Winedavid39 wrote:how big? Also, are you factoring in tax and shipping?

He's 11 weeks old and 14.5 pounds.

I'm just spoiled by the older woot pricing. I know Peter has increased his price, but $10 more a bottle takes this into the no buy category since the racks are full and will probably receive one of these in a club shipment in a year or two. Plus I know from the past that this will make a re-appearance.

All that said I am huge supporter of Peter and his wines and firmly believe he is one of the few small producers that prices his wines appropriately. Most winery's list prices are ridiculous.

And I went in for one, breaking my meaningless moratorium. THANKS A LOT, PETER.

Have a good harvest!!!

Thank you all! I will seriously consider getting these. Very VERY tempted.

For now, I'll keep drinking until I can know what I am talking about.

Also, polar bears are my favorite animal.

I've been on a pretty tight SIWBM, but Peter's wine is kinda softening me up. Gotta think long term and possible sell out. In for two. Thanks Peter, it's always great to see your participation.

polarbear22 wrote:OK, that gives me the 04-07 Victory vertical. Of course, now the pressure will be to open all four in a single evening. Something to look forward to, for sure.

Same here. I'll have to have the right sort of gathering, folks who can really appreciate this sort of nectar of the Gods. I also have a 3L bottle of the '04 Victory (I'll bet even Sparky doesn't have one of those), waiting for the right time and circumstances. On Peter's advice, I'm holding that one 10-15 years from vintage.

Winedavid39 wrote:Now that is a grand idea..

So great to have Perer with us again.

WD: make the Victory vertical happen!!

cmaldoon wrote:Ummmm... I do not think Klez has a new little one.... Kyle, yes, joelsisk, soon, cortot possibly.... Not Klez as far as I know...

4 more weeks!

And wonderful to see Wellington back on WW. I was fortunate to get a taste at the Studdert Ranch Gala. Good stuff, but no detailed notes, sorry.

Stupoopy wrote:Thank you all! I will seriously consider getting these. Very VERY tempted.

For now, I'll keep drinking until I can know what I am talking about.

Also, polar bears are my favorite animal.

Aside from PB's advice that is quoted in RPM's signature, I highly suggest you read this forum daily, ask lots and lots of questions, and read this thread (A Cat Died In My Mouth).

p2002 wrote:Just curious. How many barrels were produced of this vintage? Type of yeast?
Always good to see you back PW. look forward to your comments.

Okay, here's the list of yeast strains:

Cabernet Sauvignon: D254
Cabernet Franc: GRE (a Grenache isolate)
Petit Verdot and Merlot: D21
Malbec: Assmanshausen (a Pinot Noir isolate)

No trade secrets here - different vineyards, different size and type of fermentation tank and different stylistic goals means YMMV.

rpm wrote:Given your description, it sounds to me like the 2007 will actually be the longer-lived wine, though, assuming the 'softer' tannins are adequate. Sounds better long-term balanced, though the pH is just a touch higher than I'd like to see.

Balanced young wines make balanced old wines. The tannins aren't harsh, but are present in adequate amounts to ensure graceful aging. Yes, lower pH would add to longevity, but it would also make this wine a little too tart imho.

canonizer wrote:And I went in for one, breaking my meaningless moratorium. THANKS A LOT, PETER.

Have a good harvest!!!

No, thank you! We are having a fantastic f#28ing harvest. The fruit has been impeccable - very clean, great flavor and very uniform maturity. Yields are pretty good too. This is a very welcome vintage after the last two.

Oh man! The 2006 Victory was one of the first wines I bought on WW. I could only wait 6 months before trying it with some friends. We first had a Zin my coworker made, which was excellent. Then we opened the Victory, and were totally blown away! I think I'll save one for 5 years or so from now, and one for when we buy our first home in about a year.

Sounds like an excellent Bordeaux. This will be my first Wellington, so I'm in for two!

SonomaBouliste wrote:No, thank you! We are having a fantastic f#28ing harvest. The fruit has been impeccable - very clean, great flavor and very uniform maturity. Yields are pretty good too. This is a very welcome vintage after the last two.

The opposite of Europe this year.
Wine experts: worst grape harvest in half century

Peter,

As I already maxed out on this Victory, a bit of a thread hijack here. I just received the club shipment with and opened the tasty 2010 Roussanne. What can you tell us about the Roussanne? My first experience with it.

rjquillin wrote:Peter,

As I already maxed out on this Victory, a bit of a thread hijack here. I just received the club shipment with and opened the tasty 2010 Roussanne. What can you tell us about the Roussanne? My first experience with it.

I can tell you he needs to offer us a 4-pack of 2x2 Marsanne and Roussanne.

I love white Rhone varietals!

Peter,

I have tried your 2006 Victory and also possess your Cabs, Merlots and even some of your Ports. Have a quick question on the blend. Was there a reason why you decided to go with more Merlot and less Cab Franc on this blend?

Big Fan and hope to visit sometime!

ddeuddeg wrote:Same here. I'll have to have the right sort of gathering, folks who can really appreciate this sort of nectar of the Gods. I also have a 3L bottle of the '04 Victory (I'll bet even Sparky doesn't have one of those), waiting for the right time and circumstances. On Peter's advice, I'm holding that one 10-15 years from vintage.

Correct ... my 3L bottles are reserved for the real nectar of the Gods, that heavenly grape, Petite Sirah!!!

But I now have the same vertical as PB!

aces219 wrote:No more taxsucks code. I figured they'd close that loophole eventually, it was only a matter of time.

As applied to wine that is likely a casualty of laws pertaining to shipping wine into a state.

In most (if not all) states to get a license to ship wine into the state you must obtain a business license in that state as part of the approval process. As soon as you obtain a business license in a state, you are obligated to report sales made to residents in that state and collect and remit sales or excise taxes.

cortot20 wrote:I know a quick and painless way to get rid of it.
Offer a verticle in the up and coming woot-off. I'll gladly help make room for the 07'

Or you could just wait for me to open mine.

I've really enjoyed past years of this wine. In my opinion, this wine is a great value.

SonomaBouliste wrote:Balanced young wines make balanced old wines. The tannins aren't harsh, but are present in adequate amounts to ensure graceful aging. Yes, lower pH would add to longevity, but it would also make this wine a little too tart imho.

In my experience, it's not possible for a wine to be elegant if it's not well-balanced. I didn't mean to second-guess your decision on the pH - I know you to be an intentional winemaker and I assumed you had specific reason(s). Balancing fruit with tart can be tricky, and too tart can make for a less enjoyable wine at maturity, even if it's technically longer-lived.

Malink wrote:Peter,

I have tried your 2006 Victory and also possess your Cabs, Merlots and even some of your Ports. Have a quick question on the blend. Was there a reason why you decided to go with more Merlot and less Cab Franc on this blend?

Big Fan and hope to visit sometime!

The Victory blend is always determined by extensive blending and tasting trials. When we get to the final stages we are comparing 1/2 barrel (2.5%) differences. The small differences in blend percentages are evident more in structure and balance than in aromatic expression. The "fine tuning" part of the blending process is all about achieving optimal balance regarding mouthfeel, from entry through mid-palate to finish.

Winedavid39 wrote:Welcome news indeed!

I'll give you a vintage report when crush is over and I've had a chance to catch my breath.

SonomaBouliste wrote:The Victory blend is always determined by extensive blending and tasting trials. When we get to the final stages we are comparing 1/2 barrel (2.5%) differences. The small differences in blend percentages are evident more in structure and balance than in aromatic expression. The "fine tuning" part of the blending process is all about achieving optimal balance regarding mouthfeel, from entry through mid-palate to finish.

Do you enjoy the blending process, especially when you're getting down to such small percentages, or do you find it frustrating and anxiety-causing?

Victory Reserve is probably my favorite red blend right now. Hard to fight it out vs TyTanium.

Wish I could pull the trigger to add to the vertical, but we're about to move and who knows with woot shipping.

This reminds me I need to call in an order for more of the Duke today though. Hope it's not sold out!

SonomaBouliste wrote:No, thank you! We are having a fantastic f#28ing harvest. The fruit has been impeccable - very clean, great flavor and very uniform maturity. Yields are pretty good too. This is a very welcome vintage after the last two.

Everybody in these parts is crowing about the vintage. Over a week ago one well known winemaker was quoted as saying it was the best in over a decade. I'm not ready to go that far yet, but it is certainly the best vintage in Northern California since 2007.

SonomaBouliste wrote:Everybody in these parts is crowing about the vintage. Over a week ago one well known winemaker was quoted as saying it was the best in over a decade. I'm not ready to go that far yet, but it is certainly the best vintage in Northern California since 2007.

Compare and contrast with 2001.

kylemittskus wrote:Do you enjoy the blending process, especially when you're getting down to such small percentages, or do you find it frustrating and anxiety-causing?

It's hard work (and I'm not being facetious), but somebody has to do it. Actually, blending the Victory is my favorite series of tastings because we have a lot to work with, and the wine keeps getting better as we hone in on the final blend. It's very rewarding when we settle on a final blend.

SonomaBouliste wrote:The Victory blend is always determined by extensive blending and tasting trials. When we get to the final stages we are comparing 1/2 barrel (2.5%) differences. The small differences in blend percentages are evident more in structure and balance than in aromatic expression. The "fine tuning" part of the blending process is all about achieving optimal balance regarding mouthfeel, from entry through mid-palate to finish.

Thanks for your response Peter. I think I'll add this one to my collection then. Cheers!

bkarlan wrote:I am thinking you needed the quality booze to help numb the mind of the recent screaming that has been added to your house. J/K

In all seriousness congrats on your little one. Hope you get time to enjoy your wine.

I think you're thinking about Kyle...unless my gf has been really really good at hiding things.

rpm wrote:Compare and contrast with 2001.

I don't have time to do a thorough comparison, but there are some similarities. 2001 started earlier, and had a longer period of near perfect weather during the final ripening stages. We do again (as in '01) have lots of fully ripe flavors at lower sugar + higher acid levels - always a positive in my opinion. The hardest thing to assess about wines very early on is intensity / concentration. On one hand, yields are higher this year (tends toward less intensity). On the other hand, berry size is small (big clusters, but with high berry counts) and color in reds is great.

ThunderThighs wrote:We add a low sales tax and low shipping cost (minus $5) to better reflect a comparative cost to the wooter. We tended to have a lot of people declare something "not a deal" without taking shipping into account from the winery vs from us.

Now that I've thought about this more, I think this is a fundamentally dishonest marketing method. However, I do think it also provides valuable information when making a purchase. Here's my proposal: include both the actual winery price and and the shipped price. Then we have full transparency, which is what woot has always been about.

klezman wrote:I think you're thinking about Kyle...unless my gf has been really really good at hiding things.

We MOTs all look the same.

rjquillin wrote:Peter,

As I already maxed out on this Victory, a bit of a thread hijack here. I just received the club shipment with and opened the tasty 2010 Roussanne. What can you tell us about the Roussanne? My first experience with it.

Native to the Northern Rhone valley. Good body (like Chardonnay), but more aromatic. 100 years ago Hermitage blanc (predominantly or exclusively Roussanne at the time) was considered the best white wine in France.

SonomaBouliste wrote:Okay, here's the list of yeast strains:

Cabernet Sauvignon: D254
Cabernet Franc: GRE (a Grenache isolate)
Petit Verdot and Merlot: D21
Malbec: Assmanshausen (a Pinot Noir isolate)

Yes that answer does make my question seem, well, geeky. But good basis for further reading, though most likely it would be work beyond my ability to truly comprehend these nuances. Maybe a branch to a new discussion thread? Specifically, and far less geek worthy, I was wondering if you use indigenous yeasts for fermentation.
FWIW I got my Purple Square today buying PW's Red Blend!

I don't know how many bottles of Victory I have stashed, but I know I have only opened two thus far and I also know that I don't have any 2007.

Can't resist - this is a great deal for a special occasion wine. I particularly like having the option of opening up a vertical for very special dinner guests one day.

Thank you Woot, and thank you Mr. Peter Wellington for your extremely generous outpouring of knowledge both on these boards as well as your "Random Ramblings" series.