LSlipetz wrote:Its just an add on for Google Chrome. Go to the store and search for woot. It just adds a nice little button in the toolbar to check all the woot products for the day. It just shows the products at the 10% marks so right now we know that the port here on Wine woot is somewhere between 91% and 100%.

Here, I'll save you some time and just give you the link


Woot Tracker Google Chrome Add-On

LSlipetz wrote:Here, I'll save you some time and just give you the link


Woot Tracker Google Chrome Add-On

you are so kind! thanks!

It is entirely possible I was chosen to rat this... had a FedEx door tag yesterday, and I wasn't expecting any other wine. Picking up the box today so I will let you know.

madpoet wrote:It is entirely possible I was chosen to rat this... had a FedEx door tag yesterday, and I wasn't expecting any other wine. Picking up the box today so I will let you know.

Maybe they next day aired your 6L monster

MarkDaSpark wrote:Neither, since it is made from Old Vine Zin.

Should be sweet and dark.

Indeed. Ruby and vintage [ruby] ports are made of up to five main varietals, being Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz (aka Tempranillo), Touriga Franca, Tinta Barrocca, Tinto Cão and sometimes a host of other stranger varieties.

This is certainly more of a Californian confection, and from my experience, will be sweeter and less "dark" in flavour than the Portuguese fortified wines. For me the California versions are too sugary, but for you, Middle America, they may be perfect!

LSlipetz wrote:Here, I'll save you some time and just give you the link


Woot Tracker Google Chrome Add-On

Thank you kindly

ScottHarveyWines wrote:Back when I ran Folie a Deux, we used to loan them our bottling equipment to bottle this wine. So they always gave us a few bottles. The wine was great. It's one of the best examples of Zinfandel fortified wine in California.

Thanks for the information. Any chance we will see a Scott Harvey offering in the near future? Please.

A late bottled old vine zinfandel desert wine is not necessarily fortified, so perhaps the "port" labeling makes this clearer?

Some of the reviews on previous bottlings are sketchy, but given how much we enjoy all forms of Zinfandel and add to that the wine makers are the founders of Silver Oak ... in for 2.

richardhod wrote:
This is certainly more of a Californian confection, and from my experience, will be sweeter and less "dark" in flavour than the Portuguese fortified wines. For me the California versions are too sugary, but for you, Middle America, they may be perfect!

In general, I would agree, but the early reports are indicating that this wine is in a different style than the typical California LBV Zinfandel. One person even compared it to a Tawny.

Fortunately, I enjoy both styles.

North316 wrote:How long will a bottle like this keep once it has been opened?

Someone will probably tell you a week, but we've enjoyed LBVs and Ports months after opening. Drop it in a wine cabinet, and perhaps even longer.

LSlipetz wrote:Here, I'll save you some time and just give you the link


Woot Tracker Google Chrome Add-On

I have this plugin. I love it!

jonw747 wrote:Someone will probably tell you a week, but we've enjoyed LBVs and Ports months after opening. Drop it in a wine cabinet, and perhaps even longer.

Just make sure to try it every day to make sure it isn't turning

tartanknickers wrote:Tawny? Ruby?

I'm actually surprised that they are calling it port. I was under the impression that California wineries could no longer call their fortified dessert wine "port".
I've had quite a few zinfandel "ports" from CA, this one included. I've enjoyed them, but one should know that they have a very different flavor profile from actual port wine made from the traditional varietals of Touriga's & Tinta's. I don't have any notes from when I tasted this Meyers offering, but I seem to recall it had a very long finish that evolves on the palate long after swallowing that one would hope for in a fortified dessert wine.

I'm gonna sit on the fence till the rat reports come out.

iByron wrote:
But, bottom line, they aren't strictly for dessert. That's a phenom brought about by the relatively recent obsession with dryness in wines.

Do you think the dry wine phenom may be due to too many sweeter wines not maintaining a decent level of complexity? We recently tried a 'budget' wine from Monbazillac, made in similar fashion and varietals as Sauternes(but at half the price), and it was lacking all of the spice notes we enjoy with the more spendy Sauternes. We have also experienced this with many cheaper Portuguese Oportos(non-vintage, LBV, tawny) and California Ports/dessert wine.

LSlipetz wrote:Maybe they next day aired your 6L monster

A little off topic but did someone say 6L?

Pic from my sisters graduation last weekend, bought the bottle for her party
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v324/XeroTM/IMG_6925.jpg

On topic now....I haven't seen port on here for a while, looks like I will have to dust off the old CC and buy some

LSlipetz wrote:Here, I'll save you some time and just give you the link


Woot Tracker Google Chrome Add-On

I always wondered how some of you guys were tracking the woot sales - thanks!

snkp360 wrote:A little off topic but did someone say 6L?

Pic from my sisters graduation last weekend, bought the bottle for her party
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v324/XeroTM/IMG_6925.jpg

On topic now....I haven't seen port on here for a while, looks like I will have to dust off the old CC and buy some

That just dwarfs the mag of the same sparkler we drank a couple years ago! WOW

This Zinfandel wasn't Botrytised by any chance?

lassow wrote:That just dwarfs the mag of the same sparkler we drank a couple years ago! WOW

Here is a size comparison, regular 750ml compared to it...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v324/XeroTM/798fe1dc.jpg


Oh and in for two on this offering!

wcheney wrote:Here's a link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_wine

I ordered a case of Pellegrini last Thursday and it still hasn't shipped, I'm starting to go crazy because it's been more than five days.

Heh heh heh... You must be new around these parts!

Since when is shipping $7 instead of $5? Is this a permanent change for wine.woot or a one-off thing?

bradenmcg wrote:Since when is shipping $7 instead of $5? Is this a permanent change for wine.woot or a one-off thing?

Summer shipping on a refrigerated truck.

Were any rats selected for this one? This would be a great one to be chosen to rat for.

Calling this "Port" is like calling a Sonoma sparkling wine "Champagne."

snkp360 wrote:A little off topic but did someone say 6L?

Pic from my sisters graduation last weekend, bought the bottle for her party
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v324/XeroTM/IMG_6925.jpg

On topic now....I haven't seen port on here for a while, looks like I will have to dust off the old CC and buy some

Wow how much was that? The 6L on the wootoff was $400 (+$7 s&h)

The labrats are certainly taking their time on this one

ScottHarveyWines wrote:Back when I ran Folie a Deux, we used to loan them our bottling equipment to bottle this wine. So they always gave us a few bottles. The wine was great. It's one of the best examples of Zinfandel fortified wine in California.

Dude... really? some days I intensely dislike you. I had just talked myself out of buying this.

Sigh... in for 1.

mkottman08 wrote:Wow how much was that? The 6L on the wootoff was $400 (+$7 s&h)

The labrats are certainly taking their time on this one

I paid $290 + tax and picked it up at Mumm since I live in Napa

I adore port, particularly 10yr-20yr tawny, learning more about ruby, and am starting to really get into it.

This is $50 (incl shipping) for $70 worth of port that has some pretty good reviews to it, but I've been rather profoundly disappointed with most wines I've bought off of here so far, but I may have a picky palate.

On the fence...

SmilingBoognish wrote:I'm actually surprised that they are calling it port. I was under the impression that California wineries could no longer call their fortified dessert wine "port".
I've had quite a few zinfandel "ports" from CA, this one included. I've enjoyed them, but one should know that they have a very different flavor profile from actual port wine made from the traditional varietals of Touriga's & Tinta's. I don't have any notes from when I tasted this Meyers offering, but I seem to recall it had a very long finish that evolves on the palate long after swallowing that one would hope for in a fortified dessert wine.

This would be true for countries in Europe, but I dont believe it's the case for countries outside of the European Union. Though you'd think Cali would cooperate to protect their 'Napa' wines.

I took this snippet from the European Protected Geographical Status wiki page regarding countries outside of the EU:
"The United States generally opposes protection of geographical designations of origin (since many of these that are protected elsewhere are commonly used generic terms in the United States, such as parmesan cheese). For example, one can buy American-produced "champagne", "feta", "gruyère" and "camembert"."

Also to be noted:
"There is no unconditional protection for these names on products both made and sold outside the EU. However there are a number of bilateral agreements with the EU for some level of enforcement."

I'm sure this is tasty juice, but with the oft'mentioned financial crisis in Portugal these days, couldn't WD or one of his interns take a trip across the pond and wrangle up some real good, authentic, Portugese Porto and let us (all their good buddies) in on their great deal?

(my appologies for the run-on sentance. I just couldn't find a good place to stop.)

jhudelson wrote:I'm sure this is tasty juice, but with the oft'mentioned financial crisis in Portugal these days, couldn't WD or one of his interns take a trip across the pond and wrangle up some real good, authentic, Portugese Porto and let us (all their good buddies) in on their great deal?

(my appologies for the run-on sentance. I just couldn't find a good place to stop.)

I'd *love* to see more international products outside of the Copa Del Rey offerings we always see. (which is not the best representation of modestly priced Chilean vine wines, IMO)

Does port need to be stored any differently from your typical red wines? Do I want to keep it in my wine fridge, or will it do just fine if I set it on my counter and let the temperature fluctuate (as it tends to do in my house)?

And how do the storing requirements change after you open the bottle? ...assuming, of course, that there is still port in the bottle at the end of the night/day/morning/drinking session and you don't want it to go bad.

You can get a 750 ML of Fonseca 20 year Tawny for $50.00 that is phenomenally complex and delightful at the local package store. Stuggling with this one....

Brad

A Lab Rat has arrived!!

My wife and I dove into this last night after making a quick trip to FedEx when I found a door tag after work. We’ve enjoyed reading everyone’s comments and questions while working today. Hopefully, we can be of some use.

First of all, we are not regular port drinkers. Normally we prefer big dry reds and crisp whites. Our previous experience was mostly bad. The California Ports/Dessert Wines we have had were very sweet and syrupy. Thankfully, this one is not!

After dinner, we opened it up and took a whiff. First impressions were raspberries and chocolate mousse. It had a nice sweet smell that mixed with ripe fruit like plum and raisin.

Pouring into our glasses, it is definitely dark, almost brownish, and brick-red around the edges. In the glass, it smelled decadent - thick, rich and heavy (can you smell that?). Again, we picked up ripe fruit and chocolate (German Chocolate Cake with Caramel).

FINALLY, our first taste:

Surprisingly, it had a light feel on the tongue and very smooth. It was still a little hot, but that went away quickly. The first taste is chocolate covered strawberries. Not too sweet and nicely balanced with some acidity. It had a nice long finish ending with ripe fruit and a little spice. It tastes like dessert all by itself.

We tried a few pairing:

Unfortunately, no bleu cheese in the house, but we tried it with some other less pungent cheese – not recommended!

Next, fresh strawberries complimented the sweetness and coaxed out more berry flavors from the wine.

Finally, of course, chocolate! JACKPOT! It definitely changed the flavor making it more chocolatety and rich without totally losing the hint of fruit.

After 30 minutes, the alcohol definitely cooled off. There was less fruit present, but it maintains a nice acidic raspberry taste. We tasted chocolate cream and cheesecake.

After 1 hour, the smell of fruit was much less. Smokey oak flavors and spice came through. The wine was much smoother now and less focused on specific smells or flavors, but maintained a rich complexity. This is the first time we could taste the zinfandel flavor. It was the perfect sipping beverage at this point and became even more enjoyable.

And then we drank it all. A definite recommendation. Pull the trigger.

Woot, thanks for this opportunity. We loved it!!

Girlfriend loves port, will probably have to go in for one.

Question: Do you serve these at room temperature?

texacaliali wrote:slightly chilled is preferable.

Thanks. Is there a number that corresponds with "slightly chilled?"

kylemittskus wrote:Calling this "Port" is like calling a Sonoma sparkling wine "Champagne."

True, but then a lot of champagne is either terrible, or just too expensive for the quality. So I'd rather drink vintage iron Horse than NV champagne at the same price.

Port is different: you can buy great vintages if top houses such as 1977 and 1980, ready-aged, for under $100. And I just bought Croft 04 unfiltered LBV for $15 a bottle.

So it's a bit different!

All CA ports i have tasted , inc heitz, sh and pw. are sweeter and less complex than traditional ports, still, one or two are drinkable. Perhaps this is..

.. I liked Concannon's late harvest Zin, which though notvfortified is sweet. But that has botrytis yumminess I think.