Winedavid39 wrote:Interesting. Peter, Scott, Edward - other wine makers in the crowd. Do you agree with this sentiment? how much is blending part of the art of wine making?

I should probably clarify my statement since I'm a drinker, not a maker, of wine. I've noticed that some of the best varietal wines I've had are blended within the 75% varietal limit. Iron Horse Cab Franc (PV and CS) and Wellington Syrah (Viognier) are two Woot wines that come to mind.

I'm imagining a hypothetical scenario where there is some tannic, acidic Cab S and softer, fruitier Merlot from a given vintage. Adding a little of one to the other would probably balance the finished varietal Merlot and Cab S. If a producer only bottles 100% varietals every vintage, I'd think he/she is missing out on some interesting possibilities in order to achieve purity of varietals. So my original statement should read "It seems like a winery lacks creativity when a wine is 100% varietal 100% of the time."

Hmm. I know this is not relevant to the current conversation, but I figured the good people at wine.woot would be able to help me. My mother recently gave me a bottle of 1989 Pierre Jouet Brut champagne, and I was curious if champagne had a shelf life similar to that of wine, It has been stored on its side in a box for the 10 or more years that I knew she had it. (It never moved from our closet as long as I can remember) The cork seems to have kept its round shape at the top which I have heard is a good thing. I’m really not sure. Any Suggestions on what I should do with it, such as save it, drink it, or just get rid of it? At this point I am wondering if I have a good thing on my hands or just an expensive bottle of window cleaner.

UPS called this morning and said I have an overnight wine delivery on its way and should be here today. Hmmmm???? Can it be possible that I have gotten a golden ticket and will be a labrat??

radcoregirl wrote:Hmm. I know this is not relevant to the current conversation, but I figured the good people at wine.woot would be able to help me. My mother recently gave me a bottle of 1989 Pierre Jouet Brut champagne, and I was curious if champagne had a shelf life similar to that of wine, It has been stored on its side in a box for the 10 or more years that I knew she had it. (It never moved from our closet as long as I can remember) The cork seems to have kept its round shape at the top which I have heard is a good thing. I’m really not sure. Any Suggestions on what I should do with it, such as save it, drink it, or just get rid of it? At this point I am wondering if I have a good thing on my hands or just an expensive bottle of window cleaner.

Open it. It may be i)wonderful, ii) drinkable or iii) not drinkable. Won't know until you try.

Or send it to me. I'd be happy to drink it and let you know how it was.

gcdyersb wrote:I should probably clarify my statement since I'm a drinker, not a maker, of wine. I've noticed that some of the best varietal wines I've had are blended within the 75% varietal limit. Iron Horse Cab Franc (PV and CS) and Wellington Syrah (Viognier) are two Woot wines that come to mind.

I'm imagining a hypothetical scenario where there is some tannic, acidic Cab S and softer, fruitier Merlot from a given vintage. Adding a little of one to the other would probably balance the finished varietal Merlot and Cab S. If a producer only bottles 100% varietals every vintage, I'd think he/she is missing out on some interesting possibilities in order to achieve purity of varietals. So my original statement should read "It seems like a winery lacks creativity when a wine is 100% varietal 100% of the time."

Nice blog.

yellowroe wrote:UPS called this morning and said I have an overnight wine delivery on its way and should be here today. Hmmmm???? Can it be possible that I have gotten a golden ticket and will be a labrat??

I too got a call, but have heard nothing more...hopefully soon! Hopefully I will have some good news when I get home from work.

radcoregirl wrote: My mother recently gave me a bottle of 1989 Pierre Jouet Brut champagne, and I was curious if champagne had a shelf life similar to that of wine, It has been stored on its side in a box for the 10 or more years that I knew she had it. Any Suggestions on what I should do with it, such as save it, drink it, or just get rid of it? At this point I am wondering if I have a good thing on my hands or just an expensive bottle of window cleaner.

Back in 1982, I won a bottle of Perrier Jouët and those painted flutes for best costume at a college costume party (I was a can of Schlitz "Tall Boy"). Seeing it was in its own fancy box and all and knowing it went for about $70.00, I decided I had to wait until the perfect time to open it. Well, about 15 years later I pulled it out of the basement, and it was undrinkable. So, my advice would be, chill it and open it and hope for the best.

woopdedoo wrote:Back in 1982, I won a bottle of Perrier Jouët and those painted flutes for best costume at a college costume party (I was a can of Schlitz "Tall Boy"). Seeing it was in its own fancy box and all and knowing it went for about $70.00, I decided I had to wait until the perfect time to open it. Well, about 15 years later I pulled it out of the basement, and it was undrinkable. So, my advice would be, chill it and open it and hope for the best.

I guess knowing when it was bottled would bear some significance on the amount of time it can be stored. I suspect it was not bottled recently enough to matter.

radcoregirl wrote:Hmm. I know this is not relevant to the current conversation, but I figured the good people at wine.woot would be able to help me. My mother recently gave me a bottle of 1989 Pierre Jouet Brut champagne, and I was curious if champagne had a shelf life similar to that of wine, It has been stored on its side in a box for the 10 or more years that I knew she had it. (It never moved from our closet as long as I can remember) The cork seems to have kept its round shape at the top which I have heard is a good thing. I’m really not sure. Any Suggestions on what I should do with it, such as save it, drink it, or just get rid of it? At this point I am wondering if I have a good thing on my hands or just an expensive bottle of window cleaner.

Parker has the overall vintage ranked as a "90R" meaning it’s outstanding and it's ready to drink. It doesn't appear that he tasted Perrier-Jouet that year with any notes. The more recent vintages for this wine are "Mature" so I'd say you have something to drink for the appropriate occasion in the not too distant future.

woopdedoo wrote:Back in 1982, I won a bottle of Perrier Jouët and those painted flutes for best costume at a college costume party (I was a can of Schlitz "Tall Boy"). Seeing it was in its own fancy box and all and knowing it went for about $70.00, I decided I had to wait until the perfect time to open it. Well, about 15 years later I pulled it out of the basement, and it was undrinkable. So, my advice would be, chill it and open it and hope for the best.

That is probably what I will do. I'll try it on Valentines day, and have a back up bottle of something a little bit more fresh. I poked around on different sites and this is still being sold... so we shall see how good it tastes after 20 years. >_>

radcoregirl wrote:That is probably what I will do. I'll try it on Valentines day, and have a back up bottle of something a little bit more fresh. I poked around on different sites and this is still being sold... so we shall see how good it tastes after 20 years. >_>

At our last tasting, Rob described wines over 10 years old as 'serendipitous rather than stupendous' because after a certain age each bottle will manage its own unique life. Ya never know. Good luck.

Somewhat off topic - talk about library tastings had me thinking ...

In bottle aging, what role does infiltrated and/or exchanged gasses play in the process - ostensibly through the cork?

If there is none, one would think that wine makers would "bottle" a couple of "boxes" of wine for each vintage that they could then sip as often as they pleased without introducing air, or "having" to consume a whole bottle to see how their wines would age.

woopdedoo wrote:
If there is none, one would think that wine makers would "bottle" a couple of "boxes" of wine for each vintage that they could then sip as often as they pleased without introducing air, or "having" to consume a whole bottle to see how their wines would age.

What prevents a box from having a spigot and a cork / gas exchange medium? Though I'm not sure that the substitution of plastic for glass wouldn't end up badly...

Winedavid39 wrote:Interesting. Peter, Scott, Edward - other wine makers in the crowd. Do you agree with this sentiment? how much is blending part of the art of wine making?

A good winemaker never follows formulas. Sometimes blending improves a wine, and can even, counterintuitively, accentuate varietal character. Sometimes single variety wines are best. Red Burgundy is always 100% Pinot Noir, Bordeaux almost always blended. However, one of the highest priced Bordeaux, Chateau Petrus, is 100% Merlot more often than not; They do use a bit of Cab. Franc some years.

The art of blending doesn't just apply to mixing different varieties. Blending different batches of the same variety is at least as important.

gcdyersb wrote:I should probably clarify my statement since I'm a drinker, not a maker, of wine. I've noticed that some of the best varietal wines I've had are blended within the 75% varietal limit. Iron Horse Cab Franc (PV and CS) and Wellington Syrah (Viognier) are two Woot wines that come to mind.

I'm imagining a hypothetical scenario where there is some tannic, acidic Cab S and softer, fruitier Merlot from a given vintage. Adding a little of one to the other would probably balance the finished varietal Merlot and Cab S. If a producer only bottles 100% varietals every vintage, I'd think he/she is missing out on some interesting possibilities in order to achieve purity of varietals. So my original statement should read "It seems like a winery lacks creativity when a wine is 100% varietal 100% of the time."

Either that or their fruit has enough purity and quality that it doesn't need other fruit to add anything to it.

I.E. Shafer Hillside Select 100% cab, high end pinot 100% pinot.

woopdedoo wrote:Somewhat off topic - talk about library tastings had me thinking ...

In bottle aging, what role does infiltrated and/or exchanged gasses play in the process - ostensibly through the cork?

If there is none, one would think that wine makers would "bottle" a couple of "boxes" of wine for each vintage that they could then sip as often as they pleased without introducing air, or "having" to consume a whole bottle to see how their wines would age.

Hey, tall boy, hope you're staying warm up there. There is some controversy as to whether corks "breathe" or not. There have been complaints about screwcap closures resulting in a higher incidence of "reduced" wines ((himts of rotten egg, onion, natural gas tracer, etc.). Screwcap technology has advanced to the point where you can get them with controlled permeability liners that allow specific passage of very small amounts of oxygen per unit of time.
As to the bag-in-box idea, that would only show you how your wine was aging in box.

yellowroe wrote:UPS called this morning and said I have an overnight wine delivery on its way and should be here today. Hmmmm???? Can it be possible that I have gotten a golden ticket and will be a labrat??

One would hope that this evening the labrats realize that the wine left the winery yesterday. It then rode on bumpy, windy, rural roads in the back of a UPS truck for hours, spent the night in the bottom of airplane (or airplanes), likely its temperature dropped 20 or 30 degrees, encountered several torturous conveyor belt rides, then back on bumpy UPS truck for delivery. Valid reasons why the wine may not show itself to its best advantage tonight.

ewallo wrote:One would hope that this evening the labrats realize that the wine left the winery yesterday. It then rode on bumpy, windy, rural roads in the back of a UPS truck for hours, spent the night in the bottom of airplane (or airplanes), likely its temperature dropped 20 or 30 degrees, encountered several torturous conveyor belt rides, then back on bumpy UPS truck for delivery. Valid reasons why the wine may not show itself to its best advantage tonight.

hedging your bets? =P

Labrat Report:

Opened a box this morning to great jubilation: enclosed was the Yorkville Petit Verdot.

Served at 68 deg. after an hour and a half open.

Notes are:

Fruity nose, flavors of strawberries and just a hint of alcohol.

Fruit forward, tangy, tastes of earth. Well balanced and very clean finish. Residual sugars are noticed and enjoyed. No taste of tannins.

Overall impression: Pleasant to drink, but not much complexity. Would do well with light cheese, such as a gouda or on its own. Definitely a buy.

Winedavid39 wrote:Bah, it's good for it, makes it taste better -- IMHO.


Ooops.. i meant to connect the above to the traveling wine link.

In my experience, it's only been noticeably problematic for Pinot (and I suspect it would apply to other especially delicate wines.) E.g., the LaVie Pinot was undrinkable, nasty, garbage scented stuff for the first 3 weeks after shipping. The bottle I let sit as an experiment, on top of my wine fridge, was quite nice 3 months later.

Pero, como mi hermano di otra madre siempre dice, "YMMCV"

kylemittskus wrote:I received a $50 check today at work for nothing. And I am very intrigued by these since I have not had any of them as single varietal.

I am soooo close to the edge. The rats can whisper and I'm in.

Hey told you that I'd help get you through these urges...Remember the wallet...only $50...for a rainy day...for that special wine...very special wine. Focus man F-O-C-U-S

ewallo wrote:One would hope that this evening the labrats realize that the wine left the winery yesterday. It then rode on bumpy, windy, rural roads in the back of a UPS truck for hours, spent the night in the bottom of airplane (or airplanes), likely its temperature dropped 20 or 30 degrees, encountered several torturous conveyor belt rides, then back on bumpy UPS truck for delivery. Valid reasons why the wine may not show itself to its best advantage tonight.

Winedavid39 wrote:Bah, it's good for it, makes it taste better -- IMHO.


Ooops.. i meant to connect the above to the traveling wine link.

But it was funnier where you replied. Anyway I owe you for the "GA isn't on the shipping list..." saves/quick replies(got some MonkeyPrize last time) ... so maybe this will help even out.

I have some Yorkville Richard the Lionheart that I picked up in California a couple of years back. It is a fantastic wine and would expect these to be as equally good!

i am new to wine woot. i wanted to know what is the expected delivery time to austin, texas.
thank you

boatman72 wrote:Hey told you that I'd help get you through these urges...Remember the wallet...only $50...for a rainy day...for that special wine...very special wine. Focus man F-O-C-U-S

I'm trying man... It sounds soooo good.

abhiram9605 wrote:i am new to wine woot. i wanted to know what is the expected delivery time to austin, texas.
thank you

Welcome. This is the place to come during this recession we're in. You will spend no money here at ...

Wait a second. I take it back. Hand credit cards, bank account information, and your SO's inheritance to WD (the Willy-wonkan genius behind this whole place). You may also want to sell one of your kidneys on the black market.

As far as your question, I have no idea.

[quote postid="2943169" user="Loweeel"]In my experience, it's only been noticeably problematic for Pinot (and I suspect it would apply to other especially delicate wines.) E.g., the LaVie Pinot was undrinkable, nasty, garbage scented stuff for the first 3 weeks after shipping. The bottle I let sit as an experiment, on top of my wine fridge, was quite nice 3 months later.

Agreed. My LaVie order benefited greatly with additional bottle time and would like another crack at it but it needed up to a year on the shelf after release to start to develop its magic.

SonomaBouliste wrote:Hey, tall boy, hope you're staying warm up there. There is some controversy as to whether corks "breathe" or not. There have been complaints about screwcap closures resulting in a higher incidence of "reduced" wines ((himts of rotten egg, onion, natural gas tracer, etc.). Screwcap technology has advanced to the point where you can get them with controlled permeability liners that allow specific passage of very small amounts of oxygen per unit of time.
As to the bag-in-box idea, that would only show you how your wine was aging in box.

I highly recommend To Cork Or Not To Cork by George Taber to anyone who might be the slightest bit interested in learning more about corks, screwcaps and the effect of air on wine. It's a great book with well-told stories about various wineries around the globe. You'll never look at a cork the same way again!

ewallo wrote:One would hope that this evening the labrats realize that the wine left the winery yesterday. It then rode on bumpy, windy, rural roads in the back of a UPS truck for hours, spent the night in the bottom of airplane (or airplanes), likely its temperature dropped 20 or 30 degrees, encountered several torturous conveyor belt rides, then back on bumpy UPS truck for delivery. Valid reasons why the wine may not show itself to its best advantage tonight.

It must have experienced more that the above because it never arrived as of 10 PM CST. UPS said it would be delivered today and was overnighted and I waited and waited and waited but NO WINE. This is a first! UPS has never steered me wrong.

After significant other discussion (SOD), I am in. The stipulation is no wine for 4-6 weeks, so no matter what kind of awesome stuff WD puts up here, it'll be a no go.

This offer crossed the threshold of wootability, which is really 6 components for me:

1. $20 or less per bottle
2. All 3 or 4 bottles are of high interest
3. Mixed pack of varietals or appellations
4. Small producer from appellation of interest
5. Good "stats" (ABV, RS, etc.)
6. Positive feedback from community

The Roessler last week scored 100% on this metric. This one is around 80%, and just crossed the threshold. Malbec, CF and PV is just too attractive to hold back. I'm looking forward to seeing what Mendocino has to offer.

trwagner wrote:I highly recommend To Cork Or Not To Cork by George Taber to anyone who might be the slightest bit interested in learning more about corks, screwcaps and the effect of air on wine. It's a great book with well-told stories about various wineries around the globe. You'll never look at a cork the same way again!

I second that rec - very interesting read

gcdyersb wrote:After significant other discussion (SOD), I am in. The stipulation is no wine for 4-6 weeks, so no matter what kind of awesome stuff WD puts up here, it'll be a no go.

This offer crossed the threshold of wootability, which is really 6 components for me:

1. $20 or less per bottle
2. All 3 or 4 bottles are of high interest
3. Mixed pack of varietals or appellations
4. Small producer from appellation of interest
5. Good "stats" (ABV, RS, etc.)
6. Positive feedback from community

The Roessler last week scored 100% on this metric. This one is around 80%, and just crossed the threshold. Malbec, CF and PV is just too attractive to hold back. I'm looking forward to seeing what Mendocino has to offer.

Thanks very much for your interest. That long list is a pretty left brain approach. Hope your taste response comes from your right brain and enjoys some of Mendocino's finest with appropriate good food. Cheers!

Ooooh Petit Verdot! I thought it was just a legend. I am in! And when my wine cellar is finished in five years That's what I will celebrate with.

Ahhh!!! I see the cunning plan now! I get an email from Woot giving me 'nearly' free shipping for my Wine Woot Birthday, so I thought this weeks wine would be perfect before the offer expires on Sunday...hmmmmm no shipping to CT. Well drat!

Loweeel wrote:Pero, como mi hermano di otra madre siempre dice, "YMMCV"

love that that bit of Italian made it into your otherwise perfect Spanish rendering! :D

ewallo wrote:Thanks very much for your interest. That long list is a pretty left brain approach. Hope your taste response comes from your right brain and enjoys some of Mendocino's finest with appropriate good food. Cheers!

The left brain keeps money in my wallet so the right brain has the right amount of wine to enjoy!

gcdyersb wrote:The left brain keeps money in my wallet so the right brain has the right amount of wine to enjoy!

Then you've definately got the right brain to enjoy this unique Californian Malbec.