kylemittskus wrote:Extensive notes here: http://wine.woot.com/forums/viewpost.aspx?postid=5343516

Long story short: very classic cab, "boutique winery" with great participation, worth the $$ if you enjoy restrained, classic CS.

Thanks for the shout out!

hiten900 wrote:Yes, I understand that Cabs are more expensive than other veritals, and the Slingshot is priced in the $15-18 per bottle range, however the number of Cabs offered by Woot is few and far between. And most Cabs are in the higher price bracket - $20-30 per bottle.
I do wish Woot would offer more by way of Cabs in the $15 range. I, for one, can't afford the more expensive wines, and love Cabs.

Thanks to folks on this forum for their replies and suggestions. I did take your advice and stock up on some Cabs I like (JLohr Estates Seven Hills 2010) as they were reasonably priced a few days ago. And, it so happens, the price has started to go up from $14 to the $18 range, after I stocked up. Yet to check out the other Cabs from the Hans family vineyards. About 2 years ago, I did like the Cycle Gladiator Cab, but as I started to appreciate better wines, the CG quickly dropped from my buy list.

redwinefan wrote:Is this gonna start a new trend of Wooter themed Woot+ boutiques?

Well that would then beg the question of Who?

RPM- high quality old world style
Kyle- BioD (though this would likely be a snarky one and they'd be subjecting the winery reps to way too much pain as Kyle would take it as a challenge)
Sparky.... Just throw every wine in the past 6 months in one massive plus deal. Or perhaps auction off his cellar whole or piecemeal.
Cesare is recognizable but I can't bring a theme to mind on his buys.
Any other ideas?

cmaldoon wrote:Well that would then beg the question of Who?

RPM- high quality old world style
Kyle- BioD (though this would likely be a snarky one and they'd be subjecting the winery reps to way too much pain as Kyle would take it as a challenge)
Sparky.... Just throw every wine in the past 6 months in one massive plus deal. Or perhaps auction off his cellar whole or piecemeal.
Cesare is recognizable but I can't bring a theme to mind on his buys.
Any other ideas?

Lowel (Petite Sirah), but we already had a PS plus deal during PS: I Love You. iByron loves dessert wines, although not sure how he feels about domestic desserts. There's a user named McMalbec who hangs around sometimes.

cortot20 wrote:I liked the CG cab at $8, the zin was undrinkable though. Down the drain.

I really enjoyed their 2010 Banned in Bamma Cuvee.

North316 wrote:The problem with that is that it isn't very easy to find decent cab in the $10-15 range, let alone for WD to find good $15-25 that he can work a deal on and sell it to us for $10-15. Try going to your local store and finding a $15-20-25 cab that you really really enjoy and then consider the fact that an additional deal has been made by WW to procure, discount and sell that wine.

As cortot said, there are some decent cheap ones around here, but they don't pop up real often. Something you will see more during wootoffs.

The Hahn Chillean cabs are great at $10-12 bucks, Healsburg ranches was pretty good. There are some others that have been offered here (White Cottage or something?) but it's just hard to get quality cab at a low price that everyone here won't turn their nose up at.

You're probably thinking of white oak.
Excellent value. Local grocer sells for $27 a bottle. Woot had it for about $14. Last time they had it in a full case I think. 6 merlot 6 cab. Absolutely hands down the best value woot has offered. Merlot drinks like a cab. The cab is near perfection.

tarabellawine wrote:The 09 is drinking great right now... but you'll be able to lay that one down for at least a decade.....

That's my plan. Both 2010's into the wine locker along with a 2009. The other 2009 is in the accessible stock.

Never been responsible for a sellout before! There goes the '97.

publicart wrote:Never been responsible for a sellout before! There goes the '97.

finally now... if this goes up on sale again, I am seriously thinking this is turning bottled water into wine or something

Cab said Fred

He's too thirsty for Viognier
too thirsty for Pinot -
juice's going to leave him.

He's too thirsty for Syrah
too thirsty for Syrah
too thirsty it hurts
and he's too thirsty for Merlot
Petit Verdot, Grenache

And he's too thirsty for your Prosecco, too thirsty for your Prosecco, no way he's bubbly-slurping.

He's a Cab-man and you know what I mean,
when he does his little sips at the vineyard,
yeah at the vineyard,
at the vineyard,
when he does his little sips at the vineyard...

ignoredobsessional wrote:You're probably thinking of white oak.
Excellent value. Local grocer sells for $27 a bottle. Woot had it for about $14. Last time they had it in a full case I think. 6 merlot 6 cab. Absolutely hands down the best value woot has offered. Merlot drinks like a cab. The cab is near perfection.

agree an auto buy for me

publicart wrote:Never been responsible for a sellout before! There goes the '97.

So proud, a sell out !!!

moondigger wrote:Here's one strategy that might help keep you under budget.

Look for relatively large producers with a variety of cabs at different price points. Try a few of their wines (at tastings, friends' houses, or by-the-glass at restaurants). Don't be discouraged if their bargain-priced cabs don't impress. When you find a producer that makes cabs that tend to appeal to your palate, even if the ones that appeal are their more expensive cabs, make a note of it. Many of the bigger producers do pretty well with their more expensive cabs regardless of the vintage, but the quality of their bargain cabs is highly dependent on the vintage.

The strategy is to wait for a great vintage and then stock up on the bargain priced cabs.

Here's a real-world example that worked for me. A couple years after I first got into wine, a friend of mine recommended the Louis M. Martini bargain-priced cab. At the time it was selling for around $9 per bottle at my local wine discounter. That was a great bottle of wine considering the $9 cost, and I bought several bottles and stuck them in my wine rack in the basement. Another surprisingly good, inexpensive wine I got around the same time was the Gallo of Sonoma cab. I bought three or four bottles and added them to my wine rack. Both of these were 1997 vintage.

What I didn't know back then (as I was just getting into wine and hadn't really learned a lot yet) was that 1997 was a fantastic vintage in California, and especially good in Napa.

I assumed that the 1998 Martini and Gallo of Sonoma cabs would be equally good. But 1998 was NOT a great vintage due to bad weather, and the bargain-priced Martini and Gallo of Sonoma cabs did not compare to the 1997s.

So I made a point to buy one bottle when each new vintage came available and try it, while also paying more attention to the reported quality of each vintage. I ended up buying a case of the 2001 Louis M. Martini. (I still have one bottle left of it that I'm reluctant to open, because then it will all be gone.)

So that's it in a nutshell. Buy bargain-priced cabs in the best vintages, and store them. Be careful with other vintages, and don't assume a disappointing bargain cab in a so-so year means the same disappointment in another (better) year.

2012 looks to be another great year for California -- we'll see when the 2012 cabs start rolling out.

Obviously this method is not going to get you cabs that will equal Woot cabs costing $20-$30, since those are already discounted from regular retail of around $35-$50. But it can result in some very nice-drinking cabs under your $15 budget.

I like your strategy here. On the reverse end of the spectrum, I find that buying top bottlings from strong producers when the vintage is considered weak a good strategy too. These wines are often discounted heavily. I purchased a half case of 1998 and a half case of 2000 Seavey Estate Cabernet for ~$30 per bottle. Both are widely considered to be pretty weak vintages in Napa, but more so the 1998. These wines normally sell for $70-100 and were still absolutely delicious. I still treat these as a splurge bottle and it is a great way to treat yourself while getting to taste a wine you might not have otherwise tried.

andreaserben wrote:Cab said Fred

He's too thirsty for Viognier
too thirsty for Pinot -
juice's going to leave him.

He's too thirsty for Syrah
too thirsty for Syrah
too thirsty it hurts
and he's too thirsty for Merlot
Petit Verdot, Grenache

And he's too thirsty for your Prosecco, too thirsty for your Prosecco, no way he's bubbly-slurping.

He's a Cab-man and you know what I mean,
when he does his little sips at the vineyard,
yeah at the vineyard,
at the vineyard,
when he does his little sips at the vineyard...

He's Too Thirsty

applause
+1

publicart wrote:Never been responsible for a sellout before! There goes the '97.

It probably sold out in the woot plus deal so it could show up in the wootoff.

fredrinaldi wrote:agree an auto buy for me

Do you ever feel like kicking yourself for not buying more? The White Oak was one of those for me....should have bought at least 2 cases.

fredrinaldi wrote:So proud, a sell out !!!

thanks WW

PemberDucky wrote:*applause*

Bows his head and thanks everyone here, I'm really blown away
thanks WW
sorry responded to my own post, WW your the best

neilfindswine wrote:+1

good god I could die tomorrow a Happy Man, thanks all.

Marichele wrote:He's Too Thirsty

applause
+1

I have almost two dozen bottles of the ardent a 97, okay 21 cause I drank a few and love it. But how long can I store before it breaks down?

I will watch everyday for more to arrive on woot, but can there be many left? Please let me Max it out a couple more times :-)

clockmn wrote:I have almost two dozen bottles of the ardent a 97, okay 22 cause I drank a couple and love it. But how long can I store before it breaks down?

Having tasted it, you have a better grasp than I do (since I haven't had one yet). Generally, acid and tannin are the markers for age-ability. And, of course, guessing. If the wine tasted youthful and bright, it may have time. If it tasted resolved and balanced and ready, it may be ready. Fun, huh?

kylemittskus wrote:Having tasted it, you have a better grasp than I do (since I haven't had one yet). Generally, acid and tannin are the markers for age-ability. And, of course, guessing. If the wine tasted youthful and bright, it may have time. If it tasted resolved and balanced and ready, it may be ready. Fun, huh?

Thanks, I will think of your tips as i try another :-) so I just had to edit because I am getting ready for one more!

Hey woot by the way Some more Scott Harvey mixed please ! and my wife would like some more Jane. Pleaseee

Re: the '97 Ardente. Guess I finally have to declare a bad bottle. First of Five, good it's not Seven of Nine, but still disappointed and I can't imagine she'd ever be bad.
I was looking forward to what I remembered in the first four.

andreaserben wrote:finally now... if this goes up on sale again, I am seriously thinking this is turning bottled water into wine or something

fredrinaldi wrote:So proud, a sell out !!!

:D!!

rjquillin wrote:Re: the '97 Ardente. Guess I finally have to declare a bad bottle. First of Five, good it's not Seven of Nine, but still disappointed and I can't imagine she'd ever be bad.
I was looking forward to what I remembered in the first four.

Exactly - 7 of 9 could never be bad.

Can you describe the 'badness' of the bottle? Cork? Vinegar? ...?

mrn1 wrote:Do you ever feel like kicking yourself for not buying more? The White Oak was one of those for me....should have bought at least 2 cases.

Couldn't agree more about the White Oak. What a deal... Bought one case on each offering but wish I would have doubled up each time... Even after the price increase it was a steal.

RyanANNAPOLIS wrote:Couldn't agree more about the White Oak. What a deal... Bought one case on each offering but wish I would have doubled up each time... Even after the price increase it was a steal.

well were in the middle of a woot off, one can only hope and keep fingers crossed that its offered today.

fredrinaldi wrote:well were in the middle of a woot off, one can only hope and keep fingers crossed that its offered today.

Fred,

That would be great! Keeping my fingers crossed.

mrn1 wrote:Do you ever feel like kicking yourself for not buying more? The White Oak was one of those for me....should have bought at least 2 cases.

i'm going broke to make sure that doesn't happen again!

***feel like i've got a gambling habit i'm keeping secret from my wife***

No more Ardent '97... You buy it all Fred? ;)

Just popped a bottle of the 97' Ardente and thought I'd share a few notes here. Even though it's sold out already, maybe those who bought it can get an idea of what to expect.

This is my third or fourth bottle of this vintage and all of mine so far have been extremely enjoyable (fingers crossed.) It pours out a brick reddish blood-orangy kind of color and immediately smells of a kind of sweet funk. It's like herbs and wet leaves mixed with the sweet red fruits that come through mostly in the form of bright fresh cherries. A very enjoyable characteristic; the funk fades but never dies away, and is followed by dirt, coffee, cedar, and currant.

The wine enters the palate super smooth after about an hour (before the hour mark it showed a little bit rougher on the entry giving that rough tongue feel) and shows cola, pink starburst/red sweet tart, mineral/dust, orange zest, cherries, kiwi, and an almost agave like eucalyptusy/mintyness. Drinking the wine with steak and rice shows blackberry and pepper as dominant. A 15+ sec finish lingers and has a little bit of everything, and I have to say: this wine is the epitome of complexity in my limited experience. Every time you address the glass you can get something different both aromatically, and on the palate. I've tried to use my limited vocabulary here to just put down every little thing I experienced, and I feel like I missed describing so much. This wine is oh so very good.

eluofthenine wrote:Just popped a bottle of the 97' Ardente and thought I'd share a few notes here. Even though it's sold out already, maybe those who bought it can get an idea of what to expect.

This is my third or fourth bottle of this vintage and all of mine so far have been extremely enjoyable (fingers crossed.) It pours out a brick reddish blood-orangy kind of color and immediately smells of a kind of sweet funk. It's like herbs and wet leaves mixed with the sweet red fruits that come through mostly in the form of bright fresh cherries. A very enjoyable characteristic; the funk fades but never dies away, and is followed by dirt, coffee, cedar, and currant.

The wine enters the palate super smooth after about an hour (before the hour mark it showed a little bit rougher on the entry giving that rough tongue feel) and shows cola, pink starburst/red sweet tart, mineral/dust, orange zest, cherries, kiwi, and an almost agave like eucalyptusy/mintyness. Drinking the wine with steak and rice shows blackberry and pepper as dominant. A 15+ sec finish lingers and has a little bit of everything, and I have to say: this wine is the epitome of complexity in my limited experience. Every time you address the glass you can get something different both aromatically, and on the palate. I've tried to use my limited vocabulary here to just put down every little thing I experienced, and I feel like I missed describing so much. This wine is oh so very good.

I also found the 97 Ardente to be quite enjoyable considering the price point. Have 3 bottles left fortunately. Check out my site for a post on the Ardente if interested.

RyanANNAPOLIS wrote:I also found the 97 Ardente to be quite enjoyable considering the price point. Have 3 bottles left fortunately. Check out my site for a post on the Ardente if interested.

nice little wine blog!

RyanANNAPOLIS wrote:I like your strategy here. On the reverse end of the spectrum, I find that buying top bottlings from strong producers when the vintage is considered weak a good strategy too. These wines are often discounted heavily. I purchased a half case of 1998 and a half case of 2000 Seavey Estate Cabernet for ~$30 per bottle. Both are widely considered to be pretty weak vintages in Napa, but more so the 1998. These wines normally sell for $70-100 and were still absolutely delicious. I still treat these as a splurge bottle and it is a great way to treat yourself while getting to taste a wine you might not have otherwise tried.

Where did you buy Seavey for less than $30/bottle?!?! I want in on that!

Also, anyone else vouching for the '98 Monticello. Pro/cons?

mibuwolf83 wrote:Where did you buy Seavey for less than $30/bottle?!?! I want in on that!

Also, anyone else vouching for the '98 Monticello. Pro/cons?

The '98 and '00 were both offered on CinderellaWine.com a while ago.

clockmn wrote:Hey woot by the way Some more Scott Harvey mixed please ! and my wife would like some more Jane. Pleaseee

Ask and you will receive - it seems - on wine woot tonight!