Palouse Winery Washington Red Blend 4-Pack
$69.99 (Normally $102.00) 31% off List Price
2 2007 Eclipse Red Blend
2 2008 Eclipse Red Blend
CT links above

Winery website

I'm back!

All is right with the world.

mikegberg wrote:All is right with the world.

Thanks for your help. And the others as well, pcuccaro for the woot-off and North316 for Plus and anyone else I missed.

Interesting.
I just noticed that the winery is located on Vashon island. I have a friend who lives there and have spent some time in the sound on a kayak. This has nothing to do with the wine offered today but it brought back good memories. Maybe I'll order this for my brother who lives in Tacoma and expose him to a Washington winery that would be new to him.

To the winemaker. The blend looks to be a Bordeaux style, was this the intent?

Edited for spelling.

mikegberg wrote:All is right with the world.

Ain't that the truth!

Also, the description for this one is awesome. Nicely done, Woot.

These look interesting and I am curious to hear more about them. Love big NW reds. I admit that the 93 point rating from someone/thing called "Midwest Wine Guy" makes me roll my eyes a bit, though.

cortot20 wrote:Interesting.
I just noticed that the winery is located on vaschon island. I have a friend who lives there and have spent some time in the sound on a kayak. This has nothing to do with the wine offered today but it brought back good memories. Maybe I'll order this for my brother who lives in Tacoma and expose him to a Washington winery that would be new to him.

To the winemaker. The blend looks to be a Bourdeux style, was this the intent?

Definitely the 2008 is a classic Bordeaux blend - Cab Sauv, Merlot, Cab Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. At yesterday's tasting this was the standout of the day! This is a great price too.

dah7m wrote:These look interesting and I am curious to hear more about them. Love big NW reds. I admit that the 93 point rating from someone/thing called "Midwest Wine Guy" makes me roll my eyes a bit, though.

We received 3 Double Gold medals at the Seattle Wine awards for the 2008 wines against 600 Washington Wineries. This year we were one of only 40 wineries, out of the 800 and something wineries now in Washington, asked to do a face to face pouring with the Wine Advocate

gkirkish wrote:We received 3 Double Gold medals at the Seattle Wine awards for the 2008 wines against 600 Washington Wineries. This year we were one of only 40 wineries, out of the 800 and something wineries now in Washington, asked to do a face to face pouring with the Wine Advocate

You got me, I am in I love this type of blend and Washington wines especially-can't wait to try this!!!

gkirkish wrote:We received 3 Double Gold medals at the Seattle Wine awards for the 2008 wines against 600 Washington Wineries. This year we were one of only 40 wineries, out of the 800 and something wineries now in Washington, asked to do a face to face pouring with the Wine Advocate

Sold me always looking for something new and need to start stocking up for the winter in for 2.....drinking window????

I noticed that the eclipse bottles on your website have a wax seal, but the ones pictured on woot do not. Are these wax sealed and if so whats the easiest method you recommend for removing said seal. I have noticed some folks around here injuring themselves in the past cutting off wax seals.

I once used a rabbit style cork screw to punch through a wax seal and had it strip the screw of something or add a compound to the screw that it made it more difficult to use.

cortot20 wrote:I noticed that the eclipse bottles on your website have a wax seal, but the ones pictured on woot do not. Are these wax sealed and if so whats the easiest method you recommend for removing said seal. I have noticed some folks around here injuring themselves in the past cutting off wax seals.

I once used a rabbit style cork screw to punch through a wax seal and had it strip the screw of something or add a compound to the screw that it made it more difficult to use.

None of our new bottles have wax except for some special bottles.

neilfindswine wrote:We tasted these side by side at the office- quite different which likely speaks to the different vintages as well as the influence of the supporting grapes in these Cab/Merlot dominant blends- Cab Franc/Petite Sirah in one and Cab Franc/Malbec/Petit Verdot in the other.

We also poured these at the Tues night tasting during the RPM tour. Perhaps someone took some notes during our rapid-fire tasting?

I took notes on the '08 Eclipse Blend. Unfortunately, I never did get to taste the '07. The '08 is a well-balanced & lush wine. It is peppery on the nose with flavors of dark fruits & cassis. It would go wonderfully with a steak au poivre.

This was truly a stand out wine of our tasting Tuesday night when wines were coming at us fast and furious! I wrote notes and remembered it when I saw it on woot last night. We have plenty of wine already & just bought more on the second tour. I will be ordering this.

Notes:

2007: better of the two. Nose of poached pear, cherry, and a bit of dust. Palate: darker than 08. Cherry and spice. Pretty much just those. Low to mid level chalky tannins.

2008: Nose cherry and ripe figs. A touch of olives and dust, candied orange peel, cinnamon and clove. Palate. Brighter than the nose suggests. Decent cherry and spice with a full profile but not especially complex.

We noted this as a $15-20 wine which makes it reasonable on this offer.

(thanks to my beautiful +1 for these detailed notes)

neilfindswine wrote:...and perhaps the winemaker can comment on the grape/blending decisions that varied between the two vintages?

Sure, simple answer is that PV and Malbec had been in short supply until 2008 when we were able to get a ton of each. Until then my wife and I used the Petite Sirah to help bring up the bottom layer of the blend with a nice deep darkness and spice. We have made the Eclipse Blend that way since 2003. In 2008 we had the grapes to do a traditional Bordeaux style blend. I find that it's about 50/50 on the people that prefer the 2007 or the 2008. Really just a matter of preference, but I think the 2007, at 5 years old now, is really at it's peak! Both were made in the same style, hand picked grapes, destemmed but not crushed, 1 ton open top fermentors, hand punched down 4-5 times a day, until the balance of flavor, color, and tannin that I desire is reached. Gently pressed off in our SS basket press, directly into 100% french oak barrels (30% new)stirring the lees for a creamier, rounder mouthfeel. The wines stay in barrels for 18-20 months, when we start the blending trials, one of my favorite parts of the winemaking job!

We've known George for many years and love the wine.

(Hi George - Julie & Nick)

Sorry for the late notes, but here are my brief ones from the Tues tasting, note that I'd been tasting (and mostly spitting ) wine all day at this point, so palate fatigue was in play:
07: a bit fruity, black and red fruits, nice present tannins, good balance, a good wine to bring to a dinner party.
08: black cherry, richer fruits than the 07, I preferred the 08, but thought these would both be good QPR in $15-$20 range.

gkirkish wrote:We received 3 Double Gold medals at the Seattle Wine awards for the 2008 wines against 600 Washington Wineries. This year we were one of only 40 wineries, out of the 800 and something wineries now in Washington, asked to do a face to face pouring with the Wine Advocate

Sounds like good stuff!

cmaldoon wrote:Notes:

2007: better of the two. Nose of poached pear, cherry, and a bit of dust. Palate: darker than 08. Cherry and spice. Pretty much just those. Low to mid level chalky tannins.

2008: Nose cherry and ripe figs. A touch of olives and dust, candied orange peel, cinnamon and clove. Palate. Brighter than the nose suggests. Decent cherry and spice with a full profile but not especially complex.

We noted this as a $15-20 wine which makes it reasonable on this offer.

(thanks to my beautiful +1 for these detailed notes)

Your description clearly reads to me as "2008 >> 2007" Thanks for the notes!

Nak1017 wrote:We've known George for many years and love the wine.

(Hi George - Julie & Nick)

Hi guys, whne you coming up to the winery again?

Neil, thanks for jogging my memory. I did taste the '07 but not the '08 vintage. Standard palate fatigue/ sparse notes caveat as others.

Nose: dark fruit
Palate: cherry, blackberry, currant with some dusty/earthiness on the mid-palate and fairly grippy tannins on the finish.

chipgreen wrote:Neil, thanks for jogging my memory. I did taste the '07 but not the '08 vintage. Standard palate fatigue/ sparse notes caveat as others.

Nose: dark fruit
Palate: cherry, blackberry, currant with some dusty/earthiness on the mid-palate and fairly grippy tannins on the finish.

Back from tours #1 and #2 and sorting out notes, also sparse as they were as the evening grew late. Had both the '07 and '08 and noted light grippy tannins on the '08 compared to the '07; nice finish on both. Noted 'would buy' and appreciated the lighter 13.5% ABV. Given that Amex increased my limit, IN.

I'm not sure how the wine is, but I do find it odd that it's called Palouse Winery. It's off the western coast of Washington! The Palouse, if you haven't been there, is a beautiful region in southeastern Washington and central/western Idaho, full of rolling hills, lentils, winter wheat, and a beauty all its own. It's worth a visit if you've never been!

Hello West-siders!

I was just curious why you decided on the name Palouse Winery, I live in Spokane and initially thought (given the mass of vineyards and wineries between here and the OR border) that you were closer to me. Just looking for some trivia, thanks