Scheid Vineyards Estate White Sampler - 4 Pack
$49.99 + $5 shipping
CONDITION: White
PRODUCTS:
1 2008 Gewürztraminer
1 2008 Sauvignon Blanc
1 2008 Chardonnay
1 2008 Pinot Gris
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Needed some whites .....


Scheid Vineyards Estate White Sampler - 4 Pack
Current numbers (updated each minute)
First sucker: MarkDaSpark
Speed to first woot: 0m 32.857s
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Lab Rat Report – Scheid Vineyards – 2008 Sauvignon Blanc

I have to admit I felt a little uneasy when 1 of the 2 wines I was asked to be a lab rat on was a white wine. I don’t drink a lot of white wine and when I do it is usually because I need some for cooking or it is a hot day. My general preference is for a dry white wine with little oak or butter flavor. This generally rules out Chardonnays so I was happy to see that this was a Sauvignon Blanc. I have a hard time tasting whites. I generally feel they lack complexity over reds and just focus on a wine that is a pleasant drink on a hot day.

The wine arrived about a week ago, so it sat in a wine fridge for about 4 days before going in the fridge for a day. Upon opening the aroma was muted but there was a light floral and citrus scent. As my wife noted, the overall the aroma was mild. As for taste the wine had a bit of floral and citrus flavor. The wine was crisp almost sharp with a slightly sour note on the finish. I thought the end had a bit of a grassy flavor, but it was mild. The flavors in the wine were pleasant, if not a bit sharp, but I had a hard time picking out specific tastes.

After 20 minutes the wine seemed to mellow a bit. This could have been in combination with the wine warming a bit. Seemed like the sharpness decreased a bit. Overall I felt this was a nice drink on a warm day, but it seemed to lack a little complexity in flavor. A nice clean wine, but I had a hard time finding too many flavors beyond a general floral and citrus taste. I found the wine to be pretty similar across the next 2 hours I tasted it.

I enjoyed the wine and would buy it at a reasonable price for a summer drink. I will probably skip this deal because it includes a Chardonnay and a Gewürztraminer, which are wine stlyes I usually do not like, and because my funds are a bit tight.

I have to ask, on the chardonnay what's the difference between oak barrel and wooden upright tank?

Lab rat reporting in!

Wine Reviewed: Scheid Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2008

I am primarily a red fan, so keep that in mind with this review. I critiqued this wine with my wife and two well versed wine drinking neighbors.

We all agreed that this is a shallow and simple wine that lacked depth and complexity.

The nose showcased a stainless steel finish.

The body exhibited a lot of acid.

The finish lingered on my pallet for quite a while, which wasn't quite a good thing, at first. Though, the more I drank the better it became.

My neighbor's first reaction was that it had a melon note, but then we all agreed it was really more like green apple. This is not a wine to drink on its own. After the first few sips, my neighbor brought out gouda, vermont cheddar, and comte. It was more drinkable with the gouda and cheddar, and dreadful with the comte.

We think that for under $10 a bottle it is an acceptable wine, but not one that we would chase.

Are they all 750? The different shape bottles made me ask.

Kao1138 wrote:I have to ask, on the chardonnay what's the difference between oak barrel and wooden upright tank?

If I had to guess I would say the upright tank is going to be a lot larger, so less contact with the wood than a barrel. I don't think the wood was specified so it may not be oak. My take would be that wines in the upright tank would gain less wood/oak flavor than those in barrels.

With the Lab Rat reports, from two admittedly non-white wine drinkers but both with obviously experienced palette, it sounds like the Cab. Blanc. is actually relatively true to the varietal. And for $15 a bottle including shipping, that's not bad value at all.

It also sounds like the Cab. Franc. actually shows some character injected from the winemakers, I tend to like that. Alas, I wish I was the lab rat, then I could write more (I begin to realize I love to write about food and wine). And I would even venture to guess that this would work beautifully with the cheese on wine.woot yesterday.

The 2008 Gewürztraminer, based on the winemaker's notes, also sounds very intriguing.

The Pinot, not so much, but that's only because we are a little spoiled with the Oregon Pinots in the Northwest...

Regardless, this is a really low-cost sampler set, great value!

LAB RAT REPORT: WOOT LAB RAT REPORT: WOOT LAB RAT REPORT: WOOT

Date: Thursday, October 20, 2011

Reviewers: dsapp, “wife of dsapp,” and “bro-in-law of dsapp”

Wine: 2008 Scheid Vineyards Gewürztraminer (Monterey, California, USA), Release Price: $16 (wine club price: $12.60)

Disclosures: My wife and I tend to be red-wine drinkers. Less than 10% of our cellar is white, and that tends to be dessert, Rhone-style, or sparkling wines. We were thankful for participation in this task by my brother-in-law who is visiting us from California.

Stemware: Reidel “Chablis” Glasses

Decant: none (twist-off ‘n pour, consumed bottle over 60 minutes).

Serving Temperature: The bottle rested in a 56-degree cellar for one week. Thirty minutes before the meal, the bottle was refrigerated so that the serving temperature would be about 52 degrees when I twisted off the top and started to pour.

Comments on Wine with Food Pairings: Our Review

Pre-Meal: “Our First Impressions”

Comments on Wine: Our first impressions were quite positive. My wife picked up floral notes on the nose, along with fresh but unripe apricot, a hint of rubber, honeysuckle, and wet stone. I added dried pineapple, pear juice, and green apple. All flavors were pleasant. After the first taste, we characterized the wine as having medium viscosity, and a nice non-greasy mouth-feel. My wife described the taste as diluted wildflower honey too, and as my bro-in-law put it, the wine was “as crisp as I wanted it to be, but not overly so.” The finish was intense for about five seconds, and then faded away over the next ten seconds. The wine had a nice minerality that was perfectly pleasant.

Meal: “Indian Food” (Classic Pairing for Gewürztraminer)

Food Pairing: Take-out from Coromandel restaurant in Southport, Connecticut (coromandelcuisine.com), widely considered one of the better Indian restaurants in Fairfield County. We ordered, as follows: One order each of Chaps Theeyal (tandoori rack of lamb with shallot, coconut, and tamarind spiced sauce), Launi Gobi (cauliflower tossed with tomato, garlic, and cilantro, a Himalayan dish), and Balti Baingan (grilled baby eggplant with balti spices), with sides of plain Naan, Raita, and Mango Chutney.

Comments on Wine: The wine stood up well to the flavorful, spicy meal. My wife felt that the meal brought out even more minerality in the wine, particularly wet stone. I felt that the wine provided a nice fresh palate cleanser for every bite of the spicy food. My bro-in-law said, with a smile, that it was “like a refreshing sea breeze.” The wine was a little sweet, as we expected, but to our relief it was not fruity. Interestingly, the wine calmed down the spice of all of the dishes, except for the eggplant, which it intensified, pleasantly so. After the meal was over, we enjoyed our last sips. My wife picked up a titch of cantaloupe rind on the mid-palate. I enjoyed a little green apple on the nose. The flavors were fading a bit, but the wine had served its purpose admirably during the meal.

--

Final Thoughts: “The Verdict”

The 2008 Scheid Vineyards Gewürztraminer is not an adventure in itself, but it pairs very well with an adventure in spicy food. At this attractive price point, we’d highly recommend it for a weekday meal of Indian or Thai food. Usually, my wife and I drink beer with spicy food, but this Gewürztraminer gives us another enjoyable and well-priced option.

LAB RAT REPORT: WOOT LAB RAT REPORT: WOOT LAB RAT REPORT: WOOT

lll0228 wrote:With the Lab Rat reports, from two admittedly non-white wine drinkers but both with obviously experienced palette, it sounds like the Cab. Blanc. is actually relatively true to the varietal. And for $15 a bottle including shipping, that's not bad value at all.

It also sounds like the Cab. Franc. actually shows some character injected from the winemakers, I tend to like that. Alas, I wish I was the lab rat, then I could write more (I begin to realize I love to write about food and wine). And I would even venture to guess that this would work beautifully with the cheese on wine.woot yesterday.

The 2008 Gewürztraminer, based on the winemaker's notes, also sounds very intriguing.

The Pinot, not so much, but that's only because we are a little spoiled with the Oregon Pinots in the Northwest...

Regardless, this is a really low-cost sampler set, great value!

I'm confused where did the cab franc, pinot and cab blanc come from???

Sorry, but I must:

A pallet(n), sometimes called a skid, is a flat transport structure that supports goods in a stable fashion while being lifted by a forklift, pallet jack, front loader or other jacking device. Other definitions as well.

palate(n) 1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Anatomy) the roof of the mouth, separating the oral and nasal cavities See hard palate, soft palate.
2. the sense of taste: she had no palate for the wine

kaolis wrote:Sorry, but I must:

A pallet(n), sometimes called a skid, is a flat transport structure that supports goods in a stable fashion while being lifted by a forklift, pallet jack, front loader or other jacking device. Other definitions as well.

palate(n) 1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Anatomy) the roof of the mouth, separating the oral and nasal cavities See hard palate, soft palate.
2. the sense of taste: she had no palate for the wine

You missed one ;)

palette(n): 1. a thin and usually oval or oblong board or tablet with a thumb hole at one end, used by painters for holding and mixing colors

2. the set of colors on such a board or surface.

michaepf wrote:You missed one ;)

palette(n): 1. a thin and usually oval or oblong board or tablet with a thumb hole at one end, used by painters for holding and mixing colors

2. the set of colors on such a board or surface.

Yeah, I know...but didn't want to confuse the issue

Of course we can't forget:

pallette(n):
One of the rounded armor plates at the armpits of a suit of armor

2008 Scheid Pinot Gris


We had visitors in from the UK so we were able to have four assessments of the Scheid Pinot Gris.

This is a nice looking bottle of wine – it’s a screw top bottle has a very presentable label, glass feels about right for an inexpensive white wine and the color of warm straw all add up to a bottle that you wouldn’t be embarrassed to opening front of anyone. Woot labeled wine on the other hand is not a favorite to be taken to parties as my wife feels the odd hilarity expressed in the labels isn’t quite right. I on the other hand love that and make the point of choosing the Woots just so that I can see effect of people becoming bemused by the label. But back to the Scheid Pinot Grosi:

We had the wine chilling in the fridge so by the time we came to drink it was nice and cold (maybe too cold…). The wine on opening has a very pleasant nose of mandarin oranges, maybe watermelon. On first taste it is a medium white wine, a little oily with low acidity. It is smooth initially with a little sharpness at the finish.

After the first sip we sat down to eat chicken parmigiana with pasta and warm ciabatta bread. With food the wine faired very well the finish being much smoother. The wine suited the meal and the meal rounded off the wine very well.

The four of us all enjoyed the wine, the nose especially being memorable. My wife is more a Sauvignon Blanc drinker, so she was the least appreciative of the wine and in fact probably wouldn’t buy it. The other 3 of us were more sympathetic and did enjoy the wine. Lets face it, it didn’t last long and a second bottle would also have been polished off quickly had Woot so obliged.

Woot today are offering a selection which includes a Sauvignon Blanc. Maybe for the next tasting I’ll buy the four and my wife can keep to the Sauvignon Blanc.

All in all, I’ll be buying the selection offered today. The Pinot Grois at $14 a bottle seems a bargain. If the other 3 are as good as the Pinot Grois, I’ll be happy.

I'm in - need some whites - looks like a solid deal.

Scheid Vineyards Estate White Sampler - 4 Pack
Current numbers (updated each minute)
First sucker: MarkDaSpark
Speed to first woot: 0m 32.857s
Last wooter to woot: divadrabnud

kaolis wrote:Yeah, I know...but didn't want to confuse the issue

Of course we can't forget:

pallette(n):
One of the rounded armor plates at the armpits of a suit of armor

palate

Kao1138 wrote:I have to ask, on the chardonnay what's the difference between oak barrel and wooden upright tank?

The upright tank is made from French oak staves and toasted like a barrel, the main difference is the surface area of wine to oak. With less surface area in contact with the wine during storage in the tank, it gives the wine the benefits of oak storage with a more subtle oak impact. The barrels are from a mixture of coopers, and range of toast levels. This can add some complexity from the oak. With the higher surface area the barrels it will provide more oak flavor intensity. Both provide the wine with a creaminess in the mouth, and some vanilla and other flavors from the oak and toast. We also leave some in Stainless Steel tank so that the blend is fruit forward wine, given some oak complexity and mouthfeel for support.

Thanks for reviewing our 2008 Estate Chardonnay! Your comments were interesting and not quite what I expected. In particular, your notes about the "oak monster" were surprising. We craft our Estate Chardonnay in a combination of stainless steel, upright oak tank, and small oak barrels. I couldn't agree with you more that an over-oaked style is not a great direction to go in, so we intentionally dial back the oak and allow the fruit to shine through. We strive for a rich yet refreshing style and, generally speaking, the feedback we receive gives us a huge thumb's up for achieving a very balanced style. Hopefully you can get your hands on another bottle ... I'd love for you to give it another try (maybe you got a bad bottle?) and tell us what you think. Cheers!

texacaliali wrote:**************LABRAT**************


"Please find my notes from my review of the 2008 Scheid Estate Grown Chardonnay for Fridays sale. If you could please post if for me, I'd be grateful as I'll be away from Internet access." Thanks!- BSevern


2008 Scheid Estate Grown Chardonnay Lab Rat Review

When I first started drinking wine 25 years ago, I gravitated towards whites. Now I find that I mainly enjoy reds, except during the summer when I do enjoy good refreshing whites. I've been on a quest for the "perfect" chardonnay

I'm on the frence when it comes to styles of Chardonnay, between California buttered popcorn style and more Burgandian old school traditional styles. To me both have their place, and both can be very enjoyable if done right. OK, on to this one!

It has a screw top, not a problem, this is becoming more and more common place. I screwed and poured (hmm...nevermind) and swirled the wine around the glass for a minute. It has a nice golden color, not cloudy, and produced lots of very slow moving legs.
The initial sniff showed a lot of oak, and citrus aromas.
First sip and bam!!! The oak monster has me in a strangle hold!! Wow, very oaked, and tannic! I'm sorry, but I do not enjoy it in it's present state, I'm going to let this sit for a while to see what happens.

30 minutes later - nope.

60 minutes later - hmmm.

90 minutes later - it's opening up, the Oak Monster is starting to retreat.

120 minutes later and a lot closer to room temp - it's drinkable, but for me it's still a lot of oak. The nose is a lot better, I get great baked bananas on it now, but on the palette it still hasn't come together, I get muted pineapple, oak and acid. For me near room temp made all the difference in the world, yet this wine still seems over oaked without a particularly strong fruit backing.

Conclusion:
I really wanted to like this, and I thank wine.woot for allowing me the opportunity to try it, but in the end I didn't find it to be a Chardonnay that I would buy. Perhaps I got a bad bottle, and I look forward to seeing what the other rats impressions of this wine are.

This is actually an excellent deal. Scheid Vineyards website has the wines for nearly double after shipping but before tax. I'm low on whites so I may just have to go in for this order

2008 Gewürztraminer 16.00
2008 Sauvignon Blanc 18.00
2008 Chardonnay 22.00
2008 Pinot Gris 19.00
--------------------------------
SubTotal 75.00
Shipping 23.00
--------------------------------
Order Total 4 98.00

texacaliali wrote:**************LABRAT**************


"Please find my notes from my review of the 2008 Scheid Estate Grown Chardonnay for Fridays sale. If you could please post if for me, I'd be grateful as I'll be away from Internet access." Thanks!- BSevern


2008 Scheid Estate Grown Chardonnay Lab Rat Review

When I first started drinking wine 25 years ago, I gravitated towards whites. Now I find that I mainly enjoy reds, except during the summer when I do enjoy good refreshing whites. I've been on a quest for the "perfect" chardonnay

I'm on the frence when it comes to styles of Chardonnay, between California buttered popcorn style and more Burgandian old school traditional styles. To me both have their place, and both can be very enjoyable if done right. OK, on to this one!

It has a screw top, not a problem, this is becoming more and more common place. I screwed and poured (hmm...nevermind) and swirled the wine around the glass for a minute. It has a nice golden color, not cloudy, and produced lots of very slow moving legs.
The initial sniff showed a lot of oak, and citrus aromas.
First sip and bam!!! The oak monster has me in a strangle hold!! Wow, very oaked, and tannic! I'm sorry, but I do not enjoy it in it's present state, I'm going to let this sit for a while to see what happens.

30 minutes later - nope.

60 minutes later - hmmm.

90 minutes later - it's opening up, the Oak Monster is starting to retreat.

120 minutes later and a lot closer to room temp - it's drinkable, but for me it's still a lot of oak. The nose is a lot better, I get great baked bananas on it now, but on the palette it still hasn't come together, I get muted pineapple, oak and acid. For me near room temp made all the difference in the world, yet this wine still seems over oaked without a particularly strong fruit backing.

Conclusion:
I really wanted to like this, and I thank wine.woot for allowing me the opportunity to try it, but in the end I didn't find it to be a Chardonnay that I would buy. Perhaps I got a bad bottle, and I look forward to seeing what the other rats impressions of this wine are.

Nice Honest review.
I am a lab rat as we speak and having a tough time with this review myself.I dont want to hurt sales but its not going so well.

sealion18 wrote:Nice Honest review.
I am a lab rat as we speak and having a tough time with this review myself.I dont want to hurt sales but its not going so well.

The truth will set you free

tytiger58 wrote:The truth will set you free

Two hours later the wine has become nice. not great but nice. NOT because I drank the whole bottle!!!!!
I have finished dinner and went back to the second glass its not "Panther Piss" anymore.
Im posting under another name to protect the innocent.

woopdedoo wrote:palate

That's what I get for being a newbie...

Cheers!

neilfindswine wrote:Thanks for joining us! How is harvest going at Scheid?

We officially passed over the 50% completion mark today. Although we had a few tricky days due to the rains, all in all the fruit is in excellent condition. Like every other grower in California, harvest progress is running a few weeks later than desired.
Usually by mid-harvest we have a smooth running operation. In a normal year the various varieties and general regions tend to ripen in a predictable pattern and scheduling equipment, labor and shipping has a certain logistical efficiency occurring. This year we are frustrated at every turn, the result of chasing sugar as each vineyard block matures on its own schedule. We are literally pecking away at the harvest.
A bright spot is Sauvignon Blanc. Although not a big year, it looks to be a great crop.
Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, White Riesling and a few other lesser varieties are all in and all look wonderful
A few days ago we began the Merlot harvest in San Lucas, where most of this variety resides. As the days shorten and the nights grow cooler, the harvest will likely stretch well into November for this variety.
We have started harvesting other midsized red production varieties such as Petite Syrah, Petite Verdot, and Syrah. So far so good with respect to yields and quality.
As for Cabernet, we estimate an average crop but have harvested so little at this time we cannot confirm the production. One fact is for sure, Cabernet harvest will continue well into November and may even require deliveries right up to Thanksgiving day.

Just and FYI for all:

2008 Chardonnay
GOLD medal winner at the 2010 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

2008 Gewürztraminer
GOLD medal winner at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition

2008 Sauvignon Blanc
GOLD medal winner at the 2010 Grand Harvest Awards.

neilfindswine wrote:Panther piss? Wow! Tough room! I honestly didn't mind the chard (the Gewurtztraminer was my fav of the bunch). Yes the oak was present-it was better integrated after breathing a bit. I thought it drank like a $20 California Chard. And I dare say at today's price of $13.75 out the door, you could do far worse at your favorite wine store.

If you think our Estate Chardonnay has too much oak and tastes like Panther Piss than avoid our Reserve Chardonnay since it sees 20 months in 60-gallon oak barrels (71% French & 29% American). Heck, it may taste like Mufasa piss, aka Lion piss. When making wine you can never make everyone happy but we sure do try. At least the judges at the San Francisco Chronicle gave it Gold in 2010. All I have to say is I can’t wait for our weekly Monday morning meeting. I will have to let everyone know about the new wine adjective, “panther piss. “

scheidvineyards wrote:If you think our Estate Chardonnay has too much oak and tastes like Panther Piss than avoid our Reserve Chardonnay since it sees 20 months in 60-gallon oak barrels (71% French & 29% American). Heck, it may taste like Mufasa piss, aka Lion piss. When making wine you can never make everyone happy but we sure do try. At least the judges at the San Francisco Chronicle gave it Gold in 2010. All I have to say is I can’t wait for our weekly Monday morning meeting. I will have to let everyone know about the new wine adjective, “panther piss. “

I'm curious about this panther piss. In for one!

Current numbers (updated each minute)
First sucker: MarkDaSpark
Speed to first woot: 0m 32.857s
Last wooter to woot: ajrod27

Does this smell like sex panther cologne?

scheidvineyards wrote:If you think our Estate Chardonnay has too much oak and tastes like Panther Piss than avoid our Reserve Chardonnay since it sees 20 months in 60-gallon oak barrels (71% French & 29% American). Heck, it may taste like Mufasa piss, aka Lion piss. When making wine you can never make everyone happy but we sure do try. At least the judges at the San Francisco Chronicle gave it Gold in 2010. All I have to say is I can’t wait for our weekly Monday morning meeting. I will have to let everyone know about the new wine adjective, “panther piss. “

Go back I was tasting a different wine.NOT yours. I had a Malbec that needed time to open.