How good is this deal?

It's like buying the Zin and getting the Cab for free! Almost. But it IS more than 50% off winery retail pricing! Score one more for WD, as if we had any doubts.

Click the link above for full discount details, links, etc.

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laguar1 wrote:My family and I just returned to Ohio from our visit out to California. One of our main stops was Summit Lake.

Heather and her father Bob are such great people. We spent a wonderful afternoon drinking wine, playing with their two dogs and watching my 9 month old son enjoy the other animals on the land (horses, mini-goats, pigs, chickens, etc).

The zin was absolutely fantastic...Just what I like in a zin, great spices and black pepper on the pallet, which hold up excellent with the fruit. Not just another "berry bomb."

The cab is an excellent example of Howell Mountain cabernet's. We have had a few bottles at dinner over at the in-laws house and enjoy it every time. The wine is drinking well right now.

The Hershbergers family

Hi Guys! Hope all is well with you, especially the little guy. The pics of him on the tractor are way too cute!
Give my best to the family!
Heather

That is a pretty high ABV on the Zin, should this be held for a few years?

It looks like from your website your selling your 03's you build these zins to last.

Cheers

I have the will power of a flea!! In for one on the participation and the beautiful labels. The wine sounds like it will be very nice too.

tytiger58 wrote:That is a pretty high ABV on the Zin, should this be held for a few years?

It looks like from your website your selling your 03's you build these zins to last.

Cheers

We do build them to last, that is one of the benefits of mountain fruit, they will age very well, even the Zins.

dianefreda wrote:I have the will power of a flea!! In for one on the participation and the beautiful labels. The wine sounds like it will be very nice too.

sweet! Enjoy the wine, and all you "wooters" should know Emily is getting a kick out of all the label comments (she is the namesake of the Cab)

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Have yet to have a wine from Howell Mountain that I didn't like, and hooray for winery participation! In for 1.

I am fairly new to using wine.woot, and I was wondering what the "rattage" is on this site. Could someone explain it to me?

Thanks!

So very bummed! I was so excited to try this wine, but alas... no New Hampshire. It seems the lists of states are regularly smaller now that they have moved to the one per day offer. Anyone else notice that?

Anyone out there going to be in the NH or MA area soon that would be willing and able to provide delivery service? I will provide wine and/or cookies as a fee

justinhandlin wrote:I am fairly new to using wine.woot, and I was wondering what the "rattage" is on this site. Could someone explain it to me?

Thanks!

Everything you ever wanted to know about LabRats, Rattery, or Rattage

jawlz wrote:Have yet to have a wine from Howell Mountain that I didn't like, and hooray for winery participation! In for 1.

Howell Mountain wines are quite amazing, I agree, we are super spoiled on the hill! Let us know what you think!

cheron98 wrote:Everything you ever wanted to know about LabRats, Rattery, or Rattage

Thank you for the enlightenment!

cant resist. the praise for this region seems pretty high. plus i dont have any nifty zins. do love the label too btw

Are these all 100% of the varietal, or is anything blended in?

I am off to deliver wines for a little while, but I will be back online by about 4pm. Happy Wooting!

merryberry wrote:Are these all 100% of the varietal, or is anything blended in?

These are 100% varietal, which is what we try to shoot for every year. Some years we do a small percentage of blending, but not much if we can help it! We had actually planted about 1/3 of an acre of Petite Sirah some years back to use as a blending tool, but it just didn't work in the trials we did. Fotunately, the wine is beautiful on it's own (thank you Howell Mountain) and it now bears my nieces name: Sophia Lynn Petite Sirah. Yummy!

Told myself that if it was still available when I got home from work, I'd be in. I also opened the mailbox to over $500 in unexpected bills today, so I'd be damned if I wasn't doing something for myself.

Current numbers (updated each minute)
First sucker: mill
Speed to first woot: 0m 39.790s
Last wooter to woot: mikegberg

mikegberg wrote:Told myself that if it was still available when I got home from work, I'd be in. I also opened the mailbox to over $500 in unexpected bills today, so I'd be damned if I wasn't doing something for myself.

Current numbers (updated each minute)
First sucker: mill
Speed to first woot: 0m 39.790s
Last wooter to woot: mikegberg

Yep, sounds about right for me as well. I am sure the people at FedEx think I have a problem...o well, looking forward to this one!

So this is where I think not having rats for each offer is probably hurting. I'm mildly intrigued but without some convincing, my EWOWBM stays firmly in place. Also, for my wine buying dollar, if it was 2 cabs & a zin I'd take a flyer on a pack just to try a winery I've not had before on some wines that seem very drinkable now. I'm sure other opinions exist ... and we all know what they say about opinions.

spdrcr05 wrote:So this is where I think not having rats for each offer is probably hurting. I'm mildly intrigued but without some convincing, my EWOWBM stays firmly in place. Also, for my wine buying dollar, if it was 2 cabs & a zin I'd take a flyer on a pack just to try a winery I've not had before on some wines that seem very drinkable now. I'm sure other opinions exist ... and we all know what they say about opinions.

Being a winery person, as well as being a complete tight-wad when it comes to spending my money, I suggest you do a little research on what other Howell Mountain wines cost, then look again at our offer. If memery serves me correctly, most Zins from the area start at about $30, and most Cabs start at about $65. easy link to use for web pages...www.howellmountain.org. It might make your purchase less painful

Oh, as for the comments above about bills...I hate them too, they just suck!
Heather~Summit Lake

heathergriffin wrote:Being a winery person, as well as being a complete tight-wad when it comes to spending my money, I suggest you do a little research on what other Howell Mountain wines cost, then look again at our offer. If memery serves me correctly, most Zins from the area start at about $30, and most Cabs start at about $65. easy link to use for web pages...www.howellmountain.org. It might make your purchase less painful

Oh, as for the comments above about bills...I hate them too, they just suck!
Heather~Summit Lake

Heather thanks for your quick reply. I'm very familiar with Howell Mountain prices and always grateful for the amazing deals you all provide us as arranged by WD. I'm less commenting on your offer and more on the new WW format. I'm not sold yet on the random selection of rats for the Friday offerings either.

Nothing against your juice, it just seems too "new world" for MY pallette unless I've tasted it personally or read a recent flavor profile by an independent source that sets it apart as unique. It's why I've asked lab rats in the past to please post tasting notes BEFORE they eat anything and BEFORE aerating the wine. Notes after both or either are helpful as well but also don't give the initial impression of the wine alone I'm looking for.

General question for the WW community -

How do winery website prices stack up against tasting room and distributor prices? If a winery charges $22 online, is that wine always $22 in the tasting room?

More importantly, as I'm not likely to drive up to wine country, if it's sold at BevMo or Safeway, will it still be $22? Or is the question moot because WW wines just not likely to be found with retail distributors?

I guess I'm just trying to get some context on winery pricing - sparked in particular by Heather's most recent comment - any color would be appreciated.

Thanks,
-M

sgonder09 wrote:Yep, sounds about right for me as well. I am sure the people at FedEx think I have a problem...o well, looking forward to this one!

My UPS guy and I are on a first name basis and I think Kevin is starting to expect the bottle I toss him every year around X-mas. But he has learned my schedule and tries very hard to make sure I'm home ... even to the point of circling back by on his way back to the warehouse if he's missed me and gets my "hold request" while he's still out.

The FedEx Ground guy on the other hand has been known to let my teenagers sign for my deliveries. Glad I don't have to go to the depot but still it concerns me.

heathergriffin wrote:Howell Mountain wines are quite amazing, I agree, we are super spoiled on the hill! Let us know what you think!

In for 1 - thanks for the input! Never had a Howell Mtn. Zin before, looking forward to it.

spdrcr05 wrote:The FedEx Ground guy on the other hand has been known to let my teenagers sign for my deliveries. Glad I don't have to go to the depot but still it concerns me.

Ooh -- I can see their next party now -- 2 cases of 2-buck Chuck and 2 bottles of "black tie" wine, that Dad never received.

michaepf wrote:
How do winery website prices stack up against tasting room and distributor prices? If a winery charges $22 online, is that wine always $22 in the tasting room?

More importantly, as I'm not likely to drive up to wine country, if it's sold at BevMo or Safeway, will it still be $22? Or is the question moot because WW wines just not likely to be found with retail distributors?

I guess I'm just trying to get some context on winery pricing - sparked in particular by Heather's most recent comment - any color would be appreciated.

What s/he said.

I have to say that I haven't found any of the woot wines I've looked for at the local supermarkets, even living in the Bay Area not far from the wineries. When I've found internet pricing, it's ranged from a little cheaper to more than the winery price that Cheron tracks down (thanks, btw), but that was before shipping.

What I can't tell is how this week's Safeway special Cabernet for $20 compares to what I can get here. At the rate I drink wine, one bottle at $18 (plus tax) is a better deal than the fairly usual 4 for $55, assuming they're equally good.

How would this compare to the Scott Harvey 2007 InZinerator that was just here?

I have some friends who are working their way through the Zinfandel section (I think they're looking mostly in the $10 weekly special range) and commented favorably on some unknown to me "old vine" Zinfandel (possibly Lodi).

I'm somewhat in their debt. If I were to give them Zinfandel as a gift, would I getter response from this, or the Scott Harvey? I don't think they're going to be looking up prices, so I'm just interested in what a Zinfandel drinker would like to drink.

TooOldForThis wrote:How would this compare to the Scott Harvey 2007 InZinerator that was just here?

I have some friends who are working their way through the Zinfandel section (I think they're looking mostly in the $10 weekly special range) and commented favorably on some unknown to me "old vine" Zinfandel (possibly Lodi).

I'm somewhat in their debt. If I were to give them Zinfandel as a gift, would I getter response from this, or the Scott Harvey? I don't think they're going to be looking up prices, so I'm just interested in what a Zinfandel drinker would like to drink.

If uniqueness counts, I think this offering probably has more than an old vine zin. While old vine zins can be from lots of locations, there is only one Howell Mountain.

speedoo wrote:If uniqueness counts, I think this offering probably has more than an old vine zin. While old vine zins can be from lots of locations, there is only one Howell Mountain.

Ummm. I didn't get the sense that they are oenophiles in the sense that they pay attention to appellations, wineries, etc. I think they just like Zinfandel and are working their way through the ones in their budget until they decide which they like best.

I'm willing to believe that either the Scott Harvey or this is better than your average $10 Zinfandel. In a blind taste test, which would your neophyte wine drinker likely prefer? (Better yet, say, "Wow! This is much better than the stuff we normally buy." )

[Edit -- I'm assuming neophytes, based on price range and choice of Zinfandel. I get the sense that serious/experienced red wine drinkers drink Cabernet.}

TooOldForThis wrote:Ummm. I didn't get the sense that they are oenophiles in the sense that they pay attention to appellations, wineries, etc. I think they just like Zinfandel and are working their way through the ones in their budget until they decide which they like best.

I'm willing to believe that either the Scott Harvey or this is better than your average $10 Zinfandel. In a blind taste test, which would your neophyte wine drinker likely prefer? (Better yet, say, "Wow! This is much better than the stuff we normally buy." )

[Edit -- I'm assuming neophytes, based on price range and choice of Zinfandel. I get the sense that serious/experienced red wine drinkers drink Cabernet.}

I think serious red wine drinkers drink a lot of zin and a lot of cabernet. I also think it's possible that neophyte wine drinkers might not fully appreciate this particular zin which the winery sells for $24 and for which you would pay $14.

Maybe give it to them and let them know it might be a good idea to save it for a special occasion? If they did that, they might not be neophyte wine drinkers when they get around to trying it.

speedoo wrote:I think serious red wine drinkers drink a lot of zin and a lot of cabernet. I also think it's possible that neophyte wine drinkers might not fully appreciate this particular zin which the winery sells for $24 and for which you would pay $14.

Maybe give it to them and let them know it might be a good idea to save it for a special occasion? If they did that, they might not be neophyte wine drinkers when they get around to trying it.

Sounds like a plan. (Also sounds like I'm not like to appreciate this particular zin.) Although I don't know if they have appropriate cellarage. Maybe that would just mature the wine faster, for those of us who are impatient.

lassow wrote:So we all know 2005 was great and so is 2007 for the most part, but how does 2006 fit in for these specific wines?

This is a really, really late response, but here's a link that might interest people regarding the 2006 harvest.

http://www.wineinstitute.org/resources/harvestandwinegrowing/article169


Cheers

I don't usually post here despite my buying habits but just want to say these discussions often steer my buying decisions and Heather helped here too. I'm in for two. Heck it's my woot birthday so at least I got free shipping.

Can't wait to open one and stash the rest.

Not to far from Robert Craig and Lamborn vineyards Howell mtn zin i'm in never tried Howell mountian zin.

Cheers!

heathergriffin wrote:This is one of my favorite vintages of Cab that we have made. A great example of mountain fruit~

This is what sold me. We spent some time on Howell Mtn in May and loved the mountain cabs. Have not tried Summit Lake but I will open one bottle the Cab when it get to me. I will lay the other Cab for a few years.

heathergriffin wrote:Being a winery person, as well as being a complete tight-wad when it comes to spending my money, I suggest you do a little research on what other Howell Mountain wines cost, then look again at our offer. If memery serves me correctly, most Zins from the area start at about $30, and most Cabs start at about $65. easy link to use for web pages...www.howellmountain.org. It might make your purchase less painful

Oh, as for the comments above about bills...I hate them too, they just suck!
Heather~Summit Lake

Just opened a Zin tonight and Wow Howell Mtn Zin I am a fan...really beautiful fruit and nice spice kick, and what a bouquet on the nose. Cooking up a tri-tip just for this bottle. I will be buying this if it comes up again.

Cheers

tytiger58 wrote:Just opened a Zin tonight and Wow Howell Mtn Zin I am a fan...really beautiful fruit and nice spice kick, and what a bouquet on the nose. Cooking up a tri-tip just for this bottle. I will be buying this if it comes up again.

Cheers

awesome! it was listed at 15.4%, did it seem hot when drinking? or pretty smooth?

mrprickles79 wrote:awesome! it was listed at 15.4%, did it seem hot when drinking? or pretty smooth?

I was afraid of that but no did not detect any heat....really happy with this.

Enjoy

just opened the zin tonight. really needed some time to sit. at first it was just like taking a fruity shot. very strong alc punch i felt. but not too much longer opening up its a really nice wine.