mshilko wrote:This has been dissappointingly anticlimactic. Lots of excitement at the beginning tapering off into nothingness.

I agree also...

Total agreement............

Well, since we're getting so bored waiting for the results, here's a picture I took at Wellington on 8/12 showing Peter's daughter earning some back-to-school money by relabeling bottles for the Mystery Wine.

chad1323ross wrote:Well, since we're getting so bored waiting for the results, here's a picture I took at Wellington on 8/12 showing Peter's daughter earning some back-to-school money by relabeling bottles for the Mystery Wine.

Too bad we can't zoom in on the labels.

eric9tx wrote:Too bad we can't zoom in on the labels.

You mean you don't have that CSI "Enhance" feature?

Even in the full size photo, you can't read any of the boxes or labels. Alas.

I like the person on the side drinking

My beard. Long it grows.


:D

I just want to know I was right, darn it!

SmilingBoognish wrote:
I just want to know I was right, darn it!

As long as the results remain unknown we can bask in the belief of our own perfection. Once they are tabulated and posted that perfection will be no more, for some of us at least.

Personally I have no delusions regarding my skill. I'll be thrilled to get one out of the three correct.

In retrospect, I'll bet that having this contest end right in the middle of the crush season was not the best planning in the world.

JOATMON wrote:In retrospect, I'll bet that having this contest end right in the middle of the crush season was not the best planning in the world.

Fair enough, but in the interim of awaiting the results of who guessed correctly, why can't someone simply put down what each dot indicated?

Corrado wrote:Since the contest is all but over, I think I can post some of my thoughts.

Considering they couldn't have re-bottled any of the wines *IF* you were sleuthy and *IF* you bought a lot of Wellington wine on woot, I'm guessing that you would have a reasonably decent shot at guessing what was in the bottle before popping a cork based solely on bottle shape, tint, and weight.

Assuming you had a Bordeaux style bottles like the one in the pic, that rules out a whole slew of wines that come in Burgundian style bottles (and vice versa for those who got Burg bottles). Both mystery wines I got were 'normal' Bordeaux bottles as compared to two of the Wellington single-vineyard cabs I have are in more substantial bottles.

My bottles were slight different colors; one was more amber-green and the other was closer to a green-green. Had I taken the time to check other bottles, I might have been able to peg the vintage, assuming is was a recent offering (i.e. I don't know what Peter bottled in back in 1998).

I couldn't pick up anything meaningful from the tin cap or the cork itself. One cork was crusted with crystals, the other was clear. Had I diligently checked my notes from previous tastings, I could have ruled out wines based on that information alone (assuming all wines of a vintage will exhibit similar crystallization).

Next I went for color in the glass and opacity, followed by nose. I either nailed both wines at first whiff or allowed that first impression to taint the remainder of my tasting and convince me that the flavors I tasted were what my nose told me they were.

In the end, I went out on a limb and guessed vintage/designation/varietal for both. Really looking forward to the results and hoping I'm right so I don't have to try to re-rationalize my guesses. Damn, I hate waiting.

Well, I went about my guess a little bit differently. Since my wine drinking has had some stiff regulation as to amount and when I can have some. I was not able to open a bottle to taste, however, that doesn't mean I haven't been ordering now and then..

So, I took the bottle out of the brown paper bag, held it up to the light,
declared it to be Red Wine, entered that in the contest, and Damn it, I know I am correct......

WWA

paging WD...

Now I know how the people in the "expect tediously long delivery times" states feel.

Winedavid39 wrote:i know, i know. Successful wooters will be notified shortly. (really).

And will there be a nice listing put up somewhere as well so that those of us who didn't drink our mystery bottle yet (as I got to taste them at NoVA#6) can categorize them appropriately in CT?

I would like to raise the idea of listing all the people who guessed wrong first. That way you can all laugh at me.

People need some cheering up these days.

Winedavid39 wrote:i know, i know. Successful wooters will be notified shortly. (really).

Isn't everyone who bought in on the Mystery offering a successful wooter by definition?

-- T

timbyrd wrote:Isn't everyone who bought in on the Mystery offering a successful wooter by definition?

-- T

Got in on both Wellingtons that week, plus the Toothstejnn. With my limited earnings and family to feed, makes me a satisfied, successful wooter who now has to deal with the credit card (and the wife)...

I would love to know how off-base I was in my guess.

timbyrd wrote:Isn't everyone who bought in on the Mystery offering a successful wooter by definition?

-- T

That there should be a sig quote.

LoonBoarder wrote:That there should be a sig quote.

I totally agree.

timbyrd wrote:Isn't everyone who bought in on the Mystery offering a successful wooter by definition?

-- T

LoonBoarder wrote:That there should be a sig quote.

So what's holding you back? You've been begging for a sig quote in your sig for ages....

JOATMON wrote:So what's holding you back? You've been begging for a sig quote in your sig for ages....

As you wish.
[the pic of my board w/the wine.woot sticker, plus the list of woots, was getting a little unwieldy to maintain...]

Winedavid39 wrote:i know, i know. Successful wooters will be notified shortly. (really).

So if I didn't get notified does that mean I was wrong?

I don't even remember what I guessed anymore.

cheron98 wrote:I don't even remember what I guessed anymore.

I actually wrote them down! Now, what did I do with that paper?

cheron98 wrote:I don't even remember what I guessed anymore.

Really. I'm going to need a complete summary of what I had and what I guessed. I never thought to write it down anywhere.

Seeing as you've said there isn't a prize for a correct guess, I'm wondering why there's such a hold-up. We'd just like to know what our wines were.

I thought my bottle was fantastic (orange sticker) but I don't have a sophisticated enough palate to be able to guess what it was.

I think this might be my first post in the forums because I'm growing frustrated. I'd like to know if I have another bottle of that stuff, or if not, if I'll be able to score another one.

Winedavid39 wrote:i know, i know. Successful wooters will be notified shortly. (really).

Is it shortly yet?

Maybe we should just post our guesses and let J-dub make up a spreadsheet...the boy loves his spreadsheets. We'll figure this out on our own.

javadrinker wrote:Maybe we should just post our guesses and let J-dub make up a spreadsheet...the boy loves his spreadsheets. We'll figure this out on our own.

Except some of us don't remember our guesses anymore I demand fresh bottles for new guesses!!

cheron98 wrote: I demand fresh bottles for new guesses!!

Superb idea!!!

javadrinker wrote:Maybe we should just post our guesses and let J-dub make up a spreadsheet...the boy loves his spreadsheets. We'll figure this out on our own.

Ok, I'll start. Mine was a red dot and I think it was a Chardonnay.

hahahahahah

Corrado wrote:I think mine was Dr. Pepper...

Since the contest is VERY over, I can't imagine there's any taboo about talking about guesses. I had Orange and Red and I'm pretty sure they were Zinfandels from different vintages. My guess was Peter's '03 Zin for one and (I think) '04 Old Vines Zin for the other.

They were both Bordeaux bottles and I will be very surprised if either turns out to be a Cab or a Merlot. Both had the color and nose I associate with Zins. The only thing that really gave me pause on either was they lacked the alcohol punch on the nose and palate that I have come to expect from Zinfandel, but with The Duke labels in the mid-to-high 14.X%, the potential is there for them both being well made, higher-alcohol wines.

Both my wife and I came to the same varietal conclusion independantly for both bottles. So either we are both gooooooood or we both should start drinking box wine again... or just stick to beer.

We stopped by Peter's Place a couple of weeks ago. While he wouldn't commit, he did say that my guess of merlot for the red dot was almost certainly wrong. From memory, he thought the red dot was zin.

db

PS As I had said at the time, ours was a swig and a swag.

berrda wrote:We stopped by Peter's Place a couple of weeks ago. While he wouldn't commit, he did say that my guess of merlot for the red dot was almost certainly wrong. From memory, he thought the red dot was zin.

db

PS As I had said at the time, ours was a swig and a swag.

If that is true I'd be shocked because that would mean I was right!

Corrado wrote:I think mine was Dr. Pepper...

Since the contest is VERY over, I can't imagine there's any taboo about talking about guesses. I had Orange and Red and I'm pretty sure they were Zinfandels from different vintages. My guess was Peter's '03 Zin for one and (I think) '04 Old Vines Zin for the other.

They were both Bordeaux bottles and I will be very surprised if either turns out to be a Cab or a Merlot. Both had the color and nose I associate with Zins. The only thing that really gave me pause on either was they lacked the alcohol punch on the nose and palate that I have come to expect from Zinfandel, but with The Duke labels in the mid-to-high 14.X%, the potential is there for them both being well made, higher-alcohol wines.

Both my wife and I came to the same varietal conclusion independantly for both bottles. So either we are both gooooooood or we both should start drinking box wine again... or just stick to beer.

Yeah...I had a red dot and my official guess was a Zin. Seemed like a no brainer to me.

yea, I had an Orange dot and I thought it was a Zin... But, I have only been seriously been drinking wine for about a year. So, it really wouldnt surprise me if I was wrong.

I had the green dot first, and thought it was Zin. So I ruled that out for the red dot. I came up with Cab for that one.

Seems as if I was wrong on the green, and that lead me in the wrong direction.