A big ripe chewy Zinfandel made in a style to highlight the rich raspberry and spicy blackberry fruit character of these old Lodi Zinfandel Vineyards. To many of our customers this wine is simply known as “Mohr-Fry.” To others, it’s just the St. Amant Old Vine, and honestly we don’t care what people call it as long as they keep drinking it.
Speakeasy
This is a secret blend hand-crafted in the cellars of St. Amant. It’s a robust blended red comprised of Zinfandel, Barbera, Souzao, Tempranillo and a few secret ingredients to deliver a full-bodied mouthwatering red. The wine is for those that love great wine without the pretense. Ripe and juicy, with vibrant fruit flavors, and underling spice complement a rich full-bodied mouthfeel.
Barbera
A 45-year-old vineyard that blends ripe red fruit flavors of cranberries and strawberries with earth undertones that balance well with the lively acidity creating a refreshing delicious wine. It begs for pizza or pasta, but goes particularly well with Bagna Cauda.
Our Barbera is always an elegant contrast to some of our more opulent wines, and consistently demonstrates how well this variety is suited to our Lodi soils. Known for its natural high acidity, our Barbera is the quintessential food wine. It blends ripe red fruit flavors of cranberries and strawberries with earth undertones that balance well with the lively acidity creating a refreshingly delicious wine. 2016 was a relatively “normal” growing season with our Barbera harvest on October 3rd. The resulting wine is a farily intense version with bright acidity, dark color, and deep flavors.
Winery: St. Amant Winery
Owner: Barbara St. Amant Spencer
Location: Lodi, CA
St. Amant Winery is a family owned winery located in Lodi, California that prides itself in producing handcrafted wines of superb quality. Founded in 1979 by Tim and Barbara Spencer, St. Amant crafts distinctive wines from Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian varietals in addition to California’s own Zinfandel.
All our grapes, whether from Lodi or our estate vineyard in Amador County, are carefully grown and selected for producing fruit of top quality. We strongly believe that all great wines are made in the vineyard, and meticulously focus on balanced vines with low yields to produce our handcrafted wines.
We strive to make food-friendly, delicious wines that reflect the people and place that grew them. We believe all our wines have a story to tell, and it’s our job to tell their story.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IN, 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
@bahwm I’m about 15 minutes north of Saratoga, but it’s the slightly more populous area closest to me. @rjquillin I’m usually up this late, so it’s not terrible. Yes, we are everywhere. Like right behind you.
(Made you look.)
@rjquillin it was before my wine epiphany, so i wouldn’t have recognized a Scott Harvey bottle. I’m now older and wiser and will never make that mistake again.
Oh, I got a Golden Ticket this week!! I received a bottle of the Speakeasy Blend. Bonus about working the evening shift vs the night shift? It’s way easier to drink wine at 1 am than 8:30 am.
If you have a person in your life who says “I only like sweet wines”, this maybe a gateway bottle for them. It’s a bit on the sweet side and has no after bite. This is definitely a pop and pour and is immediately drinkable.
Pretty in color and legs are a little thin. It’s a little reminiscent of Blackberry Brandy. I kind of thought it clashed with my left over Trader Joe’s enchiladas, but paired perfectly with a snowy Chicago night and a hairy drive home.
If you love big heavy chewy wines, you probably won’t love this bottle. If you have a friend who likes to drink fast and not savor. Say you don’t want to give them your good bottle. This would be the one to share. I’ll check it out later in the day and see if it changes much now that it is opened.
@Shrdlu Ahh, thanks, I think.
It looked fine, along with the rat, after I posted it.
But it was from a mac, and we all know most things don’t work correctly with a mac.
@Hiperix Usually the reason is that winery doesn’t have license to sell there. I know, why not ask the winery rep? Nobody’s asked him anything yet! He’s just sitting around waiting, like the Maytag repair man!
My wife and I were lucky enough to be Labrats for the Mohr-Fry Ranch Old Vine Zinfandel. We received the bottle Tuesday afternoon, after work I opened the bottle and had a small taste. My first thoughts were that is was very black peppery. I also noted the deep eggplant shade of the wine. I re-corked the bottle so we could have it with dinner the next night. So the following night, we paired the zin with a simple steak salad. While the wine was tasty with the steak, the acidity of the green onion vinaigrette easily overwhelmed the zin. We both thought it was a medium bodied, at best, wine. It was smooth and not overly complex with mild tannins. We thought it smelled as it tasted with deep notes of plum, cherry and raspberry fruits as well as the black pepper I mentioned earlier. My wife enjoyed the final glass on the third night and thought that the wine had improved. It is an open and drink now wine. We both enjoyed it and thought it was a good value for the listed offer. We are looking forward to being Labrats again in the future. Please ask any questions you may have and we’ll be happy to respond quickly.
Hi everyone! This is Nathan from St. Amant Winery. We are very excited to have our first ever offer live on Casemates. Let me know if you have any questions about the wines or winery.
I received an early bottle of the Zinfandel (more properly titled the “Mohr-Fry Ranch Old Vine Zinfandel”), and will do my best to provide notes, as a Lab Rat.
I opened it a few days ago (Feb 6), and noted that it had an excellent fragrance (always a good sign). I let it rest while waiting on the roast lamb, and then poured a glass, and took a sip. It’s a fine example of Zinfandel, full-bodied, and went well with the roast lamb. I capped it, setting the rest aside for the next night, and lamb stew.
It had opened up (as good wines often do), and complimented the stew, while holding its own. I’d originally planned a Twisted Oak Syrah (because Syrah’s one of my favorites), but was content to have this instead. A solid wine for the table, and well worth the price.
The last sip in the glass was poured on the night earth, in respect to the late John Perry Barlow. R.I.P., John.
I was the recipient of a bottle of Barbera. We opened it today with a dinner of ravioli and other pastas (mainly because the label says it begs for pizza or pasta.)
I won’t be mysterious. I like it. It isn’t sweet. It leaves little to no aftertaste. It has an appropriate level of acidity. Etc. Those are appropriate wine review terms aren’t they?
So this is my first time reviewing a wine and first time in so much stress WHILE drinking a glass of wine. I know you all are pretty forgiving and helpful so maybe I’ll learn something during this process.
The first pour had a very strong alcohol aroma (is that normal?) My mother in law said it improved quite a bit in the 15 minutes it sat in her glass. As far as individual flavors and notes, I admit I cannot yet determine what is oak, or earth, however I was able to taste hints of plum and berries a couple times. It has a similar mouthfeel I get when drinking grapefruit juice (what I mean here is when i drink grapefruit juice, it has little aftertaste and my mouth feels a bit cleaner.) My wife, who drinks a half a glass of wine / year said she tasted the sweetness of berries for the first moment it was on her lips but it went away immediately.
If I’d bought this bottle retail, I would not be disappointed. The fact that I was sent one gratis, well that’s AWESOME.
I’m following the conversation here much more than i did at woot and am looking forward to growing a bit in knowledge. Thank you!
Side note request. I had no idea this bottle was on the way. It was the second or third delivery attempt and it was a total fluke that i was at home when it actually arrived. An email or something sent ahead with a tracking number would have helped. This bottle could have just as easily found it’s way back to the winemaker.
@jaybird I received an email letting me know it was on its way, including a FedEx tracking number. It sounds like you probably have an email floating around somewhere, and it’s either trapped in a spam folder, or perhaps you used a different email for the Kickstarter than for Casemates (my money’s on the spam folder).
@jaybird@Shrdlu
Ariana; she’s one to make sure you whitelist! @winedavid49 It really would be helpful for her to verify receipt of email, confirm a delivery address, and availability to review prior to shipment.
If I’d bought this bottle retail, I would not be disappointed. The fact that I was sent one gratis, well that’s AWESOME.
Nothing is free…
You gotta rat the wine for us all. Feel the pressure, tense up, get nervous; am I going to totally blow this and do/say something really stupid…
/jk
Yeah, even after a few I still feel like a noob trying to do these as well.
Barbara is generally a great food friendly bottle.
Did it “it begs for pizza or pasta”?
How was it solo.
It’s nice to have some new/newer peeps over here contributing to this unique venue.
@jaybird@rjquillin@Shrdlu@Winedavid49 I thought this wine was drinkable solo and the berry and sweetness would be best with a snack- cheese board maybe? Not heavy enough to stand up to pizza.
@jchasma I tend to agree. I may be different than most, I enjoy wine solo or with cheese tray types of things. If i drink with food, i tend to overdrink (yes that’s a thing). That said, it was good with the pasta though i feel bad not ordering a pizza on national pizza day.
@jaybird I appreciate your notes. Veteran or newbie, speaking from your own perspective with even just a “I Like” or “I no Like” is helpful, and your review was more than that so it’s all good. Appreciate you taking on the stress of it, hopefully the wine counter-balanced the stress by the time you were done!
@jaybird Ariana sent me an email about 4 days earlier than the offer as the bottle was shipping out and I got a FedEx email also. Noted that you were drinking it with your mother-in-law! Always thought wine brings family and friends together! Very nice job on your 1st review!!
My husband and I were so excited to receive a Golden Ticket and do our best offering input on the St. Amant 2016 Barbera! I’m normally a Pinot noir (Willamette Valley is my current favorite) or Cab Sav drinker, depending on the day and dinner. My husband prefers a Zinfandel and an occasional Chardonnay. We both love Wellington and classic WW wines. We picked the rat box up from FedEx Thursday afternoon, popped, poured a little into a glass and half the bottle into a decanter to sit for an hour or two. Sorry the posting is a bit late!
Initial notes after opening the bottle Thursday were limited sediment (expected as it is young), heavy plum on the nose, and strongly scented, but not of alcohol. From the small taste in the glass, the color is a little cough syrupy, smells of plum and bright berries, a little alcohol but little else. The first taste agreed with the nose- plum and alcohol. I’m not as familiar with traditional Barbera but I wasn’t a huge fan personally, as the wine seemed a bit high on residual sugar for my taste. The mouthfeel and body appear light on this wine.
After About an hour and a half of decanting, the wine lost the alcohol but retained the plum taste. The berries became a bit more vibrant and a small hint of leather. Still a bit sweet for my taste but certainly a pleasing daily drinker. I decided after this pour that $10-12/bottle and a deal on Casemates and guessed it would list for $20-25 at a wine store.
Tonight, we tried the rest of the bottle. Still plum, sweet, a bit of berry, limited alcohol on the nose and palate. Light to medium body. The mouthfeel is better today. It is still not to my liking but my husband says he officially likes it on day two. I’m guessing the bottle could lay for a couple years and improve. But since it appears to be a bit simple, I’d say this is best for drinking now. A great daily drinker, especially for those of you who like fruit and don’t want to have to eat with your wine. I can think of several friends to gift this to!
@jchasma thank you for your notes here. I will consider your observances when i get into the remainder of the bottle. As a relative newbie it helps to see what someone else does and then try to find the same things. my initial smell of alcohol may have been because i just didn’t know what else i was looking for
@jaybird I definitely tasted alcohol initially! Everyone’s palate is a tad different and we all have varying preferences. Luckily, this wine seemed to have mellowed after decanting and with an extra open day (just corked and left on counter). The nose may have had some alcohol but for me got overtaken by the plum.
My wife and received our first golden ticket along with a bottle of 2015 The Bootleg Society Speakeasy Red blend! Thank you Casemates for the opportunity to share our thoughts on this bottle! We brought the bottle over to a couples house to share over some music and a fire as it’s quite cold in Denver.
First thoughts, the bottle is very heavy and we all loved the label and name! Good smells coming from the cork, and it was barely stained. First pour into zin glasses and we got lots of plum, over ripe dark cherries, dark fruit, and a little bit of alcohol. Wine is clear and free of sediment, very deep red in the glass with very slow legs. The wine is going to be big.
First tastes, and there’s tons of fruit, full bodied, good acidity, and a medium short finish. Poured a glass through an aerator and it’s much more open. The wine really needs some air. Nose upon opening displays some pepper, indian spices, burnt caramel, plum, dark cherry, and just big and fruity in general. The palate is big and really juicy, more of the initial notes. It is a dry wine but very fruity, not really any tannins, and is a drink soon type of wine. We recorked the remaining half bottle and will report back tomorrow and possibly Sunday if it lasts.
We all felt the wine is worth around $28/bottle, and it is what you expect when you visualize the taste of the wine from the bottle/label. Overall it is a very good wine, and one of the people doesn’t generally like blends and enjoyed this. Definitely worth the price offered here, great find David!
@knlprez Note that on the product information page, it shows that the Bootleg Red has a 33% higher retail price point than the OVZ and the Barbera ($24 vs $18) so if you pro-rate the case, it works out closer to $10 apiece for the OVZ and Barbera and $13 for the Bootleg Red. Still a very nice discount.
I have always tried to do this when adding wines to CT from mixed WW offerings when retail pricing was available, just to try to retain community value integrity. I don’t like that Wellington Victory has an average community value of $26 for the 2012 and 2013 vintages mostly because of one bottle being included in a case of less expensive wines (although that last day blowout @ $25 certainly contributed). It’s probably a personal problem.
@chipgreen I always do the same to get a better sense of the actual value of our bottles. However, the $11/bottle I quoted was the best I could manage last night with the jetlag!
I am not able to edit my previous comment, but taking the retail prices into consideration, the Bootleg works out to $13.00/bottle without tax or shipping. Still a great deal!
@chipgreen Not taken as a negative at all, its important for people to value their wines properly, otherwise you end up drinking a victory as the 2nd bottle on a Tuesday instead of a Meeks zin!
Thanks for the comment! Hooefully we were able to describe the wine well and can help some people make a decision. I think we are in even though we are at our limit on storage. Maybe find someone who wants the zins and barberas?
Hate to generalize but not a fan of Lodi wines. My experience has been overripeness, high alcohol, little to no nuances or complexity. That being said, i am glad Wine David is offering mixed cases! Looking forward to future offers!
I’m in on this one. Back in the 80’s I worked with this brand and became great friends with Tim Spencer the founder. Today, Tim’s wife Barbara and his son Spencer carry on the brand. I always have some in the cellar. They own vineyards in Amador County and these wines show more of the old word style than most wineries in the Lodi area.
@ScottHarveyWine So glad to see this post a few hours before the deal ends. I’ve been on the fence, but Scott’s stamp of approval is enough to push me over the edge. Thanks for chiming in!
Just opened my last woot shipment (Wellington Victory) and very happy to see wine david has a sequel. My bank account isn’t, but who cares about that! Glad to see all the comments, can’t wait to catch up here.
I just have to say, this case is amazing! I’m down to 3 bottles and I’m really glad no one wanted to split this one. Each night I think about opening a bottle from one of the other cases I have, and keep going back to the St Amant. I look forward to future offerings from them.
Tasting Notes
Mohr-Fry Ranch Old Vine Zinfandel
A big ripe chewy Zinfandel made in a style to highlight the rich raspberry and spicy blackberry fruit character of these old Lodi Zinfandel Vineyards. To many of our customers this wine is simply known as “Mohr-Fry.” To others, it’s just the St. Amant Old Vine, and honestly we don’t care what people call it as long as they keep drinking it.
Speakeasy
This is a secret blend hand-crafted in the cellars of St. Amant. It’s a robust blended red comprised of Zinfandel, Barbera, Souzao, Tempranillo and a few secret ingredients to deliver a full-bodied mouthwatering red. The wine is for those that love great wine without the pretense. Ripe and juicy, with vibrant fruit flavors, and underling spice complement a rich full-bodied mouthfeel.
Barbera
A 45-year-old vineyard that blends ripe red fruit flavors of cranberries and strawberries with earth undertones that balance well with the lively acidity creating a refreshing delicious wine. It begs for pizza or pasta, but goes particularly well with Bagna Cauda.
Our Barbera is always an elegant contrast to some of our more opulent wines, and consistently demonstrates how well this variety is suited to our Lodi soils. Known for its natural high acidity, our Barbera is the quintessential food wine. It blends ripe red fruit flavors of cranberries and strawberries with earth undertones that balance well with the lively acidity creating a refreshingly delicious wine. 2016 was a relatively “normal” growing season with our Barbera harvest on October 3rd. The resulting wine is a farily intense version with bright acidity, dark color, and deep flavors.
Specifications
Price Comparison
$245/case at St. Amant Winery (including shipping)
About The Winery
Winery: St. Amant Winery
Owner: Barbara St. Amant Spencer
Location: Lodi, CA
St. Amant Winery is a family owned winery located in Lodi, California that prides itself in producing handcrafted wines of superb quality. Founded in 1979 by Tim and Barbara Spencer, St. Amant crafts distinctive wines from Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian varietals in addition to California’s own Zinfandel.
All our grapes, whether from Lodi or our estate vineyard in Amador County, are carefully grown and selected for producing fruit of top quality. We strongly believe that all great wines are made in the vineyard, and meticulously focus on balanced vines with low yields to produce our handcrafted wines.
We strive to make food-friendly, delicious wines that reflect the people and place that grew them. We believe all our wines have a story to tell, and it’s our job to tell their story.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IN, 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
Friday, February 23rd - Tuesday, February 27th
@lauratchi brings us a LabRat Report for the Speakeasy Blend.
@vwsmaltz reviewed the Mohr-Fry Ranch Old Vine Zinfandel for us.
@BootlegSociety is here to answer questions.
(Check out their User Profile for recent activity.)
@Shrdlu brings us a LabRat Report on the Mohr-Fry Ranch Old Vine Zinfandel.
@jaybird rounds out the LabRats with a report on the Barbera.
@jchasma brings us another take on the Barbera.
@knlprez knows the secret knock to the Speakeasy Blend.
St. Amant Winery Mixed Reds
3 bottles for $39.99 $13.33/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $129.99 $10.83/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2015 St. Amant Winery Zinfandel Old Vines Mohr-Fry Ranch
2015 St. Amant Winery Speakeasy Red
2016 St. Amant Winery Barbera
How much are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
St. Amant Winery Mixed Reds - $30 = 18.75%
Anyone in the Saratoga, NY area interested in a split?
@Thumperchick You’re in Saratoga? I had no idea!I love that town!
@bahwm @Thumperchick and here I thought you may be ratting again. No idea TC was EST. Are they everywhere? Rough TZ for rollover.
@bahwm I’m about 15 minutes north of Saratoga, but it’s the slightly more populous area closest to me.
@rjquillin I’m usually up this late, so it’s not terrible. Yes, we are everywhere. Like right behind you.
(Made you look.)
Been a while ago, but i once took a St. Amant Barbera to a blind wine tasting and walked away the winner. So that’s saying something, right?
@radiolysis Was there a Scott Harvey included?
@rjquillin it was before my wine epiphany, so i wouldn’t have recognized a Scott Harvey bottle. I’m now older and wiser and will never make that mistake again.
Oh, I got a Golden Ticket this week!! I received a bottle of the Speakeasy Blend. Bonus about working the evening shift vs the night shift? It’s way easier to drink wine at 1 am than 8:30 am.
If you have a person in your life who says “I only like sweet wines”, this maybe a gateway bottle for them. It’s a bit on the sweet side and has no after bite. This is definitely a pop and pour and is immediately drinkable.
Pretty in color and legs are a little thin. It’s a little reminiscent of Blackberry Brandy. I kind of thought it clashed with my left over Trader Joe’s enchiladas, but paired perfectly with a snowy Chicago night and a hairy drive home.
If you love big heavy chewy wines, you probably won’t love this bottle. If you have a friend who likes to drink fast and not savor. Say you don’t want to give them your good bottle. This would be the one to share. I’ll check it out later in the day and see if it changes much now that it is opened.
@lauratchi @knlprez @vwsmaltz @Shrdlu @jaybird
For those that have never seen a Golden Ticket
@rjquillin Your PDF doesn’t display correctly as an image, so I made a new one for others to see.
@Shrdlu Ahh, thanks, I think.
It looked fine, along with the rat, after I posted it.
But it was from a mac, and we all know most things don’t work correctly with a mac.
I also received a golden ticket! I am flying back from Europe today and will pick it up from FedEx this evening and report back tonight! Stay tuned!!
@knlprez Flying all the way back from Europe just to lab rat some wine. Thats dedication!
@knlprez @Twich22 way to go soldier!
@Twich22 @Winedavid49 funny you should say that, I am heading back to the EU in 6 days, haha!
Also, my wife just grabbed the bottle from FedEx, we got the Bootleg Red! I’ll report back in 8 hours or so!
So PM is working? Is that what the ‘Whisper’ is? Nice! Oh - Ah… So any lab rat reports on the Mohr-Fry?
BTW - what’s a golden ticket?
@hey_zeus
It’s an email warning that a lab ratting bottle is on the way to you. Taken from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
@Lighter Ah! I do remember that now. Got it. Thanks!
If any of the Connecticut folks want to split a case, let me know, otherwise I’ll enjoy it all myself!
Buying this case. Any SE MI people want to split let me know.
@kasandrae Hi there, I’m in AA. Where are you in SE MI?
@cdcummings12 Dearborn
@kasandrae Ah…bummer. I don’t make it out that way very often. Hope you find someone for a split.
Why no IL??
@Hiperix, strange, since I got a Labrat bottle and I am in Chicago
@Hiperix Yep- with that list of states, I felt confident, but no luck this time. Maybe this is why all the exodus from IL?
@lauratchi That’s funny
@lauratchi I’ve got some others in the past…
@Hiperix oh, yes, my basement, errr… cellar is full of the stuff.
@Hiperix Usually the reason is that winery doesn’t have license to sell there. I know, why not ask the winery rep? Nobody’s asked him anything yet! He’s just sitting around waiting, like the Maytag repair man!
My wife and I were lucky enough to be Labrats for the Mohr-Fry Ranch Old Vine Zinfandel. We received the bottle Tuesday afternoon, after work I opened the bottle and had a small taste. My first thoughts were that is was very black peppery. I also noted the deep eggplant shade of the wine. I re-corked the bottle so we could have it with dinner the next night. So the following night, we paired the zin with a simple steak salad. While the wine was tasty with the steak, the acidity of the green onion vinaigrette easily overwhelmed the zin. We both thought it was a medium bodied, at best, wine. It was smooth and not overly complex with mild tannins. We thought it smelled as it tasted with deep notes of plum, cherry and raspberry fruits as well as the black pepper I mentioned earlier. My wife enjoyed the final glass on the third night and thought that the wine had improved. It is an open and drink now wine. We both enjoyed it and thought it was a good value for the listed offer. We are looking forward to being Labrats again in the future. Please ask any questions you may have and we’ll be happy to respond quickly.
Hi everyone! This is Nathan from St. Amant Winery. We are very excited to have our first ever offer live on Casemates. Let me know if you have any questions about the wines or winery.
@BootlegSociety If we are lucky to see a 3rd Rat report I’ll get back to ya. But thanks for stopping by!
@BootlegSociety Why no Illinois love?
I received an early bottle of the Zinfandel (more properly titled the “Mohr-Fry Ranch Old Vine Zinfandel”), and will do my best to provide notes, as a Lab Rat.
I opened it a few days ago (Feb 6), and noted that it had an excellent fragrance (always a good sign). I let it rest while waiting on the roast lamb, and then poured a glass, and took a sip. It’s a fine example of Zinfandel, full-bodied, and went well with the roast lamb. I capped it, setting the rest aside for the next night, and lamb stew.
It had opened up (as good wines often do), and complimented the stew, while holding its own. I’d originally planned a Twisted Oak Syrah (because Syrah’s one of my favorites), but was content to have this instead. A solid wine for the table, and well worth the price.
The last sip in the glass was poured on the night earth, in respect to the late John Perry Barlow. R.I.P., John.
I was the recipient of a bottle of Barbera. We opened it today with a dinner of ravioli and other pastas (mainly because the label says it begs for pizza or pasta.)
I won’t be mysterious. I like it. It isn’t sweet. It leaves little to no aftertaste. It has an appropriate level of acidity. Etc. Those are appropriate wine review terms aren’t they?
So this is my first time reviewing a wine and first time in so much stress WHILE drinking a glass of wine. I know you all are pretty forgiving and helpful so maybe I’ll learn something during this process.
The first pour had a very strong alcohol aroma (is that normal?) My mother in law said it improved quite a bit in the 15 minutes it sat in her glass. As far as individual flavors and notes, I admit I cannot yet determine what is oak, or earth, however I was able to taste hints of plum and berries a couple times. It has a similar mouthfeel I get when drinking grapefruit juice (what I mean here is when i drink grapefruit juice, it has little aftertaste and my mouth feels a bit cleaner.) My wife, who drinks a half a glass of wine / year said she tasted the sweetness of berries for the first moment it was on her lips but it went away immediately.
If I’d bought this bottle retail, I would not be disappointed. The fact that I was sent one gratis, well that’s AWESOME.
I’m following the conversation here much more than i did at woot and am looking forward to growing a bit in knowledge. Thank you!
Side note request. I had no idea this bottle was on the way. It was the second or third delivery attempt and it was a total fluke that i was at home when it actually arrived. An email or something sent ahead with a tracking number would have helped. This bottle could have just as easily found it’s way back to the winemaker.
@jaybird I received an email letting me know it was on its way, including a FedEx tracking number. It sounds like you probably have an email floating around somewhere, and it’s either trapped in a spam folder, or perhaps you used a different email for the Kickstarter than for Casemates (my money’s on the spam folder).
@Shrdlu i would agree generally, however at the kickstarter, i consolidated the emails. I’ve also checked the spam and such and no emails.
I am happy that you got the email and that an email is sent. maybe somehow my email is missing on their end.
@Shrdlu the other weird thing is i generally get an email or text from fedex letting me know something is coming and i did not receive that either
@Shrdlu yep, spam. I reviewed many emails, one at a time. was looking for casemates or kickstarter. not ariana. thanks.
@jaybird @Shrdlu
Ariana; she’s one to make sure you whitelist!
@winedavid49 It really would be helpful for her to verify receipt of email, confirm a delivery address, and availability to review prior to shipment.
Nothing is free…
You gotta rat the wine for us all. Feel the pressure, tense up, get nervous; am I going to totally blow this and do/say something really stupid…
/jk
Yeah, even after a few I still feel like a noob trying to do these as well.
Barbara is generally a great food friendly bottle.
Did it “it begs for pizza or pasta”?
How was it solo.
It’s nice to have some new/newer peeps over here contributing to this unique venue.
@jaybird @rjquillin @Shrdlu @Winedavid49 I thought this wine was drinkable solo and the berry and sweetness would be best with a snack- cheese board maybe? Not heavy enough to stand up to pizza.
@jchasma I tend to agree. I may be different than most, I enjoy wine solo or with cheese tray types of things. If i drink with food, i tend to overdrink (yes that’s a thing). That said, it was good with the pasta though i feel bad not ordering a pizza on national pizza day.
@jaybird I appreciate your notes. Veteran or newbie, speaking from your own perspective with even just a “I Like” or “I no Like” is helpful, and your review was more than that so it’s all good. Appreciate you taking on the stress of it, hopefully the wine counter-balanced the stress by the time you were done!
@rjquillin “a few” LOL
@jaybird Ariana sent me an email about 4 days earlier than the offer as the bottle was shipping out and I got a FedEx email also. Noted that you were drinking it with your mother-in-law! Always thought wine brings family and friends together! Very nice job on your 1st review!!
My husband and I were so excited to receive a Golden Ticket and do our best offering input on the St. Amant 2016 Barbera! I’m normally a Pinot noir (Willamette Valley is my current favorite) or Cab Sav drinker, depending on the day and dinner. My husband prefers a Zinfandel and an occasional Chardonnay. We both love Wellington and classic WW wines. We picked the rat box up from FedEx Thursday afternoon, popped, poured a little into a glass and half the bottle into a decanter to sit for an hour or two. Sorry the posting is a bit late!
Initial notes after opening the bottle Thursday were limited sediment (expected as it is young), heavy plum on the nose, and strongly scented, but not of alcohol. From the small taste in the glass, the color is a little cough syrupy, smells of plum and bright berries, a little alcohol but little else. The first taste agreed with the nose- plum and alcohol. I’m not as familiar with traditional Barbera but I wasn’t a huge fan personally, as the wine seemed a bit high on residual sugar for my taste. The mouthfeel and body appear light on this wine.
After About an hour and a half of decanting, the wine lost the alcohol but retained the plum taste. The berries became a bit more vibrant and a small hint of leather. Still a bit sweet for my taste but certainly a pleasing daily drinker. I decided after this pour that $10-12/bottle and a deal on Casemates and guessed it would list for $20-25 at a wine store.
Tonight, we tried the rest of the bottle. Still plum, sweet, a bit of berry, limited alcohol on the nose and palate. Light to medium body. The mouthfeel is better today. It is still not to my liking but my husband says he officially likes it on day two. I’m guessing the bottle could lay for a couple years and improve. But since it appears to be a bit simple, I’d say this is best for drinking now. A great daily drinker, especially for those of you who like fruit and don’t want to have to eat with your wine. I can think of several friends to gift this to!
@jchasma thank you for your notes here. I will consider your observances when i get into the remainder of the bottle. As a relative newbie it helps to see what someone else does and then try to find the same things. my initial smell of alcohol may have been because i just didn’t know what else i was looking for
@jaybird @jchasma I too like others opinions, but beware of confirmation bias.
@jaybird I definitely tasted alcohol initially! Everyone’s palate is a tad different and we all have varying preferences. Luckily, this wine seemed to have mellowed after decanting and with an extra open day (just corked and left on counter). The nose may have had some alcohol but for me got overtaken by the plum.
@rjquillin i will keep that in mind
@jaybird @rjquillin I had to do a lot of “confirmation” to figure out the words for what I was tasting and smelling and I’m still learning!
@rjquillin
Haha! You going to quote Kahneman or Tversky next? Seriously, though, love that stuff…
@jaybird I find that sometimes alcohol will mute the fruit until it blows off and the wine gets a little air.
My wife and received our first golden ticket along with a bottle of 2015 The Bootleg Society Speakeasy Red blend! Thank you Casemates for the opportunity to share our thoughts on this bottle! We brought the bottle over to a couples house to share over some music and a fire as it’s quite cold in Denver.
First thoughts, the bottle is very heavy and we all loved the label and name! Good smells coming from the cork, and it was barely stained. First pour into zin glasses and we got lots of plum, over ripe dark cherries, dark fruit, and a little bit of alcohol. Wine is clear and free of sediment, very deep red in the glass with very slow legs. The wine is going to be big.
First tastes, and there’s tons of fruit, full bodied, good acidity, and a medium short finish. Poured a glass through an aerator and it’s much more open. The wine really needs some air. Nose upon opening displays some pepper, indian spices, burnt caramel, plum, dark cherry, and just big and fruity in general. The palate is big and really juicy, more of the initial notes. It is a dry wine but very fruity, not really any tannins, and is a drink soon type of wine. We recorked the remaining half bottle and will report back tomorrow and possibly Sunday if it lasts.
We all felt the wine is worth around $28/bottle, and it is what you expect when you visualize the taste of the wine from the bottle/label. Overall it is a very good wine, and one of the people doesn’t generally like blends and enjoyed this. Definitely worth the price offered here, great find David!
@knlprez Just read the discription on here and have to agree. Its a good wine and a steal at $11/bottle!
@knlprez Note that on the product information page, it shows that the Bootleg Red has a 33% higher retail price point than the OVZ and the Barbera ($24 vs $18) so if you pro-rate the case, it works out closer to $10 apiece for the OVZ and Barbera and $13 for the Bootleg Red. Still a very nice discount.
I have always tried to do this when adding wines to CT from mixed WW offerings when retail pricing was available, just to try to retain community value integrity. I don’t like that Wellington Victory has an average community value of $26 for the 2012 and 2013 vintages mostly because of one bottle being included in a case of less expensive wines (although that last day blowout @ $25 certainly contributed). It’s probably a personal problem.
@chipgreen I always do the same to get a better sense of the actual value of our bottles. However, the $11/bottle I quoted was the best I could manage last night with the jetlag!
I am not able to edit my previous comment, but taking the retail prices into consideration, the Bootleg works out to $13.00/bottle without tax or shipping. Still a great deal!
@knlprez Haha, totally understandable and I hope you know that it wasn’t meant as criticism. We are exceptions to the rule for sure…
Also, very nice rattage. If it was the Bootleg Red only being offered, I’d be looking for casemates.
@chipgreen Not taken as a negative at all, its important for people to value their wines properly, otherwise you end up drinking a victory as the 2nd bottle on a Tuesday instead of a Meeks zin!
Thanks for the comment! Hooefully we were able to describe the wine well and can help some people make a decision. I think we are in even though we are at our limit on storage. Maybe find someone who wants the zins and barberas?
Hate to generalize but not a fan of Lodi wines. My experience has been overripeness, high alcohol, little to no nuances or complexity. That being said, i am glad Wine David is offering mixed cases! Looking forward to future offers!
@losthighwayz Lost, you get a new phone?
@rjquillin because of proper spellinng?
@losthighwayz @rjquillin Which you spelled incorrectly. Love it
@klezman @losthighwayz Guess not…
Iowans(Cyclones, Hawkeyes, Panthers, Norsemen, Knights, et al): Anyone interested in splitting a case?
@Kildahl In I.C. How about you?
@jamesozzello Upstream, Wloo/CF.
@Kildahl was up there today. Don’t do it real often , but workable,either for this or another time.
Big fan of the mixed cases, but these seem to lean a little too far towards the sweeter side. Sadly, sitting this one out.
@fredpgh Love the mixed case!
/giphy flexible-lightening-druid
I’m in on this one. Back in the 80’s I worked with this brand and became great friends with Tim Spencer the founder. Today, Tim’s wife Barbara and his son Spencer carry on the brand. I always have some in the cellar. They own vineyards in Amador County and these wines show more of the old word style than most wineries in the Lodi area.
@ScottHarveyWine So glad to see this post a few hours before the deal ends. I’ve been on the fence, but Scott’s stamp of approval is enough to push me over the edge. Thanks for chiming in!
@ScottHarveyWine Spencer Spencer?
Hi Scott! Looking forward to your return to the Wooster Inn a little over 3 months from now…
/giphy historical-mini-jackalope
Just opened my last woot shipment (Wellington Victory) and very happy to see wine david has a sequel. My bank account isn’t, but who cares about that! Glad to see all the comments, can’t wait to catch up here.
I just have to say, this case is amazing! I’m down to 3 bottles and I’m really glad no one wanted to split this one. Each night I think about opening a bottle from one of the other cases I have, and keep going back to the St Amant. I look forward to future offerings from them.