Salvestrin Estate Napa Valley Cabernet - Two Pack
$59.99 + $5 shipping
Condition: Red
Product: 2 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon
CT Link above.
CellarTracker Community average value: 750ml @ $50.90 (4 users)
So Galveston was the rhyme…it actually sounds pretty close.
I jumped on this!
I notice that you have 5% Hungarian Oak used, along with French and American Oak barrels.
Is there a specific time you leave the wine in each barrel? And how long and for what purpose?
it was very difficult to come up with a clue. any ideas? good wine btw…
For all those new to “Labrat” and/or “rattery” ……
Cheron98 has kindly put all information about the Labrat program at the beginning of the Labrat Thread (where she kindly and graciously cross-posts all the labrat posts into one convenient place).
She has the rules of “rattery” there. As well as a listing of the labrats and offers from June 2 of last year (2008).
In essence, you sign up for the labrat program, which makes you eligible to receive an additional bottle from the current offer (via FedEx overnight) if:
a) You purchase the current offer before the deadline (usually 10 am CT, first day of the offer).
There are no set guidelines other than doing your best to present your opinions about the labrat bottle in a timely manner (since there may be some people on the fence about the current offer, and are waiting for your opinions). You can be as creative (or not) as you want. Read thru some of the previous labrats to get an idea. There are a lot of humorous reports, as well as serious ones.
Some have used the UC Davis Wine Scoring System and others have used the Parker 100 point system. Others have just used “It’s Good!”. There is no right or wrong way to report.
For a quick overview of the majority of wine scoring systems, the DeLong Wine Ratings Review is available as a PDF.
DeLong Wine has been on Wine.Woot before with their Varietal Chart and Tasting Books, and sponsors The Century Club for those who have tasted over 100 different varietals (and we have several Wine.Wooters as members, with others on the verge). Check out Century Club thread in the World of Woot Wine for more info.
I think you did pretty well. This looks like quite the deal. Especially when the winery charges $58 for JUST ONE BOTTLE. This deal is like BOGO free!
dang thought I might actually be first this time…Perhaps a close second deserves some labrattage…Please WD
I have to agree with the group. MM has to have a time machine to keep getting first sucker.
Z
Not really any better than “Galveston,” but with your spelling… 
(edit to add link)
Curious about the dates. 2005 Vintage with the following specs:
Harvest: September 25-October 14 2008
Time in Oak: 23 Months
How does that work? This is still a learning process for me and I might have missed that lesson.
As well as last sucker…
Totally. Freaking. Awesome. More offers with this philosophy, please.
EDIT - That Redstone Mead Reserve bottle was cool - anyone see that thing?
Is there information on pH, TA and Brix available? These would all be helpful bits of info.
I am so gonna get beat with a credit card statement, but I pulled the trigger anyway. Hope it’s good. I can’t pass up anything that’s ~2 for the price of 1. Way to go, WD!
Yeah, I thought it was an excellent clue.
Found a professional review:
Rated: 87 by Connoisseurs’ Guide, Dec 08
Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wines
This weighty, but challenging wine seems to be somewhat at war with itself, for while well-structured and fairly complex, it carries notes of highly ripened, vaguely overdone fruit and runs afoul of tongue-numbing tannins. Still, its impressions of muscle and mass make it worth watching, and aficionados of big Cabernets might well be willing to gamble on its seeming potential for growth if allowed a decade of cellaring.
EDIT: And another:
Wine Enthusiast A beautiful young Cab that continues Salvestrin’s unbroken track record of the last several years. Dry and rich in tannins, it shows enormously concentrated fruit flavors of currants, blackberries, black cherries, mocha and spice. Gorgeous now, and should improve over the next decade. Score: 92. —Steve Heimoff, December 31, 2008.
Case of two reviewers apparently tasting the same thing and reaching a different numerical conclusion? The former appears to focus solely on the, “Can I bring this home & drink it tonight?” aspect where the second seems to politely suggest that the wine will be better once its adolescence departs.
Well, after reading the second one, I bought.