Oberon 2008 Napa Valley Merlot - 4 Pack
$49.99 + $7.00 shipping
CONDITION: Red
PRODUCT: 4 Oberon 2008 Napa Valley Merlot
CT link above
Winery website
Second site
Third site
Previous offer:
7/8/11 (White)
Very interesting, what’s the drinking window on these?
“This wine features naturally soften tannins and enhance varietal complexity.”
Huh?
Did the AYBABTU writer do this review as well?
CT quotes 2009-2013, but without identifying the source. Sounds about right.
looking forward to hearing from the winery.
So any idea when wine shipping to Maryland will happen?
I sympathaize-even though I live in Virginia I know my Maryland friends wish the wineries would start purchasing licenses. Please!!! These guys have waited a long time.
This offering looks like one I would like but am waiting for the labrats to chime in.
The winery has to be registered in MD (and pay a fee to the state). A few are but most aren’t (see the following article http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2011-06-26/business/bs-md-wine-shipping-20110620_1_winery-owners-maryland-wineries-direct-wine).
Every once in a while though Woot has a winery that can ship to MD.
I believe Oberon falls under the Michael Mondavi family of wines, hopefully that means we will get some participation today.
To the winemaker: I loved the last Oberon Cab Sav I had, what intent going into making this Merlot?
[labrat]
Good morning! Thank you Woot for providing me this opportunity!
I was so excited with I received notice of the golden ticket yesterday. Yet, at the same time nervous that I would be able to report my tasting in a manner that would help the community. While I’ve never posted before, I read these forums constantly and they have helped me purchase and enjoy many fine wines.
I was selected to taste the Oberon Napa Valley Merlot 2008. Oh dear, a Merlot. Merlot is my least favorite red wine. However, in the past I’ve gone back to varietals that I’ve not been fond of and in trying them again, found that my tastes have changed. Normally, I tend to veer in reds towards bold or complex wines. I love Ty Canton, Wellington, Corison, Rasmussen, etc. I have a weak spot for a good Australian Shiraz as well.
The tasters tonight were my husband and I.
Tasting notes:
Upon opening we detected notes of dark cherry. The initial taste was very dry and tight without any flavor that I could detect.
We poured the wine into a decanter and started our dinner. Dinner consisted of a rosemary marinated steak, grilled mixed vegetables and corn on the cob.
We decanted the wine over an hour and then had another small taste before dinner was ready. The wine was opening and I could slightly taste the dark cherry I had detected earlier but very little else. 20 minutes later we were ready to eat. We each had a half glass before we started eating.
I could no longer detect the cherry in the swirl as I did previously. When I sipped, I could taste the cherry and some spice (my husband said cinnamon but I’m not sure that is it). The middle was smooth but nothing jumped out at me to describe. The finish had a touch of acidity and tannis, but very little else. We started eating and found that while the wine did not detract or overpower the steak, it also did not enhance it either. I wish I could describe more flavors or complexity, but they just weren’t there. Maybe that is how a Merlot is supposed to taste? We finished our glasses and then funneled it back and sealed the bottle to try again tonight. If there is a difference I’ll post again.
It is an OK wine, but for me, there are better wines out there for the price that I enjoy more.
Crickets in here today.
Yeah, hoping for a few more labrats before I decide. Good price, but Merlot is not my go to, but I want to buy to round out my selection from my Wine Cellar.
[labrat]
Labrat Report:
Getting the golden ticket made up for what was an otherwise carpy day at work (which is where I get my wine shipped). After framing the golden ticket, I proceeded to pour two small glasses for tasting through my vinturi. Nice dark ruby color. Nose was a bit of alcohol and cherry. Decanted half the bottle and proceeded to taste the merlot. Definite dark cherry tastes and SWMBO, mostly a white wine drinker, agreed with the cherry and thought there were some notes of pepper. Had a few pieces of cheese, aged cheddar and manchego as an appetizer with it while I fixed dinner. The menu was already decided, broiled sockeye salmon, potatoes au gratin, and steamed broccoli. I added a little of a spicy teriyaki marinade to the fish, figuring the merlot could stand up.
Dinner prep took about 45 minutes. The wine began opening up, though the distinct cherry notes kind of got lost into other berry flavors. Decent acidity. Smooth tannins at the end. The merlot worked well with the salmon but didn’t knock my sock(eye) off (sorry bad pun).
Will try the rest of the wine tonight sans food and will update with any changes. My initial thoughts are it’s an okay wine, better with food, probably grilled or broiled, either chicken, salmon, or pork but not hearty enough to stand up to steaks.
I appreciate the opportunity to try this. Hopefully, the review isn’t too horrible (having said that, my goal is to get to 100 purchases without a quality post!). Don’t know if I’m going to buy yet. Debating. Will update on that too. Thanks, Woot and WineDavid.
Update: 2d night with rest of wine was uneventful. Okay merlot, esp with food but doesn’t really stand out on its own. Gonna pass on the offer - too many chances and oppty’s for something better at this price point.
Hang in there, folks are still waking up. 
(Even the mods.)
methinks even the crickets have left for the beach… or the usual suspects are observing the Thumper Rule.
Possibly. I tried their Cab and it was rubbish.
I have had their cabernet and really enjoyed it, it had nice oak flavor and was smooth for ~$22. I’m not a big merlot fan and from the reviews sounds typical of merlot that is younger- If I’m going to drink Merlot, I prefer to drink those that have been aged. I could pick this up at the supermarket for ~$22 so not worth it for me to have to hold onto 4 bottles for a couple of years.
I love learning about wine, and I’ll be the first to confess I’m not as familiar with reds as I ought to be. I wonder where the spice taste comes from?
“bsevern regurgitates ye ol’ drinking window question”
I am really hoping that this wine.woot! teaser is not a subliminal critique of the offering. That would not be good.
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQvsEOxSjIHKowibtMDAK_FZpxlxYXIQiTjJ6OQ-R40PLnKypc4
My first lab rat offering. Thanks Woot!
I shared this bottle of wine with 3 other friends over dinner and took notes on my napkin. Dinner was Thai food, consisting of spicy broths filled with noodles and red meats.
I have to be honest at this point and say that I don’t eat enough fruit to recognize what plum and currant (is that a fruit?) taste or smell like. On an empty stomach, I found the wine to be lush with the fruitness and minor acidity one might expect from a Merlot. I declared the wine to have a “clean finish”, which was mostly me trying to impress my friend, but she agreed with me, so there may be some truth to that.
Once the food arrived, the wine really began to shine. The spiciness of the food brought out a sweetness to the wine that I hadn’t really tasted before. I think I tasted the plum in much greater effect, though, as I said above, I haven’t had a plum in a long time. The minor acidity I mentioned before faded into a rich and smooth texture. The label claims the wine to have a velvety texture, and I would agree with this claim about 80% - the 20% uncertainty caused by never having eaten velvet before.
To summarize, it pairs well with spicy food, but I wouldn’t use it at an event where wine was the focus. Every one of my friends said they enjoyed it, but, to be fair, my friends are very polite people.