dnasquesttoblack3000 wrote:hey body-lee - doing well, thanks! i do lurk on the winewoot boards, usually more near the beginning of the week. but since having moved to mass this year, i've been basically cut out of being able to get wine, so have been a little less regular about checking the boards. i keep meaning to drop in on the pub but summertime here's a racket - its like everyone needs to get their 3 seasons of repressed activity out in the summer! places with 4 seasons...how crazy!

Check your PMs!

INTLGerard wrote:To clarify, are we talking about the same Rob Hunter, winemaker previously with Markham, Lyeth, Sterling Vineyards and presently with Bennett Lane?

If so, I figured this was worth noting for anyone that may be unsettled about the craftsman behind the wines being offered here prior to Sarah Gott's arrival. As you can see from his resume he has a solid history in the region.

Wow, this is interesting in that I've had wines from all those labels. Lyeth's meritage is a very acceptable fruitbomb in the 16-18 range (and it has a pretty bottle), Sterling makes great 'entry napa' cs, I've found the 2003 Bennett CS somewhat underwhelming and one dimensional and the 2002 Markham CS to be totally ubiquitious, leathery and lacking in fruit (tasted past and beyond a few months ago). I have no idea if Rob was at any of the wineries while these wines were being crafted, but it's cool to recognize them.

clifwinelinzi wrote:Sorry for the delayed reply. I somehow missed this post last night! The Gary's Improv is sourced from Mt. Veeder and Carneros in the Napa Valley. The Cabernet comes from Mt. Veeder - a small appellation in the Mayacamas mountains with steep slopes and well drained soils. The Merlot comes from vineyards in Carneros. This was our first vintage. Sarah Gott joined us after our first vintage and has selected other vineyard sites for her wines. So we just sourced from these vineyards our first year.

Now see, this is why you should stay out of the forum when you're trying to control your spending. I am already a fan of Mt. Veeder cab, and Sonomoa Carneros we tasted last week on the RPM tour was tasty as well.

... who had to go and ask about the sourcing, anyway?!

I have always enjoyed wine however I have only just started to appreciate wine. Lurking on the boards has been a real education. I am on the fence regarding these wines. To further my education can someone help define what a fruit bomb wine is. I think I have an idea but would welcome clarification. I secretly suspect I might be partial to fruit bombs.

iceeblue7 wrote:I have always enjoyed wine however I have only just started to appreciate wine. Lurking on the boards has been a real education. I am on the fence regarding these wines. To further my education can someone help define what a fruit bomb wine is. I think I have an idea but would welcome clarification. I secretly suspect I might be partial to fruit bombs.

Typically a wine with high alcohol content. The fruit flavor is generally out of balance with the other flavors in a wine and kind of smack you over the head. Also known as Parkerized wines. Generally lack the complexity most wine snobs want and don't pair as well with food. That said, you drink what you like. I happen to like a fruit bomb if I'm going to be drinking it sans food.

Did any rattage go out this week? If so, has anyone gotten one yet? Where's the rats?

bkarney wrote:Wow, if that is the case consider me off the fence....

Definitely the same Rob Hunter. Great winemaker.

bhodilee wrote:Typically a wine with high alcohol content. The fruit flavor is generally out of balance with the other flavors in a wine and kind of smack you over the head. Also known as Parkerized wines. Generally lack the complexity most wine snobs want and don't pair as well with food. That said, you drink what you like. I happen to like a fruit bomb if I'm going to be drinking it sans food.

Thanks that helps and lot and was a little different than I had assumed. I think I can go both ways on wines. As a vegetarian however I am sometimes a lot a loss for good food pairings and will drink a lot of my wine after dinner. Thanks for taking the time.

Corrado wrote:I'll give my own slant to it (not that bhodilicious was wrong). Traditional wine-making has been about balancing fruit, alcohol, tannin, acidity, etc. The result is a wine where everyone gets to play their part. Fruit bomb (or fruit-forward) wines tend to seem sweeter and have more fruity (versus earthy) flavors dominating. What ends up happening is that you get a wine that is, for some, very drinkable right out of the bottle and tasty by itself. Fruit bombs don't tend to be food-friendly.

Contrast this with a more balanced wine that will have fruit flavors, but it will be more balanced and reserved. The result here is that you have a wine that isn't quite as drinkable on its own (for some), but on the other hand, it co-mingles well with foods and is a good dinner wine.

That's kinda what's kicking around in my head. I'm sure others have their take, too.

Nice this helps thanks.

I am a Lab Rat. I just got by bottle 30 minutes ago and have just now poured my glass with a quick first sip. I will add in more information later, but it's a tasty wine.

Note: I received the Meritage 2003 Clif bottle.

So I've let the wine sit for a little while. I've taken a few sips and am surprised at how smooth the wine feels. A comment from the wife says "wow, smooth... no bite at the end, tastes nice." The description of super-soft tannins is not a lie.

There are strong hints of Merlot (it's 87.5% merlot, 12.5% cab) but it has a different feel than most Merlots. If I didn't know the percentage, I would assume the Meritage was at least 33% Cab. There is a strong, delightful berry-ish full flavor at the beginning. I definitely sense the Coca and Cinnamon. I suspect this wine is going to taste quite good with the salt and pepper steaks I've got on the grill now. I'll update in a bit.

Perhaps the best recommendation of this wine is that I'm going to order another batch. I like this Meritage a lot. I'm a Meritage fan to begin with (how did Woot know?) but this is a treat to drink.


More to come...

My History below...


item qty
Clif Bar Winery - Three Pack 1
Chateau Souverain Pinot Noir -Three Pack 2
Donati Red - Three Pack 1
Saxon Brown - Two Pack 2
Frazier Napa Valley Two - Pack 1
Dusted Valley Three-Label Three-Pack 1
Amity Willamette Valley Trio 1
Corison Cabernet Vertical Two-Pack 1
Helix Three-Pack Plus One 1
Woot Cellars Polyphemus 3
Woot Cellars Humbug 1
Woot Cellars Polyphemus 2
Saxon Brown 2004 Syrah Two-Pack 1
Hahn Estates Red Quartet 1
Ty Caton New/Old Trio 1
Mill Creek Winery Trio 1
Hagafen Cellars Napa Valley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

iceeblue7 wrote:Thanks that helps and lot and was a little different than I had assumed. I think I can go both ways on wines. As a vegetarian however I am sometimes a lot a loss for good food pairings and will drink a lot of my wine after dinner. Thanks for taking the time.

Hey fellow veg. There are a couple of us kicking around, including the esteemed Sonoma Bouliste. I would confirm your suspicions about some of the wines, vis-a-vis veggie food friendliness. However, having said that, there are some nice combinations out there. Mushroom dishes with earthy Pinots comes immediately to mind (just had an awesome Oregon Pinot for great price but since it wasn't a woot purchase, I'll not shill) but there are others.

I drink wine with most dinners and find that I can find something complementary in all but the most hit you over the head bombs. And those I drink after.

Welcome.

Funny, as I was ordering this woot yesterday, I thought “It’s not often lately that I order in time to even qualify as a LaBrat, maybe this will be my week.” Of course, I promptly forgot about that thought in the whirlwind that was Monday of a work week. Today, I noticed that there was a FedEx package on the floor of the office (we’re a small office for whom wine.woot deliveries are a none-too-infrequent event, so nobody thought twice about this being the wrong day and the wrong carrier…) from the right return address! Yes, a golden ticket and accompanying bottle of 2003 Gary’s Improv meritage. In order to ensure the broadest taste sampling, the four of us in the office of legal drinking age agreed to sample this promptly at the close of business. I’ll offer you a gamisch of everyone’s comments:

The bottle: 2003 Clif Bar Family Winery Gary’s Improv Meritage

Color: Deep garnet red, brick tones at the edges. Certainly darker than I would have expected from a wine only 5 years old.

Nose: predominantly Cab, black fruits with a hint of raspberry and one taster smelled licorice or allspice.

The tasting: medium full body, nice balance of fruit, but not a fruit bomb to us. More black fruits and spiciness, maybe some cinnamon? Integrated tannins that don’t parch the roof of the mouth, nice brightness in the mid palate. Nicely balanced. A long, lingering, smooth finish. Less technically slanted comments: “yum”, “this is really nice”, “I’ve got to tell my son about this wine.”
An additional glass after arriving home (about 90 minutes after opening) showed the tannins there, but moving into the front of the tougue, not objectionable at all. And a faint almost cotton-candy element late in the finish. Still nicely balanced and smooth. I like this wine!

I’m tempted to buy another 6 from the winery site, and regrettably only was in for 2 woots this week. If there’s a discount offer with the regular shipment, I’m sunk.

I hope those amateurish notes are helpful, as a multitude of ‘Rat reports have been to me. Thanks to WD and wine.woot for the chance to participate.

docpw wrote:Funny, as I was ordering this woot yesterday, I thought “It’s not often lately that I order in time to even qualify as a LaBrat, maybe this will be my week.” Of course, I promptly forgot about that thought in the whirlwind that was Monday of a work week. Today, I noticed that there was a FedEx package on the floor of the office (we’re a small office for whom wine.woot deliveries are a none-too-infrequent event, so nobody thought twice about this being the wrong day and the wrong carrier…) from the right return address! Yes, a golden ticket and accompanying bottle of 2003 Gary’s Improv meritage. In order to ensure the broadest taste sampling, the four of us in the office of legal drinking age agreed to sample this promptly at the close of business. I’ll offer you a gamisch of everyone’s comments:
The bottle: 2003 Clif Bar Family Winery Gary’s Improv Meritage
Color: Deep garnet red, brick tones at the edges. Certainly darker than I would have expected from a wine only 5 years old.
Nose: predominantly Cab, black fruits with a hint of raspberry and one taster smelled licorice or allspice.
The tasting: medium full body, nice balance of fruit, but not a fruit bomb to us. More black fruits and spiciness, maybe some cinnamon? Integrated tannins that don’t parch the roof of the mouth, nice brightness in the mid palate. Nicely balanced. A long, lingering, smooth finish. Less technically slanted comments: “yum”, “this is really nice”, “I’ve got to tell my son about this wine.”
An additional glass after arriving home (about 90 minutes after opening) showed the tannins there, but moving into the front of the tougue, not objectionable at all. And a faint almost cotton-candy element late in the finish. Still nicely balanced and smooth. I like this wine!
I’m tempted to buy another 6 from the winery site, and regrettably only was in for 2 woots this week. If there’s a discount offer with the regular shipment, I’m sunk.
I hope those amateurish notes are helpful, as a multitude of ‘Rat reports have been to me. Thanks to WD and wine.woot for the chance to participate.

Sold. I was going to hold off on this week's, after 3 Zin packs last week, but I will now buy at least 1 set of this stuff ... the Improv sounds money, just money baby

docpw & todd999430: You've been packed!

Thanks for the reports!

ya know what.... I'm a middle aged mom of 3 young kids....(got a realllllly late start) been around the world 3or 4 or 7 times....really don't give a rat's ass about all the pretentious Manos, the Hands of Fate....just like good wine. I'm of the thought that you really don't need to speed a boatload to load the boat. I'm willing to give this a shot

Thank you all for the labrat reporting. Your notes are making it harder and harder to resist.

Must resist...no more room for wine...argghhh.

No labrats for the climber except for our appreciated volunteer?

hld1970 wrote:Thank you all for the labrat reporting. Your notes are making it harder and harder to resist.

Must resist...no more room for wine...argghhh.

I have no more money for wine but room. We could team up. You give me money. I store the wine and promise not to drink most of it.

pssquishy wrote:I have no more money for wine but room. We could team up. You give me money. I store the wine and promise not to drink most of it.

That sounds great. And I suppose you will charge me a storage fee on top of all of it?

;)

Teetering....getting closer to the brink.....both wines look interesting, particularly the Climber. I am drawn to zinfandels or, as in this case, predominantly zinfandel blends.

Wahoo I got to be a LabRat!! I recived a bottle of the "Climber"

I was very excited to see that this was a "CLIF" WINE. I'm a outdoorsy person and I live on CLIF bars, so I was in for this trio just for the name.

I'm not a BIG wine drinker but I like cabs and zins. Here is what I (and some family) thought of it.

The Reveiwers:
T: Fav is Cabs (probably the most experanced taster)
K: Fav is Pinot Grigio (doesn't mind wine in a box one bit)
Me: Fav Zins (Prefers beer but likes dry kinda sweet wines)
Mc: Just 21!

FIRST THOUGHTS:
T: "LET IT BREATH!!!" (He yells this from the other room)
K: Sweet pulpy smell
Me: Very strong harsh smell at first but pleasent, I liked it.
M: Stinging smell, very tart smell.

First Taste:
T: "Very hard to break down, flavor wise."
K: "Warm Rich Taste"
Me: Very smooth and then a slight bite at the end.
Mc: Dont' like it...

Other Thoughts:
Me: Quite Fruity, berry to be more specific.
Mc had her own thing going:
"First Taste: watered down Middle-Taste: enjoyable Aftertaste: strong tartness"

Final Thoughts:
T: "Very confused"
K: "Rich, full and smooth."
Mc: (Didn't finsih the glass)
Me: If your bored with your wine or feel like a challange go for it! Eveyone had a hard time discribing this wine. You will have fun trying to taste all the flavors. If you have more then enough wine that your happy with then this is nothing special.

I look forward to tasting the Improv!

Thanks WineDave!!

Not really trying to stroke egos, but the LaBrat reviews--even from first-timers--almost make me NERVOUS about the (hoped for) day when *I* am so honored. Sheesh! How will I measure up?

Of course, given that woot seems to have given up on MA entirely, the odds are quite remote...

Teetering here: really trying to conserve the bankroll, but this seems like a winner!

PsychoRNGD wrote:Wahoo I got to be a LabRat!!

You've been packed

Corrado wrote:I'll give my own slant to it (not that bhodilicious was wrong). Traditional wine-making has been about balancing fruit, alcohol, tannin, acidity, etc. The result is a wine where everyone gets to play their part. Fruit bomb (or fruit-forward) wines tend to seem sweeter and have more fruity (versus earthy) flavors dominating. What ends up happening is that you get a wine that is, for some, very drinkable right out of the bottle and tasty by itself. Fruit bombs don't tend to be food-friendly.

Contrast this with a more balanced wine that will have fruit flavors, but it will be more balanced and reserved. The result here is that you have a wine that isn't quite as drinkable on its own (for some), but on the other hand, it co-mingles well with foods and is a good dinner wine.

That's kinda what's kicking around in my head. I'm sure others have their take, too.

But I also didn't explain it as well ;)

jrbw3 wrote:Hey fellow veg. There are a couple of us kicking around, including the esteemed Sonoma Bouliste. I would confirm your suspicions about some of the wines, vis-a-vis veggie food friendliness. However, having said that, there are some nice combinations out there. Mushroom dishes with earthy Pinots comes immediately to mind (just had an awesome Oregon Pinot for great price but since it wasn't a woot purchase, I'll not shill) but there are others.

I drink wine with most dinners and find that I can find something complementary in all but the most hit you over the head bombs. And those I drink after.

Welcome.

This forum just keeps getting better and better. From great wine tips and education, to Monty Python quotes and fellow wine drinking veg's. I'm home (wipes away a tear)

Thanks for the heads up I actually only just started exploring Oregon Pinot's thanks to tips from earlier discussions. WD I would be all over a Oregon Pinot offering and would love the discussion it would generate, hey I am just saying.

I will definitely fire up my wild mushroom risotto and do some exploring at the local liquor store. I enjoy cooking and will have wine with all manner of my creations but I am stabbing around in the dark as to complementary pairings. Now I am starting to build a collection of wine I will try to be more judicious to maximize my experience. Thanks to woot I have gone from buying whatever was on sale to purchasing on taste. A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.

Not to stray too far from the discussion labrats have won me over I am intrigued and in for 1 (getting married at the end of Aug money is tight)

iceeblue7 wrote:This forum just keeps getting better and better. From great wine tips and education, to Monty Python quotes and fellow wine drinking veg's. I'm home (wipes away a tear)

Thanks for the heads up I actually only just started exploring Oregon Pinot's thanks to tips from earlier discussions. WD I would be all over a Oregon Pinot offering and would love the discussion it would generate, hey I am just saying.

I will definitely fire up my wild mushroom risotto and do some exploring at the local liquor store. I enjoy cooking and will have wine with all manner of my creations but I am stabbing around in the dark as to complementary pairings. Now I am starting to build a collection of wine I will try to be more judicious to maximize my experience. Thanks to woot I have gone from buying whatever was on sale to purchasing on taste. A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.

Not to stray too far from the discussion labrats have won me over I am intrigued and in for 1 (getting married at the end of Aug money is tight)

Congrats to the soon-to-be Mr. and Mrs. iceeblue7!!

Corrado wrote:I'll give my own slant to it (not that bhodilicious was wrong). Traditional wine-making has been about balancing fruit, alcohol, tannin, acidity, etc. The result is a wine where everyone gets to play their part. Fruit bomb (or fruit-forward) wines tend to seem sweeter and have more fruity (versus earthy) flavors dominating. What ends up happening is that you get a wine that is, for some, very drinkable right out of the bottle and tasty by itself. Fruit bombs don't tend to be food-friendly.

Contrast this with a more balanced wine that will have fruit flavors, but it will be more balanced and reserved. The result here is that you have a wine that isn't quite as drinkable on its own (for some), but on the other hand, it co-mingles well with foods and is a good dinner wine.

That's kinda what's kicking around in my head. I'm sure others have their take, too.

My only hesitation would be that you could have a fruit-forward wine without it being a fruit bomb. I get the sense that wines went from being fruit-forward to being very fruit forward and that's where we are today.

Interesting pair of speakers on the woot off. Way cheaper than anywhere else. But, are they any good?

speedoo wrote:Interesting pair of speakers on the woot off. Way cheaper than anywhere else. But, are they any good?

Ha, and they aren't respiffed, go figure!

Before anyone asks, I got that knife set on the wootoff free from my father in law and paid too much

bkarney wrote:Ha, and they aren't respiffed, go figure!

Sold out. I never could find any reviews that seemed reliable, but damn they were cheap!

Way less than interesting cutlery set on now. I own too many knives, but they're all awesome. If they had some awesome 10" chef's knife or a 6" utility knife of awesomeness I'd sign on.

Very nitpicky, but the "taxsucks" coupon code which is supposed to comp shipping since we pay Texas sales tax only credited me $5 instead of the $7 shipping for this. Not really complaining over $2, but it also never hurts to remind Texans that woot always gives you at least $5 on orders over $45 since we have to pay sales tax, bah.

canonizer wrote:Way less than interesting cutlery set on now. I own too many knives, but they're all awesome. If they had some awesome 10" chef's knife or a 6" utility knife of awesomeness I'd sign on.

Oh what I would do for some discounts on Shun...those things are nuts.

danielsan05 wrote:Very nitpicky, but the "taxsucks" coupon code which is supposed to comp shipping since we pay Texas sales tax only credited me $5 instead of the $7 shipping for this. Not really complaining over $2, but it also never hurts to remind Texans that woot always gives you at least $5 on orders over $45 since we have to pay sales tax, bah.

Pretty sure that you are only supposed to get 5, don't think the purpose is to directly offeset the shipping costs.

bkarney wrote:Oh what I would do for some discounts on Shun...those things are nuts.

For a very brief time Amazon had (technically it still exists) a site called 'warehouse deals' or somesuch, and they had fantastic kitchen deals for a month or two. I picked up a shun pairing knife for about $20. Otherwise, I've got 2 furi knives and a Calphalon Katana series. They're all great and I don't need all 3. I had my mom's 30 year old 6" sabatier chef's knife sharpened last week and almost kept it. She treats them horribly and this is going to be dull in 2 months' time.

danielsan05 wrote:Very nitpicky, but the "taxsucks" coupon code which is supposed to comp shipping since we pay Texas sales tax only credited me $5 instead of the $7 shipping for this. Not really complaining over $2, but it also never hurts to remind Texans that woot always gives you at least $5 on orders over $45 since we have to pay sales tax, bah.

I'm confused. There have been several references to a Texas sales tax being charged. I live in Texas and have never been charged a sales tax on my wine woot orders. My last order was the end of June. Is the Texas sales tax something new? Or is this a tax on regular woot orders? Thanks!!!