When I received the email from wine.woot last night at 6:45pm that I was selected to be a Lab Rat, I was the happiest girl in town. I was going to receive my wine a day before the offer even goes up!
Today came around and I anxiously waited for Richard, our Fed Ex guy at work. Sitting at lunch, eating my sushi, a coworker stuck their head in and told me that I had a package. It was here!! Now just to make it through the rest of the afternoon to get home and crack it open…
Of course I immediately opened the box to see what I got. It was like Christmas. Racchus. I had never heard of it. Then I read the back. Ty Caton. I had read so many comments about Ty Caton. I’m fairly new to the wine.woot community, so I wasn’t around for that offering. But I do know how much people rave about Ty. I also have a coworker who’s been waiting for a Ty Caton wine on woot for months. I was very excited.
So yes, I’m a wine.woot newbie. It’s only been very recently that I’ve started to pay attention to wines. I’ve always known what I like and don’t like, but haven’t really paid attention to the flavors. I still don’t think I’m very good at it, but here it goes. Please don’t judge.
I did some research of what I should eat. The interwebs said to eat anything grilled. I have two kids and my husband and I both work full time jobs, so grilling was pretty much out of the question for a weekday. So being from Texas, I decided that some good Texan barbecue take out might fit the bill.
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I rushed home, opened the bottle, and poured a small glass to try immediately. The wine had a lovely dark, plum color. I smelled it like I see them do in movies. It smelled like berries. Then I drank it up. I tasted the plum, but also some raspberries. It had a somewhat smooth finish, and I definitely tasted the chocolate at the end.
I know that some wines need to breathe, so I poured a glass and let it sit out for an hour. I have yet to invest in a decanter, so this was my best option. When I drank it, the oakiness had really come out at the beginning, with the berries coming out a little after. Then super hubby came home with the brisket. I ate some. The Racchus took on a completely different character. It paired perfectly with the brisket. It took on a kind of sweetness. It did not, however, pair very well with the barbecue sauce. Then I ate some chocolate (dark with almonds, if you’re curious). It paired amazingly with the chocolate too, becoming velvety.
Then I had to take a break and put the kids to bed. It’s been about another hour and I’m sitting with my last glass now probably writing too much. It’s holding up well drinking it on its own. It seems to be getting smoother the longer it has to breathe.
Now for the summary. I’ve had a great night with this Racchus, and I’m definitely gonna buy some when it’s posted tomorrow. I see they have a Racchus White too; maybe it will be a combo offering?? Regardless, I’m in for one.
So there it is. My first ever lab rat report. Hope you enjoyed it.