Yeah, Im from IL as well and am feeling that same pain. 
Good idea. Iâm in Chicago and with the new shipping policy we really got shafted. My Armidas were cooked and itâs been a disaster trying to get them replaced. Despite all the talk in the forums of how responsive Woot RMA is itâs just simply not true. I too am sitting out until the fall.
Iâve always been wine4me, but someone stole it (when I let it slide). So now I went back to madwine. I like it better!! Your winemaker is now madwinemaker!!
Madison Cellarsâ wine was named after a great gladiator. After that, we can not reveal any more info.
Now youâve done it. Everyone here just loves a mystery. My goal this week is to learn about wine consumption by gladiators. Maybe one named Maximus! But Maximus is IN the cellar, so who IS the cellar??? Corrado? SB? Anyone?
Mandolina should show up sometime this week. IF it gets here, and IF itâs not heat-damaged or one of the âoffâ bottles, and IF this hasnât sold out by then, Iâll take another look.
WD - whatâs up with the log in area? I see my identity lying over (or under) the side deal up top. Has been for several days. Is this just me? Maybe thatâs why my Bargetto got screwed up. Kidding. I feel a hot furry presence at my back, I must go investigate.
Iâm going to hold off unless the maker can convince me⌠itâs too hot in TX to risk another disappointment - my Ty Caton trio came cooked and actually leaking. RMA said they would pass my inquiry on to their winery where hopefully they could replaceâŚthey didnât really tell me either way if I would get a replacement or not and havenât heard a thing since. Iâll have to wait and listen to comments - anyone tried them before?
We visited Paso Robles last summer and toured a number of their great wineries. Pleasantly surprised at how affordable the regionâs wines were â and how good many of them sampled. We bought some wine from Eberle, Tablas Creek and others, but I missed Madison on the map⌠and donât recall it.
I do recall many of the wineries in the appellation having great success with Pinot Noir and Syrah, so this woot looks suspiciously tempting.
Iâm reading a lot about disappointed wooters in their shipments received, though⌠Not sure if I should go in for one. Damn these decisions!
W.E. gave the Cab and the Syrah 83 points, which to them means: âSuitable for everyday consumption; often good value.â
We have discussed point systems ad nauseum on this forum; take them for what you will. Here are the tasting notes (both wines tasted by same person):
The Cab: âShows the semi-sweet, sugary quality of so many Paso reds, with a jellied taste to the cherry and blackberry fruit. If you can get past that, the wine is smooth and velvety. â S.H. (5/1/2007)â
The Syrah: âSweet, soft and simple, with candied flavors like a chocolate truffle with a cherry liqueur core and a tart, acidic quality. â S.H. (5/1/2007)â
I like the price, seems like a good discount for wooters. Iâll probably jump on one of these later today before the winemaker talks me into 2 or 3.
Damn, 2 days with highs of 85 and the rest of the 10 day forecast has highs of 80. could wine please come to NYC at the end of this week? Pretty please?
Why is Arizona no longer on the list of states where wine can be shipped. The map on the web site listed by WOOT shows Arizona as being the same as many other states where wine can be shipped.
Itâs winery by winery Iâm pretty sure.
I was thinking of sending this to someone in Houston TX as a gift, fellow Texans, is this a bad idea with heat down there? I live on the East Coast so Iâm not as cooked by heat as the south is, good or bad idea?
Iâm in Austin and have received several boxes of wine the past month or so and havenât had any problems, but it sounds as if Iâm the only Texan who hasnât had any âbadâ wine.
Granted, I know little about wine statistics, but doesnât the lack of residual sugars in these mean they are dry, not sweet? Or do they mean something else when they say âsweetâ?
I was just wondering about retrieving the status of the predicted shipping date for wines. Iâve got the Stuart Cellars Temecula Trio I ordered 7/20, the Mandolina Quartet on 7/23, and the Ty Caton New/Old Trio on 7/30 â all of which Iâve received the shipping numbers for but none of them have actually been shipped. I noticed someone on the message board already mentioned receiving their Tyâs. Whatâs going onâŚdo East Coast (FL) people just have to wait extra long?
It may be winery by wnery who can ship where by the little oddity I noted on the Illinois law problem; the type of Licesnse wording. Some wineries hold retail licenses, some hold winery licenses. Some states forbid shipments from retailers. Not sure if this the case with AZ, but it sounds feasible.
Samira, someone else will go into more âemotionalâ descriptions Iâm sure. Meanwhile, check out this post for a cold political and academic description. Itâs a repost of two items from the Vina Robles thread.
The first gives âofficialâ definitions of wine âdrynessâ or âsweetnessâ from the EU. Theyâre acceptable definitions for other âNew Worldâ wines. The second part are comparative residual sugar (RS) levels for 13 wines either previously sold here on wine.woot or that would be relatively well-known (except for the Barrington Cellars Concord, which is listed as a representative âtypicalâ of the varietal). If youâve ever tasted any of these wines, you have a broad idea of what to expect when you get another wine with similar RS value or described with one of the terms in the EU regs.
Thereâs more to dry/sweet than just RS, of course. Even the EU acknowledges that acidity level plays a major part in whether a wine can be called âdryâ or âoff-dry.â Other factors â such as the way it was aged, blending, whether it is a âtableâ [still] wine or sparkling wine, characteristics of the varietal itself, and your own personal palate â will affect your perception. These are some good starting guidelines though. If, for example, you think the Bargetto Gewurz is too sweet, you probably donât want to try the Mateus. 
iByron
EDIT: I should also add that the two wines at the bottom of that list are the most expensive and sought-after on that list. The Alvear PX can run you $90 for a 750ml, and that particular vintage of Château dâYquem can cost $200 for a 375ml. Sweetness is not in itself undesirable. That is also determined by the intent of the wine.
Good morning everyone. I am Jon the winemaker for Madison Cellars. As I sit hear drinking my coffee (yes, even winemakers drink coffee) and read the comments from last night, I see some of you have been doing your homework. I will try to answer most of your questions as the day goes on. But I will be in and out of meetings most of the day so if I am in and out donât be surprised.