cheron98 wrote:Mine's only open til noon on Saturdays for parcel pick-up.

I got an e-mail explaining that the Rat program is only applicable to Monday's offering, didn't everyone else?

"But Winedavid39, how does the new schedule impact the Labrat program?

...
Labrat program will apply to Monday deals only. I repeat: Labrat program will apply to Monday deals only."

Labrat reporting in!

With the wife gone for the evening at grad school, I was determined to share the wine with someone who would appreciate a fun evening of wine tasting -- my mother. She was the one who originally got me hooked on wine, and I knew I could trust and value her opinions. After keeping the wine moderately cool in the wine fridge (we already have the heat on here in Wisconsin!), I set off for her house with a batch of homemade swedish meatballs, some cheese, and chocolate, so as to try out some different pairings.

We opened the bottle at 6:45 p.m. Here are my tasting notes:

The wine has a beautiful scarlet color with purple hues. The initial bouquet had some strong alcohol fumes, not overpowering, and a hint of fruit -- cherry or cranberry. The first sip was thick, almost chewy, slightly tart, and had a little pepper aftertaste -- it needed to open a bit.

Paired with Black Diamond Grand Reserve Cheddar Cheese, the wine mellowed out nicely, and wrapped around the cheese flavors. It didn't pair well with some Mediterranean green olives, as the brine from the olives overpowered the wine. Paired with some Artichoke Piquillo Bruschetta spread on bread brought out the spice/pepper in the wine, which made for an interesting combination.

We decided that it would probably pair great with pancetta-wrapped asparagus with a little cracked pepper, or a big juicy cheeseburger.

20 minutes after opening the bottle the wine had opened up nicely, with the peppery notes emerging, leaving my tongue tingling.

35 minutes after opening the wine paired very nicely with the swedish meatballs -- it had become very smooth, with cherry undertones, and didn't retain any of the chewiness that was first encountered.

This wine is definitely not an overpowering fruit bomb!

I noticed some chocolate undertones with the fruit flavor. On that note, we decided to try some chocolate pairings. About an hour after we opened the wine, I tried a Godiva Milk Lion of Belgium (butterscotch caramel in milk chocolate), which paired BEAUTIFULLY with the Zinfandel. It was quite decadent! Paired with an Almond Praline Raindrop, the wine took on a nutty flavor which was also quite delicious.

An hour and twenty minutes after opening the wine there were still some alcohol fumes, and a slight smokiness had developed in the palate. The wine was still smooth, clinging slightly to my tongue.

This wine is not terribly complex, but rather very accessible!

Tasting notes from my mother:

6:45 p.m.

Color -- Garnet with some purple
Bouquet -- fruity (cherry? raspberry) - alcohol fumes but not overwhelming
Taste -- tight - needs to open up. Chewy texture.
Label notes: Scary graphics but very cool border on label.

Pairings:
With extra sharp cheddar at 6:55 p.m. -- a little pepper aftertaste - very nice
With mixed Mediterranean olives -- not good - overly-briny aftertaste of wine
With artichoke piquillo bruschetta -- brings out heat of wine

7:05 p.m. -- opening up nicely - peppery

7:20 p.m. -- very smooth, cherry-ness is really coming out. Chocolate on the nose (cocoa powder?)

7:30 p.m. -- thick and smooth - delicious!

8:00 p.m. -- smokey undertones - still great

Overall, this was a very accessible Zinfandel that needs a bit of time to open up. We would recommend decanting it for a while before drinking.

I saved some wine for the wife when she arrives home, so I'll add her thoughts in as an edit as soon as possible!

Thanks, WD, for this truly wonderful experience! Can't wait for my order to arrive as I want more of this tasty Zin!

Edit: Wife's Tasting Notes -- Note that she normally doesn't like red wines at all

Smell -- Like Welch's grape juice, and cherries

Color -- Dark cherry color (like the color of the juice when you bite into one)

Taste -- Dark chocolate

"I hate reds but I could drink it. Not as dry as other reds."

"Warm tummy! :-)"

Good with chocolate! Neither flavor overpowered the other (probably good with CAKE! Haha)

So there you have it, folks: Even someone who doesn't like reds could drink this wine!

SmilingBoognish wrote:I got an e-mail explaining that the Rat program is only applicable to Monday's offering, didn't everyone else?

"But Winedavid39, how does the new schedule impact the Labrat program?

...
Labrat program will apply to Monday deals only. I repeat: Labrat program will apply to Monday deals only."

Yeah, got that, we're just an argumentative bunch and all have to have the final say

joelsisk wrote:It's a damn good thing I start the new job tomorrow..... How am I supposed to save any $$ for the new bambino at this rate?

Just read the discussion - Congrats to you and Michelle on the baby and the new job! Hope your first week of employment is going well. Just curious, did you shave the beard for the new job?

10 months of no drinking – Think of the wine you’ll save (even if it is just her not drinking)! ;-)

-Geo from Denver (and Tucson)

cheron98 wrote:Yeah, got that, we're just an argumentative bunch and all have to have the final say

So where's the bunch that's always beggin' for a new clew? It is the night before the new wine, after all. (Tuesday is the new Wednesday?)

InFrom wrote:So where's the bunch that's always beggin' for a new clew? It is the night before the new wine, after all. (Tuesday is the new Wednesday?)

D'oh! You are correct. Sparky... cue up the puppy.

Cesare wrote:D'oh! You are correct. Sparky... cue up the puppy.

Oh fine ....

cheron98 wrote:Mine's only open til noon on Saturdays for parcel pick-up.

Glad to know you get up at the crack of noon on Saturdays .....

Mine's open until 5 pm on Saturdays.

WD must still be in mourning over his Fantasy Football team.

MarkDaSpark wrote:Oh fine ....

For god sake, sir; have some dignity.

JOATMON wrote:For god sake, sir; have some dignity.

apparently you haven't met Mark in person...

Gah, been trying to decide between one or two since it came up Sunday. Was hoping some rattage would push me in the right direction, but alas, I'm still torn. I remember liking the Pedroncelli MC but not being blown away by it, of course that is if the flavor profiles are similar. I definitely like the fact its not a fruit bomb and fairly dry from what I've deciphered so far. The clocks ticking....

joelsisk wrote:apparently you haven't met Mark in person...

He was on the RPM Magical Historical Tour with TMR, Java, J-Dub, ddeudeg, bahwm, andyduncan, pencilthieves, zTimBz, and the rest of the usual suspects (Ublinks, PolarBear, etc.)

And you sir, are a figment of our imagination ...

46&2 wrote:Gah, been trying to decide between one or two since it came up Sunday. Was hoping some rattage would push me in the right direction, but alas, I'm still torn. I remember liking the Pedroncelli MC but not being blown away by it, of course that is if the flavor profiles are similar. I definitely like the fact its not a fruit bomb and fairly dry from what I've deciphered so far. The clocks ticking....

GET IT !!!!

Lucky LABRAT reporting in ....

My wife and I opened this bottle this evening and immediately both thought it had a woody/earthy smell to it. It has a purplish-red hue to it with great legs.
With our first sips of the wine we initially noticed a bit of a strong alcohol taste, but this mellows as the wine breathes. It does have a spicy/peppery bite to it as well, but not overpowering and this is accompanied by a fruity undertone to it that I described as cherry-ish and my wife felt was a dark cherry or currant. Either way this Zin is de-lich.

As I had arrived home after dinner tonight, we sampled this wine while snacking on some spinach-artichoke dip and sourdough bread, and this wine has fared nicely with this pairing.

We are going to let the second halfof the bottle breathe overnight and give it a second go tomorrow night (with a real meal), so I will post more then

We still don't have any production/cases info on this right? or did I miss a post? A winewoot cellars for an entire week (and kicking off the new Monday weekly offering no less) indicates >2500 cases, right?

Ok, just got back from the ratting! It was NonnaWY, a non-wine.wooter (who will soon be one, methinks), and myself. Here's a quick overview, that I'll fill out details on tomorrow morning (with a clearer head).

We drank the Boss Monster (which I did think was Boss, heh) and the 2006 Pedroncelli Mother Clone Zinfandel. The corks were nearly identical, as someone mentioned.

The Boss Monster was open for about 10 minutes before pouring, and sat in our glasses for possibly 5 minutes before initial taste. Overall impressions were that the Boss Monster was really nice to drink on it's own or with food (and our non-wine.wooter is another "I don't usually like reds" person, who really liked the Boss Monster and is going to buy a couple off me if I'll part with them. Ugh, to up my order or not? Decisions, decisions.) Thoughts were that we could see it going with everything from grilled hotdogs to filet mignon. I enjoyed it upon first taste; I didn't detect a noticeable difference after sitting in the glass for an hour, except maybe in the nose.

As a contrast, the Pedroncelli Mother Clone seemed dryer. It likely would have benefited from aeration, but we didn't want to wait. :P We thought it would really complement a good hearty beef roast.

All right. There's the teaser. More to follow when I get my notes out of the truck in the morning.

Alright, I'll bite...wasn't there supposed to be a link to the ongoing offering? Why can't I find it if I don't want to physically type "monday" or bookmark the link? You'd think it would be easier to find for some newbie (or in my case and oldbie) coming in to check the site out without having specific knowledge of the extended Monday offering.

Ok, I bit for a case. Even if its not my cup of tea, most of my friends are gamers so it will make a good gift-and to be honest, I'll have no problem drinking a few myself. Ahh, the relief.

for anyone interested, wine.woot.com/monday looks like it is the static location for the wine.woot monday offer

In for one

I have a question regarding the rat program. I've seen the page where you can sign up to be a rat and I understand how the program works. What I don't understand is if you sign up one time to be part of the program or if you have to sign up every time the wines change.

Based on the wording and information requested I assume that it is a one time thing, but I would like to be sure.

cheron98 wrote:Soo... I'm leaving the area (MI) on 10/16 and will not be back until the 26th. Am I gonna be in trouble with this?

won't the store hold it for you?

cheron98 wrote:The MC also had an extra year to mellow out - which could explain the more red-ness (they get more bricky with age), and the lower tannins. Aside from that, are the flavor profiles similar?

True. But I think the MC was less tannic, period. Similar flavor profiles but I'm not really expert enough to expound on it. Could they be the same wine from different vintages? Sure.

oppsie wrote:won't the store hold it for you?

Yes, but after 5 days, they start charging a $10/day storage fee.

somethingwitty wrote:I have a question regarding the rat program. I've seen the page where you can sign up to be a rat and I understand how the program works. What I don't understand is if you sign up one time to be part of the program or if you have to sign up every time the wines change.

Based on the wording and information requested I assume that it is a one time thing, but I would like to be sure.

Once you sign up, that's it, you're in. You don't have to keep resubmitting for each offer.

Perhaps I should add that to the info on the rat thread...

Rats are packed.

Looks like there's still one rat outstanding out there.

cheron98 wrote:Once you sign up, that's it, you're in. You don't have to keep resubmitting for each offer.

Perhaps I should add that to the info on the rat thread...

That would only help had I read the rat thread

Thanks for the info.

Hello wine.woot! I just bought one (my first wine.woot buy) after reading comments yesterday, and some of the Rat tastings today. Like some commenters say, at a minimum its a great gift to gamers, and good wine for me and the gf. Hope its the beginning of a long, beautiful wootship!

Cheers

javadrinker wrote:Alright, I'll bite...wasn't there supposed to be a link to the ongoing offering? Why can't I find it if I don't want to physically type "monday" or bookmark the link? You'd think it would be easier to find for some newbie (or in my case and oldbie) coming in to check the site out without having specific knowledge of the extended Monday offering.

What he said.

Moondragon wrote:What he said.

Me Three


Interesting that on this thread the sales statistics are totaled.

Woot Cellars Boss Monster Zinfandel Six - Pack
Current numbers (updated each minute)
First sucker: MarkDaSpark
Speed to first woot: 0m 1.767s
Last wooter to woot: millenia
Last purchase time: Wednesday, October 07, 2009, 9:28:22 AM Central Time
Order pace: 1m 28.685s
Woot wage: $3,058.83
Woots sold: 2333

In for 1! This is my first WC woot. I can't say how excited I am to try it out! The price is just unbeatable.

WD, I'm planning to head out of town to visit some family on the night of the 16th. Any chance this will ship to Denver by then? I'd love to bring a bottle or two to share.

Also, thanks rats for making me feel good about my purchase. I couldn't wait around for you before my decision, but at least I still feel good about it after you reported.

Moondragon wrote:**earlier lab rat stuff**

Notes in hand, I will relay thoughts the three of us had on the wine (and agreed upon).

We poured both wines into separate glasses (generic red wine glasses) so we could do a side-by-side comparison.

2006 Pedroncelli Mother Clone Zinfandel
Upon initial pouring, the 2006 Ped Mother Clone was clear and a reddish purple. The nose had subtle dark fruit and earthiness. First taste (for some right away, for some 30 minutes in) was dark and mossy, more earth than fruit flavors. It was full-bodied with a decent finish. My impression was that it was big and meaty, and a little leathery (keep in mind, this is relative to a palate that hasn't had many beefy reds, so YMMV).

Our "doesn't usually like red wine" taster remarked that it seemed like a "Sherlock Holmes, wood-paneled library in a smoker's jacket lounging in my grandfather's wingback chair enjoying the scent of leatherbound books" kind of wine (with possible pipe involvement). NonnaWY thought it seemed somewhat more complex than the Boss Monster

2007 Woot Cellars Boss Monster
The Boss has a more purple hue than the 2006 Ped with a bit more opacity (to my eye). The nose, again had dark fruit which became more prominent as the wine opened up with some earthiness. In tasting, initial woody flavors carry into an earthy blend, with some soy notes later in the evening. I enjoyed it immediately, to the point that I was really just enjoying the taste rather than analyzing. (I know. I should be able to do both. I'm young; I'll learn.) The finish was beautiful and long, not necessarily complex but tasty. The DULRW taster "really, really liked it.

For a more literary approach, the Boss Monster was a Pacific northwest sunset at the dock with your legs dangling off the pier, when summer and autumn kiss, the leaves are turning, and wood campfire smoke lingers in the air.

NonnaWY remarked that the 2006 Ped Mother Clone seemed a little more finessed(? correct me if I'm wrong Jodie, the note is somewhat illegible) than the Boss Monster.

Okay, so does this sale go on until the end of the week? How do I order it then? I can't seem to figure things out. I'm gonna be real sad if I missed out on this.

edited: Never mind. Found it.

Oh bother. I didn't take any notes on the actually cheese/meat pairings we tried with them. I do remember that hard salami was tasty with the Boss Monster.

Moondragon wrote:What he said.

Go to the community link at the top and click on the offer you are interested in.

PS Winedavid. It would be nice if on the community list there was a status of open or closed, available, sold out, choose your adjective, so we would know which ones are still up for grabs and which ones aren't.

mshilko wrote:Go to the community link at the top and click on the offer you are interested in.

PS Winedavid. It would be nice if on the community list there was a status of open or closed, available, sold out, choose your adjective, so we would know which ones are still up for grabs and which ones aren't.

Looks like the link was finally added to the right side the page. ----->>>>>

I don't get paid till next Thursday and I literally don't have enough money to buy this right now. Not if I wanna make the closing costs for my house and rent for my current place, anyway. Sigh.

tonyr14226 wrote:Another WNY'er here. Relatively new to wine.woot, but have a case of Monster Boss on order and this is about my 5th purchase.

Good to hear from you. Keep your eyes on the forum for the next Buffalo/WNY tasting. We'd love to have you join us.

MarkDaSpark wrote:Only when the shipper has paid for Saturday delivery (which is extra). I think UPS and DHL do as well, for a similar charge.

DHL = Ancient History