No idea
Many things about blind dates I will never know 
Did you buy 32 and 5?
I did not yet buy either 5/32. I was on fence during the BOGO sale to buy 5 but went back and got more of 25 which I love.
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Fun one tonight, wifeās birthday, filet/lobster is what she requested. I opened Abbott Claim 2019 Orientate (I think around $100) and Cam X Lot 8.
By the time she tasted them, both were open and in decanter almost 3 hours. She tasted both blind and preferred the Cam X!
Two very different wines. Abbott Claim is darker, richer, nice acidity. Lot 8 (when I popped and poured it) can seem thin, simple, raspberry/cherry/vanilla, but honestly 3 hours in the Lot 8 was delicate and sophisticated. She almost talked me into it.
With food, the Abbott Claim, we thought, thrived again.
I am not sending a bunch of people out to get lot 8. We are not big Pinot people. I got it in the Thanksgiving sampler. But I thought it was an example of my perfect use case for Cam X. If I can open a wine at multiples of the price and a Cam X, and I can sip on a bit of one or both while, Iām cooking dinner and not have a big drop after dinner switching back and forth. Not have to worry, what if we donāt finish it. Not have the off notes of grocery store wines. Fun nights. Hope Lot 20 Pinot Petaluma gap arrives soon.
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And just to underscore, 3 hours in a decanter is really great for Lot 8, if you have that luxury.
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And wines decanted/served at what temperature ?
I take it out of a 55 degree wine fridge, but just sorta let it slowly rise to room temperature in the decanter. It has been 5 hours and my thermometer says itās at 67 (room temp is 72).
Gotcha, thanks. Glad started off cool. Feel like many serve wines (esp cool weather grapes) too warm, then wonder why they donāt show properly/well.
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Gotcha, though, in this case, I hope I was clear, that the wines showed really well :-). Especially, the Cam X, which Iām still enjoying.
Yup, all 
.
Strong agree with Charlieās take. I think these expectations also align well with original source guesses for a lot of the wineries we think the $10 range Cam X wines are being sourced from ā theyāre genuinely good wines made for the $40-60 price point from well farmed grapes, made by people who are competent and care. The quality level should be a approximately at or above throwing darts at a map of Napa or Sonoma and going to the nearest winery tasting room. Which is to say: orders of magnitude better than what $10 could get you at the grocery store. Probably approaching what $25-30 can get you at a specialist wine store (from a different regionā¦) or discount site like Last Bottle or WTSO. Maybe not going to beat your beloved favorite producer. The $25/bottle offers might come with slightly higher expectations of ālegendary producer so-and-soā but I do think there is a real sweet spot for the tenners.
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Ok, I lied before. We did decide to buy more. It really does keep getting better.
We bought 8, 20, 31, and 26, 3 packs on BOGO (still going). All the BOGO Pinots and the petite sirah. I guess itās fun to buy the wines I passed on, because I had already bought too much wine :-).
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Lot 21 2023 Napa cab franc. This is a very pleasant wine that was ready on p&p. Minimal tannins. A bit more fruit forward than most cabs. I would pleasantly drink this as a cocktail wine. If I didnāt already have a huge storage crunch I would buy more. Could see this being a āgo to wine for group gatheringsā like dn 240 has been for 3 yrs.
Lot 27. 23 proprietary blend. A bit more jammy than my usual preference on p&p But after a few hours in the decanter that calmed down. Was better at the 24 hour mark. My impression is that it should sit and rest for a few years then weāll be fantastic. I had DN 515 a few days later which was good but I think I prefer cam X 27. DN 429 I think is my favorite proprietary red and this looks like maybe it has a similar potential.
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I also like double yummy 
Lot 429 2021 Napa Valley Proprietary Red, glad X27 is looking promising!!! 
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Big fan of dn 240, sadly I only have a few left
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In the name of research, I opened up a Lot 5 when I got home from work today. First bottle. I dig this and am going in for another case during this T1 price match. I stared at lot 24, 25 and 27 too much during the BOGO sale before they sold out, so donāt want to miss this one.
It has really opened up with some air, was a bit flabby on the pop. After a few hours of being open, the nose is somewhat muted, but I get dark berry, plum and graphite. On the palate more dark berries, sweet plums and some red rock dusty tannins. A touch of acid too, this wine has a great balance of tannin and acid structure. While present, the oak is not overpowering with this wine. A beautiful saturated (dark) purple color, as well.
Honestly, drinks like a $75 bottle of wine. Canāt ask for more than that!
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Thanks for taking one for the team here! What convinced you to go in for another case? Your notes seem a bit tepid, what with the flabby opening followed by the muted nose.
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Was flabby for only 30-45 mins and then really began to sing. I taste expensive oak and a well made very balanced wine! Love the dark fruit profile as well!
And remember, this wine is young and was just bottled 4 months ago!
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Lot 20 is great with bolognese. I think this still age well in the medium term (7-12 years) with the acid it carries.
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The listed 15.5% ABV (which means it is likely actually 16%+) gives me pause on this oneā¦ā¦