2008 Woot Cellars Adequite Gift Old Vine Field Blend

Another Woot offering, as with most of these they go for about $10 a bottle but you have to buy four to six at a minimum.

A bit of eucalyptus, sassafras, anise - a rather spicy nose.

Cherry at first, with some blueberry, even some mocha, it seems to progress into something vaguely cough syrup like, and then a burst of vanilla and creaminess on the back end.

Blueberry and cassiss linger.

I'm going to recommend opening this for at least four hours...or sitting on it for a while. Christmas season has passed, but for ten bucks, this would be more than an adequate gift for 2011.

Score: 87

2009 Woot Cellars Albino Rhino

This is a blend of 88% Albariño and 12% Riesling. Woot Cellars typically go for $65 with shipping per half case. Sometimes they offer smaller lots, but for a few dollars more per bottle.

Pear, golden apple, almost Pinot Grigio like on the nose.

More of that golden apple, more pear, a bit of vanilla - kind of Pinot Grigioy in the palate too. A touch of sugar and acidic enough to be just ever a few tiny millimeters away from being balanced.

As with many Woot Cellars offerings I had to buy six bottles. While I am quite content having five more bottles and will cheerfully spread them out over the summer, if and when they come back up I don't see buying any more.

Score: 86+

2007 Woot Cellars Boss Monster

Woot Cellars. If you don't know them, you can find them at wine.woot.com. Most of the time they sell discounted wine (only one item every few days) but a few times a year they sell six packs of their own private label for sixty-five bucks with shipping. This was offered a bit before Christmas.

Red and especially black licorice on the nose.

Quite a bit of black licorice on this one - not anise, but actual licorice candy. I'm getting ultraripe black strawberry for fruit with an array of dried green spices that are integrated nicely, mint and basil specifically. It's all balanced and quite tasty. Nothing groundbreaking but solid all around.

Sour cherry on the finish with some blackberry fading in the distance.

I think so....ten bucks is a very good price for a wine of this quality. Well played....

Score: 88

2001 Woot Cellars Reboot North Coast Brut Sparkling Wine

This wine, with shipping from wine.woot, ran $20 a bottle. Rumors are it is a private labelling of 2001 Windsor Brut, North Coast, Platinum Series which retails for thirty, but this can neither be confirmed nor denied. It has not been receiving much love on the discussion board over on woot with numerous people claiming the wine is salty. Here goes...

Apples and pears on the nose with a bit of pineapple.

Light, crisp – solid acidic structure with plenty of green and golden apples plus a nice amount of pear. As far as the accusations of saltiness goes – perhaps some bottles were compromised with the snow trucks, but I got nothing of that sort here. There is a distinct punch of citric acid on the back palate and finish, perhaps that's what's being spoken of.

Green apple, and as I said, citric acid on the finish.

Worth $20? At this pricepoint, I want a bit more depth, something a tad more interesting – I keep thinking of Roederer Estate's Brut which is a few bucks cheaper and much better, but direct comparisons are pointless. This is a fine offering, its only flaw is its simplicity - a fine quaff and a worthy beverage for the random pop and pour. Certainly not a rip off but any means – I can't see buying it again, but I also am not going to give away my other bottle.

Wine: 7
Value: Pass

2005 Woot Cellars Central Coast Emergency Holiday Provisions

This was my first wine.woot purchase and I was content with the service. I won't name the price as the set came with six bottles and five wine bags. (If the the wine was free, each bag would be twelve bucks – hint hint).

An earthy and chocolatey nose.

I like Italian style wines so I approach this with a bias. This is interesting in that it has Old World flavors with a New World feel. It's big, bold, and flavorful but somewhat lacking in acid. It tastes mildly Italian and feels mildly Californian – earthy and funky with some earth and chocolate notes. I'm getting some cherry, blackberry, and raspberry for fruit as well, the cherries feeling somewhat candied.

Some anise comes through as well as blackberry on the finish.

We cracked this open before giving any away – I was afraid it might be terrible and I'd be ashamed to gift it and be stuck. Sadly, just the opposite has happened – I'd prefer to keep them because this is such a solid bottle. Nice depth and an exceptional QPR.

Wine: 8
Value: Excellent - absolutely yes.