2019 WineSmith Cellars Tannat, Heringer Estate Vineyard, Yolo County
Tasting Notes
I was trained on winemaking techniques by the great Patrick Ducournau in Madiran, a small appellation in southwest France in sight of the Pyrenees which specializes in Tannat. He invented the technique of micro-oxygenation to tame the tannins of this extraordinary grape, which can have three times the tannin of Cabernet Sauvignon. His hunch that the wine was starved for oxygen proved correct, and the technique is similar to conching of chocolate, which the Aztecs discovered converts cocoa into chocolate.
I was delighted to find a rare planting of this little-known grape in Clarksburg, California. It was even more astonishing to discover how oily and feminine the Tannat wines from this special vineyard proved to be. Generally, Tannat needs several years to soften and open, yet here we are, just 18 months after vintage, bottling a highly drinkable wine with round, voluptuous mouthfeel.
The nose is instantly alluring. These generous and approachable tannins support intriguing aromas of tar, violets and sweet fennel. Its weight and authority tempt one to pair it with peppered steak, but I think the natives of Madiran are right to suggest that it is at its best with grilled duck breast. Check out my cooking show, Gracious Living in the Time of Corona, for tips on preparing duck.
Specs
Vintage: 2019
Vineyard Location: Heringer Estate Vineyards
Clarksburg, Yolo County
experimental planting
Harvest Date: 15 October 2019
Harvest Sugar: 28.5 Brix
Fermentation techniques:
100% crush/destem
Must watered to 23.5 brix
Anchor VN112 yeast inoculum
7 gm/L untoasted Alliers chips, air seasoned 2 yrs
Elevage details:
Micro-oxygenated pre-ML at 90 mg/L/month
Malolactic fermentation in barrel
Neutral French oak aged 15 months
TA 6.1 g/L, pH 3.53 at bottling
Alcohol 12.9%
138 cases produced
Included in the Box
3-bottles:
3x 2019 WineSmith Cellars Tannat, Heringer Estate Vineyard, Yolo County
Case:
12x 2019 WineSmith Cellars Tannat, Heringer Estate Vineyard, Yolo County
Clark Smith is an MIT drop-out who wandered out to California in 1972 and sold wine retail in the Bay Area for several years, where he acquired a love of Bordeaux, Burgundy and all things French and observed first hand the California winery explosion in the 1970s. After a three year stint at Veedercrest Vineyards, he secured enology training at UC Davis and spent the 1980s as founding winemaker for The R.H. Phillips Vineyard in Yolo County. In 1990, he founded WineSmith Consulting and patented a group of new winemaking techniques involving reverse osmosis, spinning off Vinovation, which went on to become the world’s largest wine production consulting firm over its 17-year history.
Frustrated with California’s winemaking trends, Clark started WineSmith Cellars in 1993 as a teaching winery to make Eurocentric wines to explore traditions beyond the mainstream, expanding for his winemaking clients the range of possibility for California fruit. Choosing to create long-term partnerships with committed growers rather than growing his own grapes, Clark has become an renowned expert on Cabernet Franc, having vinified twenty vintages from a wide variety of sites.
Teaching at Napa Valley College gave him access to the Student Vineyard for Faux Chablis and his Pauillac-style $100 “Crucible” Cabernet Sauvignon. From Renaissance Vineyards in North Yuba County he has made a sulfite-free Roman Syrah and also produces a Pinot Noir from Fiddlestix Vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills in a delicate, age-worthy Côtes de Beaune style. These wines are vinified in an ancient beat-up warehouse in Sebastopol, California.
WineSmith wines are noted for their longevity, classic balance, structural integrity, minerality and understated soulfulness. They often are aged extensively prior to release. When drinking a WineSmith wine, always ask yourself “What is this wine trying to teach me?” Clark is a vocal advocate of living soil and graceful longevity, and generally avoids excessive oak, alcohol, or extended hang-time. He is not shy about employing new tools when they are needed, such as alcohol adjustment to bring fruit into balance or micro-oxygenation to build refined structure, but always fully discloses techniques which are controversial and is outspoken in explaining his rationale.
His book, Postmodern Winemaking, is the culmination of four decades of reflection on wine’s true nature.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Greetings, my friends. It’s great to be back with you. As I often observe, this forum is where I feel the most at home wine where my zany projects get a fair hearing. Today I have a real treat for you. One seldom hears Tannat described as lip-smackin’ good, and to release one with scarcely a year in barrel would seem completely unhinged, yet here is the most drinkable and delicious Tannat I have ever encountered.
I have made Tannat all over the world, and it is without exception remorselessly tannic and requiring long ageing. And while this beauty surely will last for decades, it is quite yummy right now as I’m sure our lab rats will attest. I owe all this to the remarkable vineyard characteristics of Steve and Mike Heringer’s Estate vineyard in Clarksburg.
I intend during our conversation to tell the story of my guru, Patrick Ducournau of Chapelle Lenclos in Madiran who taught me all I know about wine structure and how to make great wine, most of it completely contrary to accepted wisdom. He is the subject of the first six chapters of Postmodern Winemaking and I look forward to telling you his story and explaining in more depth than I have previously dared.
@klezman@winesmith Speaking of Yannick, that taster size barrel sample sure was different from what I remember about the last bottle of The Musketeer I had. Granted, two year earlier vintage and a lot of additional bottle time and two different winemakers.
Clark, how different, if you recall, were the '17 and '19 vintages. Just wondering how the grapes vs. process may account for the differences.
For the '17 I was gobsmacked with fruit while tannins were well in check, while with the '19 here the fruit was still dominated by the younger tannins.
@klezman@rjquillin '17 and '19 weren’t that different as growing seasons. I suspect the difference you’re seeing is winemaking. Tannat can vary considerably depending on how you handle the fermentation: temperature, punchdown technique, chosen yeast. In '20, I altered my crushing technique and made a rustic monster which will take longer to come around. In’21 we’ll go back to the way we made the '19.
Tannat + WineSmith = auto buy.
When my wife and I were in Peru we fell in love with this grape. I can’t wait to taste this one. Troon, out of Southern Oregon, makes a pretty good stand alone Tannat, if anyone is looking for a comp. Regardless, in for a case!
@karenhynes@klezman Karen, my wines from last spring are gone. I just keep finding wines I want to try. We really need a Casemates anonymous club. Lucky I don’t get that many visitors, lately. I would store them in the living room, but I have a border collie who likes to play with a plastic stick indoors. Not good for wine bottles if I miss.
@danandlisa@karenhynes@klezman@ttboy23
I’m sure I could be a charter member myself. My son keeps telling me “Mom, I don’t think you have a wine drinking problem, but you have a serious wine buying problem!”
@danandlisa@karenhynes@klezman@pseudogourmet98@ttboy23
Hi, my name is Patrick. I used to have all the wine in the closet under the stairs to the basement. It eventually got full, but I managed to pull it back and hold the line for a while. My wife is co-dependent and we’ve established an unspoken don’t-ask-don’t-tell about my wine buys. As long as it all fits in the closest under the stairs, she can pretend it’s “just a few boxes”.
A couple months ago I put overflow boxes in another storage closet. I don’t think she’s seen it yet. Not sure what going to happen when she does.
(Everything I say here stays within the group, right?)
@DJZachAttack@winesmith I’ve never heard of that varietal either, until the Y. Rousseau was on here. Loved it and can’t wait to try Clark’s. Such a learning curve!
Another grape not talked about much is the Norton. Clark, I think you may have mentioned it a while back, during a different sale. We tried Norton while staying in Branson (2018) but didn’t enjoy it much…3 different wineries, no luck, but that’s what they grow there. Might even have a couple bottles left from that trip, time to re-visit.
@DJZachAttack@ttboy23 Most Nortons are planted in the Midwest for their disease and winter tolerance. It is vital for good Norton to get ripe. There are good ones in Missouri: Vox, St. James and Stone Hill, plus a lot of crap. California’s Central Valley is an especially good place to grow it. PLEASE try our WineSmith 2018 Clarksburg Norton. It will blow your mind.
@DJZachAttack@ttboy23@winesmith
Visited Missouri wine country 10 years ago - Augusta and Hermann. Stone Hill was easily our favorite Norton. Little known factoid (although I’m sure Clark is aware as the force behind Appellation America, Augusta, MO was the second ever AVA registered after Napa, CA which was the first.
@chipgreen@DJZachAttack@ttboy23 Actually Augusta was first and Napa Valley was second. You should try the Reserve Norton from Vox Vineyards. Also I am crazy about Augusta Winery’s Chambourcin for $11.86 SRP.
@DJZachAttack@ttboy23@winesmith
Thanks for the correction. I would like to revisit the area and extend that visit to make my way West towards KC which would of course necessitate a visit to Vox! I purchased some wines from them several Berserker Days ago that was very interesting.
@chipgreen@DJZachAttack@ttboy23@winesmith an investor family is buying up the wineries in Augusta to turn it into a wine lovers destination, along with a golf course, nice hotels, restaurants, etc. Sonoma of the Midwest or something like that. I think they’ve bought 6 or 7 of them so far.
@DJZachAttack@TimW@ttboy23@winesmith
Well, that’s… disappointing. Augusta Wine Company and Montelle Winery were both owned by the same guy. Montelle had great scenery but Augusta had the better wines, IMO. In particular, I liked their Cab Franc, Sauvage Rose and their Vignoles was probably the best I have ever had. They were also one of the few MO wineries to ship to Ohio and not only that, they gave a 30% case discount! They would often run sales and shipping specials which were stackable with the 30% case discount, so I ordered several cases from them in the years after our visit. I don’t think it will be quite the same with corporate ownership.
We traveled from Augusta to Hermann where we were staying, but hit up Mt. Pleasant winery on our way back to catch our return flight in St. Louis. Almost missed our flight because of the Mt. Pleasant tasting! I remember how proud they were of their Port wines (still have one of their Tawny Ports in my cellar) and the fact that their sparkling wine was the “official wine of the St. Louis Cardinals” and was used to celebrate their World Series title the previous year.
I was pleasantly surprised to find a single bottle shipment at my front door on Monday afternoon. Then, I saw it was from Casemates, what a pleasant surprise! I was excited to see what my second lab rat report subject. Upon opening the package, I was happy to see the Wine Smith label while not devote of the brand, I knew it and enjoyed several, ok perhaps more than several of their wines over the years. Then I looked at the grape, Tannat… Huh? I had never even heard of it!
So, I did a little research and became happy to learn it’s French/Spanish history and its fast-growing popularity in South America, especially Uruguay. Some calling it the next Malbec. Then I learned a little bit about the technique of micro-oxygenation to tame the tannins. I’ve already learned so much and I hadn’t even has a sip! I couldn’t wait to open the bottle on Tuesday night after the kids were in bed, I may have rushed them a little more than usual
On opening:
It was Very dark garnet almost brownish. The nose was dark fragrant berries. It had beautiful legs that last on the glass for a minute or more. The pallet was surprising medium to light body, bold dark berries, long lasting almost citrus finish, the tannins were certainly there!
After about 30 minutes in the glass, the color has brightened up, now a beautiful deep purple
The nose is still dark berry, less strong than before but more complex, blackberry, dark cherry, black plum and maybe even a little raspberry? The legs are far less pronounced, you have to take a good look to see them now. The mouth feel is now a silky smooth and medium bodied. The finish is almost an explosion of dark fruit, so much so, it feels almost carbonated for a moment, transitioning to a long a pleasant citrus, tannin like finish.
For me this was a unique experience and one that I enjoyed very much! Me being more of an Italian red drinker with some Rioja and an occasional cab and pinot thrown in, this was a refreshing departure that has opened my eyes to being more adventurous moving forward. I’m looking forward to trying Tannats from all over the world.
My wild guess on pricing is retailing in the mid $30’s. I was happy to see another great deal on offer here! If you know this grape, you’ll be quite happy and if you’re like me, trying for the first or one of the first times, I’d say go for it! Thanks so much for the opportunity to be a rat again, it was so fun to learn so much while drinking. Imagine that
This is probably my first Casemates purchase. I have never drank a “Tannat” before but I like drinking new things (Pinotage fans holla). My wife relegated me to only 3 bottles, but I’m looking forward to breaking my casemates (or grape?) on an interesting pick from a winery that people seem to be excited about.
Having become a Tannat fan after the last 2 Rousseau offerings I certainly can’t pass up this offer. Especially since Winesmith produced it. Love the wine. This is the case that may officially change the designation of wine room into warehouse.
Patrick (pa-TREEK) was a peasant vigneron (the word paysanne means a rural person, not a poor person - a Man of the Earth) grew up in the tiny Appellation of Madiran and became the proprietor of his family’s winery. Madiran had 24 wineries, all specializing in Tannat for centuries.
To understand what happened, we have to go back to World War II. Here’s the sequence of events:
Hitler scares the Jesus out of every scientist and politician in the free world.
Untold resources are brought to bear in order to nuke the Nazis before they nuke us. Now we have the bomb, and deploy it on the Japanese instead.
Desperate efforts to discover peacetime uses of atomic energy lead to constructions of nuclear power plant, medical isotope manufacture, food sterilization and many other applications.
The German company Nucleopore develops a method for producing precision filters for reverse osmosis, ultrafiltration and, most significantly, integrity-testable sterile bottling filters that allow, for the first time, table wines with residual sugar. (Yes Virginia, there were no sweet table wines before WWII!)
Brilliant wine innovator Peter Sichel reinvents Blue Nun Liebfraumilch as the first off-dry white table wine. He figures out that its characteristic freshness requires the absence of oxygen.
The new fresh, light, aromatic, off-dry white wine style literally changed the world. In 1960, 95% f California wine was port and sherry, average 18,5% alcohol. No table wine to speak of. By 1970, 95% of California wine was Blue Nun knock-offs: Gallo Chablis, Almaden Rhinewine, Christian Bros. Dry Sauterne, Wente Grey Riesling and Weibel Green Hungarian. 5% port and sherry. Really no reds at all.
Meanwhile in France, the apostles of the new Directeur of the Faculty of Oenologie at the Univ. of Bordeaux, Dr. Emile Peynaud, not to be outdone by the Germans, decided that France needed to modernize. They moved in the stainless steel and inert gas, developed a lot of microbiological insights and modern lab procedures, and took all the old guys who carried the traditional wisdom in their heads out into the woods and shot them in the head.
It turns out that Peter Sichel’s system was a great way to make fresh light aromatic whites and also the worst possible way to make serious reds. Oops. France and California have spent half a century digging themselves out of the mud and the majority of winemakers still adhere to the doctrine that oxygen is the enemy of wine. Consequently, their wines are harsh, undeveloped and prone to overexpression of oak, vegetal aromas and microbial spoilage.
Nowhere did the wines suffer more than in Madiran. The highly tannic Tannats were like drinking cocoa powder. By 1980, the locals were fed up, and began tearing out their vines and planting Merlot in an attempt to make globalized modern wines indistinguishable from any other.
Patrick was outraged. He went to his neighbors - “How can you do this? Tannat is our history and must be our legacy!” In the late '80s, he had a dream that his Tannat was starved of oxygen. He visited Michel Moutounet, who was and is France’s greatest phenolic chemist, who gave him a sawed off section of ceramic reverse osmosis membrane with instructions to build a diffuser to bubble oxygen into the wine. It worked!
Due to my invention using reverse osmosis to reduce alcohol content and remove acetic acid from wine, I was able to establish Vinovation as a uniquely trusted service provider. This did not make me a good winemaker, and these technologies were aids, not really winemaking techniques.
In 1997, Patrick’s Lieutenant Thierry Lemaire bought me a beer in a Reno bar and explained the outrageous claims that we could enhance mouthfeel volume, soulfulness, longevity, color stability and graceful longevity. All we needed to do was abandon everything we thought to be true.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2019 WineSmith Cellars Tannat - $60 = 23.06%
@pupator I’d love to, but not sure when we’ll be back in Atlanta. Closest tournament over the next few months is in Peachtree CITY (not Corners) which IIRC is on the wrong side of Atlanta from you.
@veevandyke You are correct that Peachtree City isn’t close, but if you want some of this I can hold it for you for a while. I’ve got your Two Jake’s CF as well.
I’ve also got trips to Greenville and Charlotte on the radar if there’s any overlap there?
@pupator We’ll be in Peachtree Corners in two weeks, so that will work for the two Jakes. And if you are in either Charlotte OR Greenville after this is delivered, I can meet you there. Both of those are less than 90 minutes from me. In which case, if you have extras, I’ll take anywhere between 3 and 6!! Funny that I’ve become part of the Atlanta crew. LOL!
No room, no splits, no need…
Bought a 3-pack to put in the cellar for laaaater…
I recall finding a 2006 Mokelumne River Cabernet in a dark corner of the cellar. Excellent!
Anybody in South Florida want to split? The Rosseau Tannat is fabulous and I am definitely a Winesmith fan. I don’t have room for a whole case but I can wedge 6 in here somewhere. Ping me if you want to split!
My wine fridge is full, and my basement rack is darn close, so I’m only in for three. Sounds too good to pass up completely.
/giphy talkative-deeply-hamburger
@ksterling I shouldn’t, but I will. 4 or 6 bottles. I live in South Dakota and get to the Twin Cities every month or so, so if you’re OK with holding it for bit, I’m in. Can’t pass up such an intriguing offering!
Humbug! My cellar overflows and I just ordered a half case of a Tannat/Cabernet Franc blend yesterday. I really need a SIWBM but the abundance of such nice wines is so tempting.
@lionel47 I feel your pain. I will try in future to make wines that are less appealing. Meantime, perhaps as we begin to socialize again, perhaps your friends will want to come over and relieve your situation.
So what did I learn from Patrick? Oenodev was a sort of cooking school for winemakers. Micro-oxygenation is essentially what the Aztecs taught the Spanish, who taught the Belgians - how to convert cocoa powder, which is harsh and bitter, into chocolate, which is elegant and profound.
Just as a chef is trained in the many different uses of eggs, we were taught to create a tannin soufflé - a rich, light structure. You have to separate your yolks and whites, then whip the whites into a meringue, then fold the yolks in to coat the structure and add fattiness to the texture. Red wines must be clarified so the yeast is not in suspension lest it quench the phenolic reactions. Fortunately, the careful introduction of tiny amounts of oxygen will quickly cause the wine to fall clear. Then we must avoid disturbing the yeast using a special diffuser that is suspended about 12 inches above the sediment.
Now we will use oxygen like a wire whisk in soufflé making to create a rich, light structure. Color is critical. We are creating oxidative polymers, and we want them to be short so the texture is fine and elegant. Anthocyanins do not daisy-chain, but rather are like bookends on the ends of the chain. Optimally, these short chains (oligomers) are restricted to about four tannin building blocks lined together like legos and capped at both ends by anthocyanins. This also has the effect of stabilizing the color.
These chains self-organize into tiny colloids which are hydrophobic and provide a place where the cyclical molecules that cause oakiness (vanillin, eugenol, guaiacol), vegetal aromas (pyrazines), and Brett spoilage (4-ethyl phenol and 4-ethyl guaiacol) can hang out rather that intruding into the aroma, thus making the varietal fruit the dominant central aroma. This is called aromatic integration and is the goal of any good béchamel or béarnaise sauce.
The result is wine that is soulful, profound, with structural integrity and great age-worthiness.
Most wines can be aided in extraction by the introduction of three-year air-cured oak chips. In the past, French barrel makers were cutting down 200-year-od trees Napoleon had planted for a future navy, then splitting the wood and discarding about 75% which could not be fashioned into a barrel - a tragic waste. Ducournau perfected a process for air curing Alliers forest wood for three years and breaking it up into chips. I use a lot of these in fermentation. They don’t add any oakiness because they are not toasted, but they do greatly assist color extraction and bring a roundness to the palate. He calls them “Bois Frais,” which means “fresh wood” but they really aren’t. They have to be well cured to remove the plankiness (trans-2-nonenol). You will see references to BF addition in many of my technical notes.
You can find more detail about Patrick’s teachings in my book, Postmodern Winemaking. There is also a ton of information on my site, postmodernwinemaking.com Check out the circular calendar mandala and the interactive glossary. Go crazy!
@winesmith The first thing that popped out to me, was looking at the 28.5 brix pick, then the addition of water to reduce the brix, and then the fermentation. How common is that, where we don’t really see behind curtain what the people are actually doing? I know for big budget producers, sometimes there is a lot of fruit juice being shipped in, but watering down is new to me.
I’ll bet it is. The truth is, practically everybody does it. A major activity of my consulting during harvest is figuring out how much water (and tartaric acid) to add for my 120 winery clients. The problem is that in California, our air is too dry, so water evaporation makes our sugars run high to get proper maturity. Since this causes high alcohol, extraction is very poor unless you water to around 23 brix, which stabilizes your co-extraction colloids due to the the driving force of water being so much higher. Thus, paradoxically, the wines become substantially denser and longer-lived at the lower alcohols. Most winemakers won’t tell you this because they think you’ll be horrified.
@winesmith@WkdPanda Is 23 brix a rule of thumb or do you have do more sophisticated calculations to get a good answer for watering back?
Can you name any of the wineries you consult for?
@klezman@WkdPanda It’s a very tricky calculation and most winemakers don’t know how to do it. One reason is that brix is a weight percentage, and water is much lighter than must, so you have to use density tables to look up weight if you have volume data. Another complication is that coastal fruit has a higher conversion to alcohol than warm region fruit does, and nobody knows why. I can estimate this conversion from location data.
Most of my clients like to remain anonymous for various reasons. Others brag about me and I brag about them. Some fascinating success stories include Vox Vineyards in Kansas City and Hawk Haven Vineyards in Cape May, NJ… You can also see some accolades on my website from a few others. Winemaking411.com.
@klezman@radiolysis@rjquillin What is the likelihood of this wine making its way north? I don’t get much south of Irvine. I am trying to clean up some of my older shares.
@davirom@radiolysis@rjquillin
We were thinking of planning a gathering, especially now that the kids will be able to be vaccinated.
We may also make it to SD county soon enough and could bring back a load.
@jml326@loopingyeti The emails usually go out on the second day (overnight on first day). Sometimes the emails include highlights from the first day’s LabRat reviews or Vintner comments. But there is a chance of a sell-out.
The exception is Friday which is the 1-day sale so the emails go out right away.
@loopingyeti@nostrom0 There’s a workaround that works pretty well. Someone taught me at some point and I’m happy to spread the knowledge (I had complained and someone took pity on me). In this forum post, https://casemates.com/forum/topics/case-savings-vs-smaller-allotment, select “Subscribe” under the first post and you’ll get an additional email when each “savings” post occurs (normally pretty soon after each sale starts).
I just got a case if anyone in SoCal/ West LA wants in. I never post on the boards so I’m not really sure how this whole connecting up works.
Confirmation: steadfast-uneven-camp
@radiolysis Some day! We have a small child in the house so we didn’t get out much even before COVID. I take consolation in the fact that it is at least way less expensive to do our drinking in through sites like Casemates and I don’t have to worry about driving.
With most winemakers, I would say a bottled 2019 vintage would be pedicide, but Clark is such a master I am assuaged of my fear. Intrigued enough to buy a case. Happy to split with local Atlanteans.
/giphy mild-motorized-ranger
Hello Everyone, we did sell out of our 2019 Tannat!
Thank you for your kind words and continuous support. You all are the reason why we can continue add new varietals and create appealing wines you love.
If you have any questions, I may be contacted at
sandra dot winesmith at gmail dot com
Anyone have any issues with wine leaking from corks that have been pushed up a bit??
UPS just delivered some Warm bottles (already let the ‘not’ TT know)
My case arrived today at 5pm. 73° bottle temperature (after riding in the truck on a warm day). All capsules/corks appear to be identically concave, so don’t expect any issues.
Mine on tracking says delivery maybe delayed "unable to connect with the dispatcher " out of California whatever that means🥺 hopefully delivery will be in cold snap of 78 degrees here in Fl…lol!
The first bottle I opened had a stain at the top of the cork, and after pulling the cork I can see the path the wine took up the side of the cork to get to the top. That bottle tasted fine.
I pulled a second bottle and took off the capsule, and sure enough it too had a little wine leak.
I got a case and had planned to store most of it a while, but now I’m nervous about it. Anybody else notice something similar?
@moondigger@Twich22 Generally what I’ve heard is that wine coming out of the bottle won’t affect it much, it’s when it tries to pull into the bottle. However with that said, the bottles probably went through a pretty good temperature cycle to expand enough to push some wine out. If your first bottle tasted fine, I suspect your others will as well. Send a note to CM and they’ll offer a refund for any of your bottles that show damage.
@deadlyapp@moondigger@Twich22
I posted on April 7th, think I was the first on this issue, I did send a note to customer service, here’s the response: >>Hi there,
I’m happy to help with this. When you have a moment, can you please send me a photo of the damage along with the shipping label?
Thanks!
By then the capsule’s were off, bottles cleaned and the box at the dump, oh well - so it goes.
@deadlyapp@Twich22@PLSemenza I’ll contact customer service. I’m guessing I’ll have to remove all the capsules, which I don’t like to do, but otherwise I have no way of demonstrating the problem.
I’ve already tossed the cork from the first bottle, but I still have the second one and the case and shipping label.
@moondigger@PLSemenza@Twich22 I always make sure to take pictures of all my packing material if I see any evidence of staining or leakage. I’ve never had to take a capsule off to show the cork but have taken pictures of the cork pressed up against the capsule in comparison to ones in the correct location. I also took pictures of the capsule which showed some staining at the base from wine coming through. If you anticipate that all of your bottles were affected but have no other visible proof, then yes you may have to remove the capsule.
@deadlyapp@moondigger@Twich22
Thanks for the Info.
I go back to the W00T days 2009 to the present, lots of Wine over the years, but I never ran into this before, but I do live in SoCal, so shipping is usually quick.
@deadlyapp@PLSemenza@Twich22 Yup, I was a Woot guy too. I had this kind of thing happen a couple times before, once or twice with Woot and once with a case order directly from a winery.
Actually, one of the ruined Woot orders was from Scott Harvey in 2014, during the polar vortex. They ended up replacing the entire case that time, but the damage was much more obvious, with corks forced up through the capsules, wine escaping the capsules and staining the packing material, etc.
Based on the two bottles I’ve checked so far, the damage in this case is more subtle.
2019 WineSmith Cellars Tannat, Heringer Estate Vineyard, Yolo County
Tasting Notes
Specs
Fermentation techniques:
Elevage details:
Included in the Box
3-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$307.20/Case at WineSmith Cellars for 12x 2019 WineSmith Cellars Tannat, Heringer Estate Vineyard, Yolo County
Not for sale online, $248/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Apr 26
WineSmith Cellars Tannat
3 bottles for $64.99 $21.66/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $199.99 $16.67/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2019 WineSmith Cellars Tannat
Greetings, my friends. It’s great to be back with you. As I often observe, this forum is where I feel the most at home wine where my zany projects get a fair hearing. Today I have a real treat for you. One seldom hears Tannat described as lip-smackin’ good, and to release one with scarcely a year in barrel would seem completely unhinged, yet here is the most drinkable and delicious Tannat I have ever encountered.
I have made Tannat all over the world, and it is without exception remorselessly tannic and requiring long ageing. And while this beauty surely will last for decades, it is quite yummy right now as I’m sure our lab rats will attest. I owe all this to the remarkable vineyard characteristics of Steve and Mike Heringer’s Estate vineyard in Clarksburg.
I intend during our conversation to tell the story of my guru, Patrick Ducournau of Chapelle Lenclos in Madiran who taught me all I know about wine structure and how to make great wine, most of it completely contrary to accepted wisdom. He is the subject of the first six chapters of Postmodern Winemaking and I look forward to telling you his story and explaining in more depth than I have previously dared.
@winesmith is that the same vineyard that Yannick Rousseau gets some of his Tannat from? He also trained in Madiran IIRC.
@klezman Probably so. How many Tannat vineyards might there be in Clarksburg?
@winesmith That’s kind of what I was thinking…
@klezman @winesmith Speaking of Yannick, that taster size barrel sample sure was different from what I remember about the last bottle of The Musketeer I had. Granted, two year earlier vintage and a lot of additional bottle time and two different winemakers.
Clark, how different, if you recall, were the '17 and '19 vintages. Just wondering how the grapes vs. process may account for the differences.
For the '17 I was gobsmacked with fruit while tannins were well in check, while with the '19 here the fruit was still dominated by the younger tannins.
@klezman @rjquillin '17 and '19 weren’t that different as growing seasons. I suspect the difference you’re seeing is winemaking. Tannat can vary considerably depending on how you handle the fermentation: temperature, punchdown technique, chosen yeast. In '20, I altered my crushing technique and made a rustic monster which will take longer to come around. In’21 we’ll go back to the way we made the '19.
Tannat + WineSmith = auto buy.
When my wife and I were in Peru we fell in love with this grape. I can’t wait to taste this one. Troon, out of Southern Oregon, makes a pretty good stand alone Tannat, if anyone is looking for a comp. Regardless, in for a case!
clumsy-dispensable-mentalist
Not a large quantity to report on…
but what there was was tasty.
Color stainingly dark and purple.
Fruit on the nose and palate?
check.
Tannins?
check.
Acidity?
check.
Sandra really could have been less stingy.
Hoping there is a Rat with a full size 750 or 375 bottle.
This was just temptingly tasty.
@rjquillin I already ordered a case even though I have no space.
I was just telling one of my friends earlier today that I have far too much wine and need to stop buying. SIWBM lasted a whole 12 hours!
@karenhynes You and me both. I have cases in my spare bedroom.
@danandlisa I have boxes I haven’t unpacked since last Spring (at least)…probably longer.
@danandlisa @karenhynes our pile of wine has broken through its normal confines and into the living room.
@karenhynes @klezman Karen, my wines from last spring are gone. I just keep finding wines I want to try. We really need a Casemates anonymous club. Lucky I don’t get that many visitors, lately. I would store them in the living room, but I have a border collie who likes to play with a plastic stick indoors. Not good for wine bottles if I miss.
@danandlisa @karenhynes @klezman
Ahhh! so, back to normal it would seem…
@danandlisa @karenhynes @klezman “We really need a Casemates anonymous club.”
Yes, please!
@danandlisa @karenhynes @klezman @ttboy23
I’m sure I could be a charter member myself. My son keeps telling me “Mom, I don’t think you have a wine drinking problem, but you have a serious wine buying problem!”
@danandlisa @karenhynes @klezman @pseudogourmet98 @ttboy23
Hi, my name is Patrick. I used to have all the wine in the closet under the stairs to the basement. It eventually got full, but I managed to pull it back and hold the line for a while. My wife is co-dependent and we’ve established an unspoken don’t-ask-don’t-tell about my wine buys. As long as it all fits in the closest under the stairs, she can pretend it’s “just a few boxes”.
A couple months ago I put overflow boxes in another storage closet. I don’t think she’s seen it yet. Not sure what going to happen when she does.
(Everything I say here stays within the group, right?)
@danandlisa @karenhynes @klezman @PatrickKarcher @pseudogourmet98 yes, it’s group therapy time!
Really enjoyed the video about the wine. I’ve never had Tannat before, but a big fan of the few Winesmiths I have had! In for 3
@DJZachAttack @winesmith I’ve never heard of that varietal either, until the Y. Rousseau was on here. Loved it and can’t wait to try Clark’s. Such a learning curve!
Another grape not talked about much is the Norton. Clark, I think you may have mentioned it a while back, during a different sale. We tried Norton while staying in Branson (2018) but didn’t enjoy it much…3 different wineries, no luck, but that’s what they grow there. Might even have a couple bottles left from that trip, time to re-visit.
@DJZachAttack @ttboy23 Most Nortons are planted in the Midwest for their disease and winter tolerance. It is vital for good Norton to get ripe. There are good ones in Missouri: Vox, St. James and Stone Hill, plus a lot of crap. California’s Central Valley is an especially good place to grow it. PLEASE try our WineSmith 2018 Clarksburg Norton. It will blow your mind.
@winesmith thank you!
@DJZachAttack @ttboy23 @winesmith
Visited Missouri wine country 10 years ago - Augusta and Hermann. Stone Hill was easily our favorite Norton. Little known factoid (although I’m sure Clark is aware as the force behind Appellation America, Augusta, MO was the second ever AVA registered after Napa, CA which was the first.
@chipgreen @DJZachAttack @ttboy23 Actually Augusta was first and Napa Valley was second. You should try the Reserve Norton from Vox Vineyards. Also I am crazy about Augusta Winery’s Chambourcin for $11.86 SRP.
@DJZachAttack @ttboy23 @winesmith
Thanks for the correction. I would like to revisit the area and extend that visit to make my way West towards KC which would of course necessitate a visit to Vox! I purchased some wines from them several Berserker Days ago that was very interesting.
@chipgreen @DJZachAttack @ttboy23 @winesmith an investor family is buying up the wineries in Augusta to turn it into a wine lovers destination, along with a golf course, nice hotels, restaurants, etc. Sonoma of the Midwest or something like that. I think they’ve bought 6 or 7 of them so far.
@chipgreen @DJZachAttack @ttboy23 @winesmith here’s a reference from their website https://hoffmannfamilyofcompanies.com/news/hoffmanns-acquire-vineyards-wineries-assets-businesses-in-augusta-mo/
@chipgreen @DJZachAttack @ttboy23 @winesmith here is a more recent article… they’re buying Mount Pleasant winery…I think that’s a bigger one and older one: https://hoffmannfamilyofcompanies.com/news/hoffmann-to-acquire-sixth-missouri-vineyard/
@DJZachAttack @TimW @ttboy23 @winesmith
Well, that’s… disappointing. Augusta Wine Company and Montelle Winery were both owned by the same guy. Montelle had great scenery but Augusta had the better wines, IMO. In particular, I liked their Cab Franc, Sauvage Rose and their Vignoles was probably the best I have ever had. They were also one of the few MO wineries to ship to Ohio and not only that, they gave a 30% case discount! They would often run sales and shipping specials which were stackable with the 30% case discount, so I ordered several cases from them in the years after our visit. I don’t think it will be quite the same with corporate ownership.
We traveled from Augusta to Hermann where we were staying, but hit up Mt. Pleasant winery on our way back to catch our return flight in St. Louis. Almost missed our flight because of the Mt. Pleasant tasting! I remember how proud they were of their Port wines (still have one of their Tawny Ports in my cellar) and the fact that their sparkling wine was the “official wine of the St. Louis Cardinals” and was used to celebrate their World Series title the previous year.
@chipgreen @TimW great story chip, thanks!
@TimW @ttboy23 @winesmith
Only WineSmith has a better case discount than that.
Hi All!
I was pleasantly surprised to find a single bottle shipment at my front door on Monday afternoon. Then, I saw it was from Casemates, what a pleasant surprise! I was excited to see what my second lab rat report subject. Upon opening the package, I was happy to see the Wine Smith label while not devote of the brand, I knew it and enjoyed several, ok perhaps more than several
of their wines over the years. Then I looked at the grape, Tannat… Huh? I had never even heard of it!
So, I did a little research and became happy to learn it’s French/Spanish history and its fast-growing popularity in South America, especially Uruguay. Some calling it the next Malbec. Then I learned a little bit about the technique of micro-oxygenation to tame the tannins. I’ve already learned so much and I hadn’t even has a sip! I couldn’t wait to open the bottle on Tuesday night after the kids were in bed, I may have rushed them a little more than usual
On opening:
It was Very dark garnet almost brownish. The nose was dark fragrant berries. It had beautiful legs that last on the glass for a minute or more. The pallet was surprising medium to light body, bold dark berries, long lasting almost citrus finish, the tannins were certainly there!
After about 30 minutes in the glass, the color has brightened up, now a beautiful deep purple
The nose is still dark berry, less strong than before but more complex, blackberry, dark cherry, black plum and maybe even a little raspberry? The legs are far less pronounced, you have to take a good look to see them now. The mouth feel is now a silky smooth and medium bodied. The finish is almost an explosion of dark fruit, so much so, it feels almost carbonated for a moment, transitioning to a long a pleasant citrus, tannin like finish.
For me this was a unique experience and one that I enjoyed very much! Me being more of an Italian red drinker with some Rioja and an occasional cab and pinot thrown in, this was a refreshing departure that has opened my eyes to being more adventurous moving forward. I’m looking forward to trying Tannats from all over the world.
My wild guess on pricing is retailing in the mid $30’s. I was happy to see another great deal on offer here! If you know this grape, you’ll be quite happy and if you’re like me, trying for the first or one of the first times, I’d say go for it! Thanks so much for the opportunity to be a rat again, it was so fun to learn so much while drinking. Imagine that
@gkrivin Thank you for the great report.
This is probably my first Casemates purchase. I have never drank a “Tannat” before but I like drinking new things (Pinotage fans holla). My wife relegated me to only 3 bottles, but I’m looking forward to breaking my casemates
(or grape?) on an interesting pick from a winery that people seem to be excited about.
@staff
Welcome to the club!
@staff Probably?
Anyone in Seattle area want to split?
@nkal I’m up for a split!
@sallliu Excellent. I’ve ordered a case!
Having become a Tannat fan after the last 2 Rousseau offerings I certainly can’t pass up this offer. Especially since Winesmith produced it. Love the wine. This is the case that may officially change the designation of wine room into warehouse.
Patrick (pa-TREEK) was a peasant vigneron (the word paysanne means a rural person, not a poor person - a Man of the Earth) grew up in the tiny Appellation of Madiran and became the proprietor of his family’s winery. Madiran had 24 wineries, all specializing in Tannat for centuries.
To understand what happened, we have to go back to World War II. Here’s the sequence of events:
Nowhere did the wines suffer more than in Madiran. The highly tannic Tannats were like drinking cocoa powder. By 1980, the locals were fed up, and began tearing out their vines and planting Merlot in an attempt to make globalized modern wines indistinguishable from any other.
Patrick was outraged. He went to his neighbors - “How can you do this? Tannat is our history and must be our legacy!” In the late '80s, he had a dream that his Tannat was starved of oxygen. He visited Michel Moutounet, who was and is France’s greatest phenolic chemist, who gave him a sawed off section of ceramic reverse osmosis membrane with instructions to build a diffuser to bubble oxygen into the wine. It worked!
Due to my invention using reverse osmosis to reduce alcohol content and remove acetic acid from wine, I was able to establish Vinovation as a uniquely trusted service provider. This did not make me a good winemaker, and these technologies were aids, not really winemaking techniques.
In 1997, Patrick’s Lieutenant Thierry Lemaire bought me a beer in a Reno bar and explained the outrageous claims that we could enhance mouthfeel volume, soulfulness, longevity, color stability and graceful longevity. All we needed to do was abandon everything we thought to be true.
Yeah, sure. But it all turned out that way.
Would anyone in southeast Michigan be interested in a split?
@joe139 Case is bought!
/giphy toxic-unwritten-firefly
We are still looking for one more to split our case with if anyone in SE Michigan missed out
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2019 WineSmith Cellars Tannat - $60 = 23.06%
@chipgreen I’m surprised you aren’t ratting this.
@chipgreen @mrn1 There are lots of us Winesmith fans! Chip can’t be the rat every time
@chipgreen @klezman I can’t argue with that!
@klezman @mrn1
I reluctantly agree with that statement.
Any of the Atlanta area crew want a split 2 or 3 ways?
@pupator I’d love to, but not sure when we’ll be back in Atlanta. Closest tournament over the next few months is in Peachtree CITY (not Corners) which IIRC is on the wrong side of Atlanta from you.
@pupator I’d be in for three or four. I have way too much already, but this sounds interesting.
@pupator @Springbank I’ll take 4 as well if still available. I’m in Candler Park
@veevandyke You are correct that Peachtree City isn’t close, but if you want some of this I can hold it for you for a while. I’ve got your Two Jake’s CF as well.
I’ve also got trips to Greenville and Charlotte on the radar if there’s any overlap there?
@jhkey @Springbank
Got it. Will sync up when it arrives.
/giphy friendly-amiable-swing
@pupator We’ll be in Peachtree Corners in two weeks, so that will work for the two Jakes. And if you are in either Charlotte OR Greenville after this is delivered, I can meet you there. Both of those are less than 90 minutes from me. In which case, if you have extras, I’ll take anywhere between 3 and 6!!
Funny that I’ve become part of the Atlanta crew. LOL!
No room, no splits, no need…
Bought a 3-pack to put in the cellar for laaaater…
I recall finding a 2006 Mokelumne River Cabernet in a dark corner of the cellar. Excellent!
@FritzCat Lucky you! That wine is fantastic now.
Anybody in South Florida want to split? The Rosseau Tannat is fabulous and I am definitely a Winesmith fan. I don’t have room for a whole case but I can wedge 6 in here somewhere. Ping me if you want to split!
@GatorFL How far South? I’m in Tampa and would split
@in2sense West Palm area, pretty far from you sadly.
@GatorFL I picked up a case yesterday, but don’t really have any room. If you’d still like to split, we can try to figure it out. I am in Dade county.
@sndg I’m down for 6 if you will part with them, I’ll even come your way on a weekend to grab them!
@GatorFL Sounds like a plan. Will be in touch once they arrive…
/giphy omnivorous good hearted sandman
Loved the Rousseau Tannat and Clark is an auto buy so pretty damn excited about this one!
South Carolina Midlands split? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?
@veevandyke Did you happen to get a case? I’m in the Upstate but my parents live in the Midlands.
@jchasma Alas, no. I’m hopping in with the Atlanta crew for a few bottles, but I may not get there until June. LOL!
@jchasma @veevandyke Keep an eye on future Atlanta splits if you like. I’m through Greenville at least twice a month most months.
My wine fridge is full, and my basement rack is darn close, so I’m only in for three. Sounds too good to pass up completely.
/giphy talkative-deeply-hamburger
Denver Boulder split?
@mgowhoo Hi - I could help with 2 or 3, in Denver
@mgowhoo I would be in for 4-6 in Johnstown, could meet you somewhere for the trade
Alright, ordering a case and we can figure out the split/distribution.
@mgowhoo
Late to the party, but I’m down for 2 or 3 if there’s any left. South Denver but willing to drive up!
@mgowhoo I’ll take 2-3 if any left, if not that’s ok. I live near Boulder.
@CObrent @bolligra @mgowhoo @COSharon @knlprez
I also bought a case and could let up to 6 bottles go. (Erie area).
@CObrent @COSharon @knlprez @mgowhoo @mtnzj mtnzj, I’ll be happy to take 3 from you. I live in Anthem Ranch, just across Hwy 7.
@bolligra @CObrent @COSharon @knlprez @mgowhoo @mtnzj I would love to get a couple bottles of this! Plz let me know if there’s any available after all the requests. Thx.
Twin Cities split?
@ksterling I shouldn’t, but I will. 4 or 6 bottles. I live in South Dakota and get to the Twin Cities every month or so, so if you’re OK with holding it for bit, I’m in. Can’t pass up such an intriguing offering!
@coynedj haha I know the feeling. I ordered a case and am happy to hold onto however many bottles you are interested in!
@coynedj @ksterling i’d be in if you two are up for a 3-way split.
In for one!
This will likely sell out…
/giphy charismatic-middle-behavior
Have to try this.
haggard-dangerously-screwdriver
/giphy scandalous-surprised-sugar
Humbug! My cellar overflows and I just ordered a half case of a Tannat/Cabernet Franc blend yesterday. I really need a SIWBM but the abundance of such nice wines is so tempting.
@lionel47 I feel your pain. I will try in future to make wines that are less appealing. Meantime, perhaps as we begin to socialize again, perhaps your friends will want to come over and relieve your situation.
@winesmith no, please don’t stop. At some point, I will have to accept that my garage must be converted into a wine cellar.
equable-relished-puma
/giphy prudent-confident-arsenic
Houston peeps, just bought a case and willing to part with some of it if you’re on the fence.
/giphy bared-disrespectful-centaur
Sac or east bay split? Don’t need more wine but fomo
@jontemple I’d split a case - is Oakland convenient?
@ctl @jontemple I’d love to split a case. Either 3 ways or 2 if you or anyone else can make that work. I’m in alameda so Oakland works for me.
@ctl @jnurthen dammit I missed your comments until it is too late. Sorry I will keep you both in mind for future splits tho
In for one!
/giphy neon-unified-ferret
Pdx split anyone?
@douglasp60 I just ordered a case if you want to split this one too.
@padaltalula I am in for sure
@douglasp60 Hi PDX I would be glad to join in at 3-4 bottles or whatever if you can spare it.
/giphy poignant-dense-mongoose
So what did I learn from Patrick? Oenodev was a sort of cooking school for winemakers. Micro-oxygenation is essentially what the Aztecs taught the Spanish, who taught the Belgians - how to convert cocoa powder, which is harsh and bitter, into chocolate, which is elegant and profound.
Just as a chef is trained in the many different uses of eggs, we were taught to create a tannin soufflé - a rich, light structure. You have to separate your yolks and whites, then whip the whites into a meringue, then fold the yolks in to coat the structure and add fattiness to the texture. Red wines must be clarified so the yeast is not in suspension lest it quench the phenolic reactions. Fortunately, the careful introduction of tiny amounts of oxygen will quickly cause the wine to fall clear. Then we must avoid disturbing the yeast using a special diffuser that is suspended about 12 inches above the sediment.
Now we will use oxygen like a wire whisk in soufflé making to create a rich, light structure. Color is critical. We are creating oxidative polymers, and we want them to be short so the texture is fine and elegant. Anthocyanins do not daisy-chain, but rather are like bookends on the ends of the chain. Optimally, these short chains (oligomers) are restricted to about four tannin building blocks lined together like legos and capped at both ends by anthocyanins. This also has the effect of stabilizing the color.
These chains self-organize into tiny colloids which are hydrophobic and provide a place where the cyclical molecules that cause oakiness (vanillin, eugenol, guaiacol), vegetal aromas (pyrazines), and Brett spoilage (4-ethyl phenol and 4-ethyl guaiacol) can hang out rather that intruding into the aroma, thus making the varietal fruit the dominant central aroma. This is called aromatic integration and is the goal of any good béchamel or béarnaise sauce.
The result is wine that is soulful, profound, with structural integrity and great age-worthiness.
Most wines can be aided in extraction by the introduction of three-year air-cured oak chips. In the past, French barrel makers were cutting down 200-year-od trees Napoleon had planted for a future navy, then splitting the wood and discarding about 75% which could not be fashioned into a barrel - a tragic waste. Ducournau perfected a process for air curing Alliers forest wood for three years and breaking it up into chips. I use a lot of these in fermentation. They don’t add any oakiness because they are not toasted, but they do greatly assist color extraction and bring a roundness to the palate. He calls them “Bois Frais,” which means “fresh wood” but they really aren’t. They have to be well cured to remove the plankiness (trans-2-nonenol). You will see references to BF addition in many of my technical notes.
You can find more detail about Patrick’s teachings in my book, Postmodern Winemaking. There is also a ton of information on my site, postmodernwinemaking.com Check out the circular calendar mandala and the interactive glossary. Go crazy!
@winesmith The first thing that popped out to me, was looking at the 28.5 brix pick, then the addition of water to reduce the brix, and then the fermentation. How common is that, where we don’t really see behind curtain what the people are actually doing? I know for big budget producers, sometimes there is a lot of fruit juice being shipped in, but watering down is new to me.
@WkdPanda
I’ll bet it is. The truth is, practically everybody does it. A major activity of my consulting during harvest is figuring out how much water (and tartaric acid) to add for my 120 winery clients. The problem is that in California, our air is too dry, so water evaporation makes our sugars run high to get proper maturity. Since this causes high alcohol, extraction is very poor unless you water to around 23 brix, which stabilizes your co-extraction colloids due to the the driving force of water being so much higher. Thus, paradoxically, the wines become substantially denser and longer-lived at the lower alcohols. Most winemakers won’t tell you this because they think you’ll be horrified.
@winesmith @WkdPanda Is 23 brix a rule of thumb or do you have do more sophisticated calculations to get a good answer for watering back?
Can you name any of the wineries you consult for?
@klezman @WkdPanda It’s a very tricky calculation and most winemakers don’t know how to do it. One reason is that brix is a weight percentage, and water is much lighter than must, so you have to use density tables to look up weight if you have volume data. Another complication is that coastal fruit has a higher conversion to alcohol than warm region fruit does, and nobody knows why. I can estimate this conversion from location data.
Most of my clients like to remain anonymous for various reasons. Others brag about me and I brag about them. Some fascinating success stories include Vox Vineyards in Kansas City and Hawk Haven Vineyards in Cape May, NJ… You can also see some accolades on my website from a few others. Winemaking411.com.
Any socal splits going down? I’m cutting myself back, but a 3 pack seems fun.
@radiolysis
I think @klezman was asking as well, so could I…
@radiolysis @rjquillin Yeah, I like Tannat and it seems almost criminal to not at least try Clark’s rendition.
@klezman @radiolysis @rjquillin I would be in as well. 3-3-3-3?
@davirom @klezman @rjquillin 3-3-3-3 sounds good to me. I’ll order and divvy it out at our next meetup.
@davirom @klezman @rjquillin
/giphy unbiased-volatile-jackalope
@davirom @klezman @radiolysis
Ah, so the deed is done.
Good thing I checked or klez would have gotten one as well!
@klezman @radiolysis @rjquillin What is the likelihood of this wine making its way north? I don’t get much south of Irvine. I am trying to clean up some of my older shares.
@davirom @radiolysis @rjquillin
We were thinking of planning a gathering, especially now that the kids will be able to be vaccinated.
We may also make it to SD county soon enough and could bring back a load.
Does anyone in the Dallas / Fort Worth area want to split a case?
/giphy common-present-pretzel
/giphy thorny-mistaken-paste
Dang, just got the email and already sold out! Anybody interested in splitting a case in San Francisco?
@loopingyeti don’t forget it M, W, F, Sat are when they go on sale.
@jml326 @loopingyeti The emails usually go out on the second day (overnight on first day). Sometimes the emails include highlights from the first day’s LabRat reviews or Vintner comments. But there is a chance of a sell-out.
The exception is Friday which is the 1-day sale so the emails go out right away.
@loopingyeti @nostrom0 There’s a workaround that works pretty well. Someone taught me at some point and I’m happy to spread the knowledge (I had complained and someone took pity on me). In this forum post, https://casemates.com/forum/topics/case-savings-vs-smaller-allotment, select “Subscribe” under the first post and you’ll get an additional email when each “savings” post occurs (normally pretty soon after each sale starts).
@dmers @nostrom0 ohh very clever, thanks for the pro tip! And thanks all for the orientation!
Anybody down to split a case in NYC?
@bwnance if you ended up ordering I will split.
@InVinoVeritas agh! Forgot to place the order. Sorry! Next time
I just got a case if anyone in SoCal/ West LA wants in. I never post on the boards so I’m not really sure how this whole connecting up works.
Confirmation: steadfast-uneven-camp
@Hapgood Welcome and i hope you can join some of the SoCal get-togethers in the future!
@radiolysis Some day! We have a small child in the house so we didn’t get out much even before COVID. I take consolation in the fact that it is at least way less expensive to do our drinking in through sites like Casemates and I don’t have to worry about driving.
@Hapgood I’ll take 3 if still available!
@losthighwayz great! I’ll reach out when the box arrives!
@Hapgood @radiolysis
I’m in West LA and also have small kids. Let’s get together and drink wine while the kids play together!
@klezman @radiolysis now we’re talking! It will be a few more weeks and then we’ll all be vaccinated!
With most winemakers, I would say a bottled 2019 vintage would be pedicide, but Clark is such a master I am assuaged of my fear. Intrigued enough to buy a case. Happy to split with local Atlanteans.
/giphy mild-motorized-ranger
Luckily I grabbed 3 last night before going to sleep!
Anybody around Iowa City area for potential future splits??
/image hideous-cliched-bone
Winesmith always popular!
@GatorFL And for good reason!
Oh no! Is there any left? @winesmith @mediocrebot
Or anyone willing to part with some in FL/ Tampa area?
@winesmith @winedavid49
A tip of the hat, or clink of glass, to both of you.
Such a fun wine. Always have some in my cellar.
Cheers
Just missed this. Can you add a few more cases!?!?
@Nel250 It just went up for sale 46 hours ago, or 45 since you missed it, or 38 since it sold out, or 22 since the email notice was sent…
@rjquillin just asking if there is more…
@Nel250
You could try reaching out to Clark or Sandra directly. There’s no guarantee they’ll be able to accommodate you, but it’s worth a try.
Hello Everyone, we did sell out of our 2019 Tannat!
Thank you for your kind words and continuous support. You all are the reason why we can continue add new varietals and create appealing wines you love.
If you have any questions, I may be contacted at
sandra dot winesmith at gmail dot com
Cheers!
Sandra
@rjquillin
Tagging you once again, because I figured Sandra should have her grapes badge.
@kawichris650 @karenhynes @twich22
Late Friday and weekends are difficult.
A second nudge today finally got it done.
Anyone have any issues with wine leaking from corks that have been pushed up a bit??
(already let the ‘not’ TT know)
UPS just delivered some Warm bottles
@PLSemenza Woah…will find out soon enough. Deliveries hit my area today.
@PLSemenza the bottle I opened actually had the cork slightly below
@PLSemenza @Tassadar mine arrive tomorrow, fingers crossed!
@PLSemenza I did have a couple bottles seep. Wine came out at the base of the foil, a few bubbles and some stained cardboard.
@PLSemenza I just noticed this with a couple bottles from my case as well. (See below for details.)
My case arrived today at 5pm. 73° bottle temperature (after riding in the truck on a warm day). All capsules/corks appear to be identically concave, so don’t expect any issues.
Mine on tracking says delivery maybe delayed "unable to connect with the dispatcher " out of California whatever that means🥺 hopefully delivery will be in cold snap of 78 degrees here in Fl…lol!
The first bottle I opened had a stain at the top of the cork, and after pulling the cork I can see the path the wine took up the side of the cork to get to the top. That bottle tasted fine.
I pulled a second bottle and took off the capsule, and sure enough it too had a little wine leak.
I got a case and had planned to store most of it a while, but now I’m nervous about it. Anybody else notice something similar?
@moondigger I think some others made some comments about this. Send a note to customer service and they will make it right.
@moondigger @Twich22 Generally what I’ve heard is that wine coming out of the bottle won’t affect it much, it’s when it tries to pull into the bottle. However with that said, the bottles probably went through a pretty good temperature cycle to expand enough to push some wine out. If your first bottle tasted fine, I suspect your others will as well. Send a note to CM and they’ll offer a refund for any of your bottles that show damage.
@deadlyapp @moondigger @Twich22
I posted on April 7th, think I was the first on this issue, I did send a note to customer service, here’s the response:
>>Hi there,
I’m happy to help with this. When you have a moment, can you please send me a photo of the damage along with the shipping label?
Thanks!
By then the capsule’s were off, bottles cleaned and the box at the dump, oh well - so it goes.
@deadlyapp @Twich22 @PLSemenza I’ll contact customer service. I’m guessing I’ll have to remove all the capsules, which I don’t like to do, but otherwise I have no way of demonstrating the problem.
I’ve already tossed the cork from the first bottle, but I still have the second one and the case and shipping label.
@moondigger @PLSemenza @Twich22 I always make sure to take pictures of all my packing material if I see any evidence of staining or leakage. I’ve never had to take a capsule off to show the cork but have taken pictures of the cork pressed up against the capsule in comparison to ones in the correct location. I also took pictures of the capsule which showed some staining at the base from wine coming through. If you anticipate that all of your bottles were affected but have no other visible proof, then yes you may have to remove the capsule.
@deadlyapp @moondigger @Twich22
Thanks for the Info.
I go back to the W00T days 2009 to the present, lots of Wine over the years, but I never ran into this before, but I do live in SoCal, so shipping is usually quick.
@deadlyapp @PLSemenza @Twich22 Yup, I was a Woot guy too. I had this kind of thing happen a couple times before, once or twice with Woot and once with a case order directly from a winery.
Actually, one of the ruined Woot orders was from Scott Harvey in 2014, during the polar vortex. They ended up replacing the entire case that time, but the damage was much more obvious, with corks forced up through the capsules, wine escaping the capsules and staining the packing material, etc.
Based on the two bottles I’ve checked so far, the damage in this case is more subtle.