Garagiste Mystery #79

WINE TALK
1

Any guesses on the identity of this one? I’m no expert on Washington Merlot…

A special and true example, I cannot find a single negative review from the community (for any vintage – there are a lot of reviews). By contrast, with nearly every other wine I’ve researched for Mystery Wine, there is some sort of polar appreciation (positive/negative) – it comes from the wide range of community palates, both left and right. There are always vinous opinions on both sides of the fence (an element that makes our hobby so interesting) but that does not appear to be the case with #79 - regardless of vintage, it has something to say to just about everyone.

I cannot tell you much…

What I can tell you:

• This is the brand new/current release.

• It is not a Kinko’s label – it is the exact same bottle, wine, cork as what sits on local store shelves for $45-55+ (on discount - there are even higher $’s)

• You will get to see the label/bottle upon pick up or in your shipping box.

• It was the highest rated Merlot of the entire Washington State vintage by at least one famous US critic.

• It is not Leonetti Merlot but…

• …it is a classic, highly complex, unique and moderate alcohol style (13.5-13.9%) that leans toward something Neil Martin would revere.

• This is not a wine for Bob/Jeb.

• Due to the ridiculously low $ ($20-30/btl off), we have to sprinkle at least one other vintage of this wine into a few of the shipping boxes (so we can call it a “multi vintage” offer). It is highly unlikely that you will receive the other vintage, but, if you do, it is not an error. Rest assured, the random vintage will be excellent as well – even exceptional - with community adulation to back it up (99% of the bottles will be from the main Mystery #79 vintage so this will be a moot point for nearly all of you but there will be no loss of quality in the “other” vintage – it is equally as desirable and also trades for $45-55+).

• “How grand it is to relieve our believe in nothing” - Winston Churchill

• “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

• “Only those who live in the contrary can claim a life worth another opinion” - Oedipus Rex

• “The earth laughs in flowers” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

• “If I could choose any college or university to find my applause, it would be a cozy little place in Boston” - Chilus Chance

• “Take the 5th but do not take stock in the 10th - in alphabets or amendments” - Lennie Brisco

Let’s bring Merlot grandeur back to Washington State! Sorry, I meant to the specific region of…

This parcel is directly from the winery cellar with the finest provenance available.

On your mark, get set…GO!

2

Even for Jon Scammerman, this is some seriously prosaic crap.

3

• Due to the ridiculously low $ ($20-30/btl off), we have to sprinkle at least one other vintage of this wine into a few of the shipping boxes (so we can call it a “multi vintage” offer). It is highly unlikely that you will receive the other vintage, but, if you do, it is not an error. Rest assured, the random vintage will be excellent as well – even exceptional - with community adulation to back it up (99% of the bottles will be from the main Mystery #79 vintage so this will be a moot point for nearly all of you but there will be no loss of quality in the “other” vintage – it is equally as desirable and also trades for $45-55+).

lol. Who wants to bet that a lot of people are gonna get the “other vintage” of the wine.

4

Prosaic how? Pretty over-the-top floral to me…

Honestly, I am getting wine mailer fatigue, and not just from Rimmerman. All the major and minor retailers are full of it, unless every wine they sell of their lists is elegant, refined, powerful, full of finesse, somehow overlooked by the entire world, and now suddenly available to you at an outrageously low price for a limited time only. The only old school producer of x wine not yet discovered; or the new young Turk negociant with return-to-the-terroir sensibilities. It’s all the same. Rimmerman’s bloviating is just as bad as Chambers Street, Fass Selections, and everything else I read.

Of course, I keep buying. Jeez, I am a sucker.

5

so what wine is this supposed to be?

6

If someone has critic scores… combining these two lines probably gets it?

  1. It was the highest rated Merlot of the entire Washington State vintage by at least one famous US critic.

  2. moderate alcohol style (13.5-13.9%)

?

7

Wilfred Wong 97 pointer!!!

8

Okay okay. Now someone actually help figure out what the mystery wine is!

9

Are there any famous critics covering Washington wine? Of the known critics, is there one to be trusted?

There are scores of Washington Merlots in the price range named, if you include Merlot dominated blends.
Rimmerman has had offerings from a number of the producers, including Bookwalter, Buty, Fidelitas.

P Hickner

10

I put the over/under at 80%.

11

That’s why I love Last Bottle. short and to the point and nearly always a good value for a good wine.

12

Ehh, they’re full of themselves too. They’re always so excited over. . . what exactly? I just grabbed their current offering - 5 exclamation points for this?


Basel Cellars Syrah Pheasant Run Vineyard 2008
Wow! We highly recommend dropping what you are doing and grabbing a few of these - the last Basel wine we offered was an off-the-charts smash hit with you all, so we went back to the well and begged for more, and did we SCORE! Great score from Tanzer, well over 50% OFF, a sensational vintage in Washington…incredible! This wine lived up to our expectations big time - powerful, dark, rich, plush juice but with substantial complexity and peppery, chocolately goodness. Tastes like a wine that should cost $40+ with ease. But we got as much as we could…and that wasn’t enough to last but a few hours at most!!

Edit - here is my tasting note from “the last Basel wine we offered was an off-the-charts smash hit with you all” :

2008 Basel Cellars Inspired - This did seem a bit thin, but also a distinct woody character. Decent, worth the $13 I paid for it, not much more.

13

Felicitas is a good possibility, given that they have a few SVD Merlots in the appropriate price range. Buty and Bookwalter are cheaper… Any other guesses?

14

Based on the clue “How grand it is to relieve our believe in nothing” (sic)- maybe Grand Reve.

P Hickner

15

Funny- the only guess I was willing to think up as well.

I can’t believe these mystery wines are still coming out. I stopped even reading them at #25 I think. In case that wasn’t clear, that makes me better than all of you. pepsi [snort.gif]

16

Good call. I think that’s going to be it: 2010 Force Majeure Collaboration IV (merlot blend) with 2008 or 2009 thrown in.

17

No doubt, but the difference is you can read the effusive prose from the Last Bottles or Winelibrary (or whoever) and then make an informed decision, right? I guess the Mystery Wine formula still works, but the appeal has certainly been lost on me. I’ve had nothing but decent experiences when I took chances on $20 bottles back in the day, but I’m now way to wise/cheap/old to toss $30 into the wind and hope a decent bottle of wine comes back. I realize I’m preaching to the choir on a board that views these offers with much eye-rolling, but still.
(Of course, if you are able to determine the actual wine, then that’s a whole different ballgame…)

18

caveat emptor

19

champagne.gif

Fancy Latin translation of “God help whoever pisses away their money on this fraudulent huckster’s propaganda.”

20

I doubt it is Grand Reve (Force Majeure). Jeb Dunnuck loves their wines. For my money the CS IV might be the best Merlot I the state.

Tom