Chosen for its approximation of St. Emilion’s gravelly soils, this organically-farmed estate vineyard is sandwiched between Atlas Peak and Oak Knoll and situated on a broad, gravelly alluvial fan that straddles one of the creek drainage’s coming off of Atlas Peak and Mount George. With classic Bordelais-style super-dense vine spacing yielding only 3 tons/acre of intense, concentrated fruit, the resulting wine will be delicious right out of the bottle (once through bottle shock) but has the structure and stuffing to go another decade in the cellar.
Intense notes of blackberry, cassis, and Bing cherry followed by layers of cigar box, toasty french oak and violets. Bold plum and ripe raspberry balanced with lively acidity and firm tannins usher in a flourish of vanilla and spice in a long, lingering finish. The tannins soften in the decanter adding subtle notes of brandied cherries and oiled leather. Well-balanced with beautifully attenuated fruit, this French pedigreed, First Growth-quality Cabernet is about as terroir-driven a wine as you’ll find in Napa Valley.
Specs
Vintage: 2018
Blend: 90% Cabernet, 5% Merlot, 5% Petite Verdot
Barrel Regime: 25% New French and American oak, tight grain, low-to-medium toast
Alcohol: 14.4%
Bottled June 26th, 2020
2019 OG N.24 Pinot Noir, Carneros, Napa Valley
Tasting Notes
OG N.24 Pinot Noir is sourced from one of the most northeastern vineyards in the rolling hills of Napa Carneros that eventually become the Mayacamas range and Mt. Veeder. This is great dirt and about as good as it gets for the region.
Cherry red with a pretty violet purple edge. Leaps from the glass with black cherry, wild strawberry and rhubarb framed against spicy, peppery earth. Rich, ripe and silky across the palate but well supported with ample structure and delicate tannins. Fresh and spicy on the finish with hints of mushroom and herb, this is one delicious Pinot you won’t want to miss.
Specs
Vintage: 2019
35% new French Oak
Alcohol: 14%
Bottled August 18th, 2020
2018 OG N.25 Cabernet Sauvignon, Spring Mountain District, Napa Valley
Tasting Notes
Classic Spring Mountain hillside Cabernet Sauvignon! Sourced from one of Napa Valleys more impressive (not to mention naturally low-yielding) vineyards, this Cabernet Sauvignon retails well north of $75/bottle and has mid 90-point scores from either the Wine Spectator or Wine Enthusiast for the 2014-2016 vintages. This is an incredible deal at $18/bottle.
The dense color powerfully suggests its mountain origins. Graphite and violets halo perfumed cherry notes and a beam of pure raspberry fruit framed against savory, earthy tones of rocky clay, crushed rock, bell pepper, and seasoned oak. Blackberry and leather come out with air. Smooth and sophisticated on entry with elegant mouthfeel and subtle fruit framed against firm yet refined mountain tannins on the finish. Structure and elegance abound in this well-proportioned Cabernet weighing in at 14.2% alcohol . Drink now with a good decant and over the next 20 years.
Barrel Regime: 100% French oak, 60% new, medium toast mainly.
Alcohol: 14.2%
Bottled July 21st, 2020
2018 OG N.30 Cabernet Sauvignon, Atlas Peak, Napa Valley
Tasting Notes
Old world meets new in this harmonious and deftly balanced high-elevation, hillside Cabernet. Densely colored with aromas of blackcurrant, plum and blackberry mingling with shiitake mushroom, graphite and white flowers and just a kiss of brown sugar oak. Well proportioned, elegant and refined throughout with a creamy texture and silky sweet tannins, this incredibly well-crafted Cabernet will have broad appeal. Drink now or hold for another decade or two.
Specs
Vintage: 2018
Barrel Regime: 50% new French Oak
Alcohol: 14.7%
Bottled August 10th, 2020
2018 OG N.31 Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County
Tasting Notes
Sourced from from an iconic and pioneering winery in the region, N.31 is classic Dry Creek Zinfandel in every sense of the word. Planted over a hundred years ago, this estate vineyard now features 40-to 80-year-old head-pruned, hillside Zinfandel vines and a few acres of 100±year-old Petite Sirah that make their way into the blend.
This Zinfandel could easily command a $35-$40 price tag but the debt-free estate, along with the producers belief that good wine belongs on the table, have kept the prices reasonably in the $25 range. At $8/bottle its a pretty damn good deal too.
Fairly dark in the glass suggesting a bit more structure than your average Zinfandel. The nose is bright with ripe raspberry, blackberry and warm baking spice aromas haloed with black pepper, vanilla and toasty, chocolatey oak notes from 30% new American oak barrels. Blueberry and cocoa come up with air. Plump and jammy fruit warm coat the palate but the underlying structure keeps this wine well-balanced. Its actually quite elegant for all its richness while keeping true to its producer’s belief that wine should be a part of the table (I’m quite loving it with my grilled pesto salmon right now). Berry and toasty oak finish are well-delineated in long and spicy finish. Enjoy now or cellar for another 3-6 years.
Specs
Vintage: 2018
Blend: 90% Zinfandel and 10% Petite Sirah
30% new American oak
Alcohol: 14.8%
Bottled 7/28
2018 OG N.43 Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville/St Helena, Napa Valley
Tasting Notes
This is an absurd deal. With a history of consistent 90-92 pt scores from the Wine Spectator, Robert Parker, James Suckling as well as Decanter magazine, this delicious 2018 Cabernet is 69% Oakville Cabernet from the producers estate vineyard and 31% St. Helena Cabernet.
Dark/opaque in the glass with barely perceptible crimson on the rim. Black cherry, black currant, cigar box and fresh turned earth are framed against baking spice, dark chocolate and toasty oak. Generous yet seamless on the palate with layers of ripe plum and cherry framed against the ample grip of toasty, big-grained Oakville tannins. Tons of length in the finish with plenty of mouthwatering tension. This is an incredible Napa Valley Cabernet for $12.50/bottle!
Specs
Vintage: 2018
45% new French oak
69% Oakville (estate fruit), 31% St. Helena
Alcohol: 14.7%
Bottled August 12th, 2020
Included in the Box
6-bottles:
1x 2018 OG N.17 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
1x 2019 OG N.24 Pinot Noir, Carneros, Napa Valley
1x 2018 OG N.25 Cabernet Sauvignon, Spring Mountain District, Napa Valley
1x 2018 OG N.30 Cabernet Sauvignon, Atlas Peak, Napa Valley
1x 2018 OG N.31 Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County
1x 2018 OG N.43 Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville/St Helena, Napa Valley
Case:
2x 2018 OG N.17 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
2x 2019 OG N.24 Pinot Noir, Carneros, Napa Valley
2x 2018 OG N.25 Cabernet Sauvignon, Spring Mountain District, Napa Valley
2x 2018 OG N.30 Cabernet Sauvignon, Atlas Peak, Napa Valley
2x 2018 OG N.31 Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County
2x 2018 OG N.43 Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville/St Helena, Napa Valley
As a negociant or wine trader, I’ve been sourcing and selling great wine from around the globe for over 20 years. My new de Négoce [day-NA-go-SHAY] platform offers you the opportunity to pre-purchase these wines before they go into the bottle. Known in the trade as En Primeur or futures, buying wine out of the barrel allows you to access pricing not seen since the 1970’s.
Of course, none of this operates without the crucial ingredient of trust. And while the phrase “trust me” stands perhaps a little tarnished in today’s world, I ask for your trust and promise every wine will be as represented in the offer. - Cameron Hughes
This offer is part of the 2020 holiday gift week and will be accompanied by a small carefully selected Casemates related gift. Happy Holidays!
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
@smtcapecod thanks but I’m still in the dark here. Are these wines made by de Négoce, or simply bottled by them? And why does buying wine before it’s bottled make any diffrence? I don’t understand where the wine comes from or why it’s able to be sold at a lower price than would otherwise be possible. And so far I have not been able to find answers to these questions, though that may be mostly through laziness.
@smtcapecod@Twich22 Cameron buys the wines from the wineries, bottles them himself, and sells them before bottling. It’s cheaper because he doesn’t have any carrying costs or massive inventory holding costs.
@klezman@smtcapecod interesting, but what’s in it for the wineries that make the wine. I guess they save money on all those things too, but still I don’t see how it all works out financially. Seems like someone’s taking a big hit somewhere.
@klezman@smtcapecod i suppose if a winery came in with a lot more grapes than normal, or more than they wanted to sell, then they might have excess wine which they would be willing to part with asap. Or something like that. That might make sense to me.
@Twich22 Negociant-bottled wine is very common in the Old World, where grape growing co-ops have proliferated over the centuries. Lafite Rothschild even came up with a slogan in the 1840s: mis en bouteilles au Chateau (bottled by the people who grew and vinified the grapes.)
California is a very young wine region by comparison, where people have taken the financial risk of planting grapes to “see what happens”. Turns out, good things have happened so I’m guessing this is just the beginning of similar merchant-type niche developing as family owned, vertically integrated enterprises look to divest or diversify into the future.
@Twich22 My understanding/take: There is bulk wine available on the market almost every year. Wineries routinely make too much wine and don’t believe they want to deal with bottling, holding, selling and all the expense that entails, so they package it up in big bladders and sell it to someone else who wants to deal with it. My friends and I have considered buying bulk and then kegging it for a “house wine” for each of us. We haven’t yet pulled the trigger, but the economics would work great. In large harvest years the bulk wine is even more plentiful (and cheap). Cameron leverages this model, then takes on the expense of bottling, marketing, etc. but can offer much lower prices because he doesn’t have the wineries’ expenses.
@Twich22 I had my first experience with futures a couple of years ago when visiting Joseph Swan winery during our Russian River adventures. It was also my first time trying Tannat. It was a stunning wine. We got samples straight out of the barrel. We visited in August and it was to be bottled and shipped the following March. They gave us a 25% discount plus another 10% discount if we bought a case. They said they justified the discount because it allowed them to have some available cash to help with the bottling and overhead costs. It’s also a very small mom & pop winery so they don’t have a lot of space for storage either. Don’t know if that helps.
@halwarning@Twich22 The other consideration was COVID-19. There is always bulk juice available, but the closing of restaurants dramatically cut demand for many high end wines, making them available at greatly reduced prices. Other wineries decided that launching a new label or wine might not be the best idea, etc, and sold off the juice.
The fires will likely have the opposite impact. With so many wineries not making wine in 2020, the bulk wine market has dried up somewhat, increasing prices and limiting access to super premium juice that was previously available due to COVID.
@halwarning@hscottk@Twich22
There’s an additional reason “bulk juice” is always available. Many wineries keep their prices high by restricting supply of their top end cuvees. Some of those wineries bottle lower level wines with the leftovers and some sell them off as private labels (e.g. the Sleeper label on LastBottle, and even Woot Cellars), and yet others will “bulk them out” to the rest of the market.
OK, rookie effort here. And a two-fer! Clearly one of the highlights for me for 2020. Unfortunately for the reader, wine was once among things such as golf, whiskey and cigars that I fended off, assuming that the more knowledge/awareness one developed the more dollars they would be relieved of. I know now that isn’t necessarily the case….but can be.
As a late comer to the world of wine I opted into a couple local wineries and, after perusing some online options, began following casemates particularly for the facts and opinions shared in the forum. It’s only been about a year- so I’ve seen a lot of adjectives and descriptors used fairly frequently, some for wine that I’ve actually bought/tasted myself…Some of those terms strikingly vivid and others seeming non-sequitars to the uninitiated. So there’s your invitation to mind the grains of salt regarding what follows.
Very happy to receive a casemates email confirming availability to receive a shipment, and the following day for UPS to properly locate my house in the woods and politely leave the package on the farmer’s porch. I promptly recovered it and opened it to find…two bottles that I have never heard of. No surprise there and is exactly as I would have it!
On Thursday, one of the bottles, OG de Negoce No 17 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon came along for the post-Thanksgiving observance. Unfortunately, my rookiness and some last-minute scheduling scuttled the pics.
But the venue was by design, I thought I’d get some help with the descriptors as I knew that one of the pod people had bona-fides in the wine arena, having chased the grape through much of California and parts of Europe. The few attendees were well into their evening on my arrival, so the bottle was opened and pressed into service straight away.
The cork was compliant with some spring to it and burnished a nice garnet stain. I turned to my expert to comment on the cork and she said that it smelled rich and was interesting because there was an element of the aroma that was difficult to identify. It rested for, oh, about ten minutes as the food pairing was assembled -that being the default goods from the leftover bin- first a tiny portion of turkey and a buttered roll, followed by a small slice of a farmstand pecan pie complimented by a tablespoon of Haagen Dazs vanilla and a quarter-brownie courtesy of Le Boit, New York.
Onto the pour…a vivid cascade of inky purple goodness arced out of the bottle and into the wine glass. (I’m not smart on types of glasses yet…given the host’s expertise, presumably appropriate). I surprised myself by blurting out an inelegant “Oh, wow” and the interim sommelier let out a somewhat sultry whoooaaaa.
Seriously.
Affirmations and nods came from the others. I gave it a swirl…realizing that my pour had been a bit over-generous but saw a well-defined sheet of goodness left behind after the wine settled down into the glass. So, I watched. And watched. And more seconds passed. And I looked to the semi-sommelier and said, ‘wait, aren’t there supposed to be legs?’ She concurred and said that bode very well for the tasting to come. After that, some legs became apparent. More comments were exchanged about the depth and vivacity of the color- a purple to make both the Deep P band and the Prince blush.
I took a sip and reiterated a couple ‘oh wows, (which is not part of my usual vernacular). The wine had a hint of heat, robust fruit but I wouldn’t call it forward. There was a trace of sweetness- not dessert wine sweetness and more like beet sweetness that vine fruit. And the flavor was wonderful, I wrestled with what might be the right term, it’s definitely Cab and from that baseline I’d almost say it leans toward a plum flavor- a ripe one, not the ones that bring some pucker.
There was the faintest back end spice of some sort, not pepper, not cinnamon, cloves? Not quite. Still stymied on describing it.
Mouth feel was downright sensuous, this is a smooth operator not angling to bowl you over but coming on directly with a pleasant saunter.
Glasses were shared among a small diverse set of people. All thought that it was likely an expertly crafted, well-aged offering, and as the night went on it was heralded again and again as the champion among the other red wine offerings (most of which were Pinot Noir, though). Those present thought this N.17 to be a formidable offering and welcome holiday guest.
@rpstrong That giphy must be for the folks that are always referencing some swmbo? Haha, well sorry/not-sorry. I hope you enjoy it! I might have gone straight to the source to buy a case of it, suspecting this offer would be a mix. I love mixed case opportunities, but was willing to put my remaining eggs in one basket. They now list N.17 as sold out so these might be the last avail!
A day later and hooray for the weekend. I finally came around to the fact that the two bottles that I received were in fact, different, and that I was blessed with more work of the best type ahead! To wit: OG de Negoce 2018 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon N.43.
This, to me, was an amazing study in contrasts with N. 17. Not good/bad mind you, but wow what a difference in the flavor profiles and presentation.
Paring for this was a boxed Vannelli brand spinach ravioli dinner. Period. Hey there’s spinach in there and its marinara sourced so salad would be redundant, right? Augmented by liberal slathering with artisan provolone cheese and Mousa N. 30 spice mix also from La Boite, New York.
I opened the bottle at room temperature (that’s 68℉ for me), and set it aside for about 40 minutes. First pour, pleasant purple color, seems to have some depth.
On swirl, some legs and a few bubbles were discernable on the glass. It was a clean glass.
First sniff detected an almost isopropyl alcohol smell back by a bit of fruit in the background. First sip was pretty tart, and the alcohol still storming around. Letting it slide down the gullet and taking a quick sip of air to follow the wine and it really said ‘hey’ in the back of the throat. Not off-putting, but sharp and attention getting like a stout lapel-grab. It is 14.7%, but I used to see high content as part of the value proposition in my younger days and find the early bite pronounced just the same.
Enough of that, I poured the contents into the decanter and put it in the corner for two hours to consider the wisdom of her ways thus far. I rummaged around for a stronger pairing and found the homemade glazed and spiced pecans. These were delectable, woody with soft sweetness and a fair bit of kick on the spice side. I reapproached the wine. It has settled down a good bit, but the same main characteristics are there for me—a bit tart, a bit sharp. Don’t know that I would call it the flavor dry but it’s astringent on the lips, and I can’t find any oak signature there but that could be the paring or my pallet.
The finish is crisp and concise. I think it would be good at clearing the pallet following a well-marbled rib eye, but would ride roughshod over a filet or chicken dish. While I gave it a second, and later a third chance, the wine seemed indifferent after that initial brush off and time alone.
On third approach after an additional two hours on her own, the sting subsided but still very strong tannins on roof of the mouth. Yeah, sure, it’ll play if that’s what you really want now, but it’s clear the manner of it will likely leave you still wanting at this point, its wiles still more a notion than anything else. Its an OK companion, but its still brooding, the kiss dry and perfunctory. I almost thought it might be a blend with a good slug of Cab Franc. It’s unfortunate that I had company over that eliminated the prospects of a longer decant, it would be interesting to find out how it manifests on day two. With a bit of quiet and passage of time—or a longer decant, perhaps it’ll come into its own.
There are definitely folks here than can hold court on that bit of tarot given the provenance and specifications better than I’m able to and look forward to reading their thoughts.
de Négoce OG N.24 2019 Pinot Noir & de Négoce N.25 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon
When you’ve planned to travel off the grid for a long holiday weekend of time in the woods away from others, is there a better way to start it off than picking up a surprise Casemates package on your way out of town? Maybe, but I doubt it!
I was even more pleasantly surprised to receive TWO bottles to take with me—OG #24, a 2019 Pinot Noir from Carneros & OG #25, a 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Spring Mountain District (both of Napa Valley, for you playing along at home.)
Decided to test these out in numerical order:
OG #24
On pop-and-pour, this is a very young, light-bodied pinot, with hints of fruit (cherry?) and some definite earthiness. An expected dry aftertaste follows.
After an hour or so, the wine is just starting to reveal itself. Good structure; the aftertaste is less parched and it’s clear there’s something more than “good” in the bottle. On that observation, let’s check in after some time has passed, eh?
I ended up returning to #24 after 48 hours, and had it not been for the label, I would not have known it to be the same wine. This bottle has opened up brilliantly: wonderfully full-bodied for a pinot with an enjoyable dry finish. Aromas of red fruit, oak and just a hint of spice. Great tannins! This is a bottle to buy now and save for a while—its initial youthfulness is sure to give way for some well-earned stature over the years to come.
OG #25
Pop-and-pour—strong peppery nose with a peppery taste to match; alcohol forward. There’s a distinct (and enjoyable!) linger or licorice… There’s fruit to be identified, but it’s difficult to tell which it might be.
An hour later, there’s definitely cherry & blackberry playing a role here, but this bottle has been cooped up so tightly that there’s not much else to grasp at—the wine is good, but it’s going to need a significant decant or patience for aging.
Just about a day later I came back to this, hoping to see if it had opened up in the same way as OG #25. I found very little change between the initial tasting and the second review. There’s still a great spiciness, the alcohol has mellowed, but no other real flavors or aromas have come out of the wine. It’s by no means bad, it’s exactly what you’d expect for a this grape and origin, but the quick evolution of its casemate that I received leaves something else here to be desired. All clues suggest this is another to buy and store for a while, but it’s structure gives few hints for its final form.
Verdict: Good wines that can probably be great given the time, patience and space if you have it to spare. Seeing the offer included a wide variety of offerings, I’m interested to read some additional labrat reports before making a final decision as to whether this offer merits the breaking of the SIWBM.
Apologies for not having photos of the bottle, cork and vino as a part of this review, but that’s life off the grid!
Thanks very much to WD, Alice, Cameron Hughes and everyone else who provided the opportunity to taste & report.
Checking my numbers here – Taking the bottle prices from de Negoce comes out to $159 ($14, $11, $18, $16, $8, $12.5) for the case. $30 shipping from them for $189. The case offering here is $160 + $12 shipping = $172, so a relatively slight value proposition. I suppose the mixed case is worth something?
So really the only difference is the fact that it’s a mixed case and the shipping is cheaper. The mixed case part will definitely add value for some but may detract from perceived value for others who want just the Cabs or have some other specific preference about the wines involved.
@chipgreen@mgowhoo Well it’s been years since I’ve bought any Cameron Hughes wines (not because I didn’t like them; just got too busy with other life things) but it was fun and I thought this might be a great way to jump back into it. But the price thing makes it harder to justify – especially since I was thinking of just doing the 6-bottle mix. If you exclude the shipping, it actually means this offer is over the normal offering price. I understand that the ability to get a small mix is nice and it’s almost like a “sampler” selection. But usually aren’t promo-samplers priced attractively below the normal offering price, not a few $ higher per btl?
Ha… didn’t see this one coming but makes sense with WCC handling the shipping for Cameron. For those of you with nothing to do today there is a thread on Wineberserkers about the project:
I don’t even drink Cab much and am tempted to try this - sounds like a fun deal. My only hesitation is I’ve never saved a bottle longer than a couple years…
Also tempted to save my money to see if there’s a casemates holiday wine made with juice similar to this deal
Lured in by the rats. And of course the added bonus of the Holiday Week add-in (note: I did get at least 3 CM ornaments last year). Really looking forward to trying out this mix!! Thanks @winedavid49 !
Could there be more ‘mystery mixes’ ahead for the week?
@FritzCat they seem to be coming fast and furious and while tempting, Casemates has spoiled me regarding shipping costs. If another mixed case shows up here, I’ll likely bite.
@jfuruno@rjquillin@Winedavid49
True, some seem to be duds, but some sound fantastic.
For example, I had to get n.100 because CH always overdelivered on centennial offerings.
2018 OG N.17 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
Tasting Notes
Specs
Barrel Regime: 25% New French and American oak, tight grain, low-to-medium toast
2019 OG N.24 Pinot Noir, Carneros, Napa Valley
Tasting Notes
Specs
2018 OG N.25 Cabernet Sauvignon, Spring Mountain District, Napa Valley
Tasting Notes
The dense color powerfully suggests its mountain origins. Graphite and violets halo perfumed cherry notes and a beam of pure raspberry fruit framed against savory, earthy tones of rocky clay, crushed rock, bell pepper, and seasoned oak. Blackberry and leather come out with air. Smooth and sophisticated on entry with elegant mouthfeel and subtle fruit framed against firm yet refined mountain tannins on the finish. Structure and elegance abound in this well-proportioned Cabernet weighing in at 14.2% alcohol . Drink now with a good decant and over the next 20 years.
Specs
2018 OG N.30 Cabernet Sauvignon, Atlas Peak, Napa Valley
Tasting Notes
Specs
2018 OG N.31 Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County
Tasting Notes
Specs
30% new American oak
2018 OG N.43 Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville/St Helena, Napa Valley
Tasting Notes
Specs
69% Oakville (estate fruit), 31% St. Helena
Included in the Box
6-bottles:
Case:
About The Winery
This offer is part of the 2020 holiday gift week and will be accompanied by a small carefully selected Casemates related gift. Happy Holidays!
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Dec 21 - Tuesday, Dec 22
de Négoce Mixed Reds
6 bottles for $89.99 $15/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $159.99 $13.33/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2018 OG N.17 Cabernet Sauvignon
2019 OG N.24 Pinot Noir
2018 OG N.25 Cabernet Sauvignon
2018 OG N.30 Cabernet Sauvignon
2018 OG N.31 Zinfandel
2018 OG N.43 Cabernet Sauvignon
Frickin’ killer deal.
@Winedavid49
Well, I paid $15, $17 and $20 for three of them.
So, yeah, pretty much killer pricing.
Rats?
@rjquillin @Winedavid49 #31 sounds a LOT like mother clone.
@klezman @rjquillin @Winedavid49 Yeah, right down to the comments on CT that it probably needs a few more years in the bottle.
Not that that’s a bad thing. Just a Pedroncelli Zin thing.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
de Négoce Mixed Reds - $20 = 11.10%
Lol, I could buy these by case, or just wait around for WD to work his magic here.
WTF? Take my money.
It’s like a sweeps week mega crossover event.
So I don’t really understand how this whole de Négoce thing works. Anyone care to fill me in or point me to a good article about it?
@Twich22
https://www.denegoce.com/
@Twich22 http://letmegooglethat.com/?q=de+nagoce+wine
@smtcapecod thanks but I’m still in the dark here. Are these wines made by de Négoce, or simply bottled by them? And why does buying wine before it’s bottled make any diffrence? I don’t understand where the wine comes from or why it’s able to be sold at a lower price than would otherwise be possible. And so far I have not been able to find answers to these questions, though that may be mostly through laziness.
@smtcapecod @Twich22 Cameron buys the wines from the wineries, bottles them himself, and sells them before bottling. It’s cheaper because he doesn’t have any carrying costs or massive inventory holding costs.
@klezman @smtcapecod interesting, but what’s in it for the wineries that make the wine. I guess they save money on all those things too, but still I don’t see how it all works out financially. Seems like someone’s taking a big hit somewhere.
@klezman @smtcapecod i suppose if a winery came in with a lot more grapes than normal, or more than they wanted to sell, then they might have excess wine which they would be willing to part with asap. Or something like that. That might make sense to me.
@smtcapecod i like lmgtfy.com … a bit more hidden. They used to also have a bit.ly link shortener as well…
@Twich22 Negociant-bottled wine is very common in the Old World, where grape growing co-ops have proliferated over the centuries. Lafite Rothschild even came up with a slogan in the 1840s: mis en bouteilles au Chateau (bottled by the people who grew and vinified the grapes.)
California is a very young wine region by comparison, where people have taken the financial risk of planting grapes to “see what happens”. Turns out, good things have happened so I’m guessing this is just the beginning of similar merchant-type niche developing as family owned, vertically integrated enterprises look to divest or diversify into the future.
@Twich22 My understanding/take: There is bulk wine available on the market almost every year. Wineries routinely make too much wine and don’t believe they want to deal with bottling, holding, selling and all the expense that entails, so they package it up in big bladders and sell it to someone else who wants to deal with it. My friends and I have considered buying bulk and then kegging it for a “house wine” for each of us. We haven’t yet pulled the trigger, but the economics would work great. In large harvest years the bulk wine is even more plentiful (and cheap). Cameron leverages this model, then takes on the expense of bottling, marketing, etc. but can offer much lower prices because he doesn’t have the wineries’ expenses.
@jhkey thanks!
@Twich22 I had my first experience with futures a couple of years ago when visiting Joseph Swan winery during our Russian River adventures. It was also my first time trying Tannat. It was a stunning wine. We got samples straight out of the barrel. We visited in August and it was to be bottled and shipped the following March. They gave us a 25% discount plus another 10% discount if we bought a case. They said they justified the discount because it allowed them to have some available cash to help with the bottling and overhead costs. It’s also a very small mom & pop winery so they don’t have a lot of space for storage either. Don’t know if that helps.
@halwarning @Twich22 The other consideration was COVID-19. There is always bulk juice available, but the closing of restaurants dramatically cut demand for many high end wines, making them available at greatly reduced prices. Other wineries decided that launching a new label or wine might not be the best idea, etc, and sold off the juice.
The fires will likely have the opposite impact. With so many wineries not making wine in 2020, the bulk wine market has dried up somewhat, increasing prices and limiting access to super premium juice that was previously available due to COVID.
@halwarning @hscottk @Twich22
There’s an additional reason “bulk juice” is always available. Many wineries keep their prices high by restricting supply of their top end cuvees. Some of those wineries bottle lower level wines with the leftovers and some sell them off as private labels (e.g. the Sleeper label on LastBottle, and even Woot Cellars), and yet others will “bulk them out” to the rest of the market.
OG de Negoce No 17 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
OK, rookie effort here. And a two-fer! Clearly one of the highlights for me for 2020. Unfortunately for the reader, wine was once among things such as golf, whiskey and cigars that I fended off, assuming that the more knowledge/awareness one developed the more dollars they would be relieved of. I know now that isn’t necessarily the case….but can be.
As a late comer to the world of wine I opted into a couple local wineries and, after perusing some online options, began following casemates particularly for the facts and opinions shared in the forum. It’s only been about a year- so I’ve seen a lot of adjectives and descriptors used fairly frequently, some for wine that I’ve actually bought/tasted myself…Some of those terms strikingly vivid and others seeming non-sequitars to the uninitiated. So there’s your invitation to mind the grains of salt regarding what follows.
Very happy to receive a casemates email confirming availability to receive a shipment, and the following day for UPS to properly locate my house in the woods and politely leave the package on the farmer’s porch. I promptly recovered it and opened it to find…two bottles that I have never heard of. No surprise there and is exactly as I would have it!
On Thursday, one of the bottles, OG de Negoce No 17 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon came along for the post-Thanksgiving observance. Unfortunately, my rookiness and some last-minute scheduling scuttled the pics.
But the venue was by design, I thought I’d get some help with the descriptors as I knew that one of the pod people had bona-fides in the wine arena, having chased the grape through much of California and parts of Europe. The few attendees were well into their evening on my arrival, so the bottle was opened and pressed into service straight away.
The cork was compliant with some spring to it and burnished a nice garnet stain. I turned to my expert to comment on the cork and she said that it smelled rich and was interesting because there was an element of the aroma that was difficult to identify. It rested for, oh, about ten minutes as the food pairing was assembled -that being the default goods from the leftover bin- first a tiny portion of turkey and a buttered roll, followed by a small slice of a farmstand pecan pie complimented by a tablespoon of Haagen Dazs vanilla and a quarter-brownie courtesy of Le Boit, New York.
Onto the pour…a vivid cascade of inky purple goodness arced out of the bottle and into the wine glass. (I’m not smart on types of glasses yet…given the host’s expertise, presumably appropriate). I surprised myself by blurting out an inelegant “Oh, wow” and the interim sommelier let out a somewhat sultry whoooaaaa.
Seriously.
Affirmations and nods came from the others. I gave it a swirl…realizing that my pour had been a bit over-generous but saw a well-defined sheet of goodness left behind after the wine settled down into the glass. So, I watched. And watched. And more seconds passed. And I looked to the semi-sommelier and said, ‘wait, aren’t there supposed to be legs?’ She concurred and said that bode very well for the tasting to come. After that, some legs became apparent. More comments were exchanged about the depth and vivacity of the color- a purple to make both the Deep P band and the Prince blush.
I took a sip and reiterated a couple ‘oh wows, (which is not part of my usual vernacular). The wine had a hint of heat, robust fruit but I wouldn’t call it forward. There was a trace of sweetness- not dessert wine sweetness and more like beet sweetness that vine fruit. And the flavor was wonderful, I wrestled with what might be the right term, it’s definitely Cab and from that baseline I’d almost say it leans toward a plum flavor- a ripe one, not the ones that bring some pucker.
There was the faintest back end spice of some sort, not pepper, not cinnamon, cloves? Not quite. Still stymied on describing it.
Mouth feel was downright sensuous, this is a smooth operator not angling to bowl you over but coming on directly with a pleasant saunter.
Glasses were shared among a small diverse set of people. All thought that it was likely an expertly crafted, well-aged offering, and as the night went on it was heralded again and again as the champion among the other red wine offerings (most of which were Pinot Noir, though). Those present thought this N.17 to be a formidable offering and welcome holiday guest.
@smtcapecod nice review!
@smtcapecod Not bad, for a rookie (yeah, right).
I would say more like excellent!!
@smtcapecod Damnation, it happened again. A rat pushed me into buying another case that I didn’t really think that I needed. Thanks a lot.
/giphy gratifying-victorian-snowflake
@rpstrong That giphy must be for the folks that are always referencing some swmbo? Haha, well sorry/not-sorry. I hope you enjoy it! I might have gone straight to the source to buy a case of it, suspecting this offer would be a mix. I love mixed case opportunities, but was willing to put my remaining eggs in one basket. They now list N.17 as sold out so these might be the last avail!
2018 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon N.43
A day later and hooray for the weekend. I finally came around to the fact that the two bottles that I received were in fact, different, and that I was blessed with more work of the best type ahead! To wit: OG de Negoce 2018 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon N.43.
This, to me, was an amazing study in contrasts with N. 17. Not good/bad mind you, but wow what a difference in the flavor profiles and presentation.
Paring for this was a boxed Vannelli brand spinach ravioli dinner. Period. Hey there’s spinach in there and its marinara sourced so salad would be redundant, right? Augmented by liberal slathering with artisan provolone cheese and Mousa N. 30 spice mix also from La Boite, New York.
I opened the bottle at room temperature (that’s 68℉ for me), and set it aside for about 40 minutes. First pour, pleasant purple color, seems to have some depth.
On swirl, some legs and a few bubbles were discernable on the glass. It was a clean glass.
First sniff detected an almost isopropyl alcohol smell back by a bit of fruit in the background. First sip was pretty tart, and the alcohol still storming around. Letting it slide down the gullet and taking a quick sip of air to follow the wine and it really said ‘hey’ in the back of the throat. Not off-putting, but sharp and attention getting like a stout lapel-grab. It is 14.7%, but I used to see high content as part of the value proposition in my younger days and find the early bite pronounced just the same.
Enough of that, I poured the contents into the decanter and put it in the corner for two hours to consider the wisdom of her ways thus far. I rummaged around for a stronger pairing and found the homemade glazed and spiced pecans. These were delectable, woody with soft sweetness and a fair bit of kick on the spice side. I reapproached the wine. It has settled down a good bit, but the same main characteristics are there for me—a bit tart, a bit sharp. Don’t know that I would call it the flavor dry but it’s astringent on the lips, and I can’t find any oak signature there but that could be the paring or my pallet.
The finish is crisp and concise. I think it would be good at clearing the pallet following a well-marbled rib eye, but would ride roughshod over a filet or chicken dish. While I gave it a second, and later a third chance, the wine seemed indifferent after that initial brush off and time alone.
On third approach after an additional two hours on her own, the sting subsided but still very strong tannins on roof of the mouth. Yeah, sure, it’ll play if that’s what you really want now, but it’s clear the manner of it will likely leave you still wanting at this point, its wiles still more a notion than anything else. Its an OK companion, but its still brooding, the kiss dry and perfunctory. I almost thought it might be a blend with a good slug of Cab Franc. It’s unfortunate that I had company over that eliminated the prospects of a longer decant, it would be interesting to find out how it manifests on day two. With a bit of quiet and passage of time—or a longer decant, perhaps it’ll come into its own.
There are definitely folks here than can hold court on that bit of tarot given the provenance and specifications better than I’m able to and look forward to reading their thoughts.
@smtcapecod Awesome, thank your for two great reviews.
LEGOS! EGGOS! STRATEGO! AWESOME!
Reposting lost pics, under the wire:
FWIW, I think it’s quite likely #31 is Pedroncelli.
de Négoce OG N.24 2019 Pinot Noir & de Négoce N.25 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon
When you’ve planned to travel off the grid for a long holiday weekend of time in the woods away from others, is there a better way to start it off than picking up a surprise Casemates package on your way out of town? Maybe, but I doubt it!
I was even more pleasantly surprised to receive TWO bottles to take with me—OG #24, a 2019 Pinot Noir from Carneros & OG #25, a 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Spring Mountain District (both of Napa Valley, for you playing along at home.)
Decided to test these out in numerical order:
OG #24
On pop-and-pour, this is a very young, light-bodied pinot, with hints of fruit (cherry?) and some definite earthiness. An expected dry aftertaste follows.
After an hour or so, the wine is just starting to reveal itself. Good structure; the aftertaste is less parched and it’s clear there’s something more than “good” in the bottle. On that observation, let’s check in after some time has passed, eh?
I ended up returning to #24 after 48 hours, and had it not been for the label, I would not have known it to be the same wine. This bottle has opened up brilliantly: wonderfully full-bodied for a pinot with an enjoyable dry finish. Aromas of red fruit, oak and just a hint of spice. Great tannins! This is a bottle to buy now and save for a while—its initial youthfulness is sure to give way for some well-earned stature over the years to come.
OG #25
Pop-and-pour—strong peppery nose with a peppery taste to match; alcohol forward. There’s a distinct (and enjoyable!) linger or licorice… There’s fruit to be identified, but it’s difficult to tell which it might be.
An hour later, there’s definitely cherry & blackberry playing a role here, but this bottle has been cooped up so tightly that there’s not much else to grasp at—the wine is good, but it’s going to need a significant decant or patience for aging.
Just about a day later I came back to this, hoping to see if it had opened up in the same way as OG #25. I found very little change between the initial tasting and the second review. There’s still a great spiciness, the alcohol has mellowed, but no other real flavors or aromas have come out of the wine. It’s by no means bad, it’s exactly what you’d expect for a this grape and origin, but the quick evolution of its casemate that I received leaves something else here to be desired. All clues suggest this is another to buy and store for a while, but it’s structure gives few hints for its final form.
Verdict: Good wines that can probably be great given the time, patience and space if you have it to spare. Seeing the offer included a wide variety of offerings, I’m interested to read some additional labrat reports before making a final decision as to whether this offer merits the breaking of the SIWBM.
Apologies for not having photos of the bottle, cork and vino as a part of this review, but that’s life off the grid!
Thanks very much to WD, Alice, Cameron Hughes and everyone else who provided the opportunity to taste & report.
Stay healthy and be well, everyone!
Cheers,
@Aureliano
Thanks for the notes and for using paragraphs
@Aureliano: laughing:
@Aureliano @chipgreen savage
@Aureliano Thank you for the great reviews and doing double time too.
@Aureliano I just had the 24 Pinot and it was fantastic. Any idea who the producer is?
@InVinoVeritas
I believe the consensus on WB is Truchard Vineyards.
@InVinoVeritas @kawichris650 came to relay the same WineBerserkers theory! That was good juice, ya?
Checking my numbers here – Taking the bottle prices from de Negoce comes out to $159 ($14, $11, $18, $16, $8, $12.5) for the case. $30 shipping from them for $189. The case offering here is $160 + $12 shipping = $172, so a relatively slight value proposition. I suppose the mixed case is worth something?
@mgowhoo
My kind of post!
So really the only difference is the fact that it’s a mixed case and the shipping is cheaper. The mixed case part will definitely add value for some but may detract from perceived value for others who want just the Cabs or have some other specific preference about the wines involved.
@chipgreen @mgowhoo Well it’s been years since I’ve bought any Cameron Hughes wines (not because I didn’t like them; just got too busy with other life things) but it was fun and I thought this might be a great way to jump back into it. But the price thing makes it harder to justify – especially since I was thinking of just doing the 6-bottle mix. If you exclude the shipping, it actually means this offer is over the normal offering price. I understand that the ability to get a small mix is nice and it’s almost like a “sampler” selection. But usually aren’t promo-samplers priced attractively below the normal offering price, not a few $ higher per btl?
@chipgreen @mgowhoo @pmarin I feel the same way
If I didn’t have way too much wine on the way, I’d get in on this just for the mixed case. No place to put any more.
@Springbank agree, unlikely to find local casemates to carve this up like a turkey, since I can’t sleep on wine as I’d have to if I bought this much.
@bunnymasseuse DeNegoce had a Black Friday free shipping special. I bought three cases. When my wife finds out, I might be sleeping on the couch.
Ha… didn’t see this one coming but makes sense with WCC handling the shipping for Cameron. For those of you with nothing to do today there is a thread on Wineberserkers about the project:
https://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=169722
And also on Wineberserkers a DeNegoce tasting notes thread:
https://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=173666
I can not stress enough how much I enjoyed clicking on the link attached to wrestling and getting a venture brothers clip. Thank you.
I don’t even drink Cab much and am tempted to try this - sounds like a fun deal. My only hesitation is I’ve never saved a bottle longer than a couple years…
Also tempted to save my money to see if there’s a casemates holiday wine made with juice similar to this deal
@CruelMelody I 2nd that…W-0-0-! … I mean,
CM Christmas wine please!
@CruelMelody @ttboy23
Preferably something other than QPR III
@chipgreen @ttboy23 agreed. One of the lowest qprs I’ve purchased
Had to cancel and re-order because I’m traveling over the holidays. I like this order number much better!
/giphy dickensian-friendly-whoville
Lured in by the rats. And of course the added bonus of the Holiday Week add-in (note: I did get at least 3 CM ornaments last year). Really looking forward to trying out this mix!! Thanks @winedavid49 !
Could there be more ‘mystery mixes’ ahead for the week?
/giphy tranquil-fondest-unity
@benguin986 glad you pulled the trigger. Cameron Hughes is a wizard.
Fitting order number if not for a raging pandemic.
/giphy iconic-wonderful-gathering
I just joined and wish this wasn’t already sold out. Hopefully they will bring this back again.
@wiseguy267 Don’t look back, it’ll just bring you down. On to the next deal!
Anybody else going crazy over the de negoce offers?
@FritzCat they seem to be coming fast and furious and while tempting, Casemates has spoiled me regarding shipping costs. If another mixed case shows up here, I’ll likely bite.
@FritzCat @jfuruno @winedavid49
Not to mention the whole case of one thing, with no rats, can be daunting.
@jfuruno @rjquillin @Winedavid49
True, some seem to be duds, but some sound fantastic.
For example, I had to get n.100 because CH always overdelivered on centennial offerings.