ooh. this looks like QPR city. tantalizing to say the least...

Winery website

In for 1 (don't tell DH!), I got to try some of the meritage with dinner. Don't remember a lot besides cherry and yum but it definitely left me with a positive impression.

De-ja frakkin' vu!!!! I really enjoyed the one glass of the Improv that I got to try during our last night of the RPM tour. Guess that means I'm in for at least one. carp...just when I told WD he wouldn't be seeing my money for awhile.

So people that got to have this at the dinner - tasting notes?

I would love to drink a bottle while climbing El Capitan...

Corrado wrote:
%#&*^$(*&^#(&*^*& they launched *early* I was just starting to order the Syrah from last week when the page refreshed to the 'new' offering @ 12:59. Damn...

That's ok, order this week's instead. It's better. "trust us"

Ordered 1. Looking forward to the wine.

I'm thinking I should have ordered more...

damightyanteater wrote:So people that got to have this at the dinner - tasting notes?

It's funny, we all kept pretty good tasting notes during our winery visits but I think everyone was in relaxation mode at each dinner. I for one didn't bother with any notes but I just remembered that I enjoyed the meritage blend quite a bit.

I'm a fan of all the Joel Gott wines I've tried, so together with the rpm-tour buzz this is looking like a buy. I'd love some more input on the style, however, before I decide how many...

So, how good is this deal? As usual, it's pretty darned good -- when you add it shipping (from the Clif Family Winery website) it becomes pretty darned sick! Also note that the winery website includes tax for locations outside of California.

Use the link above for Cellar Tracker per-bottle prices, as well.

The meritage is drinking nicely now, if you (like those of us loading up on Corison, hehe) need some wines to drink TODAY these are a good choice I think. Besides the cherry I am remembering some tannins on the finish, so I'd say it would go a couple of years no problem.

Cesare wrote:That's ok, order this week's instead. It's better. "trust us"

ditto. what he said. no doubt about it. word.

javadrinker wrote:It's funny, we all kept pretty good tasting notes during our winery visits but I think everyone was in relaxation mode at each dinner. I for one didn't bother with any notes but I just remembered that I enjoyed the meritage blend quite a bit.

and, again, that's saying something considering the REDUNKULOUS wines that were poured that evening!

themostrighteous wrote:ditto. what he said. no doubt about it. word.

fur realz?

aces219 wrote:The meritage is drinking nicely now, if you (like those of us loading up on Corison, hehe) need some wines to drink TODAY these are a good choice I think. Besides the cherry I am remembering some tannins on the finish, so I'd say it would go a couple of years no problem.

I don't have detailed notes from the taste we had last week, but my recollection concurs with your comments. I would decant a bit, at current drinking, but certainly think there is some time available in the bottle as well.

aces219 wrote:The meritage is drinking nicely now, if you (like those of us loading up on Corison, hehe) need some wines to drink TODAY these are a good choice I think. Besides the cherry I am remembering some tannins on the finish, so I'd say it would go a couple of years no problem.

agreed. very curious to read what the 'brats have to say about the Zin-based blend though. very curious indeed.

aces219 wrote:fur realz?

F-U-R R-E-A-L-Z!!!

(just for you, ma dear, just for you!)

themostrighteous wrote:and, again, that's saying something considering the REDUNKULOUS wines that were poured that evening!

I also remember thinking..."huh, who the F brought the Cliff wine?". Guess it was just WD doing a preemptive strike on us. Funny how all of the wines we tasted tended to dull the brainological neurons just enough so that none of us made the connection as to the next offering. That WD...he's not as not-smart as he lets on.

Corrado wrote:How Merlot-y was it? Can you equate it to any of the past woot.wine Merlots?

Struck me as more cabbish, fwiw -- especially considering it was the end of a day in napa and we were all about mingling at that point.

Corrado wrote:How Merlot-y was it? Can you equate it to any of the past woot.wine Merlots?

well, let's just say that i was surprised when i read the varietal composition on this week's description, so it couldn't have been very Merlot-ey.

javadrinker wrote:I also remember thinking..."huh, who the F brought the Cliff wine?". Guess it was just WD doing a preemptive strike on us. Funny how all of the wines we tasted tended to dull the brainological neurons just enough so that none of us made the connection as to the next offering. That WD...he's not as not-smart as he lets on.

Speak for yourself -- there was a bit of head-nodding, and eye-winking going on when we saw that one on the table.

javadrinker wrote:I also remember thinking..."huh, who the F brought the Cliff wine?". Guess it was just WD doing a preemptive strike on us. Funny how all of the wines we tasted tended to dull the brainological neurons just enough so that none of us made the connection as to the next offering. That WD...he's not as not-smart as he lets on.

Uh. A bunch of us made the connection. Including me. First.
(It helped that WD told me it was a wannabe wine.woot)

Corrado wrote:How Merlot-y was it? Can you equate it to any of the past woot.wine Merlots?

It's pretty merlot-y but in a good way. Nice cherry fruit, but some tannins on the finish (I think these are my tasting notes for pretty much every merlot, sorry!) I'd say it's a little bit more lush than some of the Sonoma merlots we've had (a la Wellington and Ty) but by no means a fruit bomb, and the cherry was not obnoxious like it is in some cheap WA merlots. Good complexity on the finish. I think even if you don't like merlot you still would like this wine.

Also, we had a monster Goosecross Howell Mountain cab after this one, probably why it is not standing out as super cab like.

Edited to say that I do agree with those who tasted that I would have pegged it as more cab than merlot, and I'll attribute that to the tannins. But now that I'm thinking back, I'm like "oh, yeah!"

javadrinker wrote:I also remember thinking..."huh, who the F brought the Cliff wine?". Guess it was just WD doing a preemptive strike on us. Funny how all of the wines we tasted tended to dull the brainological neurons just enough so that none of us made the connection as to the next offering. That WD...he's not as not-smart as he lets on.

are you FRAKKIN' kidding?!? he lives in Sonoma, he makes his living off of the lovely fruit of the vine while knowing & hobnobbing w/ winemakers galore, and he is married to the lovely winefarm. the man is freakin' GENIUS!!!

jwhite6114 wrote:Speak for yourself -- there was a bit of head-nodding, and eye-winking going on when we saw that one on the table.

yeah, like DUH, cuz you'd tasted like 30 wines that day at that point!

themostrighteous wrote:are you FRAKKIN' kidding?!? he lives in Sonoma, he makes his living off of the lovely fruit of the vine while knowing & hobnobbing w/ winemakers galore, and he is married to the lovely winefarm. the man is freakin' GENIUS!!!

You know what I just realized, how come there are no wooters from that area? The closest is SoCal. We need a local wine.woot spy!

jwhite6114 wrote:Speak for yourself -- there was a bit of head-nodding, and eye-winking going on when we saw that one on the table.

Must be why they sat me at the "special" table...no head nodding or eye-winking going on...just a lot of "dood...we have wine...heh heh heh".

This made me laugh aloud!

WW went up just before my late husband died, and as he was a regular wooter for years and years (and very nerdy and techy) he got me into woot - and we were both so bummed because we had moved to MA at that point and could of course not receive wine.

I moved here to NY nearly a year ago and have been heavily buying ever since. But what made me laugh so much? My late husband was OBSESSED with Clif bars. I did all our shopping and domestic stuff, and I can't tell you how many I bought a week. We probably should have bought them by the case. I like them too, though true to my gender, I go more for Luna bars (yummmmm).

So he'd find this awesome and hilarious. In his honour, I couldn't help but buy a set of this wine. Sounds quite tasty, too!

themostrighteous wrote:yeah, like DUH, cuz you'd tasted like 30 wines that day at that point!

fair point

fairnymph wrote:This made me laugh aloud!

WW went up just before my late husband died, and as he was he was a regular wooter for years and years (and very nerdy and techy) he got me into woot - and we were both so bummed because we had moved to MA at that point and could of course not receive wine.

I moved here to NY nearly a year ago and have been heavily buying ever since. But what made me laugh so much? My late husband was OBSESSED with Clif bars. I did all our shopping and domestic stuff, and I can't tell you how many I bought a week. We probably should have bought them by the case. I like them too, though true to my gender, I go more for Luna bars (yummmmm).

So he'd find this awesome and hilarious. In his honour, I couldn't help but buy a set of this wine. Sounds quite tasty, too!

That was a truly touching post. Thank you for sharing your sorrow and joy with us.

Wine truly is a life experience... connecting the good and the bad. My condolences on your loss, but I am truly glad that wine.woot can make you this happy!

Florida looks mighty dark still - did mill finally get bored? go on vacation? get wise to us?

javadrinker wrote:Must be why they sat me at the "special" table...no head nodding or eye-winking going on...just a lot of "dood...we have wine...heh heh heh".

THAT table - java, nallie, timbyrd & his lovely companion, me, JOATMON, aces & mr. aces - ROCKED BABY!!! we wuz all about the winez. fur realz (!)

themostrighteous wrote:THAT table - java, nallie, timbyrd & his lovely companion, me, JOATMON, aces & mr. aces - ROCKED BABY!!! we wuz all about the winez. fur realz (!)

No winemaker at your table? We had Scott Harvey