2014 “Barlow Vineyards” Cabernet Sauvignon, Calistoga, Napa Valley
Tasting Notes
The nose is very full and pleasing, notes of sour cherry and red fruits dominate. Lovely vanilla integration from French oak barrel aging. The inky, dark hue of the wine is framed with a little white pepper. A nice balance of acidity means this wine will pair well with your favorite meals. Enjoy by 2034.
Specs
Varietal: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Appellation: Calistoga, Napa Valley
Alcohol: 14.5%
TA: .59
Harvest Date: September 17, 2014
pH: 3.55
Brix at Harvest: 27.5
Cooperage: 100% French Oak
Production: 433 cases
2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford, Napa Valley
Tasting Notes
On our fifth release of wine from Rutherford, this wine is deeply, inky black. Chalky, dusty characteristics predominate on the palate, with ample tannins framing the bold style of this wine. Dark red fruit bursts from the glass offering a subtle vanilla note from the French Oak barrels used to age the wine. Decant if you plan to drink in the next few years, or cellar to soften the structure and drink by 2036.
Laura and Michael Swanton know the many challenges of establishing a boutique winery dedicated to crafting small quantities of fine wine in the Napa Valley. They have experienced them all in their demanding, yet delicious, journey from fledging winery to award-winning Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel producers.
A long-time wine enthusiast, Owner and Proprietor Laura Swanton purchased the Calistoga winery estate that would become Laura Michael Wines from the Traulsen family in 1999. At the time, Laura was a sales specialist with Cisco Systems in San Jose. It was a career that required intimate knowledge of high-tech product application. Knowing how the technology worked was critical to her success in selling the product.
At the time Laura purchased the winery, Michael had embarked on an independent career in power generation and services, a career that spanned nearly two decades. When they came together in 2006, their current journey started and continues to this day.
Today, their tenacity for learning systems and science is directed at running their small winery and vineyard estate dedicated to limited-production, premium red wines. Since 1999, Laura has managed all winemaking processes from grape sourcing to the logistics of launching and operating a winery. Her zeal to understand winegrowing at its root has her pruning, picking, irrigating and collecting samples in the vineyard. A thirst for winemaking knowledge encourages her participation in crush, pump-overs, racking and bottling.
“We do it all,” says Laura. “It’s so important that we work alongside every member of our team from the temporary harvest help to our consulting winemaker. We are not ones to stand on the sidelines, and fortunately because we are as small as we are, we can be actively involved in every aspect of this business.”
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2014 Laura Michael Cabernet Sauvignons - $60 = 16.65%
@chipgreen@mrn1@msten@boatman72 I’ve not had this before and wonder based on the love it’s getting if we are nearing critical mass and need 2 cases. I have coupons too.
@chipgreen@mrn1@pjmartin Hi Mates…I just saw this offer. I’m with my wife as she’s recovering from her knee replacement yesterday. She’s doing great!
Reading the description here, I saw Laura Michaels and Rutherford. Here’s my thoughts: It’s tough to split a case of two different vineyards/varietals/etc!
Four bottles gives three mates two bottles of each vineyard. One to open whenever and the other to age. I talked to my son and I think he and I will be splitting a case. Still waiting to hear from him, but if he decides not to buy, I have no problem since I have a heck of a lot of wine and a btl of 2008 and 2011 Barlow Vineyard Cab.
@Boatman72@chipgreen@mrn1@msten@pjmartin im gonna order a case. I can keep it all or share a few. I still gotta get up
to Cleve and grab the Winesmith pinots from @mrn1. Im finding Canton is just a wee bit far for pleasant splitting with you all lol.
@scott0210 My son’s order got cancelled because of a snafu. By the time he got a reply, cases were sold out. If you want to unload 4 btls (2 of each vineyard). I’ll take them. No problem if you want to hold onto the balance.
@Boatman72@chipgreen@mrn1@msten@pjmartin That could be a fun outing. I’d book us all one of those villas on the pond so we could drink our own good wine before and after dinner
@Boatman72@scott0210
I noticed that Medina county was no longer lit up and wondered what happened. Bummer! That would be great to rent a Gervasi Villa and I agree with your implication that their wines aren’t the best, haha. I guess they are also opening up a boutique hotel but heard that it’s already booked months in advance.
@scott0210 Thanks for getting back to me! No problem for me! Like I explained to my son, things happen at crazy times, and in this case, I’ve got so much wine, I could open my own wine shop, or at least pop a ton of corks!!!
@chipgreen@scott0210, @pjmartin, @mrn1 Gervasi is definitely pricey, but it does have a nice atmosphere! All our friends that meet in FL thought about renting their Farmhouse, but when we found out the cost it was like…YIKES!!! We ended up just having dinner in the loft of one of their restaurants!! The logistics would be a good place for Splitsville and a Bocce tournament!
Ok, so if you look back at my post history, you’ll see I’m a white wine/sparkler sometimes rose kind of person. My normal wine glass is a Tervis cup that says “Suck it up, buttercup.” I’m sensitive to pepper and tend to avoid much of it in food as I find it overwhelming.
So getting a Cab Sauvignon to Lab Rat has truly struck fear into my heart. I dug through the cabinets to find the red wine glasses that are buried because those friends just have given up on coming over. 4-5 years old, not worried about sediment, so uncorked. Cork is pretty with a deep red stain.
The nose is overwhelmingly tannin/pepper/tobacco. I dug out the aerator, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to taste anything if I didn’t try. I don’t own a decanter, so that was right out. Very pretty in the glass, deep purple with a garnet edge.
First sip tasted like it smelled, tannin tobacco and pepper. This is definitely a food wine. It was late and we had eaten hours ago, so I dug through the cheeses in the fridge. The creamy Brie wilted, the sharp white cheddar held, but was quaking in it’s boots. The only cheese I had that stood up well was an 8 year sharp cheddar with a salt rind. I left it in the glass for 20 minutes and came back to it with a chocolate chip brownie. The tannins were less pronounced, but the pepper and tobacco were still so prominent, I couldn’t find the black current or any fruit for that matter. DH agreed, he prefers reds, but the more fruit forward pinots. The brownie didn’t bring out any chocolate undertones in the wine, but it wasn’t overwhelmed. Left the rest for the next day.
Tried another ounce the next afternoon, still through the aerator, less tannin today, still pepper/smoke, but a hint of black currant, maybe a little plum. Very dry mouth feel. Somewhat bright, I get a bit of what I call minerality after the pepper fades. This was not with food. Will have more with dinner.
Dinner- pan seared rare/medium rare ribeye, smashed potatoes, roasted asparagus. The peppery nature of the wine complemented all three dishes. Tasted much the same as it did this afternoon.
All in all, this is not what I’d call an approachable wine for red novices. I’m sure anybody whose palette is geared towards cabs would appreciate this, but that just isn’t me. It benefitted from aeration at it’s current stage. I wonder if it wouldn’t benefit from another year or so of aging? The pepper/tobacco profile was just too overwhelming for my palette to get at much else, but I suspect that’s more on me than the wine.
I didn’t notice that the second bottle (Calistoga) was different, just cracked it open now. Flavor is pretty similar to the Rutherford initially, but will post some more thoughts as it opens up.
@rlmanzo
Yes, I think that it is rather complex. It’s a bold wine, not for the faint of heart. The kind of descriptors that I understand Cab Sauvignon lovers relish. I don’t want my inability to enjoy this stop anyone who loves Cabs from buying this. Like I said in my review, it’s not you (the wine), it’s me.
@mtb002 If you are a white wine consumer, I can understand your fear of tasting dry red age worthy wines. Your Rat Report was very much appreciated and was what I was looking for!! Looks like both will age nicely for an additional15 or more years knowing this wine is from Laura.
@mtb002reading about the 2014 harvest it sounds like “dark and mysterious” is par for the course. I’d say it needs more than a year or two to reach it’s peak. Can’t go wrong with Laura Michael Cabs imho but you will have to wait a while. Not sure there was a point having somebody drink it so early actually.
@jmdavidson1
I think that getting someone to try something they don’t normally drink is a good thing, get you out of a rut, maybe you even buy something you wouldn’t ordinarily. However, in my case, I do feel a little silly trying to review such a probably good wine that my palette is just incompatible with. I wrote the majority of my review ahead of time, so when I saw the maker mention it would benefit from cellaring, I was relieved that my mention of similar thought wasn’t going to be rude.
@jmdavidson1@mtb002 I’m not sure how the lab rat dept would know who drinks what, but in the interest of science and goodwill toward fellow man I will drink anything
@jmdavidson1@kaolis
They can see what we’ve bought in the past, but other than that, I don’t know. Once again, I don’t mind them sending something I wouldn’t ordinarily drink. If I’m going to nitpick anything, I wish they had said in the notification email what the wine was. I could have tried to round up a few people who could have given better specifics than me, but I only had 24 hours by the time I got the box.
@jmdavidson1@kaolis@mtb002
WW had a lab rat signup questionnaire (in 2016? 2017?) that asked about wine preferences but that was a one-time thing IIRC. Here, they just started going down the list of Kickstarters who donated at or above the required level. Perhaps at some point they will break out the questionnaire again.
@chipgreen@kaolis@mtb002 That was what I remembered from the WW program, but was not 100% sure. The question should be asked: What wine(s) do you drink regularly/prefer? If I don’t drink PN, don’t send me PN to lab rat, for example. Again, I thought the lab rat review (from mtb002) was very good.
@jmdavidson1@rjquillin Hi all! Unfortunately we don’t have the bandwidth to look through previous purchase history before making the decisions. HOWEVER, we have under 10 Kickstarter rats remaining and a few people who have emailed me specifically to receive bottles. After that, expect to see the return of the questionnaire! It’s helpful for me too.
@arianaWCC@jmdavidson1@rjquillin
I’m happy to do it again anytime. This is such a cool system, I’m glad to participate. As I mentioned above, letting us know the varietal in the notification email would let us prepare better if we feel our review would benefit from a few different palettes. Thanks for all the hard work organizing this. I imagine we’re a bit like herding tipsy cats.
@rlmanzo Don’t wait on @rpm for this one. Laura and Michael have consistently done some great wines (yes, there have been a couple of so-so wines here and there, but then that happens with many winemakers).
Tannins and body - you will hear the word “infanticide” from some cab drinkers for anything this young. Some people don’t mind, some will wait. Its all in your preference and how patient you are. If you can wait a few years on this one in your cellar, I think it will reward you.
Rich for my blood but would love a few bottles that I can hold onto for a while. Relatively recently managed to finish off some of the Kent Rasmussen PS purchased almost 8 years ago!
If anyone in Houston area wants to go in on a case, let me know. I’d take four bottles.
@deadlyapp I just finished a KR Esoterica Pinot Noir that I had held onto for a bit and reached out to Kent asking where I could get more of the Esoterica…turns out nowhere. Doesn’t leave the SF Bay area
@kapok6 I bought my esoterica off wine woot way back when, so if he doesn’t go outside the bay now then it’s a shame! Wink wink nudge nudge @winedavid49
@deadlyapp@Winedavid49 yeah, I got mine off wine woot a while back, so I emailed Kent and and asked about availability and that’s when he told me it doesn’t leave the SF Bay area.
@deadlyapp@kapok6@Winedavid49
Kent made an appearance here back on January 19, 2018 with his 2016 Esoterica CS and PN. I’d buy again if they were to reappear.
@deadlyapp@kapok6@karenhynes@Winedavid49 The same mixed case was offered here again on July 6:
Hi all - Kent here. I know that this is a repeat, but it is a VERY GOOD repeat!..both are lovely wines that you would have to try very very hard not to like. Take advantage as we are almost out on both and there will be no “3rd go”.
Laura Michael (née Zahtilla) has never let me down. I have pulled 10 year old Zins from my cellar that are still fantastic, as are her Cabs. It is always possible for her to have a bad year, but here is a case (along with Cathy Corison) where I would just purchase based on the winemaker’s reputation.
@winedavid49@knlprez@bolligra After searching the forum, finally found this thread. Opened one of the Rutherford as a New Years gift to myself - immediate wet newspaper smell from the bottle. Corked - very sour-tasting. Opened the other one I have and it was fine (and good), but disappointed in another corked bottle…and from a relatively expensive wine that got poured down the drain (not the way to celebrate 2022!). Hoping my split-mates have/had better luck - 50% Rutherford corked, for me (the Calistoga were both fine, from consumption earlier in 2021)!
@CObrent that’s too bad! We haven’t opened any of these yet, but hopefully it was just a single bad cork. I’m really sensitive to TCA so this has me nervous!
Hopefully @Winedavid49 can provide some resolution!
@CObrent Super nice that WD will try to fix it, but you can (and imo, should) always go to the winery. They need to know and also be offered a chance to replace the bottle. No good proprietor will want substandard product out on the market.
2014 “Barlow Vineyards” Cabernet Sauvignon, Calistoga, Napa Valley
Tasting Notes
The nose is very full and pleasing, notes of sour cherry and red fruits dominate. Lovely vanilla integration from French oak barrel aging. The inky, dark hue of the wine is framed with a little white pepper. A nice balance of acidity means this wine will pair well with your favorite meals. Enjoy by 2034.
Specs
2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford, Napa Valley
Tasting Notes
On our fifth release of wine from Rutherford, this wine is deeply, inky black. Chalky, dusty characteristics predominate on the palate, with ample tannins framing the bold style of this wine. Dark red fruit bursts from the glass offering a subtle vanilla note from the French Oak barrels used to age the wine. Decant if you plan to drink in the next few years, or cellar to soften the structure and drink by 2036.
Specs
Price Comparison
$802.33/case (for 2012 Rutherford, including shipping) at Laura Michael Wines
About The Winery
Winery: Laura Michael Wines
Laura and Michael Swanton know the many challenges of establishing a boutique winery dedicated to crafting small quantities of fine wine in the Napa Valley. They have experienced them all in their demanding, yet delicious, journey from fledging winery to award-winning Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel producers.
A long-time wine enthusiast, Owner and Proprietor Laura Swanton purchased the Calistoga winery estate that would become Laura Michael Wines from the Traulsen family in 1999. At the time, Laura was a sales specialist with Cisco Systems in San Jose. It was a career that required intimate knowledge of high-tech product application. Knowing how the technology worked was critical to her success in selling the product.
At the time Laura purchased the winery, Michael had embarked on an independent career in power generation and services, a career that spanned nearly two decades. When they came together in 2006, their current journey started and continues to this day.
Today, their tenacity for learning systems and science is directed at running their small winery and vineyard estate dedicated to limited-production, premium red wines. Since 1999, Laura has managed all winemaking processes from grape sourcing to the logistics of launching and operating a winery. Her zeal to understand winegrowing at its root has her pruning, picking, irrigating and collecting samples in the vineyard. A thirst for winemaking knowledge encourages her participation in crush, pump-overs, racking and bottling.
“We do it all,” says Laura. “It’s so important that we work alongside every member of our team from the temporary harvest help to our consulting winemaker. We are not ones to stand on the sidelines, and fortunately because we are as small as we are, we can be actively involved in every aspect of this business.”
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Thursday, March 14th - Monday, March 18th
Laura Michael Wines Cabernet Sauvignon
2 bottles for $59.99 $30/bottle + $4/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $299.99 $25/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2014 Laura Michael Cabernet Sauvignon Barlow
2014 Laura Michael Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2014 Laura Michael Cabernet Sauvignons - $60 = 16.65%
NE OH, this may be the one… Laura’s Barlow and Napa Valley Cabs are some of my favorites although I am not sure if I’ve tried her Rutherford Cab.
I am willing to make the case buy and would like 4 bottles.
@chipgreen I’ll go for 2, push to 4 if needed. A mor einteresting buy than our pass last go 'round
@chipgreen I can help 2/4
@chipgreen I’ll do 4. Thanks for organizing.
@chipgreen @mrn1 @msten @boatman72 I’ve not had this before and wonder based on the love it’s getting if we are nearing critical mass and need 2 cases. I have coupons too.
@chipgreen @mrn1@pjmartin Hi Mates…I just saw this offer. I’m with my wife as she’s recovering from her knee replacement yesterday. She’s doing great!
Reading the description here, I saw Laura Michaels and Rutherford. Here’s my thoughts: It’s tough to split a case of two different vineyards/varietals/etc!
Four bottles gives three mates two bottles of each vineyard. One to open whenever and the other to age. I talked to my son and I think he and I will be splitting a case. Still waiting to hear from him, but if he decides not to buy, I have no problem since I have a heck of a lot of wine and a btl of 2008 and 2011 Barlow Vineyard Cab.
Thanks for thinking of me!!
@chipgreen @mrn1 @pjmartin FYI, Son just confirmed that he’s in and ordered the case to split.
@Boatman72 @chipgreen @mrn1 @msten @pjmartin im gonna order a case. I can keep it all or share a few. I still gotta get up
to Cleve and grab the Winesmith pinots from @mrn1. Im finding Canton is just a wee bit far for pleasant splitting with you all lol.
@Boatman72 @mrn1 @msten @pjmartin @scott0210
Case purchased. 2 for pjmartin, 2 for msten, 4 for mrn1 and 4 for me. Coupon used.
/giphy hideous-anterior-moose
@chipgreen @Boatman72 @mrn1 @msten @pjmartin
Case purchased. 12 for scott0210
/giphy practical-clingy-dress
@Boatman72 @chipgreen @mrn1 @pjmartin father son splitting. i like it!
@scott0210 I am halfway between you and Chip, if you want to part with 2, I will take them. 4 seems better than 2 in this deal. If not, enjoy.
@Boatman72 @chipgreen @mrn1 @msten @scott0210 Cool!
@pjmartin sure, ill hang in to 2 more for you. Cant drink until 2034 anyway.
@pjmartin @scott0210 @Boatman72 @mrn1 @msten
We should plan a Gervasi outing sometime down in Scott’s 'hood…
@chipgreen @mrn1 @msten @pjmartin @scott0210 That’s a nice place! My daughter and I go to the annual Arts and Craft Show the last 3 years!!
@scott0210 My son’s order got cancelled because of a snafu. By the time he got a reply, cases were sold out. If you want to unload 4 btls (2 of each vineyard). I’ll take them. No problem if you want to hold onto the balance.
@Boatman72 @chipgreen @mrn1 @msten @pjmartin That could be a fun outing. I’d book us all one of those villas on the pond so we could drink our own good wine before and after dinner
@Boatman72 My good for nothing non-casmate family members have pretty much run me dry on the case. If anything changes I’ll let you know
@Boatman72 @scott0210
I noticed that Medina county was no longer lit up and wondered what happened. Bummer! That would be great to rent a Gervasi Villa and I agree with your implication that their wines aren’t the best, haha. I guess they are also opening up a boutique hotel but heard that it’s already booked months in advance.
KRULL! A SKULL! BRETT HULL! AWESOME!
@mediocrebot
Hah, got me even though I edited out the awes0me
@scott0210 Thanks for getting back to me! No problem for me! Like I explained to my son, things happen at crazy times, and in this case, I’ve got so much wine, I could open my own wine shop, or at least pop a ton of corks!!!
@chipgreen @scott0210, @pjmartin, @mrn1 Gervasi is definitely pricey, but it does have a nice atmosphere! All our friends that meet in FL thought about renting their Farmhouse, but when we found out the cost it was like…YIKES!!! We ended up just having dinner in the loft of one of their restaurants!! The logistics would be a good place for Splitsville and a Bocce tournament!
@Boatman72 @scott0210 In case you don’t already have enough wine, 'TSO has the 2013 Barlow available for the case price here; FYI
@Boatman72 @pjmartin Nice, thanks for heads up. I’ve been hitting tso for some Burgundies lately. Expanding my French palate.
2014 Laura Michael Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford
Ok, so if you look back at my post history, you’ll see I’m a white wine/sparkler sometimes rose kind of person. My normal wine glass is a Tervis cup that says “Suck it up, buttercup.” I’m sensitive to pepper and tend to avoid much of it in food as I find it overwhelming.
So getting a Cab Sauvignon to Lab Rat has truly struck fear into my heart. I dug through the cabinets to find the red wine glasses that are buried because those friends just have given up on coming over. 4-5 years old, not worried about sediment, so uncorked. Cork is pretty with a deep red stain.
The nose is overwhelmingly tannin/pepper/tobacco. I dug out the aerator, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to taste anything if I didn’t try. I don’t own a decanter, so that was right out. Very pretty in the glass, deep purple with a garnet edge.
First sip tasted like it smelled, tannin tobacco and pepper. This is definitely a food wine. It was late and we had eaten hours ago, so I dug through the cheeses in the fridge. The creamy Brie wilted, the sharp white cheddar held, but was quaking in it’s boots. The only cheese I had that stood up well was an 8 year sharp cheddar with a salt rind. I left it in the glass for 20 minutes and came back to it with a chocolate chip brownie. The tannins were less pronounced, but the pepper and tobacco were still so prominent, I couldn’t find the black current or any fruit for that matter. DH agreed, he prefers reds, but the more fruit forward pinots. The brownie didn’t bring out any chocolate undertones in the wine, but it wasn’t overwhelmed. Left the rest for the next day.
Tried another ounce the next afternoon, still through the aerator, less tannin today, still pepper/smoke, but a hint of black currant, maybe a little plum. Very dry mouth feel. Somewhat bright, I get a bit of what I call minerality after the pepper fades. This was not with food. Will have more with dinner.
Dinner- pan seared rare/medium rare ribeye, smashed potatoes, roasted asparagus. The peppery nature of the wine complemented all three dishes. Tasted much the same as it did this afternoon.
All in all, this is not what I’d call an approachable wine for red novices. I’m sure anybody whose palette is geared towards cabs would appreciate this, but that just isn’t me. It benefitted from aeration at it’s current stage. I wonder if it wouldn’t benefit from another year or so of aging? The pepper/tobacco profile was just too overwhelming for my palette to get at much else, but I suspect that’s more on me than the wine.
I didn’t notice that the second bottle (Calistoga) was different, just cracked it open now. Flavor is pretty similar to the Rutherford initially, but will post some more thoughts as it opens up.
@mtb002 Sounds like you are describing a complex wine that will age. I am interested…
@mtb002 I think your review was very good, even if you don’t usually drink reds.
@rlmanzo
Yes, I think that it is rather complex. It’s a bold wine, not for the faint of heart. The kind of descriptors that I understand Cab Sauvignon lovers relish. I don’t want my inability to enjoy this stop anyone who loves Cabs from buying this. Like I said in my review, it’s not you (the wine), it’s me.
@mtb002 If you are a white wine consumer, I can understand your fear of tasting dry red age worthy wines. Your Rat Report was very much appreciated and was what I was looking for!! Looks like both will age nicely for an additional15 or more years knowing this wine is from Laura.
@mtb002 reading about the 2014 harvest it sounds like “dark and mysterious” is par for the course. I’d say it needs more than a year or two to reach it’s peak. Can’t go wrong with Laura Michael Cabs imho but you will have to wait a while. Not sure there was a point having somebody drink it so early actually.
Anyone in Tampa Bay looking for 4 bottles? I have one other person on the split. If not, 6 a piece it is!
@wmhatch I’m headed to Clearwater the week of Easter. Any great restaurant/wine bar I need to hit up?
@stickyfingers1 Any of the Baystar Resturant Group
Total snooze you lose moment on the case. Oh well, 2 twos it is.
/giphy common-distracting-pixie
@wmhatch Did you get any takers for the 4 bottles? I’m over near Orlando but get to the Tampa area often enough that I think a split could work.
@RedwineO No, missed the case. Ended up with just the two pack
I would like to hear from our resident cab-guru RPM as I am in need of some solid Cabernet but need his blessing first!
Note to lab rat dept: Pretty simple: if someone says they drink red, send them a red. If it’s white wine, send white wine.
@jmdavidson1
I think that getting someone to try something they don’t normally drink is a good thing, get you out of a rut, maybe you even buy something you wouldn’t ordinarily. However, in my case, I do feel a little silly trying to review such a probably good wine that my palette is just incompatible with. I wrote the majority of my review ahead of time, so when I saw the maker mention it would benefit from cellaring, I was relieved that my mention of similar thought wasn’t going to be rude.
@jmdavidson1 @mtb002 I’m not sure how the lab rat dept would know who drinks what, but in the interest of science and goodwill toward fellow man I will drink anything
@jmdavidson1 @kaolis
They can see what we’ve bought in the past, but other than that, I don’t know. Once again, I don’t mind them sending something I wouldn’t ordinarily drink. If I’m going to nitpick anything, I wish they had said in the notification email what the wine was. I could have tried to round up a few people who could have given better specifics than me, but I only had 24 hours by the time I got the box.
@jmdavidson1 @kaolis @mtb002
WW had a lab rat signup questionnaire (in 2016? 2017?) that asked about wine preferences but that was a one-time thing IIRC. Here, they just started going down the list of Kickstarters who donated at or above the required level. Perhaps at some point they will break out the questionnaire again.
@chipgreen @kaolis @mtb002 That was what I remembered from the WW program, but was not 100% sure. The question should be asked: What wine(s) do you drink regularly/prefer? If I don’t drink PN, don’t send me PN to lab rat, for example. Again, I thought the lab rat review (from mtb002) was very good.
@jmdavidson1 @arianaWCC WineDavid49
Hopefully both WD and Ariana will review this thread.
@jmdavidson1 @rjquillin Hi all! Unfortunately we don’t have the bandwidth to look through previous purchase history before making the decisions. HOWEVER, we have under 10 Kickstarter rats remaining and a few people who have emailed me specifically to receive bottles. After that, expect to see the return of the questionnaire! It’s helpful for me too.
@arianaWCC @jmdavidson1 @rjquillin
I’m happy to do it again anytime. This is such a cool system, I’m glad to participate. As I mentioned above, letting us know the varietal in the notification email would let us prepare better if we feel our review would benefit from a few different palettes. Thanks for all the hard work organizing this. I imagine we’re a bit like herding tipsy cats.
@rlmanzo Don’t wait on @rpm for this one. Laura and Michael have consistently done some great wines (yes, there have been a couple of so-so wines here and there, but then that happens with many winemakers).
Tannins and body - you will hear the word “infanticide” from some cab drinkers for anything this young. Some people don’t mind, some will wait. Its all in your preference and how patient you are. If you can wait a few years on this one in your cellar, I think it will reward you.
Rich for my blood but would love a few bottles that I can hold onto for a while. Relatively recently managed to finish off some of the Kent Rasmussen PS purchased almost 8 years ago!
If anyone in Houston area wants to go in on a case, let me know. I’d take four bottles.
@deadlyapp I’ll take 4
@deadlyapp I just finished a KR Esoterica Pinot Noir that I had held onto for a bit and reached out to Kent asking where I could get more of the Esoterica…turns out nowhere. Doesn’t leave the SF Bay area
@kapok6 wine.com has the 2016
https://www.wine.com/product/kent-rasmussen-esoterica-pinot-noir-2016/417975?s=winesearcher&cid=winesearcher417975CA&state=CA
@kapok6 I bought my esoterica off wine woot way back when, so if he doesn’t go outside the bay now then it’s a shame! Wink wink nudge nudge @winedavid49
@deadlyapp @Winedavid49 yeah, I got mine off wine woot a while back, so I emailed Kent and and asked about availability and that’s when he told me it doesn’t leave the SF Bay area.
@deadlyapp @kapok6 Wait, wasn’t the Esoterica one of the first sales on this site?
@deadlyapp @kapok6 @Winedavid49
Kent made an appearance here back on January 19, 2018 with his 2016 Esoterica CS and PN. I’d buy again if they were to reappear.
@deadlyapp @kapok6 @karenhynes @Winedavid49 The same mixed case was offered here again on July 6:
Hi all - Kent here. I know that this is a repeat, but it is a VERY GOOD repeat!..both are lovely wines that you would have to try very very hard not to like. Take advantage as we are almost out on both and there will be no “3rd go”.
@catcoland @deadlyapp @karenhynes @Winedavid49 all I know is what he told me when he emailed me back a couple weeks ago.
@deadlyapp Aw, heck. I’ll take two bottles if that works out. I shouldn’t, but …
Who was it the other day? that said they were holding off on the Pinots…worried there was something fab coming up next. You were psychic, lol!
@ttboy23 Me!
Interesting… I bought the 2013 Rutherford from “another site” a few weeks ago. Maybe might need to start collecting the vertical?
@radiolysis Great thought!!
Denver people, I’m good for 2 - 4, but my wife would kill me if I ordered… Let me know!
@knlprez Ok…had ortho surgery today and survived. Celebrate by spending some cash? I will order now but really need help on half the case, Denver!
@CObrent
Sounds reasonable! Congratulations on the successful surgery!
@CObrent @knlprez I will take either 2 or 4
As a VMP type in Arizona where its nice to ship to now, I am available for Lab Rat duty!
This box is going straight to the cellar with a do-not-open-til-2030 sign on it.
/giphy fixated-tampered-pie
Anyone in the Nashville area interested in splitting a case?
Anyone in Atlanta (ITP) or Alpharetta interested in splitting a case? I live ITP (Decatur) and work in Alpharetta.
Bah! 8:21cst and the case is already sold out! Say it ain’t so!
@lannycohorn @winedavid49 Any chance of a case resurrection?
@foxrunner @lannycohorn unfortunately no.
Laura Michael (née Zahtilla) has never let me down. I have pulled 10 year old Zins from my cellar that are still fantastic, as are her Cabs. It is always possible for her to have a bad year, but here is a case (along with Cathy Corison) where I would just purchase based on the winemaker’s reputation.
And - BTW - not drinking these for 6 years or so.
/giphy portly-accidental-potato
Cases are sold out. Bought the two pack.
Whaaat!!! No more
@winedavid49 @knlprez @bolligra After searching the forum, finally found this thread. Opened one of the Rutherford as a New Years gift to myself - immediate wet newspaper smell from the bottle. Corked - very sour-tasting. Opened the other one I have and it was fine (and good), but disappointed in another corked bottle…and from a relatively expensive wine that got poured down the drain (not the way to celebrate 2022!). Hoping my split-mates have/had better luck - 50% Rutherford corked, for me (the Calistoga were both fine, from consumption earlier in 2021)!
@CObrent Man, that’s not good. I haven’t opened any yet, hope I don’t have any bad ones. Thanks for the info, hope you’re doing well.
@CObrent @knlprez @bolligra sorry bro (non gender term). shoot us an email. we’ll try to fix.
@CObrent that’s too bad! We haven’t opened any of these yet, but hopefully it was just a single bad cork. I’m really sensitive to TCA so this has me nervous!
Hopefully @Winedavid49 can provide some resolution!
@knlprez @Winedavid49 Sent a note to support this morning - thanks, WD (and I’m a dude, so “bro” is fine, gendered or not!).
I’m also quite sensitive to TCA - appreciate the education on it through discussions here, including from Clark.
@CObrent Super nice that WD will try to fix it, but you can (and imo, should) always go to the winery. They need to know and also be offered a chance to replace the bottle. No good proprietor will want substandard product out on the market.
@CObrent @klezman
This is solid advice I’ll hopefully remember next time I open a corked bottle!