jwhite6114 wrote:I thought "Claret" was a protected term, but it appears (per Wikipedia) that this protection is only within the EU. So within Europe, a Claret must be a UK wine, but the rest of the world can use the term as it sees fit?

Well, unless I'm mistaken it was never a wine MADE in the UK! (not to say they can't make wine in the UK but, um, it'd be quite the job) I believe French wines exported to the UK were labeled Claret on/before arrival.

jessiebyrd004 wrote:Geesh. Why is even the good deals on wine so expensive?.. Well, not "expensive" but still. When are we gonna get ONE bottle that's half-priced to $15 or so?

To offer wines at a discount, and still make enough money to eat, WD has to move a larger number of bottles. This is why your local wine shop can probably give you a discount if you buy a mixed case. Perhaps unfortunately, even if the deal is good/wine is cheap, the pricing unavoidably increases linearly with the number of bottles. It just means you have to pony-up the cash at the beginning, and pace yourself with the consuming.

speedoo wrote:Thanks, very positive review.

First time I've read one of their reviews... how reliable do you find them?

I've always been very cautious of their reviews. Regardless of the wine, it was one that the were "selling" on their site....meaning, I think they are good salesmen.......

canonizer wrote:Well, unless I'm mistaken it was never a wine MADE in the UK! (not to say they can't make wine in the UK but, um, it'd be quite the job) I believe French wines exported to the UK were labeled Claret on/before arrival.

Thanks to global warming the UK wine industry is booming, more new vineyards are opening up there than almost anywhere else.

mantorp wrote:Thanks to global warming the UK wine industry is booming, more new vineyards are opening up there than almost anywhere else.

That's almost doubly hard to believe in light of how densely populated the country is. I'd think farmland's losing out to development. Anyways, is it any good?

conroo wrote:Such tenacity! WTG Mill!

Soooo, Florida is black, I thought we decided Mill was a Floridian?

jwhite6114 wrote:Hmmm ... then perhaps I have misread the website. I believe the Merlot and the Claret are both available from the Donati Family Vineyards website, though the Sorelle Per Sempre is not (though you can find it, too, via a Google search and viewing the cached page). While the names on the bottles do not match exactly the woot listing, the descriptions of the 2005 DFV Claret, Estate Vineyard, Paicines and the 2004 DFV Merlot, Estate Vineyard, Paicines (as well as the cached Sorelle Per Sempre page) sure line up with the woot offer.

I think they are having problems with their web site. Last night, when I looked on their Shop page, The Sorelle Per Sempre was listed (the Meritage wasn't). It seemed like all the bottles (at that time) listed on the Shop page weren't on the Wines page when I looked either.

bhodilee wrote:Soooo, Florida is black, I thought we decided Mill was a Floridian?

Just means he/she is the only one (or of the very few) who has purchased from Florida so far. Seems like there have been quite a few posts from Floridians about shipping and heat lately.

Corrado wrote:I wasn't talking about wines. I was talking about the 'bundles' of things they offer at a fantastic bargain with one item you want, one you couldn't care less about, and one you want no part of.

...but the deal is good enough that you ignore the intolerable and live with the indifferent to get the preferred.

Went to costco yesterday and the wines were basking in 85 degree tempatures in the wherehouse here in sunny San Diego. Pass.

Great brewery. The Island Wheat would be towards the bottom of their offerings for me though. Not a fan of filtered wheat beers, but taste isn't objective.

I was able to try the Weizen Dopplebock out of the tanks at the Brewery a number of years ago before it was finished. Almost looked like orange juice, but was quite tasty.

PetiteSirah wrote:Ditto. I thought that the merlot was the best wine of the 3 from the first batch. It has turned out to be one of the merlots I liked best.

My October labratting of the '04 merlot... and my all-too-obvious secret identity is revealed!!! (yeah, like anybody was fooled)

on the other hand, I was decidedly unimpressed by the Meritage and the CS. Hopefully the Claret and the new one are better. But we'll see, b/c I'm in for one.

Now you rated the Meritage 86 then 89, neither of which reads as "decidedly unimpressed" to me. Especially since you gave the Merlot 87 then 89. Those are endorsement scores from someone who's opinion is valued.

Anyhow, I liked them both, and I'm glad to have another shot at their Merlot. That and Luna were the perfect wine for my Filet Mignons with Merlot Cream Sauce recipe. And two red blends one Bordeaux and one Bordeaux+...it's really a matter of one or two.

iByron

iByron wrote: That and Luna were the perfect wine for my Filet Mignons with Merlot Cream Sauce recipe. And two red blends one Bordeaux and one Bordeaux+...it's really a matter of one or two.

iByron

How could one score a copy of said recipe?

canonizer wrote:
Also, I have done absolutely zero research but based on the above comments it sounds like Donati has turned away from the Meritage society and is now calling their red blend a Claret, which is delightful in my book.

That's not a bad hypothesis though I would tend to think that it'd be less about having "turned away" from the Meritage Society than about their having added Syrah to the blend.

Meritage has to contain two or more of seven specific "Bordeaux" varietals. Syrah is not one of them, but the make-up of this wine is obviously Bordeaux-heavy. Thus, the designation "Claret."

PetiteSirah wrote:Ditto. I thought that the merlot was the best wine of the 3 from the first batch. It has turned out to be one of the merlots I liked best.

My October labratting of the '04 merlot... and my all-too-obvious secret identity is revealed!!! (yeah, like anybody was fooled)

on the other hand, I was decidedly unimpressed by the Meritage and the CS. Hopefully the Claret and the new one are better. But we'll see, b/c I'm in for one.

and the point of your "secret" identity was...?

Cesare wrote:I don't know how mill does it. I swear I clicked buy in the first second. It's a conspiracy I tell you!

I'm pretty sure that Mill has an automated script set up to buy whatever comes up, it's the only thing that would explain his consistent 1st wooter status.

tommythecat78 wrote:You mean like packaging Casablanca with Breakin' 2 Electric Boogaloo?

Exactly, who wants Casablanca?

andyduncan wrote:Exactly, who wants Casablanca?

ROTFLMAO!

andyduncan wrote:I'm pretty sure that Mill has an automated script set up to buy whatever comes up, it's the only thing that would explain his consistent 1st wooter status.

23 and counting.

andyduncan wrote:I'm pretty sure that Mill has an automated script set up to buy whatever comes up, it's the only thing that would explain his consistent 1st wooter status.

I still think WD's mom lives in FL.

afranke wrote:To offer wines at a discount, and still make enough money to eat, WD has to move a larger number of bottles. This is why your local wine shop can probably give you a discount if you buy a mixed case. Perhaps unfortunately, even if the deal is good/wine is cheap, the pricing unavoidably increases linearly with the number of bottles. It just means you have to pony-up the cash at the beginning, and pace yourself with the consuming.

One more thought to amplify on one of your points: I'm assuming we will see more weeks with two offerings in the future, to the point where it will become the norm.

If you look on past offerings, the amount of sales during the latter part of a week long offering are pretty minimal. Having a second offering for the latter part of the week increases the total number of sales for the week, thus profits and the like.

In fact, I suspect the only reason we don't see two offerings a week now is that there are not enough offerings from the wineries yet. Given more wineries, we'll be seeing double as a default.

And my credit card will never recover.

I dont think Mill is real. We've seen the 1st Woot for Mill show up in the Caroiinas, FL, and one other state I cant recall.

bhodilee wrote:Soooo, Florida is black, I thought we decided Mill was a Floridian?

Florida isn't completely black. Just after the offering started, there were three states lit up, and Florida was one of them. With a lot more orders, I think that Florida has slipped back.

What would be even more interesting is finding out how many woots mill goes for. Has anybody been able to look at that statistic when he was first?

andyduncan wrote:Exactly, who wants Casablanca?

Breakin' 2>*

in for one. if there is still time, I would love to do the honors and labrat one of these wines. im relatively new here but have made close to 10 purchases (if that helps in the decision making...)

Lee, when you rejoin us here at woot could you explain the transition from the Meritage to Claret? Was this wine intended for export to the UK? Is it a different wine altogether.

My guess is that clay probably received a recompense for his lab rat bottle in the mail, and that is what he is potentially opening.

Standard question(s): Your wines are on the high side, alcohol wise. Did you conisder having any booze removed? I recall your last offering being more new world than old. Does that direction still hold (if it was so accurate).

I guess those get me started. I ordered a set for me and 2 for my winedrinking colleague, so I'm locked up for the full amount. Just interested...

Daystar wrote:I dont think Mill is real. We've seen the 1st Woot for Mill show up in the Caroiinas, FL, and one other state I cant recall.

As much as mill orders I would be zero shocked if he was independently wealthy and retired and just kinda bounced from house to house depending on mood and season hence the different states being lit up. Maybe mill is Larry Brown?

JOATMON wrote:Florida isn't completely black. Just after the offering started, there were three states lit up, and Florida was one of them. With a lot more orders, I think that Florida has slipped back.

What would be even more interesting is finding out how many woots mill goes for. Has anybody been able to look at that statistic when he was first?

jwhite did, and I believe he posted that mill has 23 first woots.

Edit:

jwhite posted this info somewhere, but don't remember if it was last week's pub or the Corison or Norman threads.

mill has been first 23 times for 17%. First time was 11/06/06. Second was 12/18/06.

bdomine is second with 15 firsts for 11%. Last time was 11/27/06. Hmmm, maybe it's not Nallie we need to worry about, but mill. bdomine hasn't been seen since mill started.

shh64 is third with 10 (7%), followed by MaskedMarvel with 8 (6%). ReverendChile (another one not seen much since mill started) is 5th with 5 (4%).

Luckyinla and Imagine4vr are tied at 6th with 3 (2%). 8 more are tied below them.

canonizer wrote:Just to point out the obvious contained in this thought, the margin on a $10 wine is much lower in a dollar amount than on a $50 wine.

Also, I have done absolutely zero research but based on the above comments it sounds like Donati has turned away from the Meritage society and is now calling their red blend a Claret, which is delightful in my book.

Clay, after the heat went away, and leather and fruit became more expressive, what was your overall impression of the wine? B/B+ but not with food?

B. Just because i think it's a bit pricey for what it is.

MarkDaSpark wrote:jwhite did, and I believe he posted that mill has 23 first woots.

Edit:

jwhite posted this info somewhere, but don't remember if it was last week's pub or the Corison or Norman threads.

mill has been first 23 times for 17%. First time was 11/06/06. Second was 12/18/06.

bdomine is second with 15 firsts for 11%. Last time was 11/27/06. Hmmm, maybe it's not Nallie we need to worry about, but mill. bdomine hasn't been seen since mill started.

shh64 is third with 10 (7%), followed by MaskedMarvel with 8 (6%). ReverendChile (another one not seen much since mill started) is 5th with 5 (4%).

Luckyinla and Imagine4vr are tied at 6th with 3 (2%). 8 more are tied below them.

Here ya go! (link to the original post, which was prior to LauraMom's first sucker in the woot off, and Mill's latest first sucker for the Donati.

MarkDaSpark wrote:jwhite did, and I believe he posted that mill has 23 first woots.

Edit:

jwhite posted this info somewhere, but don't remember if it was last week's pub or the Corison or Norman threads.

mill has been first 23 times for 17%. First time was 11/06/06. Second was 12/18/06.

bdomine is second with 15 firsts for 11%. Last time was 11/27/06. Hmmm, maybe it's not Nallie we need to worry about, but mill. bdomine hasn't been seen since mill started.

shh64 is third with 10 (7%), followed by MaskedMarvel with 8 (6%). ReverendChile (another one not seen much since mill started) is 5th with 5 (4%).

Luckyinla and Imagine4vr are tied at 6th with 3 (2%). 8 more are tied below them.

Not quite the question I was asking.

Is mill in for 1, 2, or 3?

andyduncan wrote:I'm pretty sure that Mill has an automated script set up to buy whatever comes up, it's the only thing that would explain his consistent 1st wooter status.

Yeah, that seems pretty likely. Kinda hard to beat that.

What happened to Indiana shipping!!! It was available this morning when I checked and I go to buy this afternoon and its gone! What's going on Woot? Don't you guys want my money?

kenelbow wrote:What happened to Indiana shipping!!! It was available this morning when I checked and I go to buy this afternoon and its gone! What's going on Woot? Don't you guys want my money?

Im sure there are plenty of folks in chicago who wouldnt mind wootlegging for you if you are in the north part.

clayfu wrote:B. Just because i think it's a bit pricey for what it is.

I consider the $15-25 to be a real danger zone of wine purchasing.

myrlin wrote:Im sure there are plenty of folks in chicago who wouldnt mind wootlegging for you if you are in the north part.

Not really that far north. Indianapolis in fact.

Hello fellow wooters!!! I'm Chris, the Los Angeles area sales manager for Donati Family Vineyard, and i will be stopping in from time to time to answer some questions along with our winemakers and general manager. To answer the question about Claret and Meritage, we no longer make a meritage. We found it confusing to have a Meritage and a Claret, so we did away with the Meritage. But, we will have a Bordeaux blend that is bottled in its own special package that will be offered at small production called Ezio in September. Say it with me ets-e-o. It's the owner Ron's dad who was the first one to the U.S. from Italy. So, if you have a 2003 Meritage, you have a wine that no longer exists.

canonizer wrote:I consider the $15-25 to be a real danger zone of wine purchasing.

agreed, i tend to avoid it =P

JOATMON wrote:Not quite the question I was asking.

Is mill in for 1, 2, or 3?

You'd have to be looking at the stats right when he's the only one. There's no way for us to look at it. WD (or a Woot Staff member) would probably be the only ones who could look it up, but there might be some legal issues.

Unless his script bumps up the quantity, I suspect he's only been ordering one set, and then emailing service to increase it if he wants more of that offering.

clayfu wrote:agreed, i tend to avoid it =P

Clay, and Canonizer,

Can you please expand on this? We price most of our wines in this range ($15-25), and I know what goes into them. There are a lot of $30-$50 dollar wines that don't use better grapes, oak, or winemaking: the only reason they are priced higher is desire to make a larger profit, recoup start-up expenses rapidly, or ego.

MarkDaSpark wrote:You'd have to be looking at the stats right when he's the only one. There's no way for us to look at it. WD (or a Woot Staff member) would probably be the only ones who could look it up, but there might be some legal issues.

Unless his script bumps up the quantity, I suspect he's only been ordering one set, and then emailing service to increase it if he wants more of that offering.

Well, there have been times when he was the only one; that's how we figured out Florida. I was wondering if whoever was looking also looked at the "1, 2, or 3" statistic.