two bottles, and I have no foundation for evaluating these. I like the sound of them so far ... but what about the oak? How prevalent is it in these wines? You have already indicated that these were 2 - 3 years in oak, but I am curious how this has transfered in the flavor.

The oak has added tannins, spices and necessary "funk" to balance with the fruit, alcohol, sugar, etc. It is an individual palate thing. I don't like earthy-benchland cabs...and can't stand overoaked chards, but I also would not like a "fresh" Aussie shiraz or domestic merlot or any red that is a fruit bomb, or that will take the enamel off your teeth. This one, the Penfolds 389, the Wolfblass Black Shiraz/Cab...these all have a nice balance for me of the fruit and funk.

As far as the price, I go all over the place myself. I buy great $5 Chilean wines at Trader Joes but will then go and blow over $100 on some big named Napa cab at a release party like and WAFFLES! TASTY WAFFLES!. It boils down to the type of wines you like and how varied your collection it. If you have a lot of 90+ point big named reds, then maybe you don't need another one. If you're heavy on lower end "tuesday night" wines, then this is a great deal.

These are too tempting, think I will wootleg to a friend in TX.

susan360 wrote:The oak has added tannins, spices and necessary "funk" to balance with the fruit, alcohol, sugar, etc. It is an individual palate thing. I don't like earthy-benchland cabs...and can't stand overoaked chards, but I also would not like a "fresh" Aussie shiraz or domestic merlot or any red that is a fruit bomb, or that will take the enamel off your teeth. This one, the Penfolds 389, the Wolfblass Black Shiraz/Cab...these all have a nice balance for me of the fruit and funk.

As far as the price, I go all over the place myself. I buy great $5 Chilean wines at Trader Joes but will then go and blow over $100 on some big named Napa cab at a release party like and WAFFLES! TASTY WAFFLES!. It boils down to the type of wines you like and how varied your collection it. If you have a lot of 90+ point big named reds, then maybe you don't need another one. If you're heavy on lower end "tuesday night" wines, then this is a great deal.

beware the woot-off filters. Is it just me or is the carp over at juvie woot even worse/slower than normal?

canonizer wrote:beware the woot-off filters. Is it just me or is the carp over at juvie woot even worse/slower than normal?

SLOW. And where's our detour?!

canonizer wrote:beware the woot-off filters. Is it just me or is the carp over at juvie woot even worse/slower than normal?

No, I actually meant to say the wine tasted like WAFFLES! TASTY WAFFLES! <grin>

sbacro wrote:Hi - first post (go easy). I was introduced to Aussie Shiraz in the late 1990s while working in Japan for 3 years. Given the extensive trade between countries and the weak Aussie dollar, they were among the best bargains. I always found that good quality Shiraz doesn't need to be expensive, especially if you're drinking while it's young as a table wine. It seems to stand up very well with mexican dishes, especially if you have a bit of guacamole and salsa, and generally with spicy dishes. I also prefer sometimes with a NY strip steak (marinated with olive oil, worcestershire, soy and balsamic, with dijon as emulsifier) - instead of trying to cut thru a big Cab Sauv, a young, fruity Shiraz would be an easier complement.

I will say, I agree with the comment about not pairing with food, but more in the case of mature Shiraz. One of our (richer, hipper) Aussie friends would break out classic, crazy wines (think Penfolds Grange) that were dark (literally), smokier, tar(ier), with much more complexity, than the wines I was drinking. These were wines that were best sitting around and sipping, maybe with some nibbles.

I am torn on this one, since I had bad experiences with Norman back in those days (I remember some Cab-Shiraz that were undrinkable - admittedly a much lower price point wine), so I'll pass. I drank a Cockfighters Ghost Shiraz recently that is findable and a great wine at a reasonable price. As a PS, if you have the chance to see Hunter Valley (a couple hours north of Sydney) it's most spectacular! Cheers.

go EASY?!? are you kidding?!? that is easily the most constructive / content-heavy first post that i have ever read. please stick around (and check out the forums).

Winedavid39 wrote:some fairly significant self disclosure there Mr. Corrado..

Seriously, I'd rather post my medical charts than admit to something like that :-)

Hey Sir David, my trip is getting rather boring. Should I be expecting a detour in the nigh future. And by nigh, I mean, like, NOW?

Winedavid39 wrote:hard to say. my guess that if a detour were to occur, it will be tomorrow.

; )

LabROUS review: an attempt at objective description of wine. My goal is to give you an idea of the aromas, flavors and structure of the wine(s) reviewed. Because wine preferences are personal, I try to stay away from “quality” assessment. It is, of course, impossible to completely ignore my pet likes and dislikes, but I will try to let you know when I’m expressing opinion - for example, many of you are aware that I am not fond of heavy oak or high alcohol.


- Greg Norman Reserve Shiraz 2002 Limestone Coast

This wine is quite dark and still has a bit of youthful purple tint. The initial aromas include a fair amount of coconut-like oak.. I’m probably part of a minority who would even comment on this, and I’ve certainly had many oakier wines. There’s some blueberry and blackberry fruit, chocolate and mint (I was reminded of Andes mints). Swirling brings out some of the trademark Syrah character - smoked bacon, iodine, game, white pepper and violet, along with ripe plum, fennel and a bit of caramel or toffee. The minty (eucalyptus?) note is always present, but never dominant.
The entry is moderately sweet, supple and mouthcoating, with some oak adding to the richness. The acid balance is spot-on, not tart as I was expecting after peeking at the stats, and prevents the wine from becoming heavy or cloying. The tannins are rich and fairly soft, adding structure and some astringency on the finish. This is not a monster that demands aging, but certainly has the stuff to last and develop for several more years. The finish is fairly long and rich, and should get even longer and smoother as the oak becomes fully integrated and the tannins soften a bit more.

labROUS wrote:LabROUS review: an attempt at objective description of wine. My goal is to give you an idea of the aromas, flavors and structure of the wine(s) reviewed. Because wine preferences are personal, I try to stay away from “quality” assessment. It is, of course, impossible to completely ignore my pet likes and dislikes, but I will try to let you know when I’m expressing opinion - for example, many of you are aware that I am not fond of heavy oak or high alcohol.


- Greg Norman Reserve Shiraz 2002 Limestone Coast

This wine is quite dark and still has a bit of youthful purple tint. The initial aromas include a fair amount of coconut-like oak.. I’m probably part of a minority who would even comment on this, and I’ve certainly had many oakier wines. There’s some blueberry and blackberry fruit, chocolate and mint (I was reminded of Andes mints). Swirling brings out some of the trademark Syrah character - smoked bacon, iodine, game, white pepper and violet, along with ripe plum, fennel and a bit of caramel or toffee. The minty (eucalyptus?) note is always present, but never dominant.
The entry is moderately sweet, supple and mouthcoating, with some oak adding to the richness. The acid balance is spot-on, not tart as I was expecting after peeking at the stats, and prevents the wine from becoming heavy or cloying. The tannins are rich and fairly soft, adding structure and some astringency on the finish. This is not a monster that demands aging, but certainly has the stuff to last and develop for several more years. The finish is fairly long and rich, and should get even longer and smoother as the oak becomes fully integrated and the tannins soften a bit more.

You're not helping me stay out of this one LabROUS. I am trying to save my wine funds for the RPM trip next month, but this deal is sounding quite worth it.

Must be strong. Must be strong.

andyduncan wrote:Seriously, I'd rather post my medical charts than admit to something like that :-)

Yeah, cuz hanging out here all day is SOOOO different than starting your own IRC channel

jwhite6114 wrote:Yeah, cuz hanging out here all day is SOOOO different than starting your own IRC channel

Dude, you're forgetting, about a year ago I started a #winewoot channel. I think corrado was the only person who showed up.

Corrado wrote:It was actually pretty cool (mostly because the channel ended up having virtually nothing to do with the show). This was back in the day when there were few enough people online that I could log on any time of the day or night as "Wabbit" (loooooong before the days where a username wasn't transient) without running into someone with the same name or, if there was a dupe, I was recognized as the The "Wabbit" and the impostor was harangued into picking a new nick. Made friends with people from all continents (except Antarctica) and one of my room-mates managed to get several of them to travel extraordinary distances to visit.

Come to think of it, 'twasn't that much different from wine.woot. :P

actually very cool.

mander77 wrote:I've emailed 4x. Sent a few over the form on the web site just to make sure. Used different emails just incase it was blocked. still NOTHING. I've never had a delay like this either. In any event, that is the case. My wine was damaged in transit and i have not gotten any word back since it was returned. Now I leave to go out of town and its summer and hotter than H3LL here. I'm just trying to get some notice which is why I'm crying out here. I just want this resolved so I can move on. I don't have time for this. sigh... i just want my wine! Y is that so hard. ;)

Did you get the automated reply when you e-mailed them? I had attached pictures of spoiled wine in my e-mail, but it turned out that those e-mails never reached service. I found that for every e-mail I sent where I got the automated reply, it took between a few hours to 2 days to get a reply -- I certainly did get a reply every time, though...

winefarm wrote:actually very cool.

unlike some of the things in this woot off....

Wine is fine...

...but I'd really like to see ales.woot.com.

There are great micro-brew ales and lagers that I simply cannot buy because I'm outside their distribution network. Bummer.

Greg Norman make good Shiraz and these are very good Shirazs, but they are just Shirazs. If you want to spend this kind of money you can buy a far superior Cab or blend from Napa. I like Shiraz but lets face it, Shiraz is just a table wine.

iowa2oc wrote:Greg Norman make good Shiraz and these are very good Shirazs, but they are just Shirazs. If you want to spend this kind of money you can buy a far superior Cab or blend from Napa. I like Shiraz but lets face it, Shiraz is just a table wine.

I don't want to be that guy who jumps on people but finding very good napa cabs/blends from Napa for $26 is quite difficult these days (excluding resources like woot, wine library and wine warehouse in ny).

CAN WE HAVE A WOOT OFF RIGHT NOW!!! ENOUGH OF THE POSTURING!!! OY VEY!

boaz38 wrote:CAN WE HAVE A WOOT OFF RIGHT NOW!!! ENOUGH OF THE POSTURING!!! OY VEY!

THIS OFFER IS AS BORING AS NORMAN HIMSELF!!! I WOULD RATHER BE SUBJECTED TO HOURS OF WATCHING "MANOS-THE HANDS OF FATE" THAN ENDURING THIS WOOT OFFER ANY LONGER!! HELP US...........SOS

canonizer wrote:I don't want to be that guy who jumps on people finding very good napa cabs/blends from Napa for $26 is quite difficult these days (excluding resources like woot, wine library and wine warehouse in ny).

Sterling is a wonderful cab, Iron Horse is another. and Robert Mondovi (Not the Select) are three great examples of fine wines in the $30 Range. Oh and Roth is another.

boaz38 wrote:THIS OFFER IS AS BORING AS NORMAN HIMSELF!!! I WOULD RATHER BE SUBJECTED TO HOURS OF WATCHING "MANOS-THE HANDS OF FATE" THAN ENDURING THIS WOOT OFFER ANY LONGER!! HELP US...........SOS

Manos, God of primal darkness. As thou has decreed so have I done. The hands of fate have doomed this man. Thy will is done.

bridgeresq wrote:Manos, God of primal darkness. As thou has decreed so have I done. The hands of fate have doomed this man. Thy will is done.

and you quote the movie, whats next, letterman? i loved the painting with the dobermans, wonder where its hanging today? lmao

boaz38 wrote:and you quote the movie, whats next, letterman? i loved the painting with the dobermans, wonder where its hanging today? lmao

I've never watched the movie. I thought your post was funny, so I just had to google it, and when the script came up, it was so awful.

iowa2oc wrote:Sterling is a wonderful cab, Iron Horse is another. and Robert Mondovi (Not the Select) are three great examples of fine wines in the $30 Range. Oh and Roth is another.

Stelzner is another reasonable one.

bridgeresq wrote:I've been very lucky in getting quick and helpful responses from service@woot.com, putting my order no. in the subject line. Basically, I provided my user ID, the vintage, winery, type of wine & no. of bottles damaged. They will order it from the winery directly and then the winery will send the replacement directly to you. You are supposed to receive communication from the winery once they ship the replacement bottles. I hope this helps some. Maybe you can start fresh with a new email from the account associated with your user ID, your order no. and a thorough explanation of what was damaged.

I've actually done that. I just sent from another email. I got one auto response a few weeks ago but nothing else after that. I've never had an issue before. I've always gotten emails back and issue resolved. I've been very happy up until now. It wouldn't be that bad but I've been waiting for a response for 2 weeks.

WOOT... please respond! PLEASE help the poor wino resolve this. ;)

themostrighteous wrote:go EASY?!? are you kidding?!? that is easily the most constructive / content-heavy first post that i have ever read. please stick around (and check out the forums).

Thanks. I'll probably need to catch up since I understand about 1/10th of what's being discussed (the insider stuff, not the wine stuff, although a good part of that flies over my head).

On another note, it's funny but I can't even call Syrah "Syrah" and have to revert to Shiraz. If you spend time with Aussies, you'd appreciate the way they pronounce it - long "z" if that makes any sense, like She-razz. Makes it sound much less pretentious, kinda like the wine.

bridgeresq wrote:Manos, God of primal darkness. As thou has decreed so have I done. The hands of fate have doomed this man. Thy will is done.

you are too funny bridge and you speak french! are you from La.? cause i be from der

watch the mystery science theater 3000 version of manos-the hands of fate, its quite halarious

smlauren wrote:WD,

Any chance The Shark himself might stop by here to chat a bit? I bet that would sell a few extra bottles. Hey! I should go make a user name, "TheShark" and pretend I'm him........... Genius!!!!
"Allow me to introduce myself, Wile E. Coyote - Super Genius"

Or how 'bout autographed bottles?

sbacro wrote:Thanks. I'll probably need to catch up since I understand about 1/10th of what's being discussed (the insider stuff, not the wine stuff, although a good part of that flies over my head).

On another note, it's funny but I can't even call Syrah "Syrah" and have to revert to Shiraz. If you spend time with Aussies, you'd appreciate the way they pronounce it - long "z" if that makes any sense, like She-razz. Makes it sound much less pretentious, kinda like the wine.

Just avoid saying petite shiraz if you don't want Loweel to hunt you down.

mander77 wrote:I've actually done that. I just sent from another email. I got one auto response a few weeks ago but nothing else after that. I've never had an issue before. I've always gotten emails back and issue resolved. I've been very happy up until now. It wouldn't be that bad but I've been waiting for a response for 2 weeks.

WOOT... please respond! PLEASE help the poor wino resolve this. ;)

I'd PM WineDavid and see if he can help you. At the least, I'm sure he'd nudge the right people to take care of this for you.

Good luck!

boaz38 wrote:you are too funny bridge and you speak french! are you from La.? cause i be from der

watch the mystery science theater 3000 version of manos-the hands of fate, its quite halarious

yes, NOLA. I used to watch MST3K, but it's been so long ago that I don't remember all of the movies. I've got to find it, I really need the laugh.