Meeker 2005 Kiss Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon 3-Pack
$79.99 (Normally $135.00) 41% off List Price
2005 Kiss Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon
CT link above

Winery website
Kiss Ridge website

Previous offer:
7/20/11 (2004)

• Summer shipping is in effect so don't worry about your wine.
  
• Every winery needs a separate license from each state which is why your state isn't listed.
  

No. You got me with the Iron Horse Rosé and also with the Roserock Pinot. No Meeker. Not allowed. Bought too much at Corison last week.

Pretty sure this is the vintage Lucas brought to the BBQ for the rpm tour.

At this discount over average CT and winery pricing I'll have some 2005 to layer it with. The 2004 was/is quite tasty, glad I still have some.

[edit] checking my notes it was the 2006 we ratted, with a note to buy. Got this and will wait to add the 2006 when it appears.

2005 Napa Cab? Meeker? Oh yes, yes, YES!

I got this last fall and it was amazing! It was my first Meeker purchase, and it definitely wasn't my last. I was even more excited when I found a few wine shops here in TX that carry a lot of their wines. I may have to click the ridiculously large gold button for this one!

According to the notes, at last weeks WindDavid rat tasting, the Meeker Kiss Ridge Cab was a 2006 (?). I picked up six bottles of the 2004 when it was up last year, I tried one, and it's still a youngster.

The notes on the 2006 were great, but I got nothing on the 2005.

rjquillin wrote:Pretty sure this is the vintage Lucas brought to the BBQ for the rpm tour.

Did he happen to BBQ up some pizza's for ya?

I have a bottle or two of this, but only tasted at the TR. no detailed notes, but it was good enough to bring home at a higher price than offered here. This is better than my club discount. IIRC, '05 is regarded as a stronger vintage than '04, but Lucas should be able to compare/contrast with the '04.

Edit: Did anyone else notice the Nov 5th harvest date? Wow.

rjquillin wrote:Pretty sure this is the vintage Lucas brought to the BBQ for the rpm tour.

At this discount over average CT and winery pricing I'll have some 2005 to layer it with. The 2004 was/is quite tasty, glad I still have some.

[edit] checking my notes it was the 2006 we ratted, with a note to buy. Got this and will wait to add the 2006 when it appears.

You all had the '05 that I brought. Must have been a mistake/misunderstanding. I brought it because I knew this was coming up this week!

trifecta wrote:Did he happen to BBQ up some pizza's for ya?

I have a bottle or two of this, but only tasted at the TR. no detailed notes, but it was good enough to bring home at a higher price than offered here. This is better than my club discount. IIRC, '05 is regarded as a stronger vintage than '04, but Lucas should be able to compare/contrast with the '04.

Edit: Did anyone else notice the Nov 5th harvest date? Wow.

I like the '05 better. I think it's a little rounder than the '04, which really had a powerhouse structure. We're splitting hairs here, though.

I'm heading to bed right now, but I'll be more than happy to answer any questions that I didn't in the thread from last years vintage, where I think we covered quite a bit of info.

Should be in the winery by about 7 am PST, so I'll get back to you then if not before. Unless, of course, I continue my insomnia hot streak.

I love the '04 Kiss Ridge and am very excited by the tasting notes I've heard regarding the '05. Let's be honest though, I don't know that Meeker has ever bottled a wine that I didn't like. I like some better than others, sure, but there's a reason I've been a Tribe member for about a decade.

In short, buy this wine. If you like cabs, buy a lot of this wine.

i have been trying to cut down on my wine purchases. fortunately, a family reunion has cleared out a couple of cases, making room for this. i have been impressed with meeker wines. and i made it on the board, for a fleeting moment!

Speed to First Woot: 0m 28.556s
First Sucker: mill
Last Wooter to Woot: szecsei
Last Purchase: a few seconds ago

Last Wooter to Woot:fredrinaldi Woot # 100 plus free shipping (Courtesy of Jumbo woot)Thanks Woot!!

Here we go...gotta stop reading all the reviews about this wine. Cabs are my weakness to begin with, thought I was doing good and now I'm compelled to hit the the ridiculously large gold button. Thanks, thanks alot

Brix at 26.4 a bit high, isn't it? This leads me to believe i
This will have some heat though I may be mistaken? Any comments?

I still have the '04 sitting in the cellar with no plan on going to it any time soon. It seemed very young when I tried the first one. The cellar window listed on CT is 2018 (and I believe it was even past 2020 at one point), so why is the '05 listed on CT as 2015?

I guess what I am getting at is: what do you think the cellar window is for the '05? Is it more of a drink now then the '04 when it came out?

Will be trying not to buy this as I just moved/bought TV/laptop, but the thought of having some sort of mini vertical with this is clawing at my brain.

I loved the '04, so this was a low brainer for me. I am embarassed that the only "braining" that was required was that it isn't as much of a discount as previously offered. However it is a great price for a cab of this quality. I would $85 at the winery. I would really applaud a winery that tried to give the best pricing they could in their tasting room rather than "sticking it to the tourists" and then dumping it on the discount sites. If this is as good as the '04, then $45/bottle is a terrific retail price. I love going to Napa, but I hate feeling like I can't buy anything in the tasting rooms, since most of it will come to me so much cheaper with patience. Again, assuming Lucas' puppy and girlfriend let him get some sleep (I read the bio on the website, I'm not a stalker (too hard to hide in the bushes with a long stemmed wine glass)), I'd be very curious for some inside insight.

I really want some of this, but I am on a strict no-buy policy right now. After seeing all of the tour 2 info and all of the aged cabs tasted, I'm wondering how long this could be held without fading. If Lucas were to come on here and tell me this could last another 10-15 years, I would consider breaking my policy to lay some of these down in my new cooler.

lucasmeeker wrote:You all had the '05 that I brought. Must have been a mistake/misunderstanding. I brought it because I knew this was coming up this week!

I didn't get a chance to taste this at the BBQ -- there were so many wines and after a full day of tasting I actually drank quite a bit of sparkling water at the BBQ before tasting no more than 3 or 4 wines total, so I can't add much.

2005 was generally one of the most successful vintages in Napa of the last decade, so this is promising. Stats indicate a little riper fruit, a little higher alcohol and pH than I typically look for, but within the bounds of some of the better 'modern' style Cabernets designed to be riper with more forward and darker fruit aromas and flavors and balanced more for current/medium term drinking than for 10+ years aging with an eye to significant bottle bouquet.

Seems to me that this would be a reasonable set to try Meeker's Cab from a good year.

2005s are getting harder to find; those from good producers are almost always worth snapping up when you find them: there are going to be some lean years with 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2011 being less than strong vintages. 2007 and 2009 are better, but generally not as strong as 2005, and may need more time.

lucasmeeker wrote:You all had the '05 that I brought. Must have been a mistake/misunderstanding. I brought it because I knew this was coming up this week!

Just to bu sure I understand what I tasted, was it also the '05 that WCC brought to the informal Tuesday night rattage, as opposed to the BBQ, or were both the same? The notes I was referring to were those from the rattage, and listed the '06 as a buy.

First time poster here. I'm in. I usually cannot resist a CabSauv with this type of profile and apparently generous discount level. The final trigger was having a weather-related hold in place until September on another Cab order from a different website.

Any chance they'll ship in the original wooden logo box?

loupyone wrote:I love the '04 Kiss Ridge and am very excited by the tasting notes I've heard regarding the '05. Let's be honest though, I don't know that Meeker has ever bottled a wine that I didn't like. I like some better than others, sure, but there's a reason I've been a Tribe member for about a decade.

In short, buy this wine. If you like cabs, buy a lot of this wine.

Very kind words. Thank you. Much appreciated.

losthighwayz wrote:Brix at 26.4 a bit high, isn't it? This leads me to believe i
This will have some heat though I may be mistaken? Any comments?

Brix at pick does not always equal brix at start of fermentation. Small water corrections are legal and great for fruit like this. You're essentially just adding water that was lost in the last day or so of ripening as the vine reabsorbed moisture from the berries.

jcarlton03 wrote:I still have the '04 sitting in the cellar with no plan on going to it any time soon. It seemed very young when I tried the first one. The cellar window listed on CT is 2018 (and I believe it was even past 2020 at one point), so why is the '05 listed on CT as 2015?

I guess what I am getting at is: what do you think the cellar window is for the '05? Is it more of a drink now then the '04 when it came out?

Will be trying not to buy this as I just moved/bought TV/laptop, but the thought of having some sort of mini vertical with this is clawing at my brain.

Short answer: because the people who write the CT drinking windows aren't always the same people who know the same information.

You should have no problem laying this down for another 8-10.

jonahp wrote:I loved the '04, so this was a low brainer for me. I am embarassed that the only "braining" that was required was that it isn't as much of a discount as previously offered. However it is a great price for a cab of this quality. I would $85 at the winery. I would really applaud a winery that tried to give the best pricing they could in their tasting room rather than "sticking it to the tourists" and then dumping it on the discount sites. If this is as good as the '04, then $45/bottle is a terrific retail price. I love going to Napa, but I hate feeling like I can't buy anything in the tasting rooms, since most of it will come to me so much cheaper with patience. Again, assuming Lucas' puppy and girlfriend let him get some sleep (I read the bio on the website, I'm not a stalker (too hard to hide in the bushes with a long stemmed wine glass)), I'd be very curious for some inside insight.

Explanation of the two prices I think was covered in last year's thread but I'll explain here in more brevity:

We released the 2004 Kiss Ridge at $85 before the depth of the recession had really hit the wine industry full speed, and our partners in this wine were optimistic that it would do well.

Long story short, we lowered a bunch of our prices during the first year of the recession at our own discretion. We had wine club members that were canceling because they couldn't afford, and we figured we ought to make whatever change we could to help our customers out. Most of the price reductions were small (~10%), but with Kiss Ridge we decided to scrap the wood box and increase visibility of the wine and target some high end glass pours. We lowered it to $45 for the 2005 vintage.

THUS: The $85 price isn't wrong, and neither is $45, we just made a change with the wine between vintages. Either way you're getting a sweet deal.

Additionally, we don't "dump" anything on tourists. Most of our tasting room traffic is our own wine club members, who all receive 20-30% off retail every day, and who we also inform about these sales as well.

North316 wrote:I really want some of this, but I am on a strict no-buy policy right now. After seeing all of the tour 2 info and all of the aged cabs tasted, I'm wondering how long this could be held without fading. If Lucas were to come on here and tell me this could last another 10-15 years, I would consider breaking my policy to lay some of these down in my new cooler.

15 might be stretching it, but wouldn't surprise me either. I really don't think 10 would be a problem. 8-10 is probably the prime though.

lucasmeeker wrote:Short answer: because the people who write the CT drinking windows aren't always the same people who know the same information.

I don't know this wine, so I can't comment on likely life cycle, but I can second in ALL CAPS his point that CT is probably the most unreliable place possible to try to figure out when to drink a wine. While there may be some knowledgeable, experienced wine connoisseurs on CT who take the time and energy to provide good notes and thoughtful commentary on aging potential, my sense is that a lot of CT posters have more money than palate or experience. I would trust a Parker review more than CT, and most of you know how much I love Bob Parker.

rpm wrote:Stats indicate a little riper fruit, a little higher alcohol and pH than I typically look for, but within the bounds of some of the better 'modern' style Cabernets designed to be riper with more forward and darker fruit aromas and flavors and balanced more for current/medium term drinking than for 10+ years aging with an eye to significant bottle bouquet.

It's important to note that the brix and pH noted are at pick, not at inoculation. We are aggressive and notorious for our acid additions and we make water corrections when necessary. You can assume that ferm started at 7.5 g/L TA and 25.0 brix. That's usually our correction target provided it's within an acceptable beginning range.

rjquillin wrote:Just to bu sure I understand what I tasted, was it also the '05 that WCC brought to the informal Tuesday night rattage, as opposed to the BBQ, or were both the same? The notes I was referring to were those from the rattage, and listed the '06 as a buy.

At the tasting by the pool you all drank 2005, that's what I meant, sorry. I know this for sure because the '06 features a slightly different label. David specifically asked me to swing by so that I could bring the current wine going up on deal to give you guys a preview. He and I just had a misunderstanding about vintage.

PTommins wrote:Any chance they'll ship in the original wooden logo box?

Negative ghostrider, part of the price drop to $45 precluded wooden boxes which cost us $15-18 each wholesale.

rpm wrote:I don't know this wine, so I can't comment on likely life cycle, but I can second in ALL CAPS his point that CT is probably the most unreliable place possible to try to figure out when to drink a wine. While there may be some knowledgeable, experienced wine connoisseurs on CT who take the time and energy to provide good notes and thoughtful commentary on aging potential, my sense is that a lot of CT posters have more money than palate or experience. I would trust a Parker review more than CT, and most of you know how much I love Bob Parker.

Agreed.

I could give you one of my famous (infamous?) 3,000 word diatribes on "drinking window" estimates from people if you want, but it boils down to this: Most of the people who make drinking window proclamations don't even know or think about the most important factors in that chemical process: pH, alcohol, residual sugar. Other things that can help: phenolic counts and experience with actually cellaring wine for that long.

I can't even begin to tell you how livid it makes me when I see a published drinking window that says 15-25 years when the wine is 3.8 pH, RS of 1.0+, and alc at 15.8+, which are not rare numbers for some Napa Cabs. That wine won't go 5 years, let alone 15, yet because it's Napa Cab people slap a decade or two on it 'cuz it tastes like a pile of barrels covered in barrel dust.

lucasmeeker wrote:Explanation of the two prices I think was covered in last year's thread but I'll explain here in more brevity:

We released the 2004 Kiss Ridge at $85 before the depth of the recession had really hit the wine industry full speed, and our partners in this wine were optimistic that it would do well.

Long story short, we lowered a bunch of our prices during the first year of the recession at our own discretion. We had wine club members that were canceling because they couldn't afford, and we figured we ought to make whatever change we could to help our customers out. Most of the price reductions were small (~10%), but with Kiss Ridge we decided to scrap the wood box and increase visibility of the wine and target some high end glass pours. We lowered it to $45 for the 2005 vintage.

THUS: The $85 price isn't wrong, and neither is $45, we just made a change with the wine between vintages. Either way you're getting a sweet deal.

Additionally, we don't "dump" anything on tourists. Most of our tasting room traffic is our own wine club members, who all receive 20-30% off retail every day, and who we also inform about these sales as well.

Lucas, I didn't mean to offend with the "dump" reference. I was trying to applaud the actions of your group. I get so confused hearing about wineries "defending the brand" by keeping prices high, while selling on flash sites. Even worse were the restaurants who wouldn't drop their prices on wine lists even after being offered discounts by the wineries. The only person I was trying to criticise was myself for not jumping on a wine faster since the "discount" to a somewhat arbitrary retail price wasn't as great.
I will restate, I loved the '04 Kiss Ridge, and I think the '05 and '06 are relative bargains at $45 before club or woot discounts. You guys are truly defending your brand by offering a product of this quality at an affordable price. Taking the time to reply to every comment on the forum is much appreciated as well.

lucasmeeker wrote:You all had the '05 that I brought. Must have been a mistake/misunderstanding. I brought it because I knew this was coming up this week!

I think there were a few typos on the rat sheets. Being that it was the 2005 we had, I have notes!

Nose - interesting scotch like aromas
Palate - ripe raspberry, dark cherry, lots of tannins, with a nice and long finish

Also noted that it could use 2-5 years in the cellar.

Sorry the notes are a bit brief but we were speed tasting that evening, tasted ~20 wines in about an hour and a half.

Good thing for swish and spit, or as some like to call it, spish and swit

clcaruthers wrote:I got this last fall and it was amazing! It was my first Meeker purchase, and it definitely wasn't my last. I was even more excited when I found a few wine shops here in TX that carry a lot of their wines. I may have to click the ridiculously large gold button for this one!

I still haven't touched any of my '04s from last year.

Still, for Lucas' always-awesome participation alone, it's hard not to go in on this!

lucasmeeker wrote:Agreed.

I could give you one of my famous (infamous?) 3,000 word diatribes on "drinking window" estimates from people if you want, but it boils down to this: Most of the people who make drinking window proclamations don't even know or think about the most important factors in that chemical process: pH, alcohol, residual sugar. Other things that can help: phenolic counts and experience with actually cellaring wine for that long.

I can't even begin to tell you how livid it makes me when I see a published drinking window that says 15-25 years when the wine is 3.8 pH, RS of 1.0+, and alc at 15.8+, which are not rare numbers for some Napa Cabs. That wine won't go 5 years, let alone 15, yet because it's Napa Cab people slap a decade or two on it 'cuz it tastes like a pile of barrels covered in barrel dust.

Sigh. My first personal experience with highly-touted wines that lacked structure and acid, and hence faded within a few years after release were the 1974 Napa Cabernets. Very nice, relatively forward (for the time) fruit, a little hot (for the time) wines with modest tannin in youth, few of them aged gracefully. It was my first widespread experience with the phenomenon I'd been told about by my great uncles and grandfather.

lucasmeeker wrote:That wine won't go 5 years, let alone 15, yet because it's Napa Cab people slap a decade or two on it 'cuz it tastes like a pile of barrels covered in barrel dust.

This has become my most favorite thing ever said by a winemaker here. It may very well become my signature quote.

Kiss Ridge is one of my favorite Meeker wines. About to jump on this one.

By the way Lucas, your pinots were very good. Yes I drank them all already, can't wait to get more when the heat subsides. And yes, we were one of those that got a hot shipment, but the wine was still really good. Can't wait to try it with better shipping conditions!

bhodilee wrote:This has become my most favorite thing ever said by a winemaker here. It may very well become my signature quote.

It's a pretty awesome phrase, yeah.