VJB Vineyards & Cellars Red 2+2 Pack
$49.99 + $5 shipping
CONDITION: Red
PRODUCTS:
2 2007 Rosso Family Blend
2 2007 Mendocino Barbera
CT links above
Wow - questions galore…
To start - what’s in the blend?
Any chance for some stats on these - Brix at harvest, residual sugar, pH, TA?
WD, why are you doing this to me? I suggested these guys a long time ago when I had more space! Thanks for getting them on board…and there goes another failed SIWBM week.
I paid $28 (after tax) at the winery for the Barbera, so without looking anything up, this is an excellent deal.
VJB Vineyards & Cellars Red 2+2 Pack
Current numbers (updated each minute)
First sucker: mill
Speed to first woot: 0m 55.943s
Last wooter to woot: klezman
I was going to get that cheese…didn’t they change it early?
Did you try it (tasting room or at home)?
The website says their wines are only available via the winery or their wine club… Why is anything that hints at even the tiniest bit of exclusivity so difficult for me to resist? Just when I thought I would get through the whole week with the SIWBM intact. Hmmmm. Can’t wait for the comments on this one to push me over the edge and force me to push the gold button.
Interesting that I find more rave reviews on tripadvisor/snooth but actual wine reviews are few and hard to locate…
One tasting note on the 2005 barbera…wonder how the 2007 compares? We’ll see what the winery/rats/general forum has to say by the morning!
edit: okay one more link rating the 2007 Barbera in the 8.5-9.0 point scale on top Sonoma wines…sleep now!
At the tasting room after visiting with Eric Keating. They’re about a block away from Ty/Muscardini. I enjoyed about 90% of it and due to price and the fact that I’d just come back from the RPM Tour, the only bottle I bought was the Barbera. I wish they’d wanted to get rid of the Dante and the Multipulciano since those were my other picks.
$26 retail for the Barbera and $20 for the Rosso = $92 before taxes/shipping. Another screaming deal from WD! shakes fist
[labrat]
First time Lab Rat reporting. By chance I stopped by the local mail boxes etc. place on the way home and was presented with surprise bottle of the 2007 Rosso.
First of all, I would like to thank WineDavid and the WW Academy for this honor.
A word of warning: Even though I’ve been around since Rinfrescante, I have some very simple tastes when it comes to wine and my vocabulary is even less sophisticated. If I kept tasting notes, it would probably amount to a multiple choice form… The wine was (A) great, (B) good, (C) OK, (D) bad, (E) toxic waste. I’ll try to do a better job here.
Poured the newly open bottle into the glass and the first thing I noticed that it was - red. It has some clarity…somewhere between a cab and zin I guess.
Aroma test: The toughest part for me to grasp from you experts is detecting the various scents I always read about. To me this smelled “clean” and “refreshing”… maybe a bit fruity or dare I say a hint of citrus?
I took a sip and even though I enjoyed it, I was given an “I’m not ready” signal. Maybe it’s those tannins I’m always hearing about… time to let it sit.
Pre-dinner (~1 hour after opening): Better…the taste has filled out some, less fruity but I get a subtle “berry” hint. Not what I’d call complex but very nice.
Dinner included chicken breasts that have been marinating in a spicy Jamaican jerk sauce. Probably not the best paring choice but this wine is a last minute addition. To my surprise, I really enjoyed the combination. The wine really mellowed out the kick of meal …balance…that’s the word I’m looking for. Quite enjoyable.
In conclusion, though not a WOW wine, I really liked it and will be ordering some.
Thanks for enduring my ramblings and I hope this helps a bit.
Well, I can’t read your mind (too much interference), but exclusivity per se means little to me. However, it and the low production tend to suggest they produce it for love of the craft as much as for commercial interests, which is what’s great about many of the wineries that are favored here.
Thanks for the nice, early rat report. Would you say it would benefit from more aging?
Well I ‘was’ first sucker, and then mill beat me out by .02 seconds!
Oh well, can’t have it all. After all, I am sitting here drinking my first sips of the Barbera…
Yep. It’s true. I got a very special visit from the Fedex man. But hang tight folks, I just popped the cork! It will take a bit to get a comprehensive report put together for you all!
Barbera, meet the wooters. Wooters, meet the Barbera. 
I’ve been a club member since I visited their salon in 2007. Going back for my honeymoon in a month. Their entire portfolio of reds is incredible.
This is an incredible deal. I love love love VJB wines. So happy to see them on wine.woot!
I tasted the Barbera last summer while tasting in Sonoma. Vittorio is an amazing guy albeit a little blunt. I bought a bottle at discount for 25 and it is still sitting in my cellar. All I remember is an amazing mouthfeel and delicious factor with the wine. It was screaming with young dark fruits at the time and maybe it has mellowed a bit since then. This is a awesome deal from WW! Go check out the tasting room, it is right by Ty Caton on 12. They also have a great cab. A friend told me they have an estate Aglianico that I have been dying to try. Cheers from CA!
Possibly, but I really don’t know. Once it was given a chance to breathe it tasted “ready” to me. I’ll hold onto one I just ordered and report back when it ages a bit.
Torn between posting a nice complete lab rat report and just posting as I go! But i couldnt wait to mention that I just tried the Barbera with some pasta and red meat sauce, and it’s a perfect pairing. Really, really good. The acidity of the wine pairs great with the tomato base.
Grrr… Same old problems. Looks good, though. If I win the lottery Saturday night, I’m definitely in.