280 bottles total, all from their “best barrel”, $150 per. Just got the email about 10 minutes ago. One bottle allocated.
Curiosity alone dictates that I had to get it. Offer includes a small “thank you gift”, shipped at their expense.
Anybody else getting this one?
Interesting. I didn’t receive that offer as of yet. Is it the best barrel of the Ten? One certain clone?
Seems like a bit of a slap in the face to those who bought Ten thinking it was really the selection of ten best barrels.
Then again, given the size of SS vineyard, they should be able to make 10k to 15k cases of wine per year. The best barrel should be pretty darn impressive coming from about 100 acres of vines. I wonder if it’s really more impressive than the ten best barrels? At a certain point, personal preference decide what goes into the blend.
Maybe they gave it 200% new oak, racking into new oak, to differentiate it. And maybe they blended bits of other barrels to aid in complexity. They’d certainly need to add outside wine to top it as it evaporates. The logistics make it seem more like marketing glitz than anything else.
Got the offer and bought it immediately. Why not…
Only one bottle…sure, why not.
Note - I’m not on the list…and in fact, Ive never had SS.
From what I know of what you like…prob wouldn’t be your favorite
What do you mean? It’s Pinot, just like Burgundy is. ![[diablo.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/f/f627e009b8e3ab2f6a76c9424f1156a53afc0e3f.gif "diablo"){kind=small}
Zach, I bet you would buy some prime swampland today! You’re on fire, kid!
Burgundy is heartier.
Says so on the label staring at me.
i’m gonna need Eric to revamp cellar tracker to keep track of all this stuff - I need Cellar Tracker Turbo this month!
i passed on this.
i have tried a couple bottles of the 07 Botella and it appears there has been a major shift in wine making styles. So much oak it made me spit it out. Usually the Botella is the least oaky of the three bottling’s. Did not even bother to try the southing and ten: I sold off all my remaining bottles.
Is this just going out to C1s? I’m C2 and haven’t seen the offer yet.
I guess it is C1. I was C2 last time I looked, but am C1 now. Apparently.
It’ll be interesting to see if it’s more than a novelty.
Interesting marketing strategy on their part . . . and from a business perspective, pretty ballsy in this economy . . .
I’ve enjoyed the SS wines I’ve had in the past - they are usually well made examples of what their part of the Sta Rita Hills has to offer. I agree with Gene that they usually use quite a bit of new oak, and it is quite apparent in the wines as youngsters . . .
Being from the area, though, and working with fruit from other vyds in the area, it is difficult for me to justify the high $'s asked for these wines when there are soooo many other choices in the area . . .
Just my $.02 this late night . . .
Cheers!
Greg,
I just wanted to clarify that the Ten labeling refers to ten clones, not ten barrels.
Disclaimer: my father is the owner of Sea Smoke
Poppy,
Have you tried the wine yet, and, if so, how does it differ/compare to the other offerings?!?!?!?
Curious to hear your opinions on it if you don’t mind . . .
Cheers!
Gene,
I’m very surprised to hear this, as the winemaking team has been backing off the oak each year and the 2007s have the least amount of new oak of any vintage. I just spent the last two weeks drinking the 07s every night and I thought it was quite apparent that the oakiness has been greatly reduced from previous vintages.
Yes, my father opened a bottle for me about 2 months ago. It was extremely tightly wound, but when it opened up a bit it showed immense dark, brooding fruit. To me, it is the most focused Sea Smoke I’ve ever tasted. But this one needs a lot of time. I wouldn’t open a bottle for at least 4-5 years. I think the 2001s are just starting to open up, so for my palate, I think this is a 15-20 year wine, but I suspect most bottles won’t make it that long.
could be but the botella was more oaky to my taste. the botella typically is more fruit forward.
FWIW, I am a C1 member and have had every wine since first release. This was my least favorite SS.