Cabernet is an almost “perfect grape” when well grown….balanced between fruit, astringency, power, perfume and, of course….redness. I love Cab and always have.
This is our third release of Esoterica Cabernet Sauvignon. I made this tiny lot using a wonderful blend of North Coast grapes from several different vineyards, mostly in Sonoma County’s Alexander Valley and Dry Creek appellations. It is always a pleasure to make small blends like this as they allow for “fine tuning” to get the fruit, tannins, mouthfeel and balance just right without the constraints of big commercial blends.
With the Pinot Noir, initial aromas of cherry and raspberry evolve to include subtle notes of toast and leather in this immediately appealing wine. The red fruit aromas are reinforced on the palate where dried cherry flavors, supported by just a hint of varietal earthiness, are carried nimbly forward by the silky-smooth tannins and pinpoint acidity.
This wine will pair beautifully with simple, grilled salmon or sage-dusted pork tenderloin.
Winery: Kent Rasmussen Winery
Owners: Kent Rasmussen and Celia Ramsay
Location: Napa, CA
After over thirty years of making wine, Kent Rasmussen Winery is as busy as ever and our passion remains as strong as ever.
Kent Rasmussen and wife, Celia Ramsay, ran the family winery they started in 1986 at their beautiful facility in St. Helena. Unlike most wineries in the Napa Valley, they never wanted to have a public presence in the form of a tasting room, but sell their wines in Bay Area & California restaurants & stores, and in 28 other states.
Famous for the Kent Rasmussen and Ramsay brand wines, and best known for making “purely poetic Pinot Noir”, the couple raised their family of four on the Silverado Trail property.The kids grew up and Kent and Celia realized they longed for a more urban life. They moved their winemaking operations to share another family-run facility owned by their long-time friend, Stefano Migotto in Napa. Then they bought a home in Berkeley. With a very reasonable reverse-commute to Napa, Kent is happy to be back in the southern end of the Napa Valley, especially since his original winemaking start was in the Napa-Carneros.
Since its modest beginnings in a garage in 1986, the Kent Rasmussen Winery has evolved as its owner’s lives have changed. It continues to be one of the most important Pinot Noir producers in California.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
I will say these first three wine offers have looked tempting. But it’s been easy to save the cash because yet again, Indiana is left behind. I’m starting to think that this will be the standard availability for Casemates offerings.
@andrd Where are you in IN? Perhaps you could get someone in IL to hold your wine. For example, I go to Merrillville (FedEx) intermittently to pick up wine that does not ship to IL. So, if you are near there, we could meet.
@andrd are ever in the Nashville area? You are more than welcome to ship your wine to Nashville and I’ll store it in my cellar until we can rendezvous. We called wootlegging on the WW forum and need to come up with a name for CM forum.
@andrd and other Hoosiers… I’m heading for Kansas on Wednesday and will be there until the 28th. What’s projected ship time? I would gladly transport wine back. I’m in Indy…
@jmdavidson1 I’m in Indy, so cinci is only 45 minutes away, but driving more than 30 minutes anywhere in Indiana is an exercise in boredom, and not really worth the time. I also have a unique situation where I have access to all of the distributors in the state, so I can order whatever I want for myself as long as they carry it. I was hoping Casemates would allow me to try some things that we can’t buy in Indiana. I know with our busted up laws (they just voted against allowing certain stores to sell cold beer again) it was going to be a roll of the dice. I was just hoping the initial offerings would be available to the states listed in the kickstarter. I wonder if the remote party packs will end up being unavailable to IN as well.
@transplant Looks like 1/29-1/31. So just a day too soon. I hadn’t thought about getting it shipped to a fedex center out of state before. Depending on how long they can hold the delivery before I come get it, that could work out. Then I can go to the Cinci IKEA so I can continue avoiding Fishers.
@andrd same here, even after asking if IN would be available for some of the offerings. I am starting to wonder if I will receive by Kickstarter party in a box now…
@andrd IN only recently opened up direct shipping from out of state wineries to consumers. Most likely, a lot of wineries have not yet gotten licensed to ship there but it should gradually change.
The good news is that according to the following blurb from the Casemates Kickstarter campaign, IN is an available ship-to state.
(Depending on each Winery’s registration status, up to 92.14% of the US population can currently receive the winery direct shipments offered on Casemates. At this time the following states are excluded: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Utah.)
@chipgreen Yes, I read the same Kickstarter campaign which is why I chose to sign up. I am just expressing my sadness that one or some of the non-excluded states listed in the kickstarter have been excluded for the first week of the site’s opening. I’m not sure if you actually read any comments or wanted to try to teach us all via copypaste. I believe the ‘recent’ opening up of direct shipments is coming up on 3 years, too.
@larryg18@pseudogourmet98 I was on a teleconference call trolling through older deals and conversations and stumbled across this one. And I love me some Kent Rasmussen grape juice too.
@kawichris650 I’d be up for a split. I live in South Dakota, but (1) don’t expect to find folks to split orders with out here, and (2) get back to the Twin Cities about once a month. Let me know!
@kawichris650 Given the sellout talk, I went ahead and bought a case. Let me know if you want a split. It’s so unusual to have wines I can get delivered to South Dakota!
One of the very best California Sauvignon Blancs I have ever had was the 2010 KR Esoterica. We drank at least a case, and I’m still hoarding the last bottle!
2016 Kent Rasmussen North Coast Coast Cabernet Sauvignon Esoterica
Disclaimer: I messed up on the date for this and was going to have a small group I work and taste with gather for this tomorrow, Friday. Yeah, it launches on Friday, but it’s Thursday out here; FAIL.
My normal commute home is ~30 minutes, this evening it was 90+; thank you drivers.
Some from ww will know me and my palate, and some of those will question it .
I like my reds. CS, PS, Syrah, Zin and blends. PN as well, while the bright fruity ones are ok, the earthy ones are my wheelhouse. Whites have their place as well, assuming they are interesting.
I don’t much care for fruit-in-your-face anything, but rather prefer a restrained ‘old world’ style, preferably with some age on it; at least 10+ years from vintage for any decent CS. Opening a 2016 Cabernet in 2018 is a painful task, and but for science it wouldn’t have happened.
So much for the preamble, it’s longer than the notes for this evening.
tl:dr
Yup, in for a case. A total no-brainer auto-buy.
Your order number is: used-glorious-gum
The result is a PnP quickie for this evening, with respectable notes tomorrow. At least we’ll have three days to discuss this one.
Appearance: Clear, medium maroon, with only tinges of darker purples one might expect in a young CS.
Aroma: @ PnP, 20.8C, lots of dark fruits, barrel room, hints of vanilla.
Initial taste: Follows aroma. Sweet, but not from RS, it’s the fruit; minimal earth and wood. Nice acid balance and surprisingly fine tannins, only slightly drying. Medium-long finish.
This, for me, is a rather elegant CS, lighter, almost Pinot like at this stage.
After 90 minutes or so, and at a bit warmer temperature, it has become more interesting, but the profile hasn’t changed all that much. This is way too easy to drink at this stage, and for me, surprising for a CS this young.
At this point it has a nice balance and would be quite food friendly, but not for heavy fare.
Going to recork without Ar with about 175 ml off the top and leave on the counter to see how this evolves for chapter two, tomorrow.
@rjquillin You newcomers from wine.woot sure like your abbreviations! For us dumb meh veterans, what do “PnP” and “RS” mean? From context I get that CS, PS, and PN are varietals. And I know Ar is Argon because I’ve worked with chemists and I know what noble gasses are.
@merrybill I’m wondering that myself, hence the post that followed the rat asking KR what he thought.
Perhaps I’ll get a better idea as it opens up over the weekend.
@merrybill Judging by RJs description; fine tannins, light, easy drinking. For such a young wine with mostly CS in it, I doubt it is made to age for a long time. Without tasting the wine I won’t speculate any more than that.
@edlada I’m hoping @krwine will respond to a few of the questions already asked, but I could also see how they may disappear in the noise and be easily missed.
Drinking window: The CS seems on the elegant side of things; not as old world as my preferences, and very easy to drink now with plenty of fruit, deft oak and medium tannins.
His earlier ww offers cellar very well, including the '10 SB.
How about this one, in a proper cellar?
Can we know a bit more about what fruit came from where?
What was the barrel regime?
Still haven’t see a rat on the PN, hopefully there was one, but the way this seems to be selling, perhaps no matter.
Same questions there.
Super happy to see Kent back here on ww, err C-Mates with the offer.
Looking at the notes provided by Kent, I’d be curious to know what grapes came from where.
And the perennial question; how do you think this will age?
It’s so light and nimble on it’s feet at this point I just can’t predict, but would like to think more than just a few years.
So I have been trying to figure out how in the world people are getting all these weird images, and I finally realized that you get them from your orders. Is that right? Are you supposed to post it to show that you bought some?
@rjquillin yea I already tried. Both of these wines were small production, 512 cases or something like that. I wonder if we will get our first sell out here.
@Twich22 Here’s the official list of slash commands: Mehdown Slash Commands. And here is the formatting syntax and embedding features: Mehdown 2.0. The Kickstarter embedding feature happened not long before the Casemates Kickstarter campaign. I’m guessing it wasn’t a coincidence.
@knlprez I’m still in for a split, but haven’t heard from @midstarrynight. Should one of us order and figure it out later? Would prefer minimal bottles due to space issues, but can deal with whatever…lots of positive comments on here…enablers!
@midstarrynight my brother and I are heading up to Loveland tomorrow, should be some great powder! And I will take 2 of each for sure. Keep us updated when they arrive! Youre a VMP right?
@rjquillin I really am trying to not buy. New year, new budget. Especially since I can’t count on a tax refund any more to pay for our nanny.
If somebody wants to pass along a couple bottles I can do that much.
@MSUMike Agreed… Seems like a good blend - although I’m new to this but I’m in. I might even go for a case myself so let me know either way. Be happy to split a case with you.
@MSUMike@jeffyedwards Since I’m new to this let’s go with the case that @MSUMike is buying and then @jeffedwards you can still have one of each from my batch leaving me with 5 of each. I’m in with both of you. No biggie on you being out three weeks @jeffedwards. I’m sure we can get it done before you leave and if not I’ll wait till you come back. That is the purpose of the community/casemates, no?! So, yes @MSUMike, let’s do it!
@hey_zeus It’s only a case (12 bottles - 6 CS, 6 Pthat we are splitting. So if you gave @jeffyedwards one of each you would be left with 2 bottles of each.
@MSUMike Yo! Sorry I’m late to this thread! I ended up going with a case - have a friend taking four of them but if anyone got left out and wants to try a couple lmk.
I probably shouldn’t have. I already have a ton of Navarro Deep End Blend Pinot that I need to drink before it’s too late, but judging from the responses here, it seemed like too good of a deal to pass up. So I made my first Casemates Purchase:
/image milky-yawny-beginner
/giphy milky-yawny-beginner
@SoSmellyAir Welcome! It’s a meh tradition to put your order number in an /image and/or /giphy command. Of course this is Casemates, not meh, so who knows if it will catch on here.
This is one I regret not doing a case. Say la vie - darned Christmas bills!
offhand-shrill-margarita
(I don’t know what this has to do with my order name, but it’s a heck of a lot cuter than a bunch of folks throwing up margaritas.)
People on here seem pretty happy with this 3rd offering from Casemates…but can we mix it up a bit with white wines instead of three straight offerings of red? Meh created this near-perfect community of snarky online shopping and Yum Juice…but like all binge drinking winos, I like to mix it up a bit and make look like I’m a ”wine lover” and not simply a lush.
@bramby2 Whites rarely went over well on Woot. A few always did, but not most. My guess would be about 1 out 5 will be white. 1 out of 10 would be fine with me.
@bramby2 If you have access to Little and KR you sell them whenever possible, whatever they’re willing to give you at whatever price they’re willing to discount. KR in particular is a RACE TO BUY on the old ww site.
Kent Rasmussen goes back to the early days of WW. I recall him as Professor Rasmussen. I just reviewed one of my KR buys and remembered that his comments on Petit Verdot sold me on a buy that was a bit pricey for me at the time. That purchase was a good value, but not anywhere as good as this. I put that bottle of PV away and we drank the other varietals in the set. I resisted the PV. I resisted. A few years later I was obligated to contribute to a silent auction. With great sadness, I put out the Petit Verdot. I fronted it with a card quoting lots of the conversation about it from WW. Including one from a person who was very eloquent in their hatred! I paid about $20 for the bottle. It sold for over $200. The purchaser loved it. But didn’t share.
@North316 Wish you would have posted that in the NE OH thread that I read just before hitting the button for a 4-pack… used my shiny new coupon
/giphy sedate-sporty-warrior
EDIT mrn1 bought a case and is willing to split - I thought we would be doing this in the NE OH thread. Easier to subscribe to that than try to post a long list of @screennames for each offer.
First buy on casemates! I hope it lives up to the hype. I’ve been using nakedwines.com for a while (RUMPUS is AMAZING), but I’m excited for this to come back!
Anyone in the Philly burbs want to go in on a case? I’m good for at least 4-6 depending on how many people are interested. We could meet up at Plymouth Meeting mall to divvy up the loot.
@fonesj1983 In philly, but center city without a car. I’d be willing to go for 6 if no one else localish is interested. Think you could get into Center City?
(I work right by City Hall and live on Washington Sq, so multiple convenientish meetup options)
And so it begins, the tempting offers that I want to buy and have not the moneys for. We’ve had some of Kent’s Esotericas in the past, and haven’t had a bad experience yet. Curse you, finances…
Ugh, I have to struggle against my love of Cab, my dislike of Pinot, my love of KR and my tolerance for my marriage. I think I have that in the right order…
Alright fine, love of KR and Cab have won out, maybe this will be the Pinot that makes me like Pinot! Just a four pack though, I shall kick myself if necassary later
In spite of having spent WAY too much on wine in the waning days of Woot, on top of WAY too much in the cellar, I could not pass this up. You had me at RPM Autobuy!
@mrn1 I checked the NE OH thread and didn’t see any interest there so pushed the button already for a 4-pack. I thought that was the point of subscribing to the thread, haha. I really thought that Casemates would have had something in place to facilitate this instead of leaving us to our own devices to figure out how to split and where to arrange it.
@chipgreen Until there is a defined way to chat with others about splits, I’ll think we’ll have to develop our own format. We can keep it under the offering thread, or move it to Gatherings. Either way works for me.
@mehnyblooms I’m reluctant in this forum to post either my email or cell number. What was you Woot name, and did you ever post any comments? If you did, I could private message contact info.
@mrn1 Looks like this group is pretty well split out on this offer. I will probably end up going in on 4 if I can figure out why I never received my coupons.
@North316 I emailed customer service and they pretty quickly sent me my coupons. I’d say go for the 4 pack and we’ll get this splitting fixed for the next go around.
@jshaver On the fence, but may be in. Can you wait until Sunday to buy? Not a big PN drinker, so waiting for a review B4 I jump in. If you get others to go in, don’t wait for me. Where are you located?
@jmdavidson1 I don’t like PN at all, never have, I bought it anyway cause it’s KR and you ALWAYS buy KR. You can save the PN for Turkey Day and impress the shit out of your family or gift it to someone you really like.
@jmdavidson1 Hi. Kent here…as to reviews…sorry, I am about as unbiased as Trump. As to ageing…the EPN is a lovely wine that is good now…although will be better in 3 years and will hold for 5-8 (I think). The ECS - probably about the same story…might be best in 4 years.
First ever purchase of wine online. Been a VMP, backed the kickstarter, and now trying to be a team player. This one seems like a great deal for $10 a bottle for four bottles with my first use of the $10 coupon.
I’m a Mediocre peep looking for two people in DFW to split a case on this Esoterica offering. Whether you’re a Mediocre employee or a normal, let me know if you’re interested. Wine exchange can take place at our HQ in Carrollton.
@jml326 Three way split…I should’ve been more clear in my post. If you were wanting to split, there’s still an opportunity for more people to chime in here and have a case pickup at our HQ…or some other method you determine.
@MSUMike yes, I was surprised how quickly that went. With more DFW humans chiming in, maybe another couple or trio can come together on this string. We’re making our HQ available for place of exchange as an option.
Ok, I’m in for a case. I sat here trying to figure out if I should buy a case of the Cab or the Pinot then I get to the order screen and it’s a mixed case - even better! Thanks casemates, can’t wait to try them both!
Kent’s petite is one of my all time favorite random wine woot purchases many years ago; it’s actually what got me involved in wine woot. Anyone from the Houston area interested in splitting a case? 3 CS & 3PN per person???
@clcaruthers I’m keeping my whole case of this, but would be interested in splitting future offers. Where in Houston are you? I’m in the Meyerland area, work in Deer Park / Pasadena
@IanMorr Shucks! Well, I’m in Lake Jackson on during the week and the med center/NRG area on weekends (Friday day to Sun night). I can meet to split at any point on any given weekend and can also drive up during the week if necessary.
@clcaruthers I’ll go halvsies. I think it makes sense for me to buy and we can tag up when you’re in town. I live near Memorial Park. Venmo works well for me but we can settle up when the goodies change hands. If you’re good with this I’ll pull the trigger.
@SDL3 Yes and thank you! Sounds like a deal to me, and Venmo would be perfect. I could swing by on the weekend based on your scheduled whenever it comes. I don’t think they have PM/DMs to exchange info like WW, so how do we get in touch?
@SDL3 I was reading below and saw cases were sold out. An admin just added a few more to the inventory. I waited a little bit to see if you would reply, but I went ahead and got a case before it sold out again. If we both ended up with cases and you only wanted half, I’ll still take that half off your hands
@clcaruthers Got it. I just got back from lunch and have not placed an order, so thanks for jumping on it. Email me: SDL3casemates@gmail.com and we can sort out details. Thanks!
Mod edit by @shawn: Generally we’d moderate away email addresses shared in the forum like this. Given that it appears @SDL3 created a throwaway email account for this purpose rather than using their personal email account we’re going to leave it. Direct messaging tools are coming just as quickly as we can roll them out to make this better.
Kent’s wines are EXCELLENT! Their petite is easily one of my favs. The dessert I still have 2 sets of their port that I have yet to open.
I’ve ordered their Sauvignon Blanc, Grenache Rose, Petit Sirah, Late Harvest Viognier, Cameros Estate Pinot Noir, and the Port Medley. Didn’t realize I bought so much until I reviewed my past orders!
/giphy tolerant-capable-ivy
Ugh. This is going to get expensive. In for a case and willing to part with maybe a few bottles for anyone in the Tampa area.
First casemates purchase; in for a case! Seems like a steal based on what everyone is saying, especially with the kickstarter coupon code!
/giphy undaunted-offbeat-plate
Hi all. This is Kent Rasmussen. I just want to say that it is great to be back. When David told me about Casemates I was thrilled with the idea and that he would call me and tell me about it at the very very beginning. I really enjoyed the time with you-all during the (many) offerings we did so long ago on WW and really want to support David’s new venture.
As many of you know, Celia and I have changed what we do over the years and no longer make all those wonderful “odd” lots. So many of them were so good (love to hear that many of you still have them in your cellars), but terribly so hard to distribute and sell. It broke my heart to stop making them…but the banker speaks! Now-a-days I am concentrating on our Ramsay brand and a new brand called 689 that we pretty much only sell out-of-the-USA. So when David called I had to think on what to offer. For many years I have made two special small lots of wine just for sale to our oldest retail customers just in Northern California under the Esoterica name…a Pinot and a Cab. When David asked for “something really special” for the start of Casemates I thought…“what better?” These are really wonderful wines and the price is absolutely absurdly cheap.
Anyway…it is great to be back! I will keep an eye on this commentary for the next couple of days if any of you have questions. Also…if you have older WW wines that I have made and want to hear news of them…let me know, I occasionally get to taste our older wines and love to talk on them.
All the best, Kent
@KRWINE Hey, Kent! I have to say that almost everything I bought from you other than the Sauvignon Blanc and the Grenache Rose (another amazing winner!) are still waiting patiently in the cellar for the kind of full maturity you know I appreciate. The vertical tasting of your Pinot Noirs (starting with the 1979!) on our 2010 rpm Tour was one of the all time highlights of all of the Tours - one of those events that wooters (and now casemateers) who were there can forever say “I was there at St. Celia’s place and tasted with Kent”! And those abed in England that morning will forever count their man(or woman)hood cheap…
@KRWINE The last couple of months we’ve been working our way through the 04 Esoterica Port Medley you sold in 2008. The individual varietals have all been great. What a fun experiment it has been noting the differences. Still have the blend itself left to go.
@KRWINE I have to add my voice on the joy in seeing you here. You were one of the absences that just took the joy out of purchasing on WW (although I certainly made up for it last month). I was one of the first to buy, last night, when I saw the offer.
There can never be too much wine (although I’m getting close). :-}
@IanMorr Hi I had to opportunity to taste through one of my last (three) sets of those wines a few weeks ago also. I was stunned how good they are. The best was the blend (naturally), the Touriga and Tinto Ruiz where also fabulous. All the others were really good. It was fun to see them again after all these years. I do think (for anyone who still has a set) that the time in now for drinking them…although now will probably last a few more years.
@Shrdlu Hi…thanks…I always enjoyed WW…especially this part of it…the conversations! We just ran out of wine to offer…and then there was Amazon. Happy to be back!
@rpm Wow…I had forgotten about that Grenache Rose…that was an amazing wine. You should start drinking all those old Esoterica wines…they are all just about prime right now. As to the KRW PN…the 2007 and 8 are really nice at the moment. I can’t remember what other vintages WW had.
@KRWINE Hi Kent. Thanks for this offer. In for a set. I’ve had your Esoterica PN, PS and Port, and enjoyed them all. I’ll put in another vote for bringing the EPS back to offer here.
And if you ever want to break out the blue bottles again, that grenache rose was great too- I still remember the slightly confused looks we all had when we stepped off the @RPM tour bus to see orange wine waiting for us. But I mean, it was only 9:30am, that’s much too early for red wine… Duh.
@KRWINE Agreed with @rpm and @mother for that 2010 Tour visit. Out of this world.
I’ve got a few bottles of the 06 and 07 KRW Pinots, some PS, and a couple bottles of the Viognier Late Harvest. Are you still making the KRW Pinots?
Howdy-hi. So, yeah, your PS was the first PS I ever had, and holy cow was that an awakening for me!!!
I’m stoked to have purchased a case of this offering, but since you offered I wanted to ask about some older wines that I don’t think others have asked about yet. (That I’ve seen.)
Along with some Esoterica ('07, '08, '09) PSs, I have a single bottle of the 2001 and the 2002 vintage of your Kent Rasmussen Winery PS Leeds-Chavez Vineyard. I’m holding it because I really wanted to see what an older PS could be like. I should have saved more of them, but they were all so darn good that I couldn’t stop drinking them! Really regret not stock-piling more of them so I could drink them along the way. If you or anyone has an idea on whether they are still ok to leave lying in the cellar, or if I need to pop them soon, I’d really appreciate it.
One final note for you and @WineDavid49 – Sounds to me like bottling a Meh (or CaseMates) PS wine might be a good option. It would allow all of us the glory of drinking it, and reduce your issues of having to deal with selling it…As @mother said, pretty sure this crew will buy and drink pretty much anything you can get to us!
Kent- so happy to see you in the forum!!! Definitely buying a case today, what an insane price…
I have 2007 and 2008 Esoterica Petite Sirah (2 bottles each) still down in the cellar from 2011 WineWoot. Any comments on how those are doing these days? Thanks!
@wnance Hi I had the 2007 a few weeks ago and it was yummy and still holding very well. I have not had the 2008 in many a year and don’t think that I have any in the cellar either. Too bad — I would have opened one for dinner as I recall I really enjoyed that wine. Kent
Hi Everyone,
Just read the thread and like the format. Liked seeing a LabRat report again.
Kent and I went to the same high school, a few years apart. I have always greatly enjoyed any wine he has produced and happy to be able to purchase some on Casemates. My first purchase.
Cheers
I think it is fitting my last wine.woot order arrives today, and I buy my first CaseMates offer! I loved Kent’s Esoterica that I bought over on the other site (which is sadly long gone), so I’m excited to get more.
@KCountry it gets better. When fed ex scans them they get to see the order numbers. My work in house delivery loves to bring me packages because they think I’m sick with some of these combos
Does anyone know if we get a pulsating button like we did on WW? I’m curious to know, because I don’t want to miss out on this while I try and coordinate a split!!!
Going in for one as I love the Petite Syrah so much. I’m also hoping for a run of it soon! I thought they were getting rid of the Esoterica PS line for some reason! Still have a couple bottles I’m cherishing. I did bust one out and everyone looooooooved it. It was their fav that I’ve shown most folks.
Here’s to hoping the cab and the pinot deliver as well.
Hey, I know that username giving my post some ups. I must thank @Shrdlu for recommending the Kent Rassmusen Esoterica PS to me. I would have never tasted this fantastic wine without that strong recommendation.
Read some reviews last night and decided I’d buy a case this morning. Went to buy and it sold out as I was reading a few more of your posts. That’ll teach me to think before buying. Settled for 4.
@csquared22@ajrunr@funnywontons I adjusted the inventory to make some more cases available. You should be able to buy now. (And you can cancel your 4-bottle order if it’s been less than an hour at https://casemates.com/orders or write to support to ask them to cancel if it’s been longer than that).
I tried to buy a case earlier using the /buy command, but it didn’t work. So I ordered manually, and needed to enter my DOB. Maybe that’s why the auto one didn’t work earlier? In any case (so to speak)
@jml326 So if people want to be casemates (or other swaps or meet up info for gatherings) they have to post everything back and forth in a public forum (emails, addresses, etc.)?
@time2testit or some other solution… we’re working on it and should have something soon. We opted to launch fast replacing the base wine.woot event functions while not having PM replacement yet.
@mrn1 Thanks for tagging me on this. I’ll wait for the solution. I really want to split, but if it doesn’t happen, thanks for the opportunity and maybe next time.
We’ll get at least 1 4 pack, but we’d prefer all PN, so if anyone local (or so) wants all CS, we could swap. Let me know. (Although I can’t figure out where we can private message each other.)
@jml326 So if people want to be casemates (or other swaps or meet up info for gatherings) they have to post everything back and forth in a public forum (emails, addresses, etc.)?
@fgfljsb I got a four pack but submitted a ticket to change to a case. It looks like no one is working on the weekend. Guess I will be sticking with four. Let’s work together in the future!
What’s this? Esoterica, and it can be delivered to South Dakota? I’m in - now my nine bottles of Esoterica PS will have family members nearby. A split might be workable, if anyone here (unlikely) or in the Twin Cities is interested.
@bhodilee Like I said on that other site, my SIWBM’s are measured in days, not weeks or months. Just when I thought I might get the inventory levels under control, WD ships to SD and all plans are out the window.
My first casemates order. You guys always make it easy to figure out when to go for it. Its how it was on the site that shall not be named and I am glad to know I find the knowledge here too.
I need all the help I can get to find wines that are good. I have come a long way though, but this seems like a no-brainer.
/giphy humble-divided-quiet
Like others, today I picked up my final and so fine Woot box of Wellington Victory and ordered a case of Rasmussen. Some days are just that good. Popped an '06 Wellington from the cellar to quietly celebrate the old and ring in the new! Woot is dead; long live Casemates!
1st casemates purchase, woot hoo. Feel like Kent wasn’t shipping to Mass on WW? At least not of late. Maybe I’ll get to try some of Scott’s Zin or Pedroncelli… no?
@afwaller I don’t know whether that depended on going back to answer the Kickstarter survey, as some perks did. If you already did that, then I guess it didn’t.
Since Pinot isn’t my favorite (though I do like them on occasion), I’m glad I held off on Wednesday’s deal and got this instead. Not a case - I just don’t have the room - but definitely in for 4. (unless @rjquillin would want to part with 1-2 bottles from his case, though I’m pretty sure he’ll refuse )
@tklivory Got your KR at work. Looks like we’ll be doing a Tercero distribution tomorrow at 08:00 at a coffee shop in UTC. PM me @ww (or email me) if you want to drop by and p/u the KR at the same time.
Sigh, I like whites, but I like to keep stuff around for my more sophisticated friends to drink, so in for the 4 pack.
/giphy derelict-rambunctious-bit
@kasandrae already have a case share set up but glad to see more Michigan representation on here. Drop in on the Michigan Gatherings thread. We’ve got a handful of metro Detroit folks there.
Very excited to see a familiar winemaker bottle appear magically at my door. We had some wonderful tasting experiences with Kent and Celia and he pulled out some crazy old bottles for us to try - then Celia serenaded us. When we arrived, he had this wonderful orange dessert/breakfast wine for us to try.
Moving on to the tasting.
Color: translucent Red - typical pinot.
Nose: Strawberry and Lavender(?) Not a strong nose, but nothing off. No apparent alcohol/menthol.
Taste: Strawberry, Red Raspberry, Plum. Very light and fresh. No appreciable oak. Not tannic or acidic. Pronounced taste of the grape itself, without the usual pinot mushroom or wet soil.
Finish: short to medium. Just enough acid to cleanse the palate but nothing more. No noticeable oak.
Easy drinking, immediately accessible. Borders on fruitiness without being cloying.
Many thanks for the honor of ratting a Rasmussen. Brings back many happy memories.
@rjquillin Indeed. Haven’t gotten the scheduling of the offers down - sorry for the late rattage. I have been trying it over several days - just sipping it again this morning and it is just as fresh as when I first opened it.
Kickstarter Meh.com member, formerly more active. I backed at the $100 level plus 60 to reinstate the VMP I held for a long while. However, now that I’m going to purchase, I don’t see my VMP status reflected and I see I never got a coupon code email, etc. I did get a survey email asking me to confirm I had gone in on VMP, etc, and an email confirming receipt of that. I just sent off a support thingie about it, but got a “we work M-F” autoresponse.
Any idea what’s up? Should I just buy and request a refund for that part? I don’t want to miss a KR – we have some Esoterica desserts we’re still saving, we prize them so.
@TrinSF my vmp was not applied as I put some unexpected text in a field and it apparently got bypassed on an autoload. I bought the forst offering, paid the shipping, then they applied the vmp and gave me a credit for shipping cost
2016 Kent Rasmussen North Coast Coast Cabernet Sauvignon Esoterica
Revisiting, missed chapter two at 24 hours and now going on day 48 hours now since initial PnP…
Pulled the cork on this at 09:00 this morning, along with the '12 and '13 Victories.
So, this is 10 hours later on ~2/3 full bottle @ 19.6C, so a bit cooler.
Despite the first pour I had to dump due to a dirty (soapy) glass, I really like where this went;
speaks well for a bit of cellar time I’d like to give it, and will.
Still a shy nose, or perhaps my nose is just in a dump phase.
I’ll still call it soft for a CS, it tends to restrained elegance.
Diminished is the sweetness I attributed to fruit, and not RS, on PnP.
Now getting plum, a touch of cassis and spice box, and dust.
Cooperage seems quite neutral, no splinters, minimal vanilla, tannins present are only slightly drying, just enough to let you know they are there. I’m really liking the balance here. Finish approaches 30 seconds.
This is ~not~ an in-your-face CA CS.
If you expect and like those Parker bombs, go elsewhere.
Not a CS for hearty fare either, enjoy this solo or with lighter sides and meals.
I’ll still call this a PN drinkers CS; I really like the subtleties here and it just keeps calling for another sip.
Back tomorrow, as I’ve managed to retain nearly ½ bottle for day three.
This will again just get corked, no Ar, no fridge.
@rjquillin Well, I may have to take you up on a bottle or two of each. Sigh. But no big deal either way. I’ve been given a mandate that wine shall no longer invade the living room. This is a hard condition to meet atm.
Great to have Kent back, love all the Esotericas I’ve had. In for a case.
One comment for the powers-that-be… it was helpful to have the one link near the top of the comments for the first lab rat report. Could someone please put links for all of them some place obvious like that, so we won’t miss them, or have to scroll through a long list of comments searching! Thanks.
And… glad we are back to ‘Lab Rats’. Grape Debater… meh!
Since this winery seems to being spoken about as an autobuy I’ve decided I’d be remiss if I didn’t jump in for a case. First Casemates purchase of, I’m sure, many yet to come.
TN update:
Going on 70 hours open now.
This is doing just fine, little change from yesterday.
Good to know I’ll have some to follow for a at least a few, or more, years.
@coynedj Mine still says processing too - I have an entry in my Fedex account for the shipment, just says Label Created with an anticipated ship date of 1/23, estimated delivery date of 1/27 (today), but with no tracking information. Doesn’t look like it actually started shipping yet.
@eric1024 Same here. I don’t think it’s arriving by 1/31! Which is going to be difficult to handle the required signature if it doesn’t arrive this week.
Tonight I had a bottle of 2016 Esoterica PN with Halibut and pasta. PnP nose is cherries, vanilla, and what I think is Brett. Taste is cherries and vanilla with a Bretty finish. A hint of acid. No alcohol. No Tannins. I am not really enjoying this. I hope its a bad bottle. I’ll try a glass tomorrow but am not really expecting it to be able to improve from here.
@Twich22 Not that you’d necessarily have a bad cork with a situation where you experience excessive Brett, but, did you see anything wrong with the cork itself? Was the odor more barnyard than old dish rag?
@Twich22 I would be more inclined to say it was “corked” if it was dish rag vs barnyard alone…you’ll have to let us know how the next one you open tastes/smells…
And yeah, composites can definitely be corkeD. Screwtop is the only one that will prevent that exact condition, but is a trade-off due to the negative impacts of aging if the wine is intended to be aged. That said, good composites are less likely to cork than a natural I THINK, so it’s unfortunate that it happened here…
@vaaccess thanks. I am fairly certain that i was mistaking brett for TCA. And I am fairly certain i had a corked bottle. I have had a few before. Ill open another one soon to make sure.
@Twich22 Had me a little worried so we popped a bottle for a glass each (wifely one and I that is). You definitely got a bad bottle. Ours is drinking beautifully right out of the gate.
@Twich22 I too pulled a cork on a PN; lovely.
No dog, no Brett. At ww, @winedavid49 and the CS crew made good on bad bottles. I’d think the same here, but not sure exactly what the process will be. @thumperchick or @dave may have some insights on how to proceed.
Opened the Pinot tonight. When I first opened it I thought it smelled…bad. But I let it sit for a couple hours and then the bad smell was gone. Picking up on that lovely vanilla aroma instead and drinks very nicely. Is this normal? Maybe because its a young wine it just needed to breathe?
Received my box today around noon and the package was quite cold. After leaving a bottle of PN on the counter for the balance of the day corked the bottle this evening. Very light on the nose, slightly sweet with a hint of vanilla. Beautifully smooth going down, with a nice crisp finish. Definitely improved after a couple of hours.
@fredpgh In a comment buried in copious discussion above, Kent said, “As to ageing…the EPN is a lovely wine that is good now…although will be better in 3 years and will hold for 5-8 (I think). The ECS - probably about the same story…might be best in 4 years.”
@Xena67 The eagle has landed. All I need is your contact info so we can arrange to meet. Can you PM meet thru Woot? I think Casemates CS should have emailed you my email address if you aren’t sure about Woot PM.
My wife and I are big fans of Kent’s wines. We opened the CS the other night and while we thought it was pretty good from the start, after about an hour it really opened up and we were very pleased! IMO drinks like a wine three times that price.
@rjquillin Thanks for dredging up this thread! Did you see this comment above?
@fredpgh In a comment buried in copious discussion above, Kent said, “As to ageing…the EPN is a lovely wine that is good now…although will be better in 3 years and will hold for 5-8 (I think). The ECS - probably about the same story…might be best in 4 years.” PatrickKarcher said Tue, Feb 6th 2018 at 9:24am eastern
Tasting Notes
Cabernet is an almost “perfect grape” when well grown….balanced between fruit, astringency, power, perfume and, of course….redness. I love Cab and always have.
This is our third release of Esoterica Cabernet Sauvignon. I made this tiny lot using a wonderful blend of North Coast grapes from several different vineyards, mostly in Sonoma County’s Alexander Valley and Dry Creek appellations. It is always a pleasure to make small blends like this as they allow for “fine tuning” to get the fruit, tannins, mouthfeel and balance just right without the constraints of big commercial blends.
With the Pinot Noir, initial aromas of cherry and raspberry evolve to include subtle notes of toast and leather in this immediately appealing wine. The red fruit aromas are reinforced on the palate where dried cherry flavors, supported by just a hint of varietal earthiness, are carried nimbly forward by the silky-smooth tannins and pinpoint acidity.
This wine will pair beautifully with simple, grilled salmon or sage-dusted pork tenderloin.
Specifications
Price Comparison
$249.68/case at Wine.com (including shipping)
About The Winery
Winery: Kent Rasmussen Winery
Owners: Kent Rasmussen and Celia Ramsay
Location: Napa, CA
After over thirty years of making wine, Kent Rasmussen Winery is as busy as ever and our passion remains as strong as ever.
Kent Rasmussen and wife, Celia Ramsay, ran the family winery they started in 1986 at their beautiful facility in St. Helena. Unlike most wineries in the Napa Valley, they never wanted to have a public presence in the form of a tasting room, but sell their wines in Bay Area & California restaurants & stores, and in 28 other states.
Famous for the Kent Rasmussen and Ramsay brand wines, and best known for making “purely poetic Pinot Noir”, the couple raised their family of four on the Silverado Trail property.The kids grew up and Kent and Celia realized they longed for a more urban life. They moved their winemaking operations to share another family-run facility owned by their long-time friend, Stefano Migotto in Napa. Then they bought a home in Berkeley. With a very reasonable reverse-commute to Napa, Kent is happy to be back in the southern end of the Napa Valley, especially since his original winemaking start was in the Napa-Carneros.
Since its modest beginnings in a garage in 1986, the Kent Rasmussen Winery has evolved as its owner’s lives have changed. It continues to be one of the most important Pinot Noir producers in California.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Thursday, February 1st - Monday, February 5th
@rjquillin has a LABRAT report for us!
(Updated Tasting Notes here.)
Kent Rasmussen stopped by to say hi.
(Everyone is joining in on the fun - check out the most recent activity on his user profile.)
arched-scarce-merlin
But, but … no Petite Sirah?
@MarkDaSpark next time
@MarkDaSpark Got some PS stashed from WW. I’m good. Thanks for asking.
P.S. Are they drinking now or did they go dumb and I missed it?
@mike808 If they’re dumb now it’s only because they’re studying for their advanced degree, they’ll come out of it and you’ll be the better for it!
@mike808, IIRC, Kent said good for 10 years from vintage, then around a 5 to 10 year muted phase.
So based on that, 2009 to 2013 should be fine (under 5 is infanticide!), and before 1997 also. You takes your chances for 1998 to 2003 PS.
@MarkDaSpark hey hey! I have a bottle of the PS 2001from WW days. If I’m reading you correctly, might be ok now but better to wait 2-3 more years?
@jrbw3, That’s my understanding. But it’s 3 years minimum, not 2-3 years. If only 1 bottle, I’d probably wait til 2021 to open it.
@MarkDaSpark Thank you sir.
Esoterica by Kent Rasmussen Mixed Reds
4 bottles for $49.99 $14.50/bottle with shipping
Case of 12 for $129.99 $11.50/bottle with shipping
2016 Kent Rasmussen Cabernet Sauvignon Esoterica
2016 Kent Rasmussen Pinot Noir Esoterica
I have heard so much about Kent Rasmussen. Now I finally get to try some!
I will say these first three wine offers have looked tempting. But it’s been easy to save the cash because yet again, Indiana is left behind. I’m starting to think that this will be the standard availability for Casemates offerings.
@andrd I’ve been on the receiving end of that on some WW purchases, and was thankful for in-laws in FL. There’s always making friends of us Ohioans.
@andrd Where are you in IN? Perhaps you could get someone in IL to hold your wine. For example, I go to Merrillville (FedEx) intermittently to pick up wine that does not ship to IL. So, if you are near there, we could meet.
@andrd fellow Hoosier here and I am starting to get annoyed now.
Blame your gov
@andrd are ever in the Nashville area? You are more than welcome to ship your wine to Nashville and I’ll store it in my cellar until we can rendezvous. We called wootlegging on the WW forum and need to come up with a name for CM forum.
@jml326 and our previous gov.
@andrd and other Hoosiers… I’m heading for Kansas on Wednesday and will be there until the 28th. What’s projected ship time? I would gladly transport wine back. I’m in Indy…
@nathanbsmith we can call it Case-Mating. Wait. That sounds off.
@jmdavidson1 I’m in Indy, so cinci is only 45 minutes away, but driving more than 30 minutes anywhere in Indiana is an exercise in boredom, and not really worth the time. I also have a unique situation where I have access to all of the distributors in the state, so I can order whatever I want for myself as long as they carry it. I was hoping Casemates would allow me to try some things that we can’t buy in Indiana. I know with our busted up laws (they just voted against allowing certain stores to sell cold beer again) it was going to be a roll of the dice. I was just hoping the initial offerings would be available to the states listed in the kickstarter. I wonder if the remote party packs will end up being unavailable to IN as well.
@transplant Looks like 1/29-1/31. So just a day too soon. I hadn’t thought about getting it shipped to a fedex center out of state before. Depending on how long they can hold the delivery before I come get it, that could work out. Then I can go to the Cinci IKEA so I can continue avoiding Fishers.
@larrygrochal Nice! it had great potential…
@andrd same here, even after asking if IN would be available for some of the offerings. I am starting to wonder if I will receive by Kickstarter party in a box now…
@andrd IN only recently opened up direct shipping from out of state wineries to consumers. Most likely, a lot of wineries have not yet gotten licensed to ship there but it should gradually change.
The good news is that according to the following blurb from the Casemates Kickstarter campaign, IN is an available ship-to state.
(Depending on each Winery’s registration status, up to 92.14% of the US population can currently receive the winery direct shipments offered on Casemates. At this time the following states are excluded: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Utah.)
@chipgreen Yes, I read the same Kickstarter campaign which is why I chose to sign up. I am just expressing my sadness that one or some of the non-excluded states listed in the kickstarter have been excluded for the first week of the site’s opening. I’m not sure if you actually read any comments or wanted to try to teach us all via copypaste. I believe the ‘recent’ opening up of direct shipments is coming up on 3 years, too.
@andrd I was just trying to be helpful. Sorry you didn’t like my response.
@chipgreen It’s ok.
@larryg18 hahaha!!! case-mating!! #whynot
@larryg18 @nathanbsmith
What’s up with the random post on a three year old thread?
@larryg18 @pseudogourmet98 I was on a teleconference call trolling through older deals and conversations and stumbled across this one. And I love me some Kent Rasmussen grape juice too.
@larryg18 @nathanbsmith @pseudogourmet98
And here I thought this, and the others, were some grape juice induced graffiti.
Yay!
It’s great to see Kent’s wines on Casemates! Now I just need to find a Casemate here in Minnesota.
@kawichris650 There was a wooter by the name of otolith who was from St. Paul. Dont know if otolith migrated to casemates
@kawichris650 I’d be up for a split. I live in South Dakota, but (1) don’t expect to find folks to split orders with out here, and (2) get back to the Twin Cities about once a month. Let me know!
@kawichris650 Given the sellout talk, I went ahead and bought a case. Let me know if you want a split. It’s so unusual to have wines I can get delivered to South Dakota!
I would probably be willing to buy some off people in the Seattle area if they have some to sell.
@Twich22 I’m in Seattle and just went in for a case, could definitely spare some. Let me know!
@blacklotus90 If Twich22 isn’t up for sharing I’d be a happy to take a few bottles off your hands!
@lindylouwho go for it, I think im just going to conserve my wine budget instead.
@lindylouwho sounds good to me, I’ll let you know when they arrive
Do we get signed bottles again?
I went ahead and bought a case. At this price it’s a no brainier for such a solid reputation.
I fell asleep at the wheel on the last offer but not this time. In for a case.
/giphy absorbed-laden-dandelion
In for a case. Tried the cab on a recent visit and enjoyed.
And, with this offering we get our first casemates rpmAUTOBUY
Buy a box (that’s trade for a case)
@rpm Absolutely! This deal rocks the house.
Sorry SD, no sharing of this one. Get your own!
@rpm If you ever meet my wife and she gives you dirty looks you know why! rpmAUTOBUY had me sold!
@mrn1
@rpm When rpm speaks, I generally reach for my wallet…In for a box.
@rpm In for a box!
@wnance a symphony of fine taste awaits you my friend…
One of the very best California Sauvignon Blancs I have ever had was the 2010 KR Esoterica. We drank at least a case, and I’m still hoarding the last bottle!
@rpm Kent made a 2010 Sauvignon Blanc Esoterica?? I don’t remember it being a Sauv Blanc.
@bahwm Yup, right here 2010 Sauvignon Blanc Esoterica. Gonna go dig one out of the cellar. I think there may still be a half case.
@rpm I also have one of those stashed away…
2016 Kent Rasmussen North Coast Coast Cabernet Sauvignon Esoterica
Disclaimer: I messed up on the date for this and was going to have a small group I work and taste with gather for this tomorrow, Friday. Yeah, it launches on Friday, but it’s Thursday out here; FAIL.
My normal commute home is ~30 minutes, this evening it was 90+; thank you drivers.
Some from ww will know me and my palate, and some of those will question it
.
I like my reds. CS, PS, Syrah, Zin and blends. PN as well, while the bright fruity ones are ok, the earthy ones are my wheelhouse. Whites have their place as well, assuming they are interesting.
I don’t much care for fruit-in-your-face anything, but rather prefer a restrained ‘old world’ style, preferably with some age on it; at least 10+ years from vintage for any decent CS. Opening a 2016 Cabernet in 2018 is a painful task, and but for science it wouldn’t have happened.
So much for the preamble, it’s longer than the notes for this evening.
tl:dr
Yup, in for a case. A total no-brainer auto-buy.
Your order number is: used-glorious-gum
The result is a PnP quickie for this evening, with respectable notes tomorrow. At least we’ll have three days to discuss this one.
Appearance: Clear, medium maroon, with only tinges of darker purples one might expect in a young CS.
Aroma: @ PnP, 20.8C, lots of dark fruits, barrel room, hints of vanilla.
Initial taste: Follows aroma. Sweet, but not from RS, it’s the fruit; minimal earth and wood. Nice acid balance and surprisingly fine tannins, only slightly drying. Medium-long finish.
This, for me, is a rather elegant CS, lighter, almost Pinot like at this stage.
After 90 minutes or so, and at a bit warmer temperature, it has become more interesting, but the profile hasn’t changed all that much. This is way too easy to drink at this stage, and for me, surprising for a CS this young.
At this point it has a nice balance and would be quite food friendly, but not for heavy fare.
Going to recork without Ar with about 175 ml off the top and leave on the counter to see how this evolves for chapter two, tomorrow.
@rjquillin You newcomers from wine.woot sure like your abbreviations! For us dumb meh veterans, what do “PnP” and “RS” mean? From context I get that CS, PS, and PN are varietals. And I know Ar is Argon because I’ve worked with chemists and I know what noble gasses are.
@SSteve PnP - pop and pour; RS - residual sugar
@rjquillin Nice notes. This CS is very young - what do you think the long term potential is for it?
@merrybill I’m wondering that myself, hence the post that followed the rat asking KR what he thought.
Perhaps I’ll get a better idea as it opens up over the weekend.
Kyle may even like this one. Is he here yet?
@SSteve Sorry about that, but @merrybill cleared it up much sooner than this reply.
Try this one…
afwe
Wait, who is this “rjq”?
/giphy scooby
@rjq I miss Kyle.
@InFrom an abundance of little ones can be quite the time and $$$ sink, but @klezman manages well.
@rjquillin Seems unfair to knock someone (by invidious comparison) who’s not here to knock back.
@merrybill Judging by RJs description; fine tannins, light, easy drinking. For such a young wine with mostly CS in it, I doubt it is made to age for a long time. Without tasting the wine I won’t speculate any more than that.
@edlada I’m hoping @krwine will respond to a few of the questions already asked, but I could also see how they may disappear in the noise and be easily missed.
Drinking window: The CS seems on the elegant side of things; not as old world as my preferences, and very easy to drink now with plenty of fruit, deft oak and medium tannins.
His earlier ww offers cellar very well, including the '10 SB.
How about this one, in a proper cellar?
Can we know a bit more about what fruit came from where?
What was the barrel regime?
Still haven’t see a rat on the PN, hopefully there was one, but the way this seems to be selling, perhaps no matter.
Same questions there.
Super happy to see Kent back here on ww, err C-Mates with the offer.
@merrybill Just finishing off the rat bottle. Been in the fridge, no AR. Still very solid. Looks like a long life in the cellar.
Looking at the notes provided by Kent, I’d be curious to know what grapes came from where.
And the perennial question; how do you think this will age?
It’s so light and nimble on it’s feet at this point I just can’t predict, but would like to think more than just a few years.
So I have been trying to figure out how in the world people are getting all these weird images, and I finally realized that you get them from your orders. Is that right? Are you supposed to post it to show that you bought some?
/giphy forceful-tyrannical-debt
@Twich22 Who cares about the images? It’s what’s inside the bottle that counts, and this KR is tasty.
@rjquillin For sure. I wish I could buy more than a case.
@Twich22 Nailed the giphy thing. Took me a bit to figure out too. And now I feel the sudden need to sign up for a random loan.
@Twich22 I recall reading we would be able to purchase two.
Haven’t tried yet…
But tempted.
[edit] fail, limited to a case.
@rjquillin yea I already tried. Both of these wines were small production, 512 cases or something like that. I wonder if we will get our first sell out here.
@Twich22 Here’s the official list of slash commands: Mehdown Slash Commands. And here is the formatting syntax and embedding features: Mehdown 2.0. The Kickstarter embedding feature happened not long before the Casemates Kickstarter campaign. I’m guessing it wasn’t a coincidence.
@javadrinker come on down to Bowtie’s House of Loans and Bone Setting!
@rjquillin Multiple accounts is your friend…
@JOATMON of course! totally forgot about that option.
This sounds very tempting… any CO peeps fancy a split?
@knlprez I’ll split! Was thinking of buying the whole case but that might be too much for me
I’m in Denver.
@knlprez I’m in Denver…would do one of each (2 bottles) if you all are interested.
@midstarrynight I was thinking 2 of each. You buy and @CObrent and I take 6 off you?
@knlprez I’m still in for a split, but haven’t heard from @midstarrynight. Should one of us order and figure it out later? Would prefer minimal bottles due to space issues, but can deal with whatever…lots of positive comments on here…enablers!
@CObrent @knlprez sorry for not responding sooner! Went skiing…I can buy it, but for sure need to split it
@midstarrynight /giphy turquoise- thankful-sidecar
@CObrent @knlprez welp it’s ordered lol I just didn’t get the gif to work.
@midstarrynight my brother and I are heading up to Loveland tomorrow, should be some great powder! And I will take 2 of each for sure. Keep us updated when they arrive! Youre a VMP right?
@knlprez yes I am!
@midstarrynight drop the/giphy to it’s own line
/giphy turquoise- thankful-sideca
@midstarrynight @knlprez Thanks! I can come pick up wherever… Bring on the snow!
@CObrent @knlprez I’m picking up the wine tomorrow! Would you two mind emailing me? Probably easier/safer to plan the swap that way
midstarrynight@gmail.com
In for a case… for those unfamiliar with Kent Rasmussen’s three labels, see here - http://www.napawineproject.com/kent-rasmussen-winery/
Buying a case. Keeping them all! No splitting! :P~
Great to see Kent here! Our visit on the 2010 rpm tour was epic.
Any chance we’ll see the mainstream pinot noir?
@klezman get your case?
@rjquillin I really am trying to not buy. New year, new budget. Especially since I can’t count on a tax refund any more to pay for our nanny.
If somebody wants to pass along a couple bottles I can do that much.
@klezman The one case limit may cramp some…
The Halcon should soon be on it’s way.
Nice notes RJ. Always glad to see you doing a case study.
I’m rather tempted here, I’m not supposed to be buying anything but what the hell…
I think I might have to go in for a case based on the rpm and tasting notes and prestige of the name. If anyone in North Texas would want to split it about half of it, that might tip me over.
@topwater6 @hey_zeus @LSeewoester @pentiumjen @RoamingRotarian @f00l @jeffyedwards @trent
@micronio @ryannel @Lurcher99
and @Targaryen
If anyone is interested. reply here or PM at MichaelWb on Woot
@MSUMike Agreed… Seems like a good blend - although I’m new to this but I’m in. I might even go for a case myself so let me know either way. Be happy to split a case with you.
@hey_zeus - I would be in for a bottle of each. My problem is I leave out of country for 3 weeks next Thursday. Let me know.
@hey_zeus Just ordered a case. Let me know if you are gonna get your own or want to split even.
My first order on the new site.
/giphy ghoulish-perennial-tortilla
/image ghoulish-perennial-tortilla
@MSUMike @jeffyedwards Since I’m new to this let’s go with the case that @MSUMike is buying and then @jeffedwards you can still have one of each from my batch leaving me with 5 of each. I’m in with both of you. No biggie on you being out three weeks @jeffedwards. I’m sure we can get it done before you leave and if not I’ll wait till you come back. That is the purpose of the community/casemates, no?!
So, yes @MSUMike, let’s do it!
@hey_zeus Excellent! Looking forward to it.
@hey_zeus It’s only a case (12 bottles - 6 CS, 6 Pthat we are splitting. So if you gave @jeffyedwards one of each you would be left with 2 bottles of each.
@MSUMike Yo! Sorry I’m late to this thread! I ended up going with a case - have a friend taking four of them but if anyone got left out and wants to try a couple lmk.
I probably shouldn’t have. I already have a ton of Navarro Deep End Blend Pinot that I need to drink before it’s too late, but judging from the responses here, it seemed like too good of a deal to pass up. So I made my first Casemates Purchase:
/image milky-yawny-beginner
/giphy milky-yawny-beginner
In for a mixed case, so also curious about how long each wine can age. What’s with the animated GIFs?
@SoSmellyAir Welcome! It’s a meh tradition to put your order number in an /image and/or /giphy command. Of course this is Casemates, not meh, so who knows if it will catch on here.
Meh, why not!
/giphy colorful-flighty-meeting
/giphy textual-kooky-point
This is one I regret not doing a case. Say la vie - darned Christmas bills!
offhand-shrill-margarita
(I don’t know what this has to do with my order name, but it’s a heck of a lot cuter than a bunch of folks throwing up margaritas.)
People on here seem pretty happy with this 3rd offering from Casemates…but can we mix it up a bit with white wines instead of three straight offerings of red? Meh created this near-perfect community of snarky online shopping and Yum Juice…but like all binge drinking winos, I like to mix it up a bit and make look like I’m a ”wine lover” and not simply a lush.
@bramby2 Whites rarely went over well on Woot. A few always did, but not most. My guess would be about 1 out 5 will be white. 1 out of 10 would be fine with me.
@bramby2 If you have access to Little and KR you sell them whenever possible, whatever they’re willing to give you at whatever price they’re willing to discount. KR in particular is a RACE TO BUY on the old ww site.
@bramby2 i would not mind if a gewurstraminer made an appearance…
Kent Rasmussen goes back to the early days of WW. I recall him as Professor Rasmussen. I just reviewed one of my KR buys and remembered that his comments on Petit Verdot sold me on a buy that was a bit pricey for me at the time. That purchase was a good value, but not anywhere as good as this. I put that bottle of PV away and we drank the other varietals in the set. I resisted the PV. I resisted. A few years later I was obligated to contribute to a silent auction. With great sadness, I put out the Petit Verdot. I fronted it with a card quoting lots of the conversation about it from WW. Including one from a person who was very eloquent in their hatred! I paid about $20 for the bottle. It sold for over $200. The purchaser loved it. But didn’t share.
@chipgreen you in on this? Any interest in a split on a case? I would take 4 or 6 out if case if you had interest in splitting
@North316 Wish you would have posted that in the NE OH thread that I read just before hitting the button for a 4-pack… used my shiny new coupon
/giphy sedate-sporty-warrior
EDIT mrn1 bought a case and is willing to split - I thought we would be doing this in the NE OH thread. Easier to subscribe to that than try to post a long list of @screennames for each offer.
always in for a case of KR. I still have a bunch of his PS stashed away in the cellar!
/giphy awful-wide-goose
Casemates has pulled out all the stops for the first week. My wallet fears what’s coming up
First buy on casemates! I hope it lives up to the hype.
I’ve been using nakedwines.com for a while (RUMPUS is AMAZING), but I’m excited for this to come back!
In for a delicious case. Stab-in-the-dark drinking windows (based on CT windows from earlier vintages): Cab 2019-2024, PN 2018-2022.
With shipping… VMP saves you $0.
Finally a wine I can afford… but not a style I particularly like.
@sohmageek Not exactly; $14.50/bottle = $58, so shipping is $8. VMP eliminates that amount.
Anyone in the Philly burbs want to go in on a case? I’m good for at least 4-6 depending on how many people are interested. We could meet up at Plymouth Meeting mall to divvy up the loot.
@fonesj1983 In philly, but center city without a car. I’d be willing to go for 6 if no one else localish is interested. Think you could get into Center City?
(I work right by City Hall and live on Washington Sq, so multiple convenientish meetup options)
@fonesj1983 Actually, decided I’m just gonna order the case since they’re getting low, and if you want to split, let me know.
@Jamileigh17 Thanks for the offer but I don’t think I’m getting to center city anytime soon.
@fonesj1983 No worries, I suspect my local BFF and I will end up sharing these fairly quickly anyway.
And so it begins, the tempting offers that I want to buy and have not the moneys for. We’ve had some of Kent’s Esotericas in the past, and haven’t had a bad experience yet. Curse you, finances…
@cheron98, Chances are good that by the time your finances are back in shape, I’ll still have some!
@MarkDaSpark Chances are that you could leave it to them in your will
@mother, Not that good!
First post-wine woot purchase…
/giphy damned-wimpy-maid
Ugh, I have to struggle against my love of Cab, my dislike of Pinot, my love of KR and my tolerance for my marriage. I think I have that in the right order…
@bhodilee exactly my sentiments! (Except for the marriage bit, anyway! )
Will we see Kent on the forum for this offer?
/giphy sober-tempered-chili
How long will this be available? (assuming it doesn’t sell out)
@csquared22 Sunday I believe is the last day, I am highly unreliable as a source though.
@bhodilee @csquared22 Yes, new offers M-W-F at midnight Eastern so this will be around until 11:59 Sunday night.
Alright fine, love of KR and Cab have won out, maybe this will be the Pinot that makes me like Pinot! Just a four pack though, I shall kick myself if necassary later
OK this deal seems legit. In for a case…
/giphy painstaking-tranquil-taste
In spite of having spent WAY too much on wine in the waning days of Woot, on top of WAY too much in the cellar, I could not pass this up. You had me at RPM Autobuy!
NE OH…I went for a case, but would be happy to split.
@chipgreen
@pjmartin
@North316
@xena67
@scott0210
@mehnyblooms
@mrn1 Not sure I want 6 bottles, but would be happy to take 4 off your hands.
@mrn1 I’m in for 12 on my own. Thanks for asking though.
@mrn1 I would love to take one of each if available.
@mehnyblooms PM me thru Woot…mrn1
@Xena67 PM me thru Woot…mrn1
@mrn1 I’m still on the fence for similar reasons you state. It looks like you have your case fairly well split anyway. Thanks for the offer.
@mrn1 I feel stupid, but I don’t know how to do that. Sorry.
@mrn1 I checked the NE OH thread and didn’t see any interest there so pushed the button already for a 4-pack. I thought that was the point of subscribing to the thread, haha. I really thought that Casemates would have had something in place to facilitate this instead of leaving us to our own devices to figure out how to split and where to arrange it.
@chipgreen Until there is a defined way to chat with others about splits, I’ll think we’ll have to develop our own format. We can keep it under the offering thread, or move it to Gatherings. Either way works for me.
@mehnyblooms I’m reluctant in this forum to post either my email or cell number. What was you Woot name, and did you ever post any comments? If you did, I could private message contact info.
@mrn1 Looks like this group is pretty well split out on this offer. I will probably end up going in on 4 if I can figure out why I never received my coupons.
@North316 I emailed customer service and they pretty quickly sent me my coupons. I’d say go for the 4 pack and we’ll get this splitting fixed for the next go around.
Auto buy. In for a case if anyone in Chicago is interested.
@jshaver On the fence, but may be in. Can you wait until Sunday to buy? Not a big PN drinker, so waiting for a review B4 I jump in. If you get others to go in, don’t wait for me. Where are you located?
@jmdavidson1 I don’t like PN at all, never have, I bought it anyway cause it’s KR and you ALWAYS buy KR. You can save the PN for Turkey Day and impress the shit out of your family or gift it to someone you really like.
@jmdavidson1 I’m buying either way. Huge KR fan. I’m on the Northside in the city.
@jshaver I’m also not a big PN drinker, but I’d be interested in 1/3 of a case (live in western 'burbs).
@Mark_L , I am out in the Aurora area quite a bit so we could arrange some sort of drop off if you are still interested.
@jshaver Sounds good. Or if you pass through Lombard it would be another place we could connect.
Hope KR will add to the dialogue today. Any rattage for the PN? Drinking windows?
@jmdavidson1 must be a drunk rat, or someone else equally as confused as I initially was.
It would be good to see him again to field a few questions that have already popped up.
@jmdavidson1 Hi. Kent here…as to reviews…sorry, I am about as unbiased as Trump. As to ageing…the EPN is a lovely wine that is good now…although will be better in 3 years and will hold for 5-8 (I think). The ECS - probably about the same story…might be best in 4 years.
elicit-bullish-fog
First ever purchase of wine online. Been a VMP, backed the kickstarter, and now trying to be a team player. This one seems like a great deal for $10 a bottle for four bottles with my first use of the $10 coupon.
@jeffcohen When using the $10 coupon on a 4 pack or a case the price per bottle becomes the same when tax it added for me… didn’t think about that.
puny-underwhelmed-jellyfish
In for a case. Can’t pass up a KR offering like this. If the first week is any indication, Casemates is going to be an expensive (and tasty) habit!
I’m a Mediocre peep looking for two people in DFW to split a case on this Esoterica offering. Whether you’re a Mediocre employee or a normal, let me know if you’re interested. Wine exchange can take place at our HQ in Carrollton.
Let’s be casemates
@denboy Count me in! Yay for wine!
@denboy I’m in for 4 bottles!
@PurpleCave @katherine @denboy
/giphy casemates
@jml326 How many posts did you take you to get that case love gif?
@katherine @PurpleCave Case is ordered
/giphy tiresome-extravagant-shandy
@denboy 3 or 4
@jml326 Three way split…I should’ve been more clear in my post. If you were wanting to split, there’s still an opportunity for more people to chime in here and have a case pickup at our HQ…or some other method you determine.
@denboy wow that went fast. Glad to see more DFW people popping in.
@MSUMike yes, I was surprised how quickly that went. With more DFW humans chiming in, maybe another couple or trio can come together on this string. We’re making our HQ available for place of exchange as an option.
/image abstracted-loony-country
Ok, I’m in for a case. I sat here trying to figure out if I should buy a case of the Cab or the Pinot then I get to the order screen and it’s a mixed case - even better! Thanks casemates, can’t wait to try them both!
+1 for the Sun Ra callout!
Kent’s petite is one of my all time favorite random wine woot purchases many years ago; it’s actually what got me involved in wine woot. Anyone from the Houston area interested in splitting a case? 3 CS & 3PN per person???
@clcaruthers I’m keeping my whole case of this, but would be interested in splitting future offers. Where in Houston are you? I’m in the Meyerland area, work in Deer Park / Pasadena
@IanMorr Shucks! Well, I’m in Lake Jackson on during the week and the med center/NRG area on weekends (Friday day to Sun night). I can meet to split at any point on any given weekend and can also drive up during the week if necessary.
@clcaruthers I’ll go halvsies. I think it makes sense for me to buy and we can tag up when you’re in town. I live near Memorial Park. Venmo works well for me but we can settle up when the goodies change hands. If you’re good with this I’ll pull the trigger.
@SDL3 Yes and thank you! Sounds like a deal to me, and Venmo would be perfect. I could swing by on the weekend based on your scheduled whenever it comes. I don’t think they have PM/DMs to exchange info like WW, so how do we get in touch?
@SDL3 I was reading below and saw cases were sold out. An admin just added a few more to the inventory. I waited a little bit to see if you would reply, but I went ahead and got a case before it sold out again. If we both ended up with cases and you only wanted half, I’ll still take that half off your hands
/giphy comedic-reverent-winter
/image comedic-reverent-winter
@clcaruthers Got it. I just got back from lunch and have not placed an order, so thanks for jumping on it. Email me: SDL3casemates@gmail.com and we can sort out details. Thanks!
@IanMorr fyi made a fledgling houston entry under general https://casemates.com/forum/topics/houston
@IanMorr Let’s keep each other in mind for future offers. I am in Meyerland, too.
/giphy gentle-sloppy-desire
In for a case!
Kent’s wines are EXCELLENT! Their petite is easily one of my favs. The dessert I still have 2 sets of their port that I have yet to open.
I’ve ordered their Sauvignon Blanc, Grenache Rose, Petit Sirah, Late Harvest Viognier, Cameros Estate Pinot Noir, and the Port Medley. Didn’t realize I bought so much until I reviewed my past orders!
St. Louis cab drinker here, anyone interested in splitting a case and taking all of the PN?
@outofhand Working on a St. Louis case split over here. I’m wanting to try both kinds but maybe you could work something out with others.
@dave Thanks! I’ll check it out!
WOW. Kent is back, and available in SC.
The skies have unfolded.
/giphy tolerant-capable-ivy
Ugh. This is going to get expensive. In for a case and willing to part with maybe a few bottles for anyone in the Tampa area.
First casemates purchase; in for a case! Seems like a steal based on what everyone is saying, especially with the kickstarter coupon code!
/giphy undaunted-offbeat-plate
In for a case…
/giphy lowly-workable-bee
Hi all. This is Kent Rasmussen. I just want to say that it is great to be back. When David told me about Casemates I was thrilled with the idea and that he would call me and tell me about it at the very very beginning. I really enjoyed the time with you-all during the (many) offerings we did so long ago on WW and really want to support David’s new venture.
As many of you know, Celia and I have changed what we do over the years and no longer make all those wonderful “odd” lots. So many of them were so good (love to hear that many of you still have them in your cellars), but terribly so hard to distribute and sell. It broke my heart to stop making them…but the banker speaks! Now-a-days I am concentrating on our Ramsay brand and a new brand called 689 that we pretty much only sell out-of-the-USA. So when David called I had to think on what to offer. For many years I have made two special small lots of wine just for sale to our oldest retail customers just in Northern California under the Esoterica name…a Pinot and a Cab. When David asked for “something really special” for the start of Casemates I thought…“what better?” These are really wonderful wines and the price is absolutely absurdly cheap.
Anyway…it is great to be back! I will keep an eye on this commentary for the next couple of days if any of you have questions. Also…if you have older WW wines that I have made and want to hear news of them…let me know, I occasionally get to taste our older wines and love to talk on them.
All the best, Kent
@KRWINE Hey, Kent! I have to say that almost everything I bought from you other than the Sauvignon Blanc and the Grenache Rose (another amazing winner!) are still waiting patiently in the cellar for the kind of full maturity you know I appreciate. The vertical tasting of your Pinot Noirs (starting with the 1979!) on our 2010 rpm Tour was one of the all time highlights of all of the Tours - one of those events that wooters (and now casemateers) who were there can forever say “I was there at St. Celia’s place and tasted with Kent”! And those abed in England that morning will forever count their man(or woman)hood cheap…
@KRWINE Way to make us feel special! Makes me glad I went for the case.
@KRWINE Thanks for coming back. I just drank my last 2007 KR Pinot last weekend but still have some 08 & 10 PS. Ahhhh 2010 epic trip.
@KRWINE The last couple of months we’ve been working our way through the 04 Esoterica Port Medley you sold in 2008. The individual varietals have all been great. What a fun experiment it has been noting the differences. Still have the blend itself left to go.
@KRWINE Please see below regarding 07 and 08 PS. Reply went to the wrong place…
@KRWINE I have to add my voice on the joy in seeing you here. You were one of the absences that just took the joy out of purchasing on WW (although I certainly made up for it last month). I was one of the first to buy, last night, when I saw the offer.
There can never be too much wine (although I’m getting close). :-}
@KRWINE If you make a few barrels of your PS and PV, and I’m positive we’ll buy it all- no distribution problem at all!
@IanMorr Hi I had to opportunity to taste through one of my last (three) sets of those wines a few weeks ago also. I was stunned how good they are. The best was the blend (naturally), the Touriga and Tinto Ruiz where also fabulous. All the others were really good. It was fun to see them again after all these years. I do think (for anyone who still has a set) that the time in now for drinking them…although now will probably last a few more years.
@Shrdlu Hi…thanks…I always enjoyed WW…especially this part of it…the conversations! We just ran out of wine to offer…and then there was Amazon. Happy to be back!
@mother Sorry…PV is absolutely not going to happen. PS…I will think about.
@rpm Wow…I had forgotten about that Grenache Rose…that was an amazing wine. You should start drinking all those old Esoterica wines…they are all just about prime right now. As to the KRW PN…the 2007 and 8 are really nice at the moment. I can’t remember what other vintages WW had.
@KRWINE Hi Kent. Thanks for this offer. In for a set. I’ve had your Esoterica PN, PS and Port, and enjoyed them all. I’ll put in another vote for bringing the EPS back to offer here.
@KRWINE I know a great pets vineyard over on 29 owned by a guy named Frank…
@KRWINE they’re on my 2018 list…
@KRWINE For a glimmer of hope for PS I’m good…
And if you ever want to break out the blue bottles again, that grenache rose was great too- I still remember the slightly confused looks we all had when we stepped off the @RPM tour bus to see orange wine waiting for us. But I mean, it was only 9:30am, that’s much too early for red wine… Duh.
@KRWINE Agreed with @rpm and @mother for that 2010 Tour visit. Out of this world.
I’ve got a few bottles of the 06 and 07 KRW Pinots, some PS, and a couple bottles of the Viognier Late Harvest. Are you still making the KRW Pinots?
@KRWINE
Howdy-hi. So, yeah, your PS was the first PS I ever had, and holy cow was that an awakening for me!!!
I’m stoked to have purchased a case of this offering, but since you offered I wanted to ask about some older wines that I don’t think others have asked about yet. (That I’ve seen.)
Along with some Esoterica ('07, '08, '09) PSs, I have a single bottle of the 2001 and the 2002 vintage of your Kent Rasmussen Winery PS Leeds-Chavez Vineyard. I’m holding it because I really wanted to see what an older PS could be like. I should have saved more of them, but they were all so darn good that I couldn’t stop drinking them! Really regret not stock-piling more of them so I could drink them along the way. If you or anyone has an idea on whether they are still ok to leave lying in the cellar, or if I need to pop them soon, I’d really appreciate it.
One final note for you and @WineDavid49 – Sounds to me like bottling a Meh (or CaseMates) PS wine might be a good option. It would allow all of us the glory of drinking it, and reduce your issues of having to deal with selling it…As @mother said, pretty sure this crew will buy and drink pretty much anything you can get to us!
Thanks so much for being involved in CaseMates!!!
First case (in my name)! Beginning of the financial end.
/giphy repulsive-reverent-bite
Kent- so happy to see you in the forum!!! Definitely buying a case today, what an insane price…
I have 2007 and 2008 Esoterica Petite Sirah (2 bottles each) still down in the cellar from 2011 WineWoot. Any comments on how those are doing these days? Thanks!
@wnance Hi I had the 2007 a few weeks ago and it was yummy and still holding very well. I have not had the 2008 in many a year and don’t think that I have any in the cellar either. Too bad — I would have opened one for dinner as I recall I really enjoyed that wine. Kent
First case! Excited.
/giphy lethal-walloping-dingo
Hi Everyone,
Just read the thread and like the format. Liked seeing a LabRat report again.
Kent and I went to the same high school, a few years apart. I have always greatly enjoyed any wine he has produced and happy to be able to purchase some on Casemates. My first purchase.
Cheers
@ScottHarveyWine that’s quite the coincidence! Or is it? I know nothing of your school system.
@ScottHarveyWine does that mean you will be offering up to the casemate god? Will it ship to the divine Commonwealth of MA?
@foxrunner Yes, we look forward to it. And yes we will be able to ship to MA.
@bhodilee Ponderosa High School in Shingle Springs CA. Just a little north of Amador County in the Sierra Nevada Foothills.
@ScottHarveyWine SUPER PUMPED! MA was locked out on the old site. Things are looking up.
I think it is fitting my last wine.woot order arrives today, and I buy my first CaseMates offer! I loved Kent’s Esoterica that I bought over on the other site (which is sadly long gone), so I’m excited to get more.
By the way, the order numbers are hilarious!
@KCountry it gets better. When fed ex scans them they get to see the order numbers. My work in house delivery loves to bring me packages because they think I’m sick with some of these combos
@jml326 That’s even better. I am so looking forward to that.
Does anyone know if we get a pulsating button like we did on WW? I’m curious to know, because I don’t want to miss out on this while I try and coordinate a split!!!
@clcaruthers let’s not. This site is much more refined.
/giphy drinking tea pinky out
@jml326 That gif is awesome in that context
/giphy sinkable-motorized-wall
Ordered! So far in for the 2 of the first 3 Casemates offers. Having trouble with the “no buying in January” plan…
/giphy teasing-fertile-passenger
Checked credit card, decided it was okay. Went to buy a case - sold out! So - in for 4 bottles.
Case is sold out!?!!?
Between putting it in my cart and pressing the button. Ugh.
Settling for 4 bottles.
Going in for one as I love the Petite Syrah so much. I’m also hoping for a run of it soon! I thought they were getting rid of the Esoterica PS line for some reason! Still have a couple bottles I’m cherishing. I did bust one out and everyone looooooooved it. It was their fav that I’ve shown most folks.
Here’s to hoping the cab and the pinot deliver as well.
@PublicArt
/giphy warn-trivial-goat
@PublicArt Well, that’s ominous.
Hey, I know that username giving my post some ups. I must thank @Shrdlu for recommending the Kent Rassmusen Esoterica PS to me. I would have never tasted this fantastic wine without that strong recommendation.
@PublicArt XXOO (Always nice to see you, of course.)
@Shrdlu Same to you! And I’d like to add, the strong recommendation was well deserved.
Read some reviews last night and decided I’d buy a case this morning. Went to buy and it sold out as I was reading a few more of your posts. That’ll teach me to think before buying. Settled for 4.
/giphy unique-lurching-condor
@funnywontons the first sell out?
@jml326 Apparently we were bamboozled. @dave pulled more cases out his ass. Cancelled and re-ordered!
/giphy vertical-appalling-list
P.S. If anyone in SoCal wants a bottle or two, I’m willing to split!
@funnywontons sorta. Looks like they had more split cases. Glad they can change on the fly
@jml326 Yeah, glad they’re willing to do that. I figure all the positive endorsements in the discussion page really drove up the case sales.
/giphy fingers crossed for sellout!
@funnywontons we are looking for two of each to try in the OC, if you are nearby? We’ll do the 4-pack otherwise.
@jayteasmith I’m in SGV, El Monte, we could meet up somewhere in between and do the split, if you’re still interested!
@funnywontons sounds great! Let me know when you receive the shipment. Hope we can figure out how to exchange contact information on here…
Working on getting more cases. Stand by
@Winedavid49 go sell out go
/giphy cheers
@csquared22 @ajrunr @funnywontons I adjusted the inventory to make some more cases available. You should be able to buy now. (And you can cancel your 4-bottle order if it’s been less than an hour at https://casemates.com/orders or write to support to ask them to cancel if it’s been longer than that).
@dave Done! Thanx Dave.
/giphy loathsome-crummy-dock
@dave My wife is going to hate you. Thanks!
@dave I guess cases weren’t expected to be so popular?
@dave Why are there two different inventories? Shouldn’t all the orders come out of the same pool of available bottles?
@chipgreen Yep. We’re working on it.
I tried to buy a case earlier using the /buy command, but it didn’t work. So I ordered manually, and needed to enter my DOB. Maybe that’s why the auto one didn’t work earlier? In any case (so to speak)
/giphy wailing-classy-crayfish
In for a 4-pack.
/giphy virtuous-elated-ranger
How do we private message to ask questions? (The formatting of this discussion section is so confusing.)
@time2testit there isn’t a pm. Best thing is to tag a person with @.
@jml326 So if people want to be casemates (or other swaps or meet up info for gatherings) they have to post everything back and forth in a public forum (emails, addresses, etc.)?
@time2testit or some other solution… we’re working on it and should have something soon. We opted to launch fast replacing the base wine.woot event functions while not having PM replacement yet.
@snapster Thanks. That would be very helpful. I also sent a message (about this and other questions) to the “contact” form.
@snapster @chipgreen @mehnyblooms looks like here’s our answer, help is on the way!
@mrn1 Thanks for tagging me on this. I’ll wait for the solution. I really want to split, but if it doesn’t happen, thanks for the opportunity and maybe next time.
@mehnyblooms keep the faith. I have customer service looking for a temporary fix
Some of the Esoterica wines were amond my first wine woots.
I am so happy to see this here! My account balance? Not as happy about it.
We’ll get at least 1 4 pack, but we’d prefer all PN, so if anyone local (or so) wants all CS, we could swap. Let me know. (Although I can’t figure out where we can private message each other.)
@time2testit no PM best thing is to tag a person with the @
@jml326 So if people want to be casemates (or other swaps or meet up info for gatherings) they have to post everything back and forth in a public forum (emails, addresses, etc.)?
@time2testit or find other means. Like woot, Facebook, Twitter, Google docs.
@jml326 How would we go about doing that (without sharing our facebook, twitter, email information in this public view forum)?
@time2testit @jml326 wander back to ww and use a PM?
fwiw, we’re aware there needs to be some way to share info for splits - it’s something we’re actively working on, though I don’t have an eta
@dave Thanks Dave!
/giphy mocking-brassy-foot
Debating a 4-pack or Split a case for my first vmp Casemates purchase…anyone want to split a case in Central New York (Syracuse area)???
@NatasG did you still want to split or did you get a 4? I’m in Rochester and will split…
@fgfljsb I got a four pack but submitted a ticket to change to a case. It looks like no one is working on the weekend. Guess I will be sticking with four. Let’s work together in the future!
@NatasG :good plan!
/giphy patriotic-valiant-trade
/giphy naughty-lowdown-dock
/giphy authentic-rhetorical-siren
What’s this? Esoterica, and it can be delivered to South Dakota? I’m in - now my nine bottles of Esoterica PS will have family members nearby. A split might be workable, if anyone here (unlikely) or in the Twin Cities is interested.
@coynedj welcome back to the world of easy wine!
@bhodilee Like I said on that other site, my SIWBM’s are measured in days, not weeks or months. Just when I thought I might get the inventory levels under control, WD ships to SD and all plans are out the window.
Well I needed to earn some miles anyway.
/giphy guilty-unusual-whale
It’s indeed happy you can buy more wine!
My first casemates order. You guys always make it easy to figure out when to go for it. Its how it was on the site that shall not be named and I am glad to know I find the knowledge here too.
I need all the help I can get to find wines that are good. I have come a long way though, but this seems like a no-brainer.
/giphy humble-divided-quiet
I’m gonna need as bigger wine rack…
/giphy mountainous-gasping-broccoli
Like others, today I picked up my final and so fine Woot box of Wellington Victory and ordered a case of Rasmussen. Some days are just that good. Popped an '06 Wellington from the cellar to quietly celebrate the old and ring in the new! Woot is dead; long live Casemates!
@RRichmo I’m getting all misty.
I tried to resist, I really did…
/giphy elaborate-grateful-fan
Anyone in the Ann Arbor MI area interested in splitting a case?
@cdcummings12 Yes, please. I’m in Milford.
@cathaclysm hi there, convinced my mother to go in on a split. Sorry! Next time.
/giphy gloating-vexing-garden
I’m 2 out of 3.
/giphy fatal-garbled-vodka
/giphy goodhearted-odd-skeleton
Well, had to buy.
In the words of my late uncle: “Here he goes again! A root to toot, to toot!”
1st casemates purchase, woot hoo. Feel like Kent wasn’t shipping to Mass on WW? At least not of late. Maybe I’ll get to try some of Scott’s Zin or Pedroncelli… no?
Honestly I’m more interested in wine than gifs, but whatever.
@kaolis
/giphy wine-over-gifs
@chipgreen
Rasmussen is good, in for a case at this price.
/giphy unwary-marginal-fan
@afwaller I backed the casemates kickstarter, curious as to why I didn’t get the little [k]
@afwaller I don’t know whether that depended on going back to answer the Kickstarter survey, as some perks did. If you already did that, then I guess it didn’t.
@afwaller If you did the survey, I’d reach out to support.
Since Pinot isn’t my favorite (though I do like them on occasion), I’m glad I held off on Wednesday’s deal and got this instead. Not a case - I just don’t have the room - but definitely in for 4. (unless @rjquillin would want to part with 1-2 bottles from his case, though I’m pretty sure he’ll refuse
)
/giphy fatherly-actually-tortellini
@tklivory I think I could honor that request for you and @klezman.
In the spirit of sharing we’re working to develop here.
PM my username over at ww.
@rjquillin Done!
@tklivory Got your KR at work. Looks like we’ll be doing a Tercero distribution tomorrow at 08:00 at a coffee shop in UTC. PM me @ww (or email me) if you want to drop by and p/u the KR at the same time.
Sigh, I like whites, but I like to keep stuff around for my more sophisticated friends to drink, so in for the 4 pack.
/giphy derelict-rambunctious-bit
@mtb002
Well, that’s a little spicier than I had anticipated.
@mtb002
The spice of life my friend
@ScottW58
Not really my type, but I’m glad someone’s enjoying it.
@mtb002 yeah the painting is not really my style either
@mtb002 fyi if you edit a post with a giphy or YouTube before it locks it wilm produce anotjer random image.
@jml326
That seems like cheating. Nope, I git what I git and I don’t throw (much of) a fit.
@mtb002
/giphy respect
Check out that curtain. The Tonight Show?
@InFrom
/giphy Johnny carson
@jml326 johnny am all Time fav
/giphy petulant-model-coat
/giphy minamilist-deep-powder
@swmbo the giphys seem particular disturbing today
@swmbo Yours wins the prize, for sure. How? What? Why?
@swmbo How the hell do I unsee that? And now I am also having memories of the Phat Gus.
@pseudogourmet98 it’s probably In the rotation some where…
@swmbo f’n Japan. There is something seriously wrong with them.
@pseudogourmet98 we can’t unsee it til we drink the wine and the wine won’t be here for a week or two!
If anyone in Portland, OR, bought a case but would be down to sell a couple bottles should message me, if that’s a thing here!
/giphy abiding-broad-hawk
/giphy athletic-positive-wrench
Just realized what everyone was doing to create these…man, I’m slow…unlike this guy
@IanMorr Ha. Guess it changes if you edit it…it was Usain Bolt…but I’m sure ^^^ that ‘guy’ is fast too.
@IanMorr I’m so slow, I stared at that “guy” for a couple minutes before I realized you changed something.
@IanMorr, I think it changed it to wench!
Purchased a case - Detroit suburbs if anyone wants to split (half)
@kasandrae already have a case share set up but glad to see more Michigan representation on here. Drop in on the Michigan Gatherings thread. We’ve got a handful of metro Detroit folks there.
@kasandrae I purchased a case myself, but I’m in the northern Detroit suburbs for future case splits.
Excited to see Kent back. First post on the new forums. #Feelings
Trying out the giphy
/giphy brutal-breakable-air
@nostrom0
Did 4chan take over giphy while no one was looking? Although, yours is kind of funny.
Esoterica 2016 Pinot Noir rattage
Very excited to see a familiar winemaker bottle appear magically at my door. We had some wonderful tasting experiences with Kent and Celia and he pulled out some crazy old bottles for us to try - then Celia serenaded us. When we arrived, he had this wonderful orange dessert/breakfast wine for us to try.
Moving on to the tasting.
Color: translucent Red - typical pinot.
Nose: Strawberry and Lavender(?) Not a strong nose, but nothing off. No apparent alcohol/menthol.
Taste: Strawberry, Red Raspberry, Plum. Very light and fresh. No appreciable oak. Not tannic or acidic. Pronounced taste of the grape itself, without the usual pinot mushroom or wet soil.
Finish: short to medium. Just enough acid to cleanse the palate but nothing more. No noticeable oak.
Easy drinking, immediately accessible. Borders on fruitiness without being cloying.
Many thanks for the honor of ratting a Rasmussen. Brings back many happy memories.
@woopdedoo So, you were the slacker!
Bout time you showed up.
Thanks for the notes. They are eerily similar to mine for the CS, that I’ll add to this evening after allowing it some air.
@rjquillin Indeed. Haven’t gotten the scheduling of the offers down - sorry for the late rattage. I have been trying it over several days - just sipping it again this morning and it is just as fresh as when I first opened it.
Celia sings to the wooters
@woopdedoo Is this the same tour where Clark Smith popped in with his guitar?
@InFrom Clark serenading us at Scott Harvey’s place
Same tour - 2010
@woopdedoo I watched that vid when someone (you?) posted it on woot recently. Both serenades must have been delightful to experience.
/giphy lovely-fluent-alarm
ETA: Not what I expected, but not displeased with this gif.
Anyone near Wethersfield CT want to split a case? Kind of regretting not joining VMP for the shipping benefit
@Grabeck989 There’s a Connecticut thread in the gatherings section, along with a Facebook group. But I didn’t notice anyone from Wethersfield yet.
Kickstarter Meh.com member, formerly more active. I backed at the $100 level plus 60 to reinstate the VMP I held for a long while. However, now that I’m going to purchase, I don’t see my VMP status reflected and I see I never got a coupon code email, etc. I did get a survey email asking me to confirm I had gone in on VMP, etc, and an email confirming receipt of that. I just sent off a support thingie about it, but got a “we work M-F” autoresponse.
Any idea what’s up? Should I just buy and request a refund for that part? I don’t want to miss a KR – we have some Esoterica desserts we’re still saving, we prize them so.
@TrinSF my vmp was not applied as I put some unexpected text in a field and it apparently got bypassed on an autoload. I bought the forst offering, paid the shipping, then they applied the vmp and gave me a credit for shipping cost
2016 Kent Rasmussen North Coast Coast Cabernet Sauvignon Esoterica
Revisiting, missed chapter two at 24 hours and now going on day 48 hours now since initial PnP…
Pulled the cork on this at 09:00 this morning, along with the '12 and '13 Victories.
So, this is 10 hours later on ~2/3 full bottle @ 19.6C, so a bit cooler.
Despite the first pour I had to dump due to a dirty (soapy) glass, I really like where this went;
speaks well for a bit of cellar time I’d like to give it, and will.
Still a shy nose, or perhaps my nose is just in a dump phase.
I’ll still call it soft for a CS, it tends to restrained elegance.
Diminished is the sweetness I attributed to fruit, and not RS, on PnP.
Now getting plum, a touch of cassis and spice box, and dust.
Cooperage seems quite neutral, no splinters, minimal vanilla, tannins present are only slightly drying, just enough to let you know they are there. I’m really liking the balance here. Finish approaches 30 seconds.
This is ~not~ an in-your-face CA CS.
If you expect and like those Parker bombs, go elsewhere.
Not a CS for hearty fare either, enjoy this solo or with lighter sides and meals.
I’ll still call this a PN drinkers CS; I really like the subtleties here and it just keeps calling for another sip.
Back tomorrow, as I’ve managed to retain nearly ½ bottle for day three.
This will again just get corked, no Ar, no fridge.
@thumperchick updated TN
@rjquillin Well, I may have to take you up on a bottle or two of each. Sigh. But no big deal either way. I’ve been given a mandate that wine shall no longer invade the living room. This is a hard condition to meet atm.
@rjquillin How were the Victories? And just to make it on topic, how were the Victories in comparison to the ECS?
/giphy rough-wheat-gum
Didn’t want to wait on the coupon and shipping discount. I am sure they’ll make it up to me.
And I don’t even on this bear.
In for my first Casemates purchase - two of my favorite varieties!
/giphy rusty-respectable-dragon
Great to have Kent back, love all the Esotericas I’ve had. In for a case.
One comment for the powers-that-be… it was helpful to have the one link near the top of the comments for the first lab rat report. Could someone please put links for all of them some place obvious like that, so we won’t miss them, or have to scroll through a long list of comments searching! Thanks.
And… glad we are back to ‘Lab Rats’. Grape Debater… meh!
Excited about this offering. In for a case.
/giphy maddening-curly-ball
{edit by TC}
I think you meant
/giphy maddening-curly-ball
/giphy honored-unused-whale
N 4 12
First C-Mates buy, and first KR - looking forward to them.
/giphy near-useful-candy
/giphy wobbly-proper-wombat
/giphy giant-wasteful-chipmunk
Since this winery seems to being spoken about as an autobuy I’ve decided I’d be remiss if I didn’t jump in for a case. First Casemates purchase of, I’m sure, many yet to come.
/image ready-maddening-market
/giphy ready-maddening-market
Great to see other woot alumni on here. And watch for what’s next
@tercerowines Is this a clue?
@tercerowines Larry, I hope to see you as an active participant here! Which reminds me, we still need to talk re: rose and BD.
@tercerowines hmmmm what could it be
@CorTot mixed case? Whites?
@trifecta I have no idea. But I’m guessing it’s something Larry made.
@CorTot
If anyone in MA is buying a case I’m in Southern NH and would love to pay to get 1-2 of each varietal (2-4 bottles)
@wordek depending on how I like them I might be up for this arrangement. What I like I tend to cling to jealously…
Whereabouts in Southern NH?
@jbartus Amherst, just west of Manchester/Bedford. Let me know what you decide
TN update:
Going on 70 hours open now.
This is doing just fine, little change from yesterday.
Good to know I’ll have some to follow for a at least a few, or more, years.
Thanks Kent, the CS is a winner!
@woopdedoo, how is the PN holding up?
Time to start building up the cellar. First case ordered! Super excited, love casemates!
/giphy unsafe-blessed-jeans
/giphy substantial-reputable-cracker
Impressed with the delivery speed! 6 days for a case!
@mkenny2307 Yep - mine is on a truck for delivery…
@mkenny2307 And mine still says “processing”. I feel like Charlie Brown at Halloween - “I got a rock”.
@coynedj Mine still says processing too - I have an entry in my Fedex account for the shipment, just says Label Created with an anticipated ship date of 1/23, estimated delivery date of 1/27 (today), but with no tracking information. Doesn’t look like it actually started shipping yet.
@eric1024 Same here. I don’t think it’s arriving by 1/31! Which is going to be difficult to handle the required signature if it doesn’t arrive this week.
@TimW Just got my shipping notification a few minutes ago - says it’s arriving Friday 02/02!
@eric1024 Same here! Just got FedEx and Casemates notifications. FedEx says 2/2 delivery for me as well.
@mkenny2307 Same here - Friday is the day.
If anyone in Atlanta needs a bottle or two, let me know. I got a case.
Arrived!
I owe ppl btl’s.
lemmeknow
@rjquillin
Sent you my email on woot for further coordination.
@tklivory replied
Tonight I had a bottle of 2016 Esoterica PN with Halibut and pasta. PnP nose is cherries, vanilla, and what I think is Brett. Taste is cherries and vanilla with a Bretty finish. A hint of acid. No alcohol. No Tannins. I am not really enjoying this. I hope its a bad bottle. I’ll try a glass tomorrow but am not really expecting it to be able to improve from here.
@Twich22 Not that you’d necessarily have a bad cork with a situation where you experience excessive Brett, but, did you see anything wrong with the cork itself? Was the odor more barnyard than old dish rag?
@vaaccess It was old dish rag. Does that mean corked then?
@vaaccess Here is the cork. Looks like cork composite right? Im guessing composites can still be corked though.
@Twich22 I would be more inclined to say it was “corked” if it was dish rag vs barnyard alone…you’ll have to let us know how the next one you open tastes/smells…
And yeah, composites can definitely be corkeD. Screwtop is the only one that will prevent that exact condition, but is a trade-off due to the negative impacts of aging if the wine is intended to be aged. That said, good composites are less likely to cork than a natural I THINK, so it’s unfortunate that it happened here…
@vaaccess Synthetics, as well as twist tops, should also be immune.
Mine arrived, gotta pull a cork on the PN, the CS only got better after opening.
@rjquillin ok. I knew synthetics would be better for sure. Maybe that bottle was contaminated a different way then…
@Twich22 In any case, sounds like a flawed bottle (no pun intended). I’d check in with customer service and they might replace it for you.
@vaaccess thanks. I am fairly certain that i was mistaking brett for TCA. And I am fairly certain i had a corked bottle. I have had a few before. Ill open another one soon to make sure.
@Twich22 Had me a little worried so we popped a bottle for a glass each (wifely one and I that is). You definitely got a bad bottle. Ours is drinking beautifully right out of the gate.
@Twich22 I too pulled a cork on a PN; lovely.
No dog, no Brett. At ww, @winedavid49 and the CS crew made good on bad bottles. I’d think the same here, but not sure exactly what the process will be.
@thumperchick or @dave may have some insights on how to proceed.
@rjquillin @javadrinker yea i actually pulled the cork on a second bottle. Much better. No bad taste in the mouth.
@Twich22 Please write in using the Support Form or by clicking the “I need help with this” on your order from the Orders page.
Opened the Pinot tonight. When I first opened it I thought it smelled…bad. But I let it sit for a couple hours and then the bad smell was gone. Picking up on that lovely vanilla aroma instead and drinks very nicely. Is this normal? Maybe because its a young wine it just needed to breathe?
got my order yesterday…any thoughts on drinking window?
/giphy afraid-middle-stem
Received my box today around noon and the package was quite cold. After leaving a bottle of PN on the counter for the balance of the day corked the bottle this evening. Very light on the nose, slightly sweet with a hint of vanilla. Beautifully smooth going down, with a nice crisp finish. Definitely improved after a couple of hours.
@davidd13 mine got better after a couple of days as well.
Any talk about how these wines are predicted to age? Would love some feedback on how long to keep this one in the cellar?
@fredpgh +1
@fredpgh In a comment buried in copious discussion above, Kent said, “As to ageing…the EPN is a lovely wine that is good now…although will be better in 3 years and will hold for 5-8 (I think). The ECS - probably about the same story…might be best in 4 years.”
@Xena67 The eagle has landed. All I need is your contact info so we can arrange to meet. Can you PM meet thru Woot? I think Casemates CS should have emailed you my email address if you aren’t sure about Woot PM.
Loved my bottle of PN last night. Was much more complex than I expected from a Pinot. Had a delightful vanilla note and nice acidity.
My wife and I are big fans of Kent’s wines. We opened the CS the other night and while we thought it was pretty good from the start, after about an hour it really opened up and we were very pleased! IMO drinks like a wine three times that price.
@KzooHiker I agree, just had a bottle this weekend. Wonderful bottle of CS at twice(or thrice) the price. Really nice after an hour and also day 2.
The bride and I concur! Give that bottle an hour and it will shine. No way was that bottle making day 2!
Psst. Can we get this one again soon please? I finally gave in and opened my last bottle of the cab! Still delicious!
@Jamileigh17 “Still delicious!”?
It should be for years to come…
I keep asking… nothing from Kent for a while.
@Winedavid49 keep asking…
@rjquillin Thanks for dredging up this thread! Did you see this comment above?
Three years, you say? Pretty darn accurate!
@fredpgh @InFrom
It took me awhile to read thru (most of) the comments.
Try not to think of what we’re missing with the loss of the w.w threads…
@rjquillin The sale threads are searchable, but all the talk of fridges and Argon and everything else, gone.
@fredpgh @InFrom @rjquillin don’t depress me, so many of our original NOVA threads of our antics are probably left buried, those pictures! Oh my…