jwhite6114 wrote:Or how does it compare to some other Sonoma wine.woot "favorite" vintners, such as Wellington or Ty Caton (both of whom have Merlot's that I love)?

Trent-
I too love the Ty Caton Merlot. How do you think your bottle of Merlot compares to the Ty Merlot?
I went in on your first Woot offering of the Skinny Dip and the Rooftop and was very pleased with the QPR of those. Waiting for the rats on this one.

I had not followed the thread closely enough until now to see that you are Moffett of Livingston Moffett. Moffett wines are exceptional!

I'm in! Had I known earlier, I would have bought the Chardonnay as well.

Time for summer shipping WD. Ty Caton from Sonoma to So Cal: COOKED.

wow...this is hard...I don't usually jump on Merlot and no, I have never seen that one movie... but the boards are starting to convince me...

Part of my dislike is because I find a large variation in Merlot and often a little soapy or vegetable taste that I don't find terribly pleasant (as opposed to the veggie tastes like pepper that I love). The description vwap put up sounds a lot like a cab to me. Having personally not identified the distinctive Merlot taste yet, if possible for the rats (or anyone), this may seem like an odd question but what other varietal might this wine be mistaken for?

Separately, definitely waiting to hear how much earth versus how much fruit is showing through here. Rats?

kylemittskus wrote:Time for summer shipping WD. Ty Caton from Sonoma to So Cal: COOKED.

Please be more specific. I am considering the current offering and also live in SoCal. Thanks.

NedDawg wrote:Please be more specific. I am considering the current offering and also live in SoCal. Thanks.

One of the bottles had total cork leakage, cork was pink, and the bottle was wet with wine. The other two corks were ok but I assume that they are also cooked. Service is sending me replacements.

Edit: And if you're in So Cal, come to the gatherings. (Look at me, all recruiting and such after my first gathering a week ago.)

CTmasterblender wrote:$28 to $38 - can't be more specific to protect my source.

That did it for me. In for 3 of these as well. Wow, 3 Chards and 3 Merlots. Hopefully my wife doesn't catch me sneaking these into the wine racks...

kylemittskus wrote:One of the bottles had total cork leakage, cork was pink, and the bottle was wet with wine. The other two corks were ok but I assume that they are also cooked. Service is sending me replacements.

Edit: And if you're in So Cal, come to the gatherings. (Look at me, all recruiting and such after my first gathering a week ago.)

I've had similar issues here in SoCal, you never know when a heat wave is going to hit and the shipment always arrive in Sylmar at 1pm on a Wed and sits in the heat all day, then get's put on a truck at 5AM and goes out for delivery...Which is usually around 4 PM at my home, so it sits in the hot truck for a second day.

I've never written to service, and most of the leaky bottles tasted fine, surprisingly.

That said - I received 20 bottles of wine from wine.woot today and they all seemed fine. (8 Wellington zins, 6 Wellington cabs, 3 Ty Caton cabs, and 3 Trinitas Zins) If it sounds like a xmas song. that's how I feel today.

I even gave the UPS guy a bottle as a gift. for coming to me early today to avoid further heat damage in the truck.

Oh, now to Merlot or not to Merlot...

Waiting for the rats.

ps. Who do I have to have naked photo's of to get a quality post on this board?

kylemittskus wrote:One of the bottles had total cork leakage, cork was pink, and the bottle was wet with wine. The other two corks were ok but I assume that they are also cooked. Service is sending me replacements.

ARGH! I didn't think about this when I got my GunBun! The merlot was leaky and they're sending a replacement, but it didn't hit me that the others were probably cooked, as well. CRUD, CRUD, CRUD. And I was planning on cellaring the Pinot for several years. > I guess I should have had them replace all three.

:cries:

Rat report

It is truly an honor to receive the golden ticket. I'm sad to say that I’m not fond of Merlot.

That being said let me say this is one of the OK Merlot’s I’ve tasted. I popped the cork poured it into the decanter and then poured from the decanter into my glass (just a few sips). On first glance it is an Alcohol forward wine. I sniffed, tasted, and swallowed. On the initial taste there was none. That’s right, no taste going in, then the alcohol, then black cherry, then sherry, then currant, then alcohol, with hints of red apple (skin mostly) throughout, and some tannins & alcohol on the close.

15 minutes later: Not much change except the alcohol has tamed a bit

1 hour: A little more flavor and almost creamy, possibly a hint of metallic at the onset, a bit sweet on the mid pallet, and still an alcohol finish, tannins wishy washy throughout.

1.5 hours: Tasted with a dinner of Gouda cheese and crackers, Grilled hamburgers, and orzo rice pilaf. Still not much flavor forward, but it opened up a bit in the mid pallet and made it through alright. Fruit was more pronounced and ‘sweeter’ throughout

Rebottled the last 1.5 or so glasses and will check it out again tomorrow night

I think this should sit in the bottle until winter or longer(maybe the alcohol will calm down by then) and then pair with Cheese & crackers and/or apples as it’s definitely an appetizer & hors d'oeuvre wine

My over all opinion: This one has too much alcohol taste for me; it’s weak on its approach and leaves me wanting more depth and definition. But that’s me and I didn’t start out a merlot fan

I'm sorry I couldn't be more positive the first time out as a rat. It's only my opinion, hopefully the other 2 rats are more into merlot





UPDATED 29MAY09 @ 5:12 pm Eastern Time

Lab Rat report update: Day 2

Well I just pulled the merlot out of the ‘fridge and poured it into my glass

W O W what a difference. I realize it’s only about 42-45 degrees but there’s no alcohol taste, the flavors are smooth and mellow. What comes through is black cherry, very slight currant and a twinge of red apple skin. Tannins are minor, mellow, and smooth throughout. This is not a big wine but it comes alive with the lower temp. I may even be in for one (or 2 or 3) for a cold summer refresher sort of drink. Cold, you can drink this as a stand alone. I’m impressed.

Disregard my comments (above) from yesterday

bardolator wrote:ARGH! I didn't think about this when I got my GunBun! The merlot was leaky and they're sending a replacement, but it didn't hit me that the others were probably cooked, as well. CRUD, CRUD, CRUD. And I was planning on cellaring the Pinot for several years. > I guess I should have had them replace all three.

:cries:

cooked wine =/= corked wine

CREIGHTONatNY wrote:Rat report

It is truly an honor to receive the golden ticket. I'm sad to say that I’m not fond of Merlot.

~snipped~

I'm sorry I couldn't be more positive the first time out as a rat. It's only my opinion, hopefully the other 2 rats are more into merlot

Regardless, thanks for the honest review. And for a timely one at that.
~cheers~

Now waiting on the other rats... ?

Same here in Texas. Just got my Ty today and the bottle temp was 95 degrees (yes, I temped it cause it was warmer than todays air temp) and the little gel packets that were in it were also hot. There is some very slight leakage around the bottom of the foil. I haven't opened one yet...but I love wine woot and hope that there is something that will work for shipping this summer. WD...I don"t think the little Gel packs are going to cut it in 90-110 degree heat. Oooh,,,I see shipping price going up. But...I luvz my wine woots!! Oh...can we get a T-shirt with that beautiful NYC tasting picture (lady with grapes) on it? Sorry Trent for the detour...already in for 2!!!

canonizer wrote:cooked wine =/= corked wine

Tell me more. I had one leaky bottle in a shipment a couple of weeks ago and am wondering about the rest of that shipment.

Received 10 bottles late today after being on the UPS truck in South Texas heat all day and somewhere between here and CA for 7 days. One box had the "ketchup packets" (which were warmer than the bottles!), the other 2 did not.

What should I be looking for? If one bottle is leaky, should I expect the others to be a problem?

Last wooter to woot! - Mafiesso

CREIGHTONatNY wrote:Rat report numero uno

I appreciate your veracity! I think that this is the point of the reports: truth. So, thank you. We have 5 more rats to come...

andyduncan wrote:I am not drinking any baking merlot.

Wait, I guess I am:

Last wooter to woot: andyduncan

I need this to train my palate before the next Wellington Mystery Wine Contest.

I guess you must have missed these:

bkarney wrote:Any chance we'll see a return of the Mystery Challenge? I'm sure it was an epic pain in the butt for you, Peter and WD.....but, I personally thought it was a ton of fun and would love another crack at it

SonomaBouliste wrote:I sure (expletive adverb deleted) hope not.

kylemittskus wrote:I appreciate your veracity! I think that this is the point of the reports: truth. So, thank you. We have 5 more rats to come...

Looking forward to the rats!

Just today, I went from this:




to this! Yay freebie!



I picked up some cookbooks too.

And with this purchase, my square turns black. Yipee!


2005 NAPA Valley Front Porch Merlot
Current numbers (updated each minute)
First sucker: vwap
Speed to first woot: 0m -20.-803s
Last wooter to woot: bahwm

[quote postid="3236663" user="CREIGHTONatNY"]Rat report

Ouch – That one hurts a little, but I have thick skin… I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy the wine. I can’t really comment on the notes, but thank you for posting.

schuey wrote:Trent-
I too love the Ty Caton Merlot. How do you think your bottle stands compares to the Ty Merlot?
I went in on your first Woot offering of the Skinny Dip and the Rooftop and was very pleased with the QPR of those. Waiting for the rats on this one.

I've never had that wine, so I can't compare.

CREIGHTONatNY wrote:That being said let me say this is one of the OK Merlot’s I’ve tasted. I popped the cork poured it into the decanter and then poured from the decanter into my glass (just a few sips). On first glance it is an Alcohol forward wine. I sniffed, tasted, and swallowed. On the initial taste there was none. That’s right, no taste going in, then the alcohol, then black cherry, then sherry, then currant, then alcohol, with hints of red apple (skin mostly) throughout, and some tannins & alcohol on the close.

Just curious, did you chill the bottle at all prior to serving? Sometimes cooling the wine down to 60 to 65 degrees helps with containing some of the heat on "alcohol forward" wines as you phrase it. Alcohol burn on the finish . . . . that's a killer for me.

paulrider wrote:I had not followed the thread closely enough until now to see that you are Moffett of Livingston Moffett. Moffett wines are exceptional!

I'm in! Had I known earlier, I would have bought the Chardonnay as well.

Paul - I'm glad you enjoy my other wines, I think you will really enjoy this Merlot. thanks for the comments - Trent

FergyinDaATL wrote:That did it for me. In for 3 of these as well. Wow, 3 Chards and 3 Merlots. Hopefully my wife doesn't catch me sneaking these into the wine racks...

Good luck with that, I get busted all the time. Some days I come home from selling wine and have more bottles in the case then I left with.

grate88 wrote:

I even gave the UPS guy a bottle as a gift. for coming to me early today to avoid further heat damage in the truck.

It's always a great idea to be a friend with your delivery guy, definitely if your a Wooter!!

CTmasterblender wrote:I will look into our license and get back to you.

I, too am from Missouri, have received other orders before this, and did not check the list this time. I DID get an odd message today about the Chardonnay order saying that "paypal has refunded your account" for the order. I have been getting wine from Mazzocco in California without problems. What gives?

Juhlemann wrote:I, too am from Missouri, have received other orders before this, and did not check the list this time. I DID get an odd message today about the Chardonnay order saying that "paypal has refunded your account" for the order. I have been getting wine from Mazzocco in California without problems. What gives?

I don't have the same amount of direct shipping that someone like Mazzocco has. I have no winery to visit and no tasting room. My sales in the last year in Missouri didn't add up to the cost and the time it took to license in the state, so I didn't renew - I'm sure you can relate to that. Every Winery will be different.

gcdyersb wrote:Just curious, did you chill the bottle at all prior to serving? Sometimes cooling the wine down to 60 to 65 degrees helps with containing some of the heat on "alcohol forward" wines as you phrase it. Alcohol burn on the finish . . . . that's a killer for me.

The bottle temp was just about 60 when I poured it but it came off the truck at about 55 degrees (along with the chardonnay). The remaining 1/3 of the bottle went in the ‘fridge overnight, so I'll have the opportunity to see what happens this evening. I may also open the Chardonnay as well. Being as it was sold out before it arrived; I thought it important to start with the merlot. In hindsight I probably should have let this sit overnight before opening it. It had only been off the truck for an hour and a half when it was opened.

CREIGHTONatNY wrote:In hindsight I probably should have let this sit overnight before opening it. It had only been off the truck for an hour and a half when it was opened.

I know WineDavid and I disagree on the impact of travel on wine, but I think you are 100% right. Please try the wine again, at closer to cool room temperature, after it has had a chance to rest from its trip and let us know if you find it improved. At these prices and in this economy, I would very much appreciate being pushed off the fence on this wine.

hsmomdj wrote:Tell me more. I had one leaky bottle in a shipment a couple of weeks ago and am wondering about the rest of that shipment.

Received 10 bottles late today after being on the UPS truck in South Texas heat all day and somewhere between here and CA for 7 days. One box had the "ketchup packets" (which were warmer than the bottles!), the other 2 did not.

What should I be looking for? If one bottle is leaky, should I expect the others to be a problem?

This has been covered in our forums before but, quickly, corked wines are ones that have been tainted by 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA). These wines will range in smell from wet cardboard down to lacking in fruit.

Cooked wines have been damaged by heat and the millions of little things that make wine wonderful will no longer shine. I can't comment on the chemistry of this but others might. If you want to experiment, take a standby $8 bottle of wine you're familiar with and leave it out in 90* sun all day.

MoveoverCinderella wrote:Same here in Texas. Just got my Ty today and the bottle temp was 95 degrees (yes, I temped it cause it was warmer than todays air temp) and the little gel packets that were in it were also hot. There is some very slight leakage around the bottom of the foil. I haven't opened one yet...but I love wine woot and hope that there is something that will work for shipping this summer. WD...I don"t think the little Gel packs are going to cut it in 90-110 degree heat.

Received my six bottles of Ty this morning and 3 had pushed corks and one leak, already emailed service, but i had the gel packs as well and as you point out they were warmer than the wine bottles... the heat is definitely on here in Florida...

TPABDEVIL wrote:Received my six bottles of Ty this morning and 3 had pushed corks and one leak, already emailed service, but i had the gel packs as well and as you point out they were warmer than the wine bottles... the heat is definitely on here in Florida...

Were your bottles shipped with the cardboard forms?

I've noticed recenlty that shipments have been packed with the "formed cardbord mash" versus the styrofoam forms used previously. Cardboard is a poor insulator and going back to the styrofoam may be required in the very cold and warm months of the year to provide insulation. The commenent of the gel packs being warmer than wine concerns me. I don't want to deal with the hassle of getting new bottles shipped therefore I (and what appears others) may have to stop purchases until the Fall....

I realize this probably isn't the appropriate place for this post, but wanted to let you all know that my recent purchases (this one included) and a credit from Nebraska Furniture Mart due to some recent furniture delivery problems led me to buy a wine cooler. There was so much I could do with that credit, but all of your reviews convinced me a wine cooler would be the best way to spend it.

jwink wrote:Were your bottles shipped with the cardboard forms?

I've noticed recenlty that shipments have been packed with the "formed cardbord mash" versus the styrofoam forms used previously. Cardboard is a poor insulator and going back to the styrofoam may be required in the very cold and warm months of the year to provide insulation. The commenent of the gel packs being warmer than wine concerns me. I don't want to deal with the hassle of getting new bottles shipped therefore I (and what appears others) may have to stop purchases until the Fall....

Styrofoam is the only way to ship in warmer weather and it works really well. Not the best for the environment, but can be reused. I have friends that stack them vertically and use them in the closet as wine racks.

Ratted out of the blue. No email, no W.W PM, just a mysterious package on my receiving dock.

Will probably open this tonight and finish it tomorrow. I'm not a typical Merlot drinker, but hopefully I'll have nicer things to say about it than CREIGHTONatNY's frank assessment. I'll try and post initial impressions tonight.

Hooray!! Got my golden ticket! Thanks WD. I will crack the bottle when I get and report right away!

Speaking of Merlot, I thought the recent Lange Twins Merlot offering was delicious. (actually really enjoyed both their Merlot and Cab).

ddeuddeg wrote:I guess you must have missed these:

Oh no, I saw those, but I figure if we bug SB enough he'll cave.