Pellegrini Family Vineyards Merlot - 3+3 Pack
$59.99 + $5 shipping
CONDITION: Red
PRODUCTS:
3 2007 Cloverdale Ranch Merlot
3 2009 Pellegrini Brothers Heritage Collection Merlot
CT links above
Previous offers:
6/10/11
1/21/11
11/23/10
Hmm do I need to create a separate CT for Pellegrini Brothers?
Can anyone tell me what to expect out of wines like these? I am a huge pinot fan, and I’m just getting into really liking cabs. Any advice/comparisons between the two types, and what I should expect?
Hmmmmm, Cesare. I think everyone is worn out from the sake. We seem to be by ourselves.
I remember this Cloverdale Merlot being far better than expected out of that mixed case earlier this year.
If only storage could ramp up and compete with my desire to buy this… I would
[labrat]
Sorry this is late, but I’m f’n tired.
Labrat Report: Pellegrini 2007 Cloverdale Ranch, Alexander Valley Merlot.
Dinner tonight will consist of two T-bones that are probably clocking in at 18oz, cause that’s how we do things in Nebraska. Seasoned with Salt, nothing else, we don’t disgrace perfection with other crap. We’ll be having a twice baked potato with it and that’s it. No vegetable because I started cooking late cause kids suck, and I wanna watch the Nebraska-Wisconsin game (I can’t believe we’re ahead 7-0, literally shocked; Jared Crick is looking like Suh Reincarnate). Currently the steaks are resting and I’m sniffing the wine.
Color This thing is a DEEP red all the way to the edge. (Suddenly, this game is looking like I thought it would).
Nose: Right out of the bottle, green pepper like crazy, I don’t know, but I wouldn’t be shocked to find some Cab Franc blended into this. Took the glass outside where the steaks were grilling and suddenly everything changed. I took a good whiff and all I could think of was Christmas. Couldn’t place what I was smelling, but that’s the thought it instantly evoked. Later I decided it was really juicy cherries and cranberries. Which made me want to make a compote of the two, which I’ve never done. Now that I’m back inside I’m back to a peppery kind of smell but more black than green. Pleasant, but I want Christmas back. Can’t wait to actually start eating the steak to see if I get that back.
Taste: Caveat, I’m not a fan of Merlot. I’ve had good ones, but by and large, it’s just not for me. Even the good ones I probably wouldn’t buy again. Ok, dinner is over. I think this Merlot is closed and needs to open up. It didn’t add much to the steaks (which were great). I’ll wait a bit and pour another glass. So far, I think it tastes like a Cab Franc.
Ok, so I cheated and went to the winery page and looked it up. 100% varietal Merlot, this is closed for sure. I’ll try again at halftime. Though again, I definitely got the cherry on the nose outside. Maybe there’s too much dog and baby in my house to overcome for the nose.
Alright, halftime is over; let’s see what we got, besides a mercy killing of the Huskers. (I’m not a fan so I’m kind of looking forward to going to work and listening to my coworkers.)
Taste 2: Action!. Yep, this woke up after about 45 minutes. Cherries, but not like Sangiovese(love). Medium tannins, lingering finish, pleasant. This really isn’t hot at all, which I was concerned with coming in at 14.5%. Well balanced wine, whoever made this knew what they were doing. At this point the glass is a foot and a half from me (can we just all agree to refer to this unit of measurement as a Ron Jeremy from now on?) and I can smell it. The nose knows and this one has come alive. That cherry that was so in my face while grilling is there, but not like it was. I think I’m gonna go outside and see if it comes back.
It did not. Definitely take a glass of this outside when you’re grilling your steaks.
Conclusion: This is a well-made wine, but it’s still a Merlot and not my thing. If you like Merlot, I suspect you’ll be VERY pleased with this wine. If you don’t like Merlot, this isn’t changing your mind. This will get added to the very short list of Merlots (Wellington, Madison) that I enjoyed, but not enough to go out of my way to acquire. If it comes with a few other wines that do interest me, I’d push the button. This is the kind of wine you can happily serve at a party knowing it is well made and will not disappoint (plus then, you don’t have to drink it yourself and you can make the obligatory fuck Miles jokes). Based on this, I’m confident the other wines in this grouping will be well made and worth purchasing. I have half a bottle left; I’ll let you know how this works tomorrow.
Apparently, this is not this wine’s first go around here. Previous rat report here. Perhaps, slightly prescient, we shall see.
Random update: Just got done watching Wisconsin destroy Nebraska. I should move to Wisconsin. I like cheese, I like beer, I like sausage, and I’m fat. I’d fit right in. So anyway, there’s about three sips left in this glass. I haven’t touched it for oh, about 45 minutes, and IT’S ALIVE. This kind of morphed into a much better wine. Not sure where it came from, but this is now a WINE I enjoy, not just a Merlot that’s pretty good. I probably still wouldn’t buy it on its own though, but if I was asked to bring a Merlot, I wouldn’t hesitate to bring this.
Final update tonight: Somewhere, somehow this morphed into Cab light. Well played Pellegrini, well played. Looking forward to tomorrow lunch, this should go great with the pizza I’m making.
[labrat]
Hello again, fellow wine wooters! I was lucky enough to receive not one, but two wines to Rat this week. The Wine Gods are smiling on me.
This afternoon, at about 3:30, I open a 2007 Pellegrini Cloverdale Ranch Merlot. My mother is on hand to take the first sip with me. Color is a deep ruby. The first sniff of this wine is, “Wow, that’s strong.” Initial aromas are pepper/spicy and plum, but there is also some alcohol. A deep whiff will make your eyes water! My mother comments that the wine has legs, which supports the alcohol smell.
On first taste, the wine is tart (almost sour) and has really strong tannins. Neither of us likes it much, but I suspect that some decanting will improve the situation immensely. I pour about ¾ of the bottle into the decanter and we chill on the porch with our remaining glasses.
My husband and father arrive home about 4:30, and we give them a glass. My dad’s first comment is, “Boy, that is sour.” My husband likes it better, notes that he is not a big Merlot fan, but that he thinks this is a nice one. He describes it as earthy and peppery. They both agree that the tannins are very strong. I try another tasting at this point, and find that the tannins have mellowed somewhat, but are still too strong. I decide to be patient and leave the rest of the wine until dinner (not a very long wait, as we are eating pizza dinner with our three year old tonight).
Dinner is ready at six. However, I am a beer and pizza kinda gal, and after one sip of wine, I decide I can’t really do any “tasting” with pepperoni pizza on the tongue. Plus, it is not the best pairing choice and neither the pizza nor the wine are benefitting from the experience.
I pick up my wine glass again at 7:15. It is a different wine. Decanting has allowed the alcohol to diminish and the tannins to mellow. The tannins are still prominent, but they now complement rather than overpower the wine. The tastes of plum, berries and earthiness are still there, but they are now present in a smooth complex taste with a lovely medium to long finish. The distracting tartness has mellowed and the tongue is no longer overwhelmed with tannins at the back-end of the sip (most sips, anyway).
For those of you who like to know about sweetness, this is definitely not a sweet wine. It is a classic dry Merlot, which is one of the things I like best about it.
Conclusions: This wine is definitely a Big Red. If you like mellow, smooth wines and don’t like tannins, then this is probably not the wine for you. This is a complex wine, with layered flavors of plum, berries, earth and pepper. I suspect that we only experienced a little of what this wine has to offer and that it will get even better with aging. I think decanting is a must at this point in its young life.
Thank you WineWoot for the opportunity to contribute to this great forum of wine lovers.
If these wines are even just half decent, then this is a steal at $10 a bottle. Is there any reason not to pick this up?
That is exactly my problem. I am maxed out for storage and would like to buy some more but would have no where to put it. Especially since the hot weather in Houston seems to have finally stopped and I am now more willing to risk shipping wines to me.
Wine Woot definitely needs to look into a deal selling a wine cooler. 
do you enjoy merlot? if the answer is yes, than you should get this. It’s well made.
I’ve helped the Pellegrini Family for years with their marketing/sales in Texas, I call the Cloverdale Merlot the “room silencer”. During a wine dinner, this is the bottle that stops all the chatter and makes everyone sit back and savor each sip, then all sorts of fun words start popping out about the wine. A shining example of a classic & elegant Alexander Valley Merlot indeed.
A steak wine - yes, but give it a try with a warm brownie, scoop of vanilla, handful of wild blueberries with a swirl of dulce de lecha on top after dinner.
In regards to the 2009 Pellegrini Bros. Heritage Merlot, it’s a new release. Much simpler Merlot - this is your pizza wine! But still has a big punch of solid red fruit and good tannin structure. I’d say it’s a baby brother to the Cloverdale for sure, very pleasant juice.
Breakfasted with sake, and then for a mid-afternoon snack I moved over to the wonderful:
Cloverdale Ranch Merlot
Popped and poured, I was met with a big meaty Merlot. A bit oaky and hot on the nose, I took a sip and found a wine punching way above it’s $15 weight class. While it needed some air, I was impressed by the acidity and structure. I poured two glasses to sit for an hour or so, and headed into the kitchen to prepare something to pair with it.
I found a random assortment of raw veg, I ended up with a tomato, garlic, red pepper, serrano + thyme “jam” and some toasted bread.
This wine is very well made. We enjoyed it much more with air - we decanted, but I’m sure that an aerator would also serve the purpose. Full body, subtle tannins, bright cherry, short-ish finish, plays well with food.
Want to pull the trigger on this, but I am heading out of town soon, so I am not sure if I will be around when it arrives.
Anyone know how long it usually takes to ship once ordered? To the east coast by the way.
During the fall, in my experience, a couple of weeks.
At least 2 weeks. I live in Ohio and thats the time it takes to get here.
As far as delivery time, for five bucks, a couple weeks isn’t bad.
I opened a bottle of the 2007 Pellegrini Cloverdale Ranch Merlot today (had several from a couple of previous woots)…let it sit for awhile…the tannins backed down after an hour or so. Good stuff. This is a great deal/steal if you even remotely like Merlot.
A bit confused - are all three rat reports for the same wine? It looks that way. Will we see rats for the other bottle?
Remembering Pellegrini from a previous Woot. I’m in for one.
Yes, I’m looking for the attention David
I’m po’d. Sent woot a couple emails from the write us page and no reply. Not characteristic of woot at all.
NOTE: THIS BLOWS MATT! DARYL!
Anticipated ship date is still Sep 23, 2011 and nothing but on 9/18/2011, I successfully wooted and paid though.
Let me count after 5 business days…Sept 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th…won’t ship this weekend, Oct 1st, Oct 2nd, Oct 3rd…
If my order doesn’t ship before my Xanax runs out it’s gonna get fu****gly woot.
Just saying…