Its no good - don't buy it. Tastes just like blood.

skatermanbob wrote:....Tastes just like blood.

So its bloody good wine, eh?

Corrado wrote:At least it doesn't suck.

~rimshot~

skatermanbob wrote:Its no good - don't buy it. Tastes just like blood.

smartheart wrote:So its bloody good wine, eh?

Corrado wrote:At least it doesn't suck.

~rimshot~

Winedavid39 wrote:i understand it doesn't go well with stake .... baarrrump ump....

I'll report later whether or not the wine has a tannic bite.

tommythecat78 wrote:I'll report later whether or not the wine has a tannic bite.

Fangs for your efforts.

I have several of these from the Winery in Transylvania. What great convesation starters and such beautiful bottles! I may actually open one and have a glass one day, but for now I am enjoying collecting. This set, (two for me and two for a friend), will fill up my small wine rack with nothing but Vampyre wine. And it's my 1st woot!

Lighter wrote:Fangs for your efforts.

You guys are killing me.

Winedavid39 wrote:i understand it doesn't go well with stake .... baarrrump ump....

What about garlic???

JanFP wrote:Lab rat #1 - wine with dinner

OK, I had the Dracula Syrah with dinner - Burgundy Beef Stew. This had a half bottle of Corison Cab, lots of cumin and garlic, and Szechuan peppercorns. The Syrah held up to it very well - neither the wine nor the stew overpowered. But I think the Syrah enhanced the pepperiness of the stew- there's a bit of an afterburn, but totally pleasant.

There's a good mouthfeel with the wine - it feels fuller than the wine's body indicates.

Tasting notes are straight out of the barrel, no decanting. I don't think this wine needs it. Absolutely clear - I haven't seen any sediment in the bottle.

Overall, I'm highly positive about this. I'm considering going to the winery site - I'm really love to try their Zin!

Our Dracula Zinfandel is really good too. We're almost sold out of the 2005 vintage, but we are getting ready to bottle the 2006 in a couple of weeks. I've tried PoiZin that many have commented on here. PoiZin is pretty good, but I have to say our Dracula Zinfandel beats PoiZin. Our wines are not just about having fun; there's good juice in each bottle.

I didn't think it would happen to me but it has! I hit the jackpot, won the lottery, got the monkey's paw! I got a Golden Ticket! I've never tried to review a wine before but I'll give it a shot. My wife and I took delivery of our nectar of the devil yesterday afternoon and decanted it last night. We swirled it in the glass, we sniffed the delicate bloody bouquet, and then we sipped from the neck of our wine glasses. Wow, good stuff! Very dry, "WITCH" we both like. It is nice and dark red like a Halloween wine should be. I didn't find it to be fruity at all. My wife tasted black cherry and plum elements. If I picked up on any fruit it would be a dark currant with a little bit of not quite ripe persimmon. If the tannins are what gives a wine its' dryness, this wine has an abundance. Leaves a nice blood red stain on your canine teeth also. The bottle is a keeper too! It would look great with one of those drippy candles in it on Halloween night and I loved the black cork/stopper! We both highly recommend this wine if you are a fan of dry red wines. In this case "Dracula does NOT suck!" Bloody Fine

chiefs2win wrote:I didn't think it would happen to me but it has! I hit the jackpot, won the lottery, got the monkey's paw! I got a Golden Ticket! I've never tried to review a wine before but I'll give it a shot. My wife and I took delivery of our nectar of the devil yesterday afternoon and decanted it last night. We swirled it in the glass, we sniffed the delicate bloody bouquet, and then we sipped from the neck of our wine glasses. Wow, good stuff! Very dry, "WITCH" we both like. It is nice and dark red like a Halloween wine should be. I didn't find it to be fruity at all. My wife tasted black cherry and plum elements. If I picked up on any fruit it would be a dark currant with a little bit of not quite ripe persimmon. If the tannins are what gives a wine its' dryness, this wine has an abundance. Leaves a nice blood red stain on your canine teeth also. The bottle is a keeper too! It would look great with one of those drippy candles in it on Halloween night and I loved the black cork/stopper! We both highly recommend this wine if you are a fan of dry red wines. In this case "Dracula does NOT suck!" Bloody Fine

Which bottle was it?

darlenee1 wrote:Which bottle was it?

Given 'Dracula does not suck' I'd say he got the Dracula.

Which means, tommy, you've got Chateau coming.

Rats, yer packed.

mmachat wrote:Our Dracula Zinfandel is really good too. We're almost sold out of the 2005 vintage, but we are getting ready to bottle the 2006 in a couple of weeks. I've tried PoiZin that many have commented on here. PoiZin is pretty good, but I have to say our Dracula Zinfandel beats PoiZin. Our wines are not just about having fun; there's good juice in each bottle.

The Cab that is in the Chateau du Vampire (60%), is that the same Cab that is bottled under the Vamp label? Thank you.

UBlink wrote:Are you sure? The rat didn't mention what vintage Corison was used in the stew - of course, if it was an appropriate vintage that would make it even more mind-boggling to be used as a cooking wine.

Sorry guys - it's a 2000 from Woot earlier this year. I'm the only drinker in the house and it seemed a shame to let it sit for a week, so it went into the pot. Don't despair - there's three more bottles around here somewhere.

clayfu wrote:sounds lean and flavorless.. Could you elaborate more on what makes you regret not ordering more?

I tend to enjoy montages better than single varietals, so even though this is a Syrah, I didn't get the typical fruitiness. It's dry, but very smooth and eash to drink - not tannic. To me, this drinks like a fine, well-aged montage, right out of the bottle (right off of the Fed Ex truck, too).

JanFP wrote:Sorry guys - it's a 2000 from Woot earlier this year. I'm the only drinker in the house and it seemed a shame to let it sit for a week, so it went into the pot. Don't despair - there's three more bottles around here somewhere.

Actually I often find myself in the same boat with a spouse that enjoys sweet whites so I recently finished off a bottle of Wellington in a mushroom stroganoff. Sure it took on a purple hue but it tasted delicious. I agree only cook with wines that you would drink.

JanFP wrote:Sorry guys - it's a 2000 from Woot earlier this year. I'm the only drinker in the house and it seemed a shame to let it sit for a week, so it went into the pot. Don't despair - there's three more bottles around here somewhere.

I just had a heart attack! Though I suppose as long as it went to good food... but STILL! The precious, beloved Corison...

iceeblue7 wrote:Actually I often find myself in the same boat with a spouse that enjoys sweet whites so I recently finished off a bottle of Wellington in a mushroom stroganoff. Sure it took on a purple hue but it tasted delicious. I agree only cook with wines that you would drink.

I say cook with food and DRINK the wine!

JanFP wrote:

OK, I had the Dracula Syrah with dinner - Burgundy Beef Stew. This had a half bottle of Corison Cab,

Gasp!

cheron98 wrote:Given 'Dracula does not suck' I'd say he got the Dracula.

Which means, tommy, you've got Chateau coming.

Yep Chateau it is...decanting a bit...more coming soon.

cheron98 wrote:Rats, yer packed.

Thanks cheron!

Shipping question - will this get to WI by the 24th? (next week Friday)?

mmachat wrote:Our Dracula Zinfandel is really good too. We're almost sold out of the 2005 vintage, but we are getting ready to bottle the 2006 in a couple of weeks. I've tried PoiZin that many have commented on here. PoiZin is pretty good, but I have to say our Dracula Zinfandel beats PoiZin. Our wines are not just about having fun; there's good juice in each bottle.

What's the flavor profile of your Zin? What do you think makes yours better than the Poizin?

This is a fun one, hope it taste good!!!

In for one, for my new wine cellar I'm putting in!!! 400 more bottles to go!!!

'05 Chateau du Vampire...

I like it! Nice ruby (blood) red color. Definitely needs some time in a decanter or a glass. Upon opening and first sniff and sip it was "Holy alcohol Batman," but it quickly dissipated. Dark chocolate, coffee, and tobacco are the most dominant on the nose. Front palate offers up cherries and red currant (cassis?). Mid palate offers up a bit of spiciness, but not much else. Its not flat on the mid, just not much there. A little bit of heat on the finish, but not bad or unexpected. Dominant flavor on the finish is chocolate covered cherries, and is lasting about 15 seconds. The tannins have quite a bit of presence, but they are mellowing out the more air time it's getting. The mouthfeel is also much more pleasant the more air it gets. Your not wrapping your tongue in a velvet blanket, but it's not far off. More like wrapping your mouth around the neck of a pretty damsel in distress. All in all I'd have to say this is a pretty solid offering and anyone that has been second guessing themselves all week shouldn't be disappointed. Is it a wine I would save for a special occasion or a fancy dinner? No. Would I be embarrassed to serve it to wine drinking friends? Absolutely not. Worth $20? If I was guessing a price point on this it would have been in that range and I wouldn't be upset paying retail for it. Honestly, if I wasn't going to DTW#2 this weekend I would up my order to 2. I can't wait to try the Syrah now!

Thank you VERY much WD for the opportunity to be a rat!!

Yours Truly,
Count TtheC

I agree with all the other posters previously that are quite anxious to here more SPECIFICS from the winemakers. So far the only thing they've given us is the Alc%, pH, etc. I bought two of this set and am starting to highly regret doing so based on the very poor performance of the winery on this forum. I buy the wine on this forum because the wineries participate, talk to us about the wine, tell us their specific thoughts on the aroma, taste, cellarability, etc. They tell us what their thought processes were when they were making the wines (especially blends). They talk to us about pairing suggestions and what types of things they feel make their wine better. They give us comparisons (and more than just "better than PoiZin") so that we can have an idea of what to expect.

I've seen NOTHING of this nature from the group of wine makers. Can you guys PLEASE expand on as much as possible that I listed above?

WD, please help nudge them to do so. Because at this rate, I'll never buy another wine here until after I've seen enough winery interaction to warrant the purchase. If I wanted to simply buy a wine because the short description looks good or the bottle looks pretty, then I can just go to WL. The reason for buying here is because we get INFORMATIVE and educational winery input, and not just "I can tell you our wine is good. Buy it."

" WD, please help nudge them to do so. Because at this rate, I'll never buy another wine here until after I've seen enough winery interaction to warrant the purchase. If I wanted to simply buy a wine because the short description looks good or the bottle looks pretty, then I can just go to WL. The reason for buying here is because we get INFORMATIVE and educational winery input, and not just "I can tell you our wine is good. Buy it."

I do agree that it is nice to have input on the wine making process. However, I do not think that the wine makers need to be obligated to do so. I think that experiences from other than the source, in my opinion, are a better reference to the quality of the wine. I would hate to see anyone limit themselves based on a requirement that is not even in place. Just my two cents.

iceeblue7 wrote: I agree only cook with wines that you would drink.

A while back, someone posted a link to an article about cooking with wine. The article was about a taste test comparing dishes made with high end wines to the same dish using a less expensive, but still worth drinking, wine of the same variety. I just spent some time looking for it, without success, and I have to get back to work (drat!). I'm hoping one of the regulars with a better memory than mine will remember it and where it was. The results were interesting.

Personally, I never worry about cooking with wines that I wouldn't drink, since I avoid buying them in the first place.

ddeuddeg wrote:Personally, I never worry about cooking with wines that I wouldn't drink, since I avoid buying them in the first place.

That's the point exactly! Why would I (or anyone, for that matter) buy a wine that is not intended for drinking, and then use it to cook with? That's just crazy talk, IMHO.

Maybe the reason for the limited or no winery participation is due to the harvest time? for instance, i called saddleback cellars last week and they had the accountant answering the phones because everyone was out in the yard for the crush............so lets give the benefit of the doubt.....up till now, i have seen some pretty good participation from the wine makers and or wineries. Every one has to believe something......i believed enough to order one.............good day

WV69 wrote:That's the point exactly! Why would I (or anyone, for that matter) buy a wine that is not intended for drinking, and then use it to cook with? That's just crazy talk, IMHO.

All of the wine I own is meant for drinking, and I never buy cheap wines just for cooking. However, there are some wines that I think of as "too good for cooking." I would put the Corison in that class (unless it had already been open too long and I didn't want it to go to waste).

boaz38 wrote:Maybe the reason for the limited or no winery participation is due to the harvest time? for instance, i called saddleback cellars last week and they had the accountant answering the phones because everyone was out in the yard for the crush............so lets give the benefit of the doubt.....up till now, i have seen some pretty good participation from the wine makers and or wineries. Every one has to believe something......i believed enough to order one.............good day

I agree, I can't believe that someone with over 2,000 posts would stop ordering because the winemaker maybe doesn't have time this week for a lengthy discussion. This site has provided us with some wonderful wines and lots of fun.

HitAnyKey42 wrote:If I wanted to simply buy a wine because the short description looks good or the bottle looks pretty, then I can just go to WL. The reason for buying here is because we get INFORMATIVE and educational winery input, and not just "I can tell you our wine is good. Buy it."

labrat reports don't help you?

They could be busy. They could have a family emergency. Like somebody else said, it's wineland sukkot. Get over it, HAK. Don't be so dramatic.

dianefreda wrote:I agree, I can't believe that someone with over 2,000 posts would stop ordering because the winemaker maybe doesn't have time this week for a lengthy discussion. This site has provided us with some wonderful wines and lots of fun.

(Disclaimer: dianefreda, i'm only quoting you since yours is the most recent, I'm not meaning to be attacking you or anyone in particular ... there's been a number of posts now both here and in the pub semi-attacking HAK for his statement. That said...)

Now wait just a second... let's look at what HAK actually said:

HitAnyKey42 wrote:I'll never buy another wine here until after I've seen enough winery interaction to warrant the purchase.

He's not saying that this is going to stop him from buying here ever again, he's merely saying that he's going to not pull the trigger quite as blindly as he's known to do. He's just going to wait until he gets the winery participation first, which means he's trying to make his purchases as informed as possible. Which may not be an altogether BAD thing, considering he's been trying to cut back on his purchases anyway The only thing it's going to hurt is his chance at being labrat, really.

oppsie wrote:labrat reports don't help you?

They could be busy. They could have a family emergency. Like somebody else said, it's wineland sukkot. Get over it, HAK. Don't be so dramatic.

So I'm a little dramatic every once in awhile. So's everyone else. And I also don't let things grate on me or bother me for extended periods of time. I just blurted out my post because I wanted to and at the time I was a bit frustrated. But I'll be over and past this before anyone can say First Sucker.

cheron98 wrote:He's not saying that this is going to stop him from buying here ever again, he's merely saying that he's going to not pull the trigger quite as blindly as he's known to do. He's just going to wait until he gets the winery participation first, which means he's trying to make his purchases as informed as possible. Which may not be an altogether BAD thing, considering he's been trying to cut back on his purchases anyway The only thing it's going to hurt is his chance at being labrat, really.

You should look into Mediation - sounds like u'd be good at it well said

JanFP wrote:Lab rat #1 - wine with dinner

OK, I had the Dracula Syrah with dinner - Burgundy Beef Stew. This had a half bottle of Corison Cab, lots of cumin and garlic, and Szechuan peppercorns. The Syrah held up to it very well - neither the wine nor the stew overpowered. But I think the Syrah enhanced the pepperiness of the stew- there's a bit of an afterburn, but totally pleasant.

There's a good mouthfeel with the wine - it feels fuller than the wine's body indicates.

Tasting notes are straight out of the barrel, no decanting. I don't think this wine needs it. Absolutely clear - I haven't seen any sediment in the bottle.

Overall, I'm highly positive about this. I'm considering going to the winery site - I'm really love to try their Zin!

oh, I'm sad. You cooked the cab and drank the syrah.

sigh.

paryb wrote:Never cook with something you wouldn't drink.

Cooking wine is for bad cooks and Kitty Dukakis.

this has been addressed - the threshold for what I would drink is actually quite amazing. If the wine is not 'bad' (ie turned) or corked, I will probably consume if that's what's being offered. Putting a $70 cab into a braise is another story altogether.

ddeuddeg wrote:A while back, someone posted a link to an article about cooking with wine. The article was about a taste test comparing dishes made with high end wines to the same dish using a less expensive, but still worth drinking, wine of the same variety. I just spent some time looking for it, without success, and I have to get back to work (drat!). I'm hoping one of the regulars with a better memory than mine will remember it and where it was. The results were interesting.

Personally, I never worry about cooking with wines that I wouldn't drink, since I avoid buying them in the first place.

That would be me. For the record there's a lot of wine out there that I'd cook with. I probably will never cook with 'cooking wine' or corison. Mostly they'll be $6-15 bottles that are open at the time.

edit: JanFP, I realize it looks like we came down hard on you. If you don't mind using it to enhance your meal then more power to you. Next time, hopefully you'll be able to share the corison with a fellow wine lover or at a dinner party. Hell, learn your wife to appreciate the juice.