Forward: Thanks to Ariana and WCC for getting these two bottles to me; it is always a pleasure to be able to preview what’s to come, and provide feedback to the community. On this occasion I ended up with the whole weekend to sample, so I decided to recruit my nearby @kitmarlot to assist since we’d be gathering for the football anyway. I started with the 2013 Syrah at home on Saturday, but reserved a half the bottle (thankfully screwtop for transportation reasons) for Sunday evening. By contrast, I took The Paddle (2015) fully intact to his home where it was shared among the four of us, and disappeared a little too quickly to let it have the hour or two I might have ideally wanted to wait. Accordingly, my notes for The Paddle are more brief, and I fear, will do the wine less justice than it deserves if it evolves at all past about forty minutes.

2020-02-01 – 2013 Meeker Syrah
15:00 – pop ‘n’ pour
Observation: At 1” of depth, a midnight purple tone, and 1/16” bright brick tone; the gradient between those two is suddenly darker and invites me to imagine what I may find it its depths. Long and very slow legs on aggressive swirling, almost defying gravity.
Nose: Strong aromatics, some age probably “encouraged” by scents of dusty leather. Hints of clove, and some juicy dark fruit, perhaps plum. Barely present “zing” of rosemary or eucalyptus—can’t discern which at the moment.
Taste: Dry, medium-plus body, mild acidic feel. Significant tannin structure, but well-rounded and balanced. Full juicy flavors leading with minerality that reminds me of Virginia’s red clay after rain, giving way to chocolate and blackberries. Slight detectible anise on the finish, but it comes and goes with the size of the sip. Lingering finish that beckons to have more, but I need to pace myself—I need this now, with dinner, and tomorrow!
First impressions: I could drink this as-is and enjoy it, but I also feel that with a little time, this can develop into something even more enjoyable.

18:00 – Dinner (sous vide pork loin with smoked paprika and white pepper, brisket-baked beans)
Observation: n/c
Nose: Gone is the dustiness from earlier, but now I’m teleported back to the Tandy Leather store. There’s a sweetness of blackberries that is almost jammy, and the juxtaposition of these two aromas reminds me of days at my grandparents with each of them doing their respective leisure crafts.
Taste: The earlier taste of clay has passed on, and there is now the taste of warm blackberries—not like warm pie, but more like warmed berries atop a custard. The feel of juiciness still encourages quaffing.
Impressions: With the added hours on the counter, this Syrah feels a bit more refined and mature. It isn’t gushy and overbearing, but toes the line between reserved and surprising with each sip (okay, and gulp, too). While it has strong flavors of its own, it doesn’t kill the pork loin or the beans. I finally noticed—while I tipped the glass as it emptied—that there were a handful of fine particles that had settled into the glass, but I sense no grittiness in the consumption whatsoever.

2020-02-02 16:00 (day 2)
Observation: n/c
Nose: By this time, the aroma had almost completely lost the leather, and was ripe with dark juicy fruits that finished in a gushing cherry.
Taste: Strong jam flavors prevailed, with a little dusty minerality. Accidentally had a sip after guacamole (and before water), but found an interesting white pepper flavor I hadn’t picked up manifested.
Impressions: Still enjoyable a full day after opening, although I’m not sure it would last this long in reality. If the bottle started like this and didn’t change I’d be content to enjoy it just the same.

Overall: I found the 2013 Syrah DCV to be a delicious example of what this grape can be, and I was especially enamored with the earlier sensations of clay and leather that faded over the ~25 hours. In the bottle were significant amounts of sediment, caked in the neck and shoulder; this did not affect my enjoyment of the wine, although toward the end of the bottle I may have emptied a bit less of my glass because of it.

2020-02-02 – 2015 Meeker The Paddle
18:00 – Dinner (deep dish sausage pizza, guacamole & chips, green salad) bottle opened ~30m prior to pour
Observation: In the glass, The Paddle is a dark purple, like the edge of the sky a few minutes after the sun sets on a moonless night. Overall the wine has excellent clarity on this initial pour, but there are a few larger chunks that managed to escape the bottle.
Nose: Initial impressions of this were that it was a bit closed off, but I did finally pulls some light oak and some other warm dark fruit flavors, but I couldn’t pin any one specific fruit down. I got a bit of earth, but just a hint really. On my send dive into this wine (a mere half hour later) I wrote boysenberry and tilled earth.
Taste: My initial taste was raspberry and black pepper, and medium body with a long finish. As I worked through the glass more ripe black fruit made its way onto my palate, along with a hint of licorice/anise. Through the second, smaller pour, I sensed that the berries were brightening a bit, and the earth I picked up on the nose actually showed up here, reminding me of the clay flavor I found in the Syrah, but to a minimized degree.
Impressions: The Paddle, as I noted before, probably didn’t get a fair shake with me, although I enjoyed it while it lasted. I found it pleasant to drink, but perhaps a little flat on the start. I want to largely attribute this to my own planning and execution, and I did pick up on changes as the wine sat in my glass, and I would expect that given more time and patience that the flavors would open nicely.

Overall thoughts on both: I really enjoyed the evolution of the 2013 Syrah, although I found it’s sweet spot to be later in the first day. However, even on the second it was still very enjoyable. Somehow in the fray of things, there managed to be a tiny bit left in the bottle and I–for you, my casemates, and science (obviously)–endured the third-day sampling before heading to work this morning. It was still very similar to day two, with a slightly stifled nose, and a mild dusty, warm berry coulis taste. The Paddle was a good wine that I’d have no problem enjoying, but probably wouldn’t consider it, based on this experience, something I’d pull out special. While I realize I should consider the merits of The Paddle on its own, I am only human and therefore prone to comparison, and in that vein I have to plainly say that I preferred the Syrah on several levels, but I had a lot more time with it to draw that conclusion. So, “I’m sorry, Paddle, for the speed-date evaluation; I’m going to go home with the Syrah I’ve been talking with while I waited for you to show up.”

Along with my expected 3 cases of casemates wine arriving on Friday was another curious little box from WCC. Could it be? Yes, it was.

2013 Meeker Cabernet Sauvignon
background: My wife and I are not into Cabernet Sauvignon; probably our least favorite varietal (strange, yes, the world’s most popular), so I took the opportunity to open this at work. Coming over to the conference room to taste some wine is (wonderfully) somewhat normal here, so when I told some co-workers to come taste some wine there were no raised eyebrows, just nods and “sounds good, give me a minute”. Although explaining casemates/labratting was a new twist.

On pop-n-pour, I (who have a poor sense of smell) could smell and taste only “young expensive cab just opened.”

After 75 minutes decanting in glasses:

• I (don’t like cabs, poor sense of smell, just starting to pick out flavors, but have tasted 6+ really high-quality Cali cabs sitting in that chair) got: not complex, just some blackberry(?), alcohol, strong dry tannins. Despite the puckering, the finish was clean and very pleasant. Same structure/ as $60+ cabs I’ve had.
• Drew (whiskey/bourbon guy, doesn’t have wine except periodically in the office, has probably only sampled 10 cabs in his life, but with an average price of $65.) actually like it more than usual. He said he often gets an annoying ‘rubbery’ taste with these types of wine, that this did not have. Again, this Meeker is less expensive at regular price than what he typically tries.
• Dave (buys even more cases of wine than I do a year, at much higher average price, generously shares with those around him, likes many reds and whites buts ends up most often buying (and sharing!) Pinot Noirs, Chardonnays, Cabs) got: Good! He thought not complex, but high quality, and was somewhat interesting in snagging some. He’s not because he stuffed to the gills in wine right now, but when I told him this would probably be around $20 he seemed impressed with casemates.com. Dave is happy enjoying a cab young, which we were certainly doing here. He didn’t get any strong flavors other than Black Fruit on the nose and tasting Wood/Cedar. I think he saw it as an inexpensive cellar defender that still met his (very high) quality minimum.

After 24 hours cork in bottle, half in the fridge: tannins/alchool a little softer, but no big change. We had a little with Chicken breast tacos, and it was better with food. Non-Cab wife agreed better with food and seemed high quality but wasn’t her cup of tea. As expected she went for The Paddle (see below)

After 48 hours sitting in bottle, mostly room temperature: More progression to being better, but still no big changes. For us as non-Cab people, better with food again, this time with steak. Wasn’t remotely getting old. I wished I had saved some for today as a follow-up

I can recognize well structured and high quality and ageable, and this is all of that. It will be better in 10-20 years certainly. A lot better? And how exactly? I don’t know. I’ll be passing on this because of varietal (non-)preference and budget, but this will definitely be for some of you. I hope I’ve helped you know if that’s you!

Nice notes guys!

And good job on the mixed case, we don’t see enough of these offered.

The Meeker mystery case was one of my all time favorite Casemates offerings. The Meeker Pink Elephant was one of my all time favorite offerings from the old website, since it introduced the wife and I to the wonderful world of rose way before it was super cool. Anyway…guess I’m in.

Hi everyone, I’m around to answer any questions you might have. Pretty slammed in the office today so please be patient!

Lots of good notes here that I think do a good job of introducing our core goals/values when it comes to bigger reds: ageable for 15-20 years, dry, tannic, acidic, traditionally made. We focus on elegance and structure more than fruitiness.

Because we don’t sterile filter or cold stab any of our reds, it’s common for our wines to throw sediment even though they’ve been barrel aged for quite a while, it’s nothing to worry about. Just nature taking its course with precipitation of acids.

Again, let me know if you have any questions!

My first labratting since a lone such on the other site about 5 years ago.

2015 “The Paddle” Reserve Petite Sirah/Syrah Blend

background: My wife and I’s favorite reds seem to be Syrah/Grenache/PinotNoir/Tempranillo, least favorites Cab Sauv/Franc and Zin. A few we think we might like but haven’t tried enough to really know, and one of these was Petit Sirah. When I saw the Peterson Mendo Blendo last year (62% Peite Sirah, 28% Syrah, 5% Carignane, 5% Grenache) I got some. That blend looked tasty, and we ended up liking it a lot. I was shocked how well it went with (off all things), Pork Chop. When I saw I was ratting this blend I was excited.

On pop-n-pour, as well as after an hour decanting:

• I got a little black pepper, and the same serious drying tannins as the Cab
• My wife got Cherry, black currant, spice, maybe papper
• My daughter who has no wine experience but whose nose is much better than mine, smelled grames, oranges, lemons, wood. Taste was grape and woody

Reading about Petit Sirah, folks say it’s good with spicy, and with creamy. So we had this on day 1, after a couple hours decanting in the glass, with chicken tacos, with salsa and guac and cheese and sour cream etc. That was quite a good pairing. Much better than by itself.

Day 2, after sitting on the counter with cork in it for 24 hours: Still tasted young! Less alcohol and tannin. With steak and vinegratte rodiccio and broccoli puree, good! I think it could hold up to anything. Powerful but inoffensive.

If any had been left for day 3, I bet it would have been fine and maybe better, but I didn’t.

Like the Cab review above, I’m certain this will be going strong in 10/20(/30?) years and I’m confident it will be better. But how much better, and how exactly? Can’t say, not enough experience to PS to even guess.

I’m going to pass because my budget is shot and there’s absolutely no room for speculative and expensive (for me at least) “this will probably be awesome in 10 years” wine. I’ve already got a case of WineSmith PS on the way! But this is quality juice and I’m sure perfect for some of you. I hope my notes combined with others’ gives you the info you need.

So my buddy @drhellknow brought a couple of Meeker labrat bottles over to our Superbowl ‘party’ (is it really a party when there are as many guests under 8 as over?) Sunday night. Sorry Cali ‘mates, but it was almost as thrilling to cheer on baby boy Mahomes as it was to taste these wines. @drhellknow opened the Syrah the day before, so I got the benefit of a little age in my glass.
Meeker 2013 Syrah (Day 2)
Inky purple in the glass, garnet on the edge, shows some age. Pepper (both black and green) and plum on the nose. Has a sort of assertive ‘sharp’ quality, like spice or ‘wet rocks’ or pencil lead. Very complex (or hard to describe.) Oh my, this is fantastic. Thick, rich, fruit up front like plum or blackberry, leather and tobacco precedes a very long lingering finish. Man, so many things going on here. It is very good, with a refreshing acidic note that is far from ‘tart’. After some coaxing (and the power of suggestion) I get a bit of the Syrah ‘meatines’ or salinity. This is a fantastic wine to sit and contemplate, though I suspect the acidity will make it pair well with food.

2015 Paddle
Pop-and-pour: very dark, inky, slightly violet on the edge. Exceptionally slowly developing legs. Warm, ripe fruit like, I don’t know, plum tart? It is fleshy and fruity with a caramel or toffee note. Lean and tannic on the palate, medium body, balanced. Really asks for food. After some time the tannins assert themselves. They are drying and quite grippy. It isn’t bad, just becomes more obvious as the wine sits in the glass. It was great with deep dish sausage pizza.

Never had Meeker before but they seem to have a positive reputation around here. Judging by the quality of these wines it is well deserved.

Imagine my surprise when UPS showed up with not one, but TWO bottles for a Lab Rat Report. I thought, “Any day can only get better with a delivery like this!”
And it did! Inside was a mixed double from Meeker Vineyards. I had visited this winery years ago, remembered that it was good then, but I have not had a chance to revisit any of the offerings since then. As it was 40 degrees in NC at the time of delivery, (1 o’clock), and there is no heat in the UPS truck, it would need several hours to come up to room temperature. At 6:00 PM, we opened both bottles and hand-aerated into glasses for initial experiences.

Bottle 1: a 2014 Merlot.
Initially, it was a toss-up as to which was better – the inside or outside of the bottle. This is a uniquely decorated, hand-painted bottle, which my wife was all over. I, on the other hand, was eager to see what the inside had to offer!

The nose was intense – easily discernable from 8-10” away – plenty of fruit, dark cherry and currant, with some notes of flint and earth. I thought, “Casemates has really amped their game up this time!” Also evident was some heat – at 14.8% alcohol, this was no surprise. I’m not a huge fan of the high-alcohol wines, so I was anxious to see how this would play out.

On the palate, the fruit was more forward, still the mineral notes, with a strong tannin presence. The finish was long, lingering, but also dry, and somewhat astringent. We strongly prefer reds, so we are constantly looking for an excuse to drink red wine with chicken, which happened to be on the menu. So….charcoal grilled chicken, smoked bacon, smoked Gouda cheese was called upon to pair with this Merlot. Result: success!! The grilled meat and bacon held up well with the astringency and tannins, and fruit enough to not overpower. This wine demands food! We corked the balance of the bottle for the next day.

Bottle 2: 2013 Dry Creek Cabernet Sauvignon.
My experiences with Sonoma Valley Cabs is that they are somewhat more medium bodied, softer than their Napa cousins. And my initial approach to this wine confirmed it – nice, full-fruited nose, a little heat (also 14.8%), slight earth and spice notes. The mouth feel was pleasant enough, softer than the Merlot, velvety, nice balance, medium finish, but with just a hint of sourness. With that, we corked it as well, until dinner the next evening.

What can I say – what a difference a day makes! The Merlot had significantly softened, a much more pleasant mouth feel on its own, and much more approachable. No longer did it demand a food companion, and the window for pairing opportunities opened dramatically.

The Cabernet – like a totally different wine. It actually deepened in color, much more robust, more full-bodied, the mouth feel still velvety, nicely structured, and improved, lingering finish. We paired it with Bratwurst, again charcoal smoked, with oven-roasted potatoes in duck fat. And again, a wonderful duo. This is an elegant Cabernet – not too dry, a testament to good wine-making!

My last bit of advice – open and aerate this at least 6 hours before serving, overnight is even better. It’s that big of a difference. These both should lay down well for 8-10 years, IMHO, but you’ll be tempted to raid the cellar before then!

Enjoy!