cheron98 wrote:They have not yet learned to fear my club I'm really shocked.

You use a club? Why not use the lightsaber that is for sale here? It's rechargeable!

cosmo108 wrote:The fedex delivery person visited me yesterday, but I wasn't there. No big deal, I'll drive down and get it from the office. Down to the car, turn the key...click, click, click. NO!!!!!!

At least it's sold out, and you can no longer wait for my report to make your choice.

Of course, I'll still make the report. I for one like to be informed so I know if I should drink it now or hold or eat it with pizza or steak. Check back on the thread.

Car is in the shop as I write. I am a lot poorer now. Sorry to disappoint all of you, but the report will come this weekend.

cosmo108 wrote:Car is in the shop as I write. I am a lot poorer now. Sorry to disappoint all of you, but the report will come this weekend.

I'm sorry about your car! And it's also a perfectly legitimate reason for delaying the labrattage. If only the other two unnamed ratters had your gumption!

We quaffed a bottle of the Shake Ridge the other night with pizza. Nice nose; medium on the palate and opened up fairly quickly. Decent finish...lingers a little bit. Blackberry on the nose. Would be good with pasta or a burger. Drinkable now. The Sangio mellows the potential jamminess of the zin. Still a bit confused as to the primitivo versus zinfandel grapes. Primitivo is theoretically the father of zinfandel in Italy, but as these grapes are all grown in California, would seem that both would simply fall under the Zinfandel varietal. A nice wine for the price. Believe it is fine to drink young; not sure how well it would age. Am an Etude fan, so had fairly high expectations.

mkelley2 wrote:We quaffed a bottle of the Shake Ridge the other night with pizza. Nice nose; medium on the palate and opened up fairly quickly. Decent finish...lingers a little bit. Blackberry on the nose. Would be good with pasta or a burger. Drinkable now. The Sangio mellows the potential jamminess of the zin. Still a bit confused as to the primitivo versus zinfandel grapes. Primitivo is theoretically the father of zinfandel in Italy, but as these grapes are all grown in California, would seem that both would simply fall under the Zinfandel varietal. A nice wine for the price. Believe it is fine to drink young; not sure how well it would age. Am an Etude fan, so had fairly high expectations.

Is this an official labrat reporting in or did you happen to have a bottle lying around that you popped open?

cosmo108 wrote:Car is in the shop as I write. I am a lot poorer now. Sorry to disappoint all of you, but the report will come this weekend.

Hey Cosmo, which one did u get?

Edit: Oh and Click, Click, Click is usually a bad battery. Could just need a jump or could be a dead cell. If the battery is OK, then it's probably the alternator. Good luck...

bkarney wrote:Hey Cosmo, which one did u get?

Edit: Oh and Click, Click, Click is usually a bad battery. Could just need a jump or could be a dead cell. If the battery is OK, then it's probably the alternator. Good luck...

Well, I received a bottle of the Semillon. I was hoping for the charbono blend, but who could turn down a free bottle of wine. Thanks, WineDavid.

I have been drinking wine on a regular basis now for the last three years. Lately, I've been enjoying wines with a more rustic flavor. Most of the wine I consume is from Sonoma and Napa. Most everything I buy comes within a 100 miles from my home - trying to reduce my footprint.

I have only had a few Semillon, most from France.

The nose is quite pleaseant. I get some , pear, tropical notes, a little honeydew, and something unique that I can't quite place.

The wine has nice weight. I would say that it is a medium to a heavy body white with a smooth mouth feel. I get a little alcohol, some lime, melon... a little austere. I can't say that I am a big fan.
I did some reading about aged Semillon becoming more honeyed. I wonder if this wine would age well. I think a little honey would be nice.

Overall, not a bad wine. I guess not really my style. I think it would go well with some grilled chicken or with some turkey.

Did we ever find out who the other Labrats were? I'm a bit disappointed we didn't get to see the rest of the labrat reports, especially for a wine that I actually ordered.

HitAnyKey42 wrote:Did we ever find out who the other Labrats were? I'm a bit disappointed we didn't get to see the rest of the labrat reports, especially for a wine that I actually ordered.

nope maybe there weren't any others...

I got my tracking notice today.

Yes, a labrat for this particular Fortitude. First time, so not sure that we reportedl in the right place. Anyhow, really just winos versus oenophiles. Awaiting our shipment as well.

mkelley2 wrote:Yes, a labrat for this particular Fortitude. First time, so not sure that we reportedl in the right place. Anyhow, really just winos versus oenophiles. Awaiting our shipment as well.

So now we're just missing the Field Blend.... of course the one I wanted to hear about! Here ratty ratty, where are ya?

Got my tracking notice - arrives in NC next Tuesday. This is my first woot so I'm understandably excited (and impatient)!

mkelley2 wrote:Yes, a labrat for this particular Fortitude. First time, so not sure that we reportedl in the right place. Anyhow, really just winos versus oenophiles. Awaiting our shipment as well.

Could you point me in the direction of where you posted the report? I missed it.

cheron98 wrote:Could you point me in the direction of where you posted the report? I missed it.

I think these were it.....

mkelley2 wrote:We quaffed a bottle of the Shake Ridge the other night with pizza. Nice nose; medium on the palate and opened up fairly quickly. Decent finish...lingers a little bit. Blackberry on the nose. Would be good with pasta or a burger. Drinkable now. The Sangio mellows the potential jamminess of the zin. Still a bit confused as to the primitivo versus zinfandel grapes. Primitivo is theoretically the father of zinfandel in Italy, but as these grapes are all grown in California, would seem that both would simply fall under the Zinfandel varietal. A nice wine for the price. Believe it is fine to drink young; not sure how well it would age. Am an Etude fan, so had fairly high expectations.

and

mkelley2 wrote:Yes, a labrat for this particular Fortitude. First time, so not sure that we reportedl in the right place. Anyhow, really just winos versus oenophiles. Awaiting our shipment as well.

...right? I was wondering the same thing.

cheron98 wrote:Could you point me in the direction of where you posted the report? I missed it.

You didn't miss it. You posted it in the labrat thread on Nov 7.

Cesare wrote:You didn't miss it. You posted it in the labrat thread on Nov 7.

Excellent. Somehow my brain read them as two separate users. I'm not sure why. I blame Corrado.

Drinking the field blend, it's much better after two days in the fridge. I think this one is one to leave in the cellar for a couple years yet.

I just had the Etude Fortitude Shake Ridge 2005 tonight, and thought I'd share my notes:

Nearly opaque deep plum colour. Super sour nose; some fruit, but difficult to discern beneath the massive acidity. Tobacco and spice, faintly.

Tart but not sour on the palate; refreshing. Mouth-puckering yet nicely smooth tannins provide good structure. It's medium-bodied but the acidity keeps it feeling light. Some good ripe fruit, verging on jammy; sour cherry, raspberry, plum. Moderate finish shows good spice (clove, allspice) and astringent, earthy tobacco. Extremely easy to drink and very nicely balanced all around. Drink straight from the bottle; no aeration needed.

(89/100)

I'm glad I have another bottle on the way! I drank the whole bottle in under two hours which is rare for me and always the mark of an excellent wine. I also used a little bit (maybe 2/3 of a cup or so) in mushroom sauce for a Bison steak, and it was excellent in that application. It drank wonderfully with the steak and by itself.

Coming back to add my note on the Shake Ridge:

This is best after open a day and sealed over night. Color deep ruby almost to the very edge of the glass before it goes to clear. A very pleasant nose of dark fruits dominated by plum and blueberry that is not overpowering. The pH is not published, but given the low alcohol, I expect this falls below 3.6 pH making it more of an old-world style wine. Personally, I find the restrained fruit, lack of heat, and gentle bite of the acid a refreshing change from the armies of Parker-style wines getting the high marks these days. There's no question that, with the plethora of varietals that make this blend, there's a lot going on, and yet the wine nevertheless seems to have a singular, pleasing character. There's spice on the mid-palate and assertive tannins in the lingering finish. Nothing flabby about this wine. I personally find it great to sip, but I think I'll definitely plan for food with my remaining stock. Huge QPR. Thank you wine.woot.