Oberon 2008 Napa Valley Merlot - 4 Pack
$49.99 + $7.00 shipping
CONDITION: Red
PRODUCT: 4 Oberon 2008 Napa Valley Merlot
CT link above

Winery website
Second site
Third site

Previous offer:
7/8/11 (White)

Very interesting, what's the drinking window on these?

"This wine features naturally soften tannins and enhance varietal complexity."

Huh?

Did the AYBABTU writer do this review as well?

bsevern wrote:Very interesting, what's the drinking window on these?

CT quotes 2009-2013, but without identifying the source. Sounds about right.
looking forward to hearing from the winery.

So any idea when wine shipping to Maryland will happen?

jgantert wrote:So any idea when wine shipping to Maryland will happen?

I sympathaize-even though I live in Virginia I know my Maryland friends wish the wineries would start purchasing licenses. Please!!! These guys have waited a long time.

This offering looks like one I would like but am waiting for the labrats to chime in.

jgantert wrote:So any idea when wine shipping to Maryland will happen?

The winery has to be registered in MD (and pay a fee to the state). A few are but most aren't (see the following article http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2011-06-26/business/bs-md-wine-shipping-20110620_1_winery-owners-maryland-wineries-direct-wine).

Every once in a while though Woot has a winery that can ship to MD.

I believe Oberon falls under the Michael Mondavi family of wines, hopefully that means we will get some participation today.

To the winemaker: I loved the last Oberon Cab Sav I had, what intent going into making this Merlot?

Good morning! Thank you Woot for providing me this opportunity!

I was so excited with I received notice of the golden ticket yesterday. Yet, at the same time nervous that I would be able to report my tasting in a manner that would help the community. While I've never posted before, I read these forums constantly and they have helped me purchase and enjoy many fine wines.

I was selected to taste the Oberon Napa Valley Merlot 2008. Oh dear, a Merlot. Merlot is my least favorite red wine. However, in the past I've gone back to varietals that I've not been fond of and in trying them again, found that my tastes have changed. Normally, I tend to veer in reds towards bold or complex wines. I love Ty Canton, Wellington, Corison, Rasmussen, etc. I have a weak spot for a good Australian Shiraz as well.

The tasters tonight were my husband and I.
Tasting notes:

Upon opening we detected notes of dark cherry. The initial taste was very dry and tight without any flavor that I could detect.
We poured the wine into a decanter and started our dinner. Dinner consisted of a rosemary marinated steak, grilled mixed vegetables and corn on the cob.

We decanted the wine over an hour and then had another small taste before dinner was ready. The wine was opening and I could slightly taste the dark cherry I had detected earlier but very little else. 20 minutes later we were ready to eat. We each had a half glass before we started eating.

I could no longer detect the cherry in the swirl as I did previously. When I sipped, I could taste the cherry and some spice (my husband said cinnamon but I'm not sure that is it). The middle was smooth but nothing jumped out at me to describe. The finish had a touch of acidity and tannis, but very little else. We started eating and found that while the wine did not detract or overpower the steak, it also did not enhance it either. I wish I could describe more flavors or complexity, but they just weren't there. Maybe that is how a Merlot is supposed to taste? We finished our glasses and then funneled it back and sealed the bottle to try again tonight. If there is a difference I'll post again.

It is an OK wine, but for me, there are better wines out there for the price that I enjoy more.

Crickets in here today.

rxmurphy wrote:Crickets in here today.

Yeah, hoping for a few more labrats before I decide. Good price, but Merlot is not my go to, but I want to buy to round out my selection from my Wine Cellar.

Labrat Report:

Getting the golden ticket made up for what was an otherwise carpy day at work (which is where I get my wine shipped). After framing the golden ticket, I proceeded to pour two small glasses for tasting through my vinturi. Nice dark ruby color. Nose was a bit of alcohol and cherry. Decanted half the bottle and proceeded to taste the merlot. Definite dark cherry tastes and SWMBO, mostly a white wine drinker, agreed with the cherry and thought there were some notes of pepper. Had a few pieces of cheese, aged cheddar and manchego as an appetizer with it while I fixed dinner. The menu was already decided, broiled sockeye salmon, potatoes au gratin, and steamed broccoli. I added a little of a spicy teriyaki marinade to the fish, figuring the merlot could stand up.

Dinner prep took about 45 minutes. The wine began opening up, though the distinct cherry notes kind of got lost into other berry flavors. Decent acidity. Smooth tannins at the end. The merlot worked well with the salmon but didn't knock my sock(eye) off (sorry bad pun).

Will try the rest of the wine tonight sans food and will update with any changes. My initial thoughts are it's an okay wine, better with food, probably grilled or broiled, either chicken, salmon, or pork but not hearty enough to stand up to steaks.

I appreciate the opportunity to try this. Hopefully, the review isn't too horrible (having said that, my goal is to get to 100 purchases without a quality post!). Don't know if I'm going to buy yet. Debating. Will update on that too. Thanks, Woot and WineDavid.

Update: 2d night with rest of wine was uneventful. Okay merlot, esp with food but doesn't really stand out on its own. Gonna pass on the offer - too many chances and oppty's for something better at this price point.

rxmurphy wrote:Crickets in here today.

Hang in there, folks are still waking up. (Even the mods.)

inkycatz wrote:Hang in there, folks are still waking up. (Even the mods.)

methinks even the crickets have left for the beach.... or the usual suspects are observing the Thumper Rule.

rpm wrote:methinks even the crickets have left for the beach.... or the usual suspects are observing the Thumper Rule.

Possibly. I tried their Cab and it was rubbish.

I have had their cabernet and really enjoyed it, it had nice oak flavor and was smooth for ~$22. I'm not a big merlot fan and from the reviews sounds typical of merlot that is younger- If I'm going to drink Merlot, I prefer to drink those that have been aged. I could pick this up at the supermarket for ~$22 so not worth it for me to have to hold onto 4 bottles for a couple of years.

catluvwine wrote:When I sipped, I could taste the cherry and some spice (my husband said cinnamon but I'm not sure that is it).

I love learning about wine, and I'll be the first to confess I'm not as familiar with reds as I ought to be. I wonder where the spice taste comes from?

"bsevern regurgitates ye ol' drinking window question"

I am really hoping that this wine.woot! teaser is not a subliminal critique of the offering. That would not be good.

My first lab rat offering. Thanks Woot!

I shared this bottle of wine with 3 other friends over dinner and took notes on my napkin. Dinner was Thai food, consisting of spicy broths filled with noodles and red meats.

I have to be honest at this point and say that I don't eat enough fruit to recognize what plum and currant (is that a fruit?) taste or smell like. On an empty stomach, I found the wine to be lush with the fruitness and minor acidity one might expect from a Merlot. I declared the wine to have a "clean finish", which was mostly me trying to impress my friend, but she agreed with me, so there may be some truth to that.

Once the food arrived, the wine really began to shine. The spiciness of the food brought out a sweetness to the wine that I hadn't really tasted before. I think I tasted the plum in much greater effect, though, as I said above, I haven't had a plum in a long time. The minor acidity I mentioned before faded into a rich and smooth texture. The label claims the wine to have a velvety texture, and I would agree with this claim about 80% - the 20% uncertainty caused by never having eaten velvet before.

To summarize, it pairs well with spicy food, but I wouldn't use it at an event where wine was the focus. Every one of my friends said they enjoyed it, but, to be fair, my friends are very polite people.

inkycatz wrote:I love learning about wine, and I'll be the first to confess I'm not as familiar with reds as I ought to be. I wonder where the spice taste comes from?

It depends on what spice flavors your referring to. Some varietals and/or regions provide a spice flavor naturally (think Syrah and pepper). Other spice flavors come from oak influence. These oak-spice flavors are often times referred to as "baking spices," "nutmeg," "all spice," and the like. Lastly, I think that people sometimes call the mild alcohol flavor in wine "spicy."

kylemittskus wrote:It depends on what spice flavors your referring to. Some varietals and/or regions provide a spice flavor naturally (think Syrah and pepper). Other spice flavors come from oak influence. These oak-spice flavors are often times referred to as "baking spices," "nutmeg," "all spice," and the like.

Thanks, that's very helpful. I was reading the comment from one of the lab rats above and wondered about it.

I usually drink whites and know how the different type of oaks can make a difference, but I'm rather novice at the various reds.

I know, drink more, right? For um, work research!

inkycatz wrote:
I know, drink more, right? For um, work research!

Read rpm's signature, great advice. Take notes. Discover your own palate. I also recommend this thread , I continue to reread it as I continue to learn.

LABRAT REPORT: My first opportunity to be a labrat! I am excited, and I admit I was a little nervous as I drank this wine because I knew I'd have to report back in writing, something I'm not at all accustomed to with wine.

I had the benefit of reading two Labrat reports before I opened my bottle, so as soon as I got home I opened it, poured myself a glass, and decanted the rest. On opening the bottle, the wine was a beautiful ruby color and had a rich cherry and currant aroma. However, the aroma was the best part - the wine tasted a little thin to me. The label remarks on its velvety finish, which is certainly true. There's only a hint of fruit at first, very little flavor (other than alcohol) through the middle, and then a thick, velvety texture to the finish that lingers impressively.

Dinner menu was already grilled mahi-mahi and sweet potato fries, so I added a little cumin to the fish and cinnamon to the potatoes in hopes of challenging the merlot. After the wine was decanted for about an hour and a half, and there was food on the table, the Oberon had opened up a lot. Surprisingly, the fruit aroma was mostly gone, and the cherry I'd originally tasted turned into more of a subtle, rich plum flavor. The thick, almost cobwebby finish was still there, although a lot of the tannins had calmed down. I kept hoping that the wine would gain more flavor up front, but it never did, and I think it actually got overpowered a little, rather than just softened, by dinner.

Overall, I'd say that at this price, it's a decent Merlot, and you could serve it without compunction to a friend. But I would mostly just say it's "OK." Some caveats, though: I am mostly a shiraz/syrah drinker, not a merlot drinker, and this summer I've been drinking whites and roses so this is actually the first red wine I've had in about three months.*

Thank you WineDavid39 and Wine.Woot for this chance to be a labrat! It was fun, and it also meant I got to drink a whole bottle of wine because my wife didn't want any wine tonight. Huzzah! And thanks to you Wooters for reading - I hope this was marginally helpful.

*Scary red wine recently served to me at a wedding dinner notwithstanding.

First Merlot I've seen since I started following. Wife would love it, but Kansas didn't show up on the board this time around. Very sad.

Why can wine be sent to Arizona some days, and not other days?

Saguarobum wrote:Why can wine be sent to Arizona some days, and not other days?

Each winery has to apply for a licence for each state. Some wineries don't buy each state license.

jgantert wrote:So any idea when wine shipping to Maryland will happen?

For what it's worth, here is the link to the list of wineries that have already received their MD direct ship licenses, as well as those that are pending. Although Oberon isn't on the list, a whole bunch are, including some Woot favorites. No more Wootlegging for me!!!

pagreen wrote:For what it's worth, here is the link to the list of wineries that have already received their MD direct ship licenses, as well as those that are pending. Although Oberon isn't on the list, a whole bunch are, including some Woot favorites. No more Wootlegging for me!!!

+1!

Is it just me, or my network, or has ww been really slooooooow to load the past few days? Kinda like this weekend appears to be shaping up. Other sites seem fine.

W w's have been as such to cause things to be slow. How do you fake excitement over things which aren't exciting?

When things are slow, there's a reason...

kylemittskus wrote:It depends on what spice flavors your referring to. Some varietals and/or regions provide a spice flavor naturally (think Syrah and pepper). Other spice flavors come from oak influence. These oak-spice flavors are often times referred to as "baking spices," "nutmeg," "all spice," and the like. Lastly, I think that people sometimes call the mild alcohol flavor in wine "spicy."

Agreed. The very light spice you get in some Pinots Noirs is one thing, but I often find that if people call a Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Zinfandel spicy, it means that you can taste the alcohol, and it's a bit or a lot "hot". It's for me very often an indication of heat. This alcohol "spice", as you'd get from a good tequila, is a kind of kick which quite a few younger and bar drinkers like, and goes with some of the powerful American / International styles of these reds.

Winedavid39 wrote:Clue?

From your favorite Barbie.

Mandolina pleeeze!!!

Winedavid39 wrote:Clue?

From your favorite Barbie.

Possibly:

INSPIRATION VINEYARDS & WINERY
Founded:
2002
Owners:
Barbara & Jon Phillips

richardhod wrote:Possibly:

INSPIRATION VINEYARDS & WINERY
Founded:
2002
Owners:
Barbara & Jon Phillips

Hopefully,
Last time I saw him he mentioned that he wanted to a Chard. vertical. That would be interesting if I ever bought chardonnay.

Edit, Now his Reserve Zin is a woot I can't refuse. Great wine.

cortot20 wrote:Hopefully,
Last time I saw him he mentioned that he wanted to a Chard. vertical. That would be interesting if I ever bought chardonnay.

Edit, Now his Reserve Zin is a woot I can't refuse. Great wine.

Gosh shucks - thanks all - didn't see this post until today... Working on getting my permits for TX so that I can feature three Chardonnay's - the WOOTGODS tell me that we may be on in September... As for my Zinfandel, I still have some at the winery - just let me know...

Cheers!
Jon

richardhod wrote:Possibly:

INSPIRATION VINEYARDS & WINERY
Founded:
2002
Owners:
Barbara & Jon Phillips

Thanks for mentioning us - but no, my wife doesn't go by Barbie... not even sure what this "clue" is all about - but appreciate the woots...

Cheers!
Jon