Alright, finally got a chance to chime in as a labrat, thanks WD!

So I received a bottle of the 2004 California Touriga Dessert Wine to preview. I will start by saying that it s very good. I have had a couple of other ports/dessert wines and i especially liked this one. When I opened the bottle I was greeted with a very pleasant aroma. I'm not sure how to describe it exactly but it was very inviting. I poured the first glass and was very surprised by how deep and dark the color is. It is so dark you cannot see anything through it and it holds this color very well even to the very edge of the glass.

I sipped the wine and was met immediately by a very pleasant sweetness combined with a very woody/oaky flavor. It almost reminded me a bit of a well aged scotch, whithout the whiskey burn and aftertaste (i'm not a big scotch drinker, but i have tasted a few). I thought that this was a very interesting flavor and definitely enjoyed it. The feel of the wine in your mouth is very unique, it was somewhat thick, but not syrupy by any means. A side effect of this inherent thickness was a definite staining of the teeth and tongue. I was sipping with a very good friend of mine and we both got a kick out that.

Once you have swallowed the wine there is not really a residual after taste, it is very clean sipping. Unfotunately I received the bottle as I was heading out the door for a weekend away so I did not have too much to pair this with and use for experimentation. Once I receive my full six pack I look forward to trying them all and doing comparisons. I plan to share with family and some friends so it will definitely be a good time and I'm sure we'll come up with some more interesting descriptions which i can post about later on.

Hopefully this report has been somewhat useful to anyone wondering what to expect from their six pack. I was very pleased to have been selected as a labrat and look forward to doing it again some time. I will try to get better with my descriptions, I am still kind of new to wine drinking so i'm learning. Almost everything I learned so far has been from this website and all the great winemakers and other contributers, so please keep up the good work and keep the great wine and reviews coming!

Thanks

jrod703

curtwaugh wrote:I only just now really listened closely to the video. You're absolutely right. When one of the children screams out "NO, VIVIAAAAAANNN!!!!" (4:32) I about wet myself. There's no better way to wind down a long day at work than a 3-hour dinner and some great wine.

Followed by the children screaming at each other. Ye-ha.

We promise to make a better, more professional video if we ever get labratted again. We had a blast doing this one.

That was a great approach. Especially when the two of you burst out laughing. Looked like fun, and isn't that why we drink wine?

I will have to give a listen when the wife is not napping next to me. I had to keep the audio down a little too low to hear well.

Best labrat video of the year. No contest.

damightyanteater wrote:Since we hopefully get Kent's attention on the subject, when would it be prudent for me to drink the 02 petite syrah, the 04 esoterica petite verdot and the 04 esoterica sousau from the other offering? I still have them in my cellar by some miracle of will power.

If anyone else knows the answer, I'd appreciate it - thanks!

anyone got anything for me?

SonomaBouliste wrote:There's always one troublemaker in every crowd, isn't there? I don't know - more than a year or two? More than 48 hours?

And isn't it always Corrado?

SB - did you get the second compilation that I sent? I know you have to be busy, but I wanted to make sure that it went through.

Pardon me if this has been covered before - I haven't read the entire thread this week.

I learn from recent news reports that a wildfire in Napa Valley has consumed approximately 200 acres of land, threatening homes and wineries in and around St. Helena and necessitating the evacuation of some 100 residents Friday night. It is with a sinking feeling that I checked the map and discovered that Kent Rasmussen is in that immediate area.

WD and WF, can you please confirm that all our wooter friends are safe from harm?

kkv123 wrote:
I learn from recent news reports that a wildfire in Napa Valley has consumed approximately 200 acres of land, threatening homes and wineries in and around St. Helena and necessitating the evacuation of some 100 residents Friday night. It is with a sinking feeling that I checked the map and discovered that Kent Rasmussen is in that immediate area.

Scott Harvey is in St. Helena, too, but based on the specifics of the evacuation area, he should be OK.

More fun tomorrow!

edthebedhead wrote:More fun tomorrow!

I told myself last week that I would buy nothing except Corrison Cab, Ty Caton or Woot Cellars. Then Woot Cellars came up and I bought it. Then the port came up and I bought it too.

I cannot afford any more fun. I will buy nothing but Corrison or Caton.

Watched your video and wish I had gotten in before this offering was gone. But I am intrigued by the glasses that wobble. I looked at www.crateandbarrel.com and could find nothing that I thought would wobble. Can you help me out?

We've been adrift since the early sell out so how about an early clue, WD.

I wonder if we are going to be Poizin-ed tomorrow night. Tradition would call for it to be this coming week.

smartheart wrote:We've been adrift since the early sell out so how about an early clue, WD.

I wonder if we are going to be Poizin-ed tomorrow night. Tradition would call for it to be this coming week.

Maybe we'll get the "big fella" this week.

polarbear22 wrote:That was a great approach. Especially when the two of you burst out laughing. Looked like fun, and isn't that why we drink wine?

I will have to give a listen when the wife is not napping next to me. I had to keep the audio down a little too low to hear well.

Best labrat video of the year. No contest.

Well, I think it is the ONLY labrat video of the year ..... Great Job!

damightyanteater wrote:anyone got anything for me?

PSith Master says 02KRPS is OK to drink now.

Hey rats, you're all packed. We're missing the Tempranillo rat...

WD, how about an early clue for the Church of Wine.Woot followers??


Most of us on the West Coast attend this church regularly on Sundays and Wednesdays at 10pm PT ...




Edit: [Disclaimer] This in no way is an attempt to belittle or promote any religion, nor is it meant to offend. yada, yada, yada ....

I really enjoyed my experience as a rat! Not easy to do the first time, think about everything going on while tasting and writing about it... maybe if given a second chance I will do better and have others taste with me!

Very tasty! I would of course suggest getting as much as possible, and I wish I had doubled my order with gifts and other methods of trickery... if it was available of course. Everyone who ordered this woot will not be disappointed... and if you are, send the rest to me! I'll pay shipping!

MarkDaSpark wrote:WD, how about an early clue for the Church of Wine.Woot followers??


Most of us on the West Coast attend this church regularly on Sundays and Wednesdays at 10pm PT ...




Edit: [Disclaimer] This in no way is an attempt to belittle or promote any religion, nor is it meant to offend. yada, yada, yada ....

It's actually midnight central time Sun and Wed.
or 12am central time Mon and Thurs. Midnight is technically the date before.

MarkDaSpark wrote:Well, I think it is the ONLY labrat video of the year ..... Great Job!

Duh, that is why it was no contest.

cheron98 wrote:PSith Master says 02KRPS is OK to drink now.

02KRPS is definitely OK now. I had one two weeks ago, and still can't get over it. It's probably the best woot wine I have had yet.

djjk wrote:02KRPS is definitely OK now. I had one two weeks ago, and still can't get over it. It's probably the best woot wine I have had yet.

Welcome to the dark side. Check out my blog! And Sparky, do your thing.

Imagine4vr wrote:It's actually midnight central time Sun and Wed.
or 12am central time Mon and Thurs. Midnight is technically the date before.

Beep. Incorrect statement.

In most systems it is when one day ends and the next begins: when the date changes. - Wikipedia

(If you're not a morning person, this can be described as every night at midnight. Better?) - Woot.Com FAQ

So, Midnight is correct.

Loweeel wrote:Welcome to the dark side. Check out my blog! And Sparky, do your thing.

Yes PSith Master!

MarkDaSpark wrote:So, Midnight is correct.

Midnight Sunday (when they day sun changes to the day mon)
Midnight Wednesday (when the day wed changes to the day thurs)
Central Time Zone is when the wine.woot changes.

Not midnight Monday and Thursday as you posted earlier.

Corrado wrote:
That's why I always just say 1AM Eastern time.

That, and the fact that you live in the Eastern time zone.

It's probably already been beaten to death here, but IMHO, there is no such time as 12:00 AM, and 12:00 PM is clearly an oxymoron, meaning literally "noon after noon."

EDIT: Now that I've read Corrado's link to WikiAnswers, I see that I'm not alone in my opinion.

It is 2200L for me... and 2400 doesn't exist... only 0000.

ddeuddeg wrote:It's probably already been beaten to death here, but IMHO, there is no such time as 12:00 AM, and 12:00 PM is clearly an oxymoron, meaning literally "noon after noon."

But that complaint exists only in theory – Only for that infinitely small segment of time would 12:00:00.000000000 AM be an oxymoron. Well before the light from the clock reading 12:00 am or 12:00 pm reached your eyes the reading would be correct.

I can happily say that that was the last offer I was waiting for this year. Now to pay off the cc. WD is going to have to really tempt me to woot before 09.

A Robert Craig offering might just make me cave.....

Imagine4vr wrote:Midnight Sunday (when they day sun changes to the day mon)
Midnight Wednesday (when the day wed changes to the day thurs)
Central Time Zone is when the wine.woot changes.

Not midnight Monday and Thursday as you posted earlier.

Don't be so Anal Retentive .... And read the other posts. You are wrong. Accept it. It's just a pic.

J3buswrx wrote:It is 2200L for me... and 2400 doesn't exist... only 0000.

if there is a leap second you can get a bit closer to 2400.
23:59:59
23:59:60
00:00:00

Ok. So we're all agreed that no matter what the clock says, time marches on. Now WD, may we have an early afternoon hint?

LaVikinga wrote:Ok. So we're all agreed that no matter what the clock says, time marches on. Now WD, may we have an early afternoon hint?

its morning in someplaces still.

LaVikinga wrote:Ok. So we're all agreed that no matter what the clock says, time marches on. Now WD, may we have an early afternoon hint?

just kidding.
it's always 5 o'clock somewhere.
I know willy meant beverages of the hoppy variety... but I think the general ideas apply to wine too.

Does anyone really know what time it is?

- Robert Willia & Robert Lamm

Corrado wrote:Is it clue time or do we not get anything until tonight?

It may be that it is PoiZin as several people have mentioned. If so, WD may not feel the need to post a clue.

MarkDaSpark wrote:It may be that it is PoiZin as several people have mentioned. If so, WD may not feel the need to post a clue.

If it's not Poizin, folks will certainly be surprised.

MarkDaSpark wrote:Don't be so Anal Retentive .... And read the other posts. You are wrong. Accept it. It's just a pic.

Wow nice way of calling me an azz and you've never even met me.

I'll be here at midnight tonight - or for those really anal retentive types, at 11:59pm central daylight savings time to see the wine.woot change when the clock reads 12:00am central daylight savings time.

LaVikinga wrote:Ok. So we're all agreed that no matter what the clock says, time marches on. Now WD, may we have an early afternoon hint?

In college we would tell time in regular time (PST) and in BST "Bull's Standard Time", due to the fact that our favorite bar's clock was 12 minutes fast, and you needed to know precisely how long you had until last call.

I propose WST: Woot Standard Time, consisting of a 24-hour clock where all offerings are available at 0:00:00.01 Hours, as specified by the Woot servers.

Synchronize watches!

MarkDaSpark wrote:It may be that it is PoiZin as several people have mentioned. If so, WD may not feel the need to post a clue.

Perhaps he's just hangin out watching football.