An elegant entrance that is highlighted by its finesse. The mid-palate is balanced between fruit and subtle oak characters with a mineral backbone. The finish is round, filling and fresh with a medium-plus length.
The 2014 Chardonnay carries flavors of melon and apple in its medium bodied entrance before rounding out into a balanced and smooth wine.
Vintage and Winemaker Notes
With over 500 acres planted to Chardonnay, Syrah, Merlot, and Cabernet, Soaring Eagle Vineyard is located in the Wahluke Slope AVA at 600-750 ft. in elevation. Hot and dry with a long growing season, Soaring Eagle is in one of the warmest Washington AVA’s. Planted on Burbank loamy fine sand, the site is known for producing ripe, luscious wines with high flavor intensity.
Fruit was handpicked, whole cluster pressed, cold settled, racked, and slow fermented and benefited from 5 months sur lie aging in 20% new French oak.
Following on the heels of a cold winter, early spring was very wet with double our typical precipitation in March. Rapidly warming temperatures in April led to buds breaking almost a week early – these favorable conditions continued, leading to very strong fruit set after a mid-June bloom. The abundance of fruit allowed for meticulous hand thinning; only the fruit meeting stringent quality parameters were allowed to ripen. Excellent weather continued throughout the summer, leading to a warmer than average vintage and resulted in excellent ripening conditions. Moving into late summer/early fall the grape clusters were in outstanding condition which combined with unusually dry conditions allowed for extended hang time and enhanced flavor development. The extended harvest period enabled each vineyard to be harvested at peak ripeness resulting in a crop of fantastic quality.
Winery: King Estate
CEO: Ed King
Location: Eugene, OR
North by Northwest was founded in 2005 by the King family with the vision to handcraft varietally pure wines from the finest vineyards in Walla Walla Valley and Columbia Valley AVAs, which straddle the border of Washington and Oregon. We partner with like-minded vineyard owners, with an eye on sustainable viticultural practices. Our guiding principle is simple: produce a quality wine, for wine lovers.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NV, NM, NY, NC, ND, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, WV, WI
King Estate’s North by Northwest Columbia Valley Chardonnay
6 bottles for $34.99 $5.83/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $54.99 $4.58/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2014 North by Northwest Chardonnay - $15 = 21.42%
So, I was lucky to receive the golden ticket for this offer and this is my first Lab Rat Report.
I wrangled in @Hey_Zeus and my lovely wife for support.
King Estate Pinot Gris is one of our favorite producers/wines and so this was exciting to see how they do with Chardonnay. Served chilled in Riedel white wine glasses. At “crack and pour” we noted a soft mineral perfume on the nose, some toast, and citrus as well. The color is a pale golden yellow- not much in the way of any heavy oak influence on the nose or in the glass. At first this was a bit lean, with tart lemon, and moderate acidity that yielded a puckery finish. As it warmed, and we dined on Irish cheddar and water crackers, it opened up to reveal more soft caramel notes on the nose and creaminess on the finish. I had guessed the offer would be in the $6 per at the case price so at $4.50 is a no brainer.
This will not be confused with any full oak, malolactic Chardonnay. It is crisp, lean, and happy to be quaffed by the glass by the pool, or served with creamy shellfish pasta. Even green olives in a nice olive oil brine caused the wine to shine even more. This is jug wine price folks and you would be pleased to drink this is offered a glass. Enjoy and thank you Casemates!
@johnnelson7333 It did go well with the olives and cheese and crackers. Great rattage @johnnelson7333! With the heat here in Big D it will go down nicely when chilled.
Is the expedited shipping/ice worth the cost? Will the wine travel ok without it? Definitely going to purchase a case but need advice on shipping. Thanks!
@winedavid49 Ok, the price comparison here is total bullsh*t. This offer states that this is $343.00 at the winery(including shipping) Well, this wine, the 2015 version, is $9.00 a bottle at the winery ($108.00 a case). But the cheapest shipping option offered is $190.00 a case for two day FedEx. Yeah right. Which brings us to the to the magic $300 and some dollars a case. Actually to my state of IL it’s only(only?)$304.00. REALLY?? Talk about smoke and mirrors. Shame on you.
@Winedavid49 Actually just over 5 dollars even with standard ship if you do the math
… and want to take a flyer on your wine getting cooked…and not complaining, just pointing out absurd price comparisons
@kaolis@Winedavid49
Now that Casemates offers expedited shipping w/ice packs for $15/case, it actually is a fair comparison and illustrates that not only is there a great deal on the wine but a great deal on the shipping.
I continue to have my own issues with standard summer shipping and still find it ironic that an additional hub was added in Western NY but rather than use it to service a concentric surrounding area, it only serves points East in an apparent half circle while NE Ohio continues to be serviced by the St. Louis hub which is 3x further away and results in an extra day of unprotected shipping from a hotter point of origin.
I have been beating that dead horse for a couple years but the express shipping option now available, albeit for an additional fee, allows me to partake in summer deals without worrying so much about the temperatures the wine is being subjected to along the way.
I realize that a lot of work goes into logistics and there are cost-benefit analyses that must be done. Not all areas of the country are going to be serviced equally. I would hazard a guess that the standard summer shipping is perfectly adequate for 80% of the country but feel that I am in the 20% “dead zone” that has a less than ideal setup.
Bottom line, I am happy to pay $15 for the combination of styro insert, ice packs and 2-day shipping. Compare that to the $190 from the winery for 2-day shipping without ice packs! Now that is some
@chipgreen@Winedavid49 As Winedavid says, good riddance. To throw a $340 price comp out there is disingenuous at best. Something that he claims other sites do but he is above. It’s a 9 buck wine that is selling for $5+…if you don’t do your homework…well, it seems like a great deal, not really as great as the comp makes it seem, if you get my drift. Ain’t no one, is that proper English? paying $190.00 for two day shipping for a 5 buck wine. Just saying.
@kaolis@Winedavid49
I guess my point was that $190 is the actual shipping charge for 2-day from the winery (whether or not someone would realistically pay it for a case of $9 wine), while WD offers the same service for only $15.
While part of me feels that by paying an extra $15 I am subsidizing standard summer shipping to those whose service level is adequate without the extra precautions, at the same time I realize the incredible value that $15 represents, especially when compared to a $190 charge from the winery.
That said, I agree that it would be more equitable for the shipping comp to be based on what the winery would charge for ground shipping (or zone-skip, if available) since that is the standard Casemates summer shipping method and receiving our shipments year-round from Casemates is not a benefit but rather a forced condition of purchase. But add $15 to the Casemates price when using the current comp method and you do actually have an apples to apples comparison for that level of service.
Finally, to WD’s point… I think he feels this is all moot when he is offering us a perfectly drinkable wine for $5/bottle and I can get behind that for this individual offer but the shipping comp pertains to every offer not just this one and is therefore worthy of discussion.
@kaolis I just wanted to chime in and say I support us users questioning shipping and care of wines. I guess the rest of the country just doesn’t “get” the wine country (connect) spending habits where 80 bucks for truffle butter, 40 for the maldives sea salt, and at that point, who-the-f-cares what the wine costs???
I am really more upset the fact WD said “good riddance” to a kickstarter and genuine question. Maybe that shit flew on woot. But the fact meh.com is built on people shitting on the offering, he might need to sack up to deal with this community.
@kaolis@KNmeh7 Pfff. A genuine question? That post was written in the most disrespectful way possible, and literally ended “Shame on you.” I mean, seriously – good riddance.
@kaolis@KNmeh7@tangopudding
It’s the assertion of purposeful misinformation that got my goat and yes overreacted (on a Friday night) We do not intentionally mislead and I do believe that separates us… And I stand by that. Mistakes? Sure.
Apologies for the good riddance comment. Stick around Kaolis. But expect a spirited reply if you offer similar sentiments.
@KNmeh7@tangopudding@Winedavid49 All good! Where else can you have this much fun? I may have been a little over the top on a Friday night night myself. Shipping comps mean less to me than wine integrity that’s for sure.
May the spirited discussions go on!
I’m so happy with the shipping here at Casemates . Have been receiving my orders within 2 days after email (regular ship) and wines are slightly “cool” to the touch. Cudos to WCC AND FED-X!
An odd question perhaps, but can someone shed light on the “Estimated Delivery” dates? Is that based on some number of days after a date when it is expected to ship? Or is that the date it is expected to ship? (This offer appears to specify a Thursday as the first estimated delivery date, and the forum notes indicate that all shipping is done on Thursday over the summer.) I’m trying to see how this will fit in with respect to potential vacation, and this seems too good to pass up. However, for example, the Anne Amie offer had an Estimated Delivery date of June 25/27 which, at this point, would appear to be a shipping date, or some number of incredibly short days after it is supposed to ship. Not complaining, just trying to figure out if I can take advantage of this awesome offer.
@jwhetzel Depending on how long your vacation is, you can modify your shipping instructions once it has been shipped, and FedEx will hold it for up to a week.
This turned out happily delicious. Very smooth/buttery chard. Would entirely buy again, glad I got 2 cases! (This winery is also going on my favorites list. We’ve loved everything they’ve offered on here, and at the price point, it’s a steal!)
Tasting Notes
An elegant entrance that is highlighted by its finesse. The mid-palate is balanced between fruit and subtle oak characters with a mineral backbone. The finish is round, filling and fresh with a medium-plus length.
The 2014 Chardonnay carries flavors of melon and apple in its medium bodied entrance before rounding out into a balanced and smooth wine.
Vintage and Winemaker Notes
With over 500 acres planted to Chardonnay, Syrah, Merlot, and Cabernet, Soaring Eagle Vineyard is located in the Wahluke Slope AVA at 600-750 ft. in elevation. Hot and dry with a long growing season, Soaring Eagle is in one of the warmest Washington AVA’s. Planted on Burbank loamy fine sand, the site is known for producing ripe, luscious wines with high flavor intensity.
Fruit was handpicked, whole cluster pressed, cold settled, racked, and slow fermented and benefited from 5 months sur lie aging in 20% new French oak.
Following on the heels of a cold winter, early spring was very wet with double our typical precipitation in March. Rapidly warming temperatures in April led to buds breaking almost a week early – these favorable conditions continued, leading to very strong fruit set after a mid-June bloom. The abundance of fruit allowed for meticulous hand thinning; only the fruit meeting stringent quality parameters were allowed to ripen. Excellent weather continued throughout the summer, leading to a warmer than average vintage and resulted in excellent ripening conditions. Moving into late summer/early fall the grape clusters were in outstanding condition which combined with unusually dry conditions allowed for extended hang time and enhanced flavor development. The extended harvest period enabled each vineyard to be harvested at peak ripeness resulting in a crop of fantastic quality.
Specifications
Price Comparison
$343.18/case at King Estate (including shipping)
About The Winery
Winery: King Estate
CEO: Ed King
Location: Eugene, OR
North by Northwest was founded in 2005 by the King family with the vision to handcraft varietally pure wines from the finest vineyards in Walla Walla Valley and Columbia Valley AVAs, which straddle the border of Washington and Oregon. We partner with like-minded vineyard owners, with an eye on sustainable viticultural practices. Our guiding principle is simple: produce a quality wine, for wine lovers.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NV, NM, NY, NC, ND, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, WV, WI
Estimated Delivery
Monday, July 23rd - Friday, July 27th
@johnnelson7333 shared a bottle with their wife and @hey_zeus in this Lab Rat Report.
King Estate’s North by Northwest Columbia Valley Chardonnay
6 bottles for $34.99 $5.83/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $54.99 $4.58/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2014 NxNW Chardonnay
Previous offer: 9/13/17
Psh, at that VMP price, considering we devoured the other north by northwest wines we’ve gotten in our household…
/giphy chug
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2014 North by Northwest Chardonnay - $15 = 21.42%
/giphy brainless-frigid-pocket
Great Summer Gift for my Mother-in-law! In for a case!
/giphy brainy-orange-shaman
Oh my god, I loved this game!
Norse by Norsewest
/giphy octagonal-candid-fog
Excellent value. When the expedited shipping is close to the case price…
Was just over $9 on Woot last year, and got some good comments. I was happy with it then; I’m in for a half case.
The others from north by northwest have been nice, sounds like a nice easy drinker in the heat.
/giphy incognito-interesting-mulberry
So, I was lucky to receive the golden ticket for this offer and this is my first Lab Rat Report.
I wrangled in @Hey_Zeus and my lovely wife for support.
King Estate Pinot Gris is one of our favorite producers/wines and so this was exciting to see how they do with Chardonnay. Served chilled in Riedel white wine glasses. At “crack and pour” we noted a soft mineral perfume on the nose, some toast, and citrus as well. The color is a pale golden yellow- not much in the way of any heavy oak influence on the nose or in the glass. At first this was a bit lean, with tart lemon, and moderate acidity that yielded a puckery finish. As it warmed, and we dined on Irish cheddar and water crackers, it opened up to reveal more soft caramel notes on the nose and creaminess on the finish. I had guessed the offer would be in the $6 per at the case price so at $4.50 is a no brainer.
This will not be confused with any full oak, malolactic Chardonnay. It is crisp, lean, and happy to be quaffed by the glass by the pool, or served with creamy shellfish pasta. Even green olives in a nice olive oil brine caused the wine to shine even more. This is jug wine price folks and you would be pleased to drink this is offered a glass. Enjoy and thank you Casemates!
@johnnelson7333 It did go well with the olives and cheese and crackers. Great rattage @johnnelson7333! With the heat here in Big D it will go down nicely when chilled.
Crazy good price.
Is the expedited shipping/ice worth the cost? Will the wine travel ok without it? Definitely going to purchase a case but need advice on shipping. Thanks!
@mehmerized Where are you located?
No new Hampshire
@bruinscbr could swear I saw NH when I first looked. Too much wine, I suppose.
@winedavid49 Ok, the price comparison here is total bullsh*t. This offer states that this is $343.00 at the winery(including shipping) Well, this wine, the 2015 version, is $9.00 a bottle at the winery ($108.00 a case). But the cheapest shipping option offered is $190.00 a case for two day FedEx. Yeah right. Which brings us to the to the magic $300 and some dollars a case. Actually to my state of IL it’s only(only?)$304.00. REALLY?? Talk about smoke and mirrors. Shame on you.
@kaolis a sub 5 dollar chard of this caliber and you are complaining? Good riddance.
@Winedavid49 Actually just over 5 dollars even with standard ship if you do the math
… and want to take a flyer on your wine getting cooked…and not complaining, just pointing out absurd price comparisons
@kaolis @Winedavid49
Now that Casemates offers expedited shipping w/ice packs for $15/case, it actually is a fair comparison and illustrates that not only is there a great deal on the wine but a great deal on the shipping.
I continue to have my own issues with standard summer shipping and still find it ironic that an additional hub was added in Western NY but rather than use it to service a concentric surrounding area, it only serves points East in an apparent half circle while NE Ohio continues to be serviced by the St. Louis hub which is 3x further away and results in an extra day of unprotected shipping from a hotter point of origin.
I have been beating that dead horse for a couple years but the express shipping option now available, albeit for an additional fee, allows me to partake in summer deals without worrying so much about the temperatures the wine is being subjected to along the way.
I realize that a lot of work goes into logistics and there are cost-benefit analyses that must be done. Not all areas of the country are going to be serviced equally. I would hazard a guess that the standard summer shipping is perfectly adequate for 80% of the country but feel that I am in the 20% “dead zone” that has a less than ideal setup.
Bottom line, I am happy to pay $15 for the combination of styro insert, ice packs and 2-day shipping. Compare that to the $190 from the winery for 2-day shipping without ice packs! Now that is some
@chipgreen @Winedavid49 As Winedavid says, good riddance. To throw a $340 price comp out there is disingenuous at best. Something that he claims other sites do but he is above. It’s a 9 buck wine that is selling for $5+…if you don’t do your homework…well, it seems like a great deal, not really as great as the comp makes it seem, if you get my drift. Ain’t no one, is that proper English? paying $190.00 for two day shipping for a 5 buck wine. Just saying.
@kaolis @Winedavid49
I guess my point was that $190 is the actual shipping charge for 2-day from the winery (whether or not someone would realistically pay it for a case of $9 wine), while WD offers the same service for only $15.
While part of me feels that by paying an extra $15 I am subsidizing standard summer shipping to those whose service level is adequate without the extra precautions, at the same time I realize the incredible value that $15 represents, especially when compared to a $190 charge from the winery.
That said, I agree that it would be more equitable for the shipping comp to be based on what the winery would charge for ground shipping (or zone-skip, if available) since that is the standard Casemates summer shipping method and receiving our shipments year-round from Casemates is not a benefit but rather a forced condition of purchase. But add $15 to the Casemates price when using the current comp method and you do actually have an apples to apples comparison for that level of service.
Finally, to WD’s point… I think he feels this is all moot when he is offering us a perfectly drinkable wine for $5/bottle and I can get behind that for this individual offer but the shipping comp pertains to every offer not just this one and is therefore worthy of discussion.
@chipgreen @kaolis @Winedavid49
I can honestly say I didn’t feel the need to complain at this price point, but I feel like Yelp is probably an important resource to you
@chipgreen @kaolis that’s fair.
@kaolis I just wanted to chime in and say I support us users questioning shipping and care of wines. I guess the rest of the country just doesn’t “get” the wine country (connect) spending habits where 80 bucks for truffle butter, 40 for the maldives sea salt, and at that point, who-the-f-cares what the wine costs???
I am really more upset the fact WD said “good riddance” to a kickstarter and genuine question. Maybe that shit flew on woot. But the fact meh.com is built on people shitting on the offering, he might need to sack up to deal with this community.
@kaolis @KNmeh7 Pfff. A genuine question? That post was written in the most disrespectful way possible, and literally ended “Shame on you.” I mean, seriously – good riddance.
@KNmeh7 @tangopudding Hey, WD has been pissing all over other flash sites that he believes plays loose with the rules. I stand by my comments.
@kaolis @KNmeh7 @tangopudding
It’s the assertion of purposeful misinformation that got my goat and yes overreacted (on a Friday night) We do not intentionally mislead and I do believe that separates us… And I stand by that. Mistakes? Sure.
Apologies for the good riddance comment. Stick around Kaolis. But expect a spirited reply if you offer similar sentiments.
@KNmeh7 @tangopudding @Winedavid49 All good! Where else can you have this much fun? I may have been a little over the top on a Friday night night myself. Shipping comps mean less to me than wine integrity that’s for sure.
May the spirited discussions go on!
I’m so happy with the shipping here at Casemates
. Have been receiving my orders within 2 days after email (regular ship) and wines are slightly “cool” to the touch. Cudos to WCC AND FED-X!
/giphy narcoleptic-curt-mitten
An odd question perhaps, but can someone shed light on the “Estimated Delivery” dates? Is that based on some number of days after a date when it is expected to ship? Or is that the date it is expected to ship? (This offer appears to specify a Thursday as the first estimated delivery date, and the forum notes indicate that all shipping is done on Thursday over the summer.) I’m trying to see how this will fit in with respect to potential vacation, and this seems too good to pass up. However, for example, the Anne Amie offer had an Estimated Delivery date of June 25/27 which, at this point, would appear to be a shipping date, or some number of incredibly short days after it is supposed to ship. Not complaining, just trying to figure out if I can take advantage of this awesome offer.
@jwhetzel Depending on how long your vacation is, you can modify your shipping instructions once it has been shipped, and FedEx will hold it for up to a week.
In for a case, looks like a good summer wine buy. My 1st Casemates purchase after being a long time woot! buyer.
@TheOther1 Yee haa !!!
/giphy brainy-green-troll
@SippinSantiagos this is seriously in very bad taste.
@cathleenc Just sharing what we got.
OK, I’ll take a Case.
By the way their Rose has been nice with our Sub-100 temps so far in SoCal…Tonight - Salmon W/lemon-butter & capers, yummy, yummy.
Thanks WineDavid, now I can save my 200+ Wellingtons for some serious Good Eats!!
Keep all those Great Offers coming for us!!
This turned out happily delicious. Very smooth/buttery chard. Would entirely buy again, glad I got 2 cases! (This winery is also going on my favorites list. We’ve loved everything they’ve offered on here, and at the price point, it’s a steal!)