Aromas of blackberry, cherry and warm spice. Smooth tannins and light toasty oak notes frame the cherry, plum and vanilla flavors. It is a medium-bodied balanced wine with a round fruity finish and is made in a ready to drink style.
Vintage and Winemaker Notes
The growing season was a warm and even one with smaller production stemming from drought conditions, giving an intensity of flavors and color. The wine shows a high concentration of aromatics, varietal flavors, and mild acidity.
Specifications
Vintage: 2022
Varietals: Merlot, Sangiovese, and Cabernet Sauvignon
Appellation: Sonoma County
Aging: Aged for 12 months in small American oak barrels, 25% new oak
Alcohol: 14.5%
Price Comparison
MSRP: $288 per case ($24/bottle)
About The Winery
Winery: Pedroncelli Winery & Vineyards
Owners: Pedroncelli Family
Founded: 1927
Location: Geyserville, CA
For nearly a century, the Pedroncelli family has been crafting exceptional wines in Sonoma County’s Dry Creek Valley. It all began in 1927 when John Pedroncelli, Sr. purchased a vineyard and a small winery west of Geyserville; two elements have remained unchanged since then - the exceptional place the Pedroncelli family farms their vineyards and their dedication to creating fine wines.
For nine decades, the Pedroncelli family has been producing wines of the highest quality, tradition and heritage. Their commitment to excellence and their family-run business make them a trusted source of great wines - enjoy them with confidence.
Hello there denizens of meh! Or is that mehnizens? Whatever. Labrat reporting for duty!
For those who don’t spend all their time (and money) at casemates, labrats are the semi-random community members who get a free sample bottle to try and report back on our findings to the group. So here I am!
The bottle arrived last Friday and I opened it last night. I know this wine and I know Pedroncelli. I got about what I expected - a wine on the bigger side of medium bodied with a nose full of fruit and too-young-for-me aromas of oak and vanilla. This being a 2022 wine, it’s about 3-5 years younger than I’d normally considering opening a Pedroncelli. But a rat must do his duty! Onward!
I had about a glass last night and the aromas continued to be vanilla, leather, dark berries, and maybe cherry. Hints of spices and flowers here and there. A big nose that can fill the room. The tastes from the glass were in line with the nose - fruity, medium to low acidity, no significant tannin to speak of, moderately long finish. Flavours are fruit-dominant as you’d expect with the dark red and purple fruits at the forefront and the spices and leather/vanilla dominating the finish.
Knowing my preferences, I gave this a big ol’ Mollydooker Shake to get it some air and then did it again before recorking it until tonight.
My did that day help! (It helps when you’re familiar with the producer…) The fruit is still dominant but the bits that were unbalanced to me with excessive leather and vanilla came into a much more harmonious place. Another Mollydooker Shake or two into the wine tonight and it’s starting to show a bit more structure and the fruit has calmed down to be more in line with the other notes in the wine. The spices are more prominent as well.
As with all Pedroncelli - your patience will be rewarded! Buy with confidence and bring 8 or 9 of these to various Christmas/Channukah/solstice/New Year parties over the next month and keep the others for a couple years before opening them. You won’t be sorry. Especially at under $10/bottle plus a $20 casemates coupon? C’mon.
@klezman good to see you Rat’n here; a long overdue feature for meh.
However, how many do you really think know what Mollydooker is without an explanation link…?
@klezman@rjquillin So i just watched a video of it. It makes sense re: nitrogen. Does this mean Cheer is bottled with nitrogen, or is it just a way to aerate without decanting?
@klezman@ybmuG
Unlikely there’s any N₂ involved here, but it’s a good way to get some O₂ mixed in to help shake off the newness. Think rapid decant process.
@klezman@rjquillin interesting. Definitely a little shocking at first. I can’t imagine a waiter doing it at the table, but maybe I don’t go to the right restaurants.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Next time someone brings a bottle to dinner, I’ll have to try it and see what the reaction is!
@rjquillin@ybmuG I would love to see somebody doing that in a restaurant! Most of what they sell at restaurants could use it, actually…
I figured those who wanted to know what it was would google it. For those who want to know but don’t want to look it up, it’s just pouring a bit of wine out of the bottle, closing up the top, and then giving it a good hard shake to get more oxygen into the wine. Kind of like an aerator but for the whole bottle.
I’ve been impressed with these cheaper “cheer” varieties, and the copy is usually good for a laugh. Ordered a case, though I wish I could have used my spritzer coupon code here at meh before it expires
Anyone done a flight of these?
2020 Cheer from over here (v2018)
2021 Cheer is almost here (v2019)
2022 Reyseglasa the Golden Mead Wine
2023 Bottled Cheer (v2021)
2024 Bottled Cheer (v2022)
I would have thought this year would be named “That time of Cheer” or “Cheers to you!” or something else disappointingly creative.
@mike808 Only one I bought was 2022 Reyseglasa the Golden Mead Wine cause reds are not my thing, but mead is. and it was surprisingly good and i loved the humor of the name. people i gave a bottle too and commented said ‘huh’ until i told them to say it out loud, sometimes folk are dense
@Cerridwyn@klezman Before Reyseglas, over on casemates (possibly even on the old wine.woot) there have been summer white wines named Triacipidis and F-bomb (intentionally overtly floral).
I bought a full case last year and still have 9 bottles. Adding 6 bottles for this year. Looking forward to a side by side comparison. On a suggestion from a member last year, I’ll pour a glass of each in the morning and let them sit all day and try them in the evening. What a difference that made. Curious about doing the same resting period has on this year’s blend.
@Packageengineer Air did this wine very well. It’s also an indicator of how much it could improve with age. So feel free, encouraged, even, to open a bottle in the morning to drink in the evening. I suspect last year’s bottling would also fare quite well.
These have all been excellent everyday drinkers. They also make great gifts. As was said above, an extra year or two in the bottle changes these from good to fantastic. I am way over supplied, my wine fridge just broke, and I’m still getting a case.
I can’t stand the taste of wine, but my husband likes it. I just bought six bottles to add to his Christmas presents. I hope he likes it
/giphy generous-gratifying-snowman
Alcohol is allowed to be sold online?!?! Who would allow such things, predatorily towards minors. Does this country no longer have morals?!?
Are cigarettes next?!? Perhaps child labor at an hourly rate?!
My drivers routinely treat the cases exactly like any other package, including wide screen TVs, computers, cell phones, etc. - they simply get left next to my front door, whether I’m home or not. They used to give a knock as they headed back to their truck; nowadays a delivery message lets me know they’d been there.
[I’m fortunate to live in a small town where porch piracy is unheard of.]
Hey meh - you might want to list the states you can’t have this wine shipped to in the description in this thread.
FYI: Before you order be aware that some states have restrictions on/outright forbid shipping wine to you. These rules may vary if the wine is shipped directly from the winery vs a store. I would presume meh would prevent you from buying if your state won’t allow the wine to be shipped but it might be worth checking first so you aren’t disappointed.
PS this page (scroll down) lists rules by state for shipping by winery or retailer. I am presuming (perhaps wrongly) that meh is having the winery ship? The url goes to an article first written in 2014 but the list was updated last year.
I am sure these rules are well known on casemates but I am not on that site as wine can’t be directly shipped to my state (well and I don’t drink but had thought about it as a present for someone and then discovered this state’s stupid rules - no doubt making sure they get their extra alcohol tax).
@Kidsandliz The page is a bit misleading. “Winery direct shipping” does not necessarily mean that the winery packs, addresses, and hauls the cases to FedEx - it means more that the ownership of the wine is going from the winery to the end user. However, the winery can use an expediting service (Wine Country Connect [WCC] for Casemates or Meh) to receive a bulk shipment from the winery and then pack, label, and forward the individual orders to the shippers.
The expediter can also handle order and payment processing - but the payments aren’t income for the expediter; the money is being collected on behalf of the winery - which is the actual entity making the sale. Hence the note routinely found on Casemates.com:
Sold by participating winery or licensee, fulfilled by Wine Country Connect
TL; DR: Meh/Casemates/WCC are not retailers in this case, they are surrogates for winery direct sales/shipping.
@Kidsandliz From a recent sale on CaseMates, Ped could ship to these Available States:
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
The previous time I bought a ton of liquid from Meh, the delivery person wouldn’t take it upstairs to my apartment and it was entirely raided before I even got home!
She Who Must Be Obeyed (SWMBO) and I (rpm) were thrilled when Alice selected us to be Lab Rats for 2022 Bottled Cheer! This is a Holiday red wine blend for the 2024 Holiday Season from Casemates – a sister site to Meh - part of a tradition which goes back some 15 years or more to the early days of wine.woot Holiday Wines. Old Wootsters still talk wistfully about wines like Adequate Gift, which was much better than ‘adequate’, and Emergency Holiday Provisions, which came to the rescue of many a Holiday gathering!
SWMBO and I enlisted a couple we often share wine with – both serious 20-30 year old wines and just plain fun wines that may have been bottled a few months ago.
When we taste serious wines, we use the Modified Davis 20-point scoring system rather than the popular 100 point system: which seems to us a little too Lake Woebegone (all the wines are above average) to us! Every wine is between 88-95? Please….
Knowing this was meant to be a Holiday wine, our approach to Bottled Cheer was a hybrid – while we used our usual categories of 1) appearance; 2) color; 3) aroma and bouquet; 4) total acidity; 5) sweetness; 6) body; 7) flavor; bitterness; 9) astringency; and 10) general quality, we didn’t really focus on scoring. Expecting a 20-point (or 100-point) classic in a Holiday wine is like expecting the Spanish Inquisition…and NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition, right?
Bottled Cheer was made for Casemates by Pedroncelli, a well-known, almost century-old family-owned and run winery in Sonoma County’s Dry Creek valley. They’re known for wines that are always good, sometimes great, and invariably a very good value.
Enough intro…
The wine has good color and clarity – one taster described it as having “a jewel tone for X-mas!”
On initial opening, the nose was pretty closed. Time is needed to open up and for the interesting brambly and spicy aromas to develop. Dark berry aromas came out after the wine had been open over an hour.
Solid mouth feel and spicy, brambly flavor notes which match the aromas, but are more noticeable right away make Bottled Cheer very easy to drink.
Balance, tannins, dryness are all what one would expect in a good sipper.
Purely on “points” Bottled Cheer ranks as a solid ‘sound commercial wine’ but the tasting crew all thought that when you put it all together it punched above its weight and we enjoyed very much.
While we tasted it alone at first, we then paired it with some truffled artisan salami, Mt. Tam cheese, and thin crackers. Bottled Cheer paired very well with these appetizers. We saved a bit and 2 days later, as I write this, the nose has really stayed open and the flavor is stiil very good.
Bottom line:
Bottled Cheer is a well-made wine that’s easy to drink; it would go well with party food and be a great choice for your Holiday Party for that Holiday Season that runs all the way through the Superbowl! Or to enjoy with friends or give as the gift of Bottled Cheer.
The Bottled Cheer value proposition is impressive: less than $9 a bottle for a case! When we tasted we said we’d expect it to be $20-25 retail, so less than half price is exactly the kind of deal we expect Casemates and now Meh! to deliver.
@rpm I don’t go back as far as Adequate Gift, Emergency Holiday Provisions, but I still have a few bottles of Woot Cellars 2014 Bonus Round - I may have to crack a bottle of that while I wait for more my Bottled Cheer.
@rpm@rpstrong Sounds like our reports agree, rpm!
As for Woot Cellars, I still have a decent selection:
2008 Monkey 2nd Prize
Emergencier Holiday Provisions
2014 Bonus Level
2014 Large Bold Text
2015 Under the Mistletoe
2013 Vinitwo del Finito
one bottle of 2010 Vinito del Finito
and, of course, plenty of 2013 Revelry
I relatively recently finished my last bottles of 2009 Blitzen, 2009 Toothsteijn the Red #2, and 2008 Adequate Gift - two classics that aged extremely well!
@klezman@rpm@rpstrong OMG if my organizational skillz were better I could look and rattle off what i still have left (i believe I have Triacipedis (both) as well as Monkey Prize, Humbug, both Tøøthstejnn’s and many others…some in more quantity that others)
The most recent comments in CT about the Revelry say “drink now”, and point to slightly faded fruit (not that there’s anything wrong with that). So is it in its sweet spot, or beginning its downhill roll? (Only one way to find out. ) My own experience with Wellingtons is that they are good for the long haul.
@InFrom@klezman@rpstrong Interesting question. Peter and I had many discussions of age in Cab and Cab blends…he said he generally made wines to age for 8-10 years…where I’m generally looking for a wine rigged for ~20 years. However, his wines always seemed to me to age pretty well (though his corks are another story - anything of his older than 2012 requires a Durand, or at least a very good hand with an Ah-So).
That said, Revelry was actually blended by a 2014 rpm Magical History Tour team. Several teams each assembled a blend of 2013 varietals made by Peter. The blends were evaluated by Peter and the entire Tour group - the winning blend was what Peter assembled, produced and ultimately bottled. It was not the blend I would have chosen, primarily because the blend I preferred was structured to age longer. (It was my 2nd choice).
So, now we’re all waiting for the long term fruit of our labor!
@DebRVA@klezman@rpm@rpstrong
Some Monkey 2nd Prize in my cellar, I think.
Along with spots where Triacipidis and F-bomb used to be. Alas, The Crusher orange wine is also gone.
I think I have 1 or 2 Donte Spille Le Black which was amazing, and might be past its prime now.
YMMV, we bought this last year, and seriously didn’t like it. Found it harsh and sweet. Fortunately found a friend who did like and foisted the rest of the bottles off on her.
@drcate@rjquillin Also, decanting for hours (or airing in bottle for days) turns this from a $7-14 bottle of wine that some people will like, to a $25-30 bottle of wine that many folks will really like.
I would tell folks that if they’re going to pop n’ pour it this year, I would not suggest buying it.
at least for my taste…
For those who like grocery store bottles in the $15-20 range the day they buy them, then this will be similar and/or a step up today.
@drcate@klezman@rjquillin@wardad About a month ago I dug up a bottle of the 2015 Pedroncelli holiday offering (“Under the Mistletoe”), which was sold on wine.woot in 12/2017. It had settled into a very nice place – not overly hot or fruit-forward, but also not faded or old-seeming in any way.
Of course, not everyone wants to stash away inexpensive bottles for years in order to enjoy. (It’s a harmless form of lunacy.)
As much as I kind of want to get this, UPS jerking me around with the last Casemates deal that I got has reminded me of why I stopped buying the wine deals.
@walorski OK not on the list for Pedroncelli. Shipping list varies offer to offer depending on which states the producer purchases licenses in.
List posted up-thread.
@DebRVA Same. Wanted a case but I’ll settle for two sixers. Meh’s support has been phenomenally good to me in the past with returns so I guess I can send them a ‘gift’ of the extra $20 here.
Previous offerings were for their alter-bottled “Sonoma Classico”, but this one seems to not be. The 2022 Sonoma Classico is mostly Merlot, with some Zinfandel and Syrah (and maybe some other bits and pieces), says the video on their site.
Whereas this is a Super Tuscan type of blend. I can’t find an obvious match on their site. This might be indeed a custom blend. Interesting. Pedroncelli has done that historically, so no big surprise; just a different strategy for ‘Meh Cheer’ blend.
@wardad Hahaha…I did the same thing last night since I recall this looking previously like it was relabelled Sonoma Classico. Seems they went out of their way to not do that this time around.
@InFrom@wardad@warpedrotors True - on the fact sheet you can find via Google. But the webpage for that vintage says Merlot/Zin/Sangio. So which is right? And the Friends sells for $16 SRP, so that would be downright lying to state the SRP at 50% higher than reality. Shrug.
FWIW, I liked this more than I’ve liked the Friends Red in the past. Could be an evolution of the style of that wine or something else. But previously it had more noticeable RS and this one did not.
@klezman@wardad@warpedrotors It’s been a few years since I’ve had the Friends, but I remember that it was on the sweeter side, and I didn’t love. So it’s good to hear that you found this blend to be less sweet than that.
Looks like even for members the cases are well and truly gone, but I snuck in and got a 6. I missed the last couple of these but I still have one of the 2019 Cheer Is Almost Here… comments above make me think I should pop that one open and see how it has been doing.
@troy Thank you! I just bought a 6 pack but had really wanted a case for the price unwilling to buy 2 6 packs for $20 more than the cases were offered. My bad luck as I had been checking daily but forgot & got busy yesterday! Have enjoyed The Cheer in the past. I will enjoy my 6 pack.
I can’t drink like I used to, but a case of Pedroncelli for $100 is an instant yes. When I do indulge, it’s typically a good wine paired with a good meal. This checks all the boxes. And I’ll let my wife think I got it just for her
I was definitely gonna buy this year and of course this was the day I didn’t check till 10:00 at night.
If anybody has a bottle they wanna sell, please let me know.
It won’t let me buy it. Says they’re saving it for members who’d joined before today. But I’ve been a member in the past. I cancelled my shipping 'cause I hadn’t been buying anything, so that was $6 I could save each month.
Anyone know a work-around for this? Or else willing to buy a 6-pack sent to me, please?
Weird to have a sales company refuse to take someone’s money…
@dave@jaybird@troy Great sadness. It wasn’t fixed before I had to go to bells. And now of course it’s sold out completely. Very very sad about my money apparently not being good enough, or the right kind, or a member long enough, to allow me to buy this.
@dave@jaybird@troy Weird. I saw your post and checked, and now there’s 6-packs. But–it still won’t let me buy one. I only want one 6-pack. I want to gift a bottle to my big bro whom I’m gifting a wine-night activity box.
@jaybird@Kyeh@SylvreKat because the “VMP Only” switch was flipped, its currently restricted to VMP’s only. We are working on restoring access to everyone but it may not be until tomorrow. We have a total of “780” available, so as long as the number on the bottom of the page stays below that, we will still have some for you!
Some have commented that this years Holiday Cheer selection is not the Classico Red Blend, but the 2022 Family Red, here is a link to info about it and it seems to match the description in Meh’s listing. I’m sure it will be good, but last year’s selection was incredible. We all wish we had bought more. https://www.pedroncelli.com/media/3247/2022-friends-red-factsheet.pdf
@Kyeh@sillyheathen I got mine yesterday, have to say I’m a bit disappointed compared to last years selection. Maybe Meh was trying to cut down on cost? I suggest they not do that in the future, offer the best for their once annual holiday cheer, we can always buy smaller quantity, or just pay more, as long as it is a value. Not always about the price
@Kyeh@UncleMel maybe it’s just a palette thing? I actually enjoyed this more than last year I think. I also decanted it for quite some time. I was drawing up a tattoo for a client and forgot I even had the glass so it sat for a few hours and opened up nicely.
@Kyeh@sillyheathen Thanks! I will give it a try. We were so excited to try this years offering that we simply poured it into glasses and dove in. Three of us, we weren’t so impressed. Second glass was a bit better, so maybe that is the key. I have heard that some wines can greatly benefit from decanting, so going to give it the benefit of the doubt and try that. I can’t say it was a bad wine, just not what I was expecting. And yes, everyone’s palette is different. My sister loves tannins, me not so much.
I just got mine and the packaging is not what I’m used to from Meh / Casemates. Just the bottles of wine in two plastic bags w/ no padding or other packaging. Also, I only got 11 bottles of wine so be sure to unpack and count yours.
this completely stinks. Meh’s solution was just to refund my purchase, not re-ship it. OK, an acceptable solution, fully understand. At the risk of sounding like I’m complaining for the refund, well, I am. I don’t get the opportunity to try the cheer - would so much rather have the opportunity to repurchase and have it reshipped. Any of the Pedroncelli folks monitoring and perhaps can help? Can’t hurt to ask (plead, beg, grovel…).
Tasting Notes
Vintage and Winemaker Notes
Specifications
Price Comparison
MSRP: $288 per case ($24/bottle)
About The Winery
Warranty
90 days
Estimated Delivery
Friday, Dec 20 - Monday, Dec 23
This deal is a bunch of sour grapes.
Been waiting a week for this.
HIC!!
@IndifferentDude
This is a great deal, if the wine is as good as last year’s offering!
@phendrick
Guess i will plan to be enjoying this delicious quaff while being totally lit up under the shrubbery.
/showme yummy-illuminated-greenery
@phendrick
So, this wine might find me a spouse and saves me 20 bucks? Cheers to multitasking!
Yeehaw!
So do I get 2 coupons for buying 2 cases.
@jaybird asking the important questions…
@caffeineguy @jaybird i’m expecting duplicate coupons only the first of which will be valid.
On the warranty, will empty bottles need to be returned?
To those buying just six bottles, you will likely regret not getting more.
@jaybird This is truth, but sadly I have no room for more than six.
@jaybird @thompp there’s always room for wine.
Hello there denizens of meh! Or is that mehnizens? Whatever. Labrat reporting for duty!
For those who don’t spend all their time (and money) at casemates, labrats are the semi-random community members who get a free sample bottle to try and report back on our findings to the group. So here I am!
The bottle arrived last Friday and I opened it last night. I know this wine and I know Pedroncelli. I got about what I expected - a wine on the bigger side of medium bodied with a nose full of fruit and too-young-for-me aromas of oak and vanilla. This being a 2022 wine, it’s about 3-5 years younger than I’d normally considering opening a Pedroncelli. But a rat must do his duty! Onward!
I had about a glass last night and the aromas continued to be vanilla, leather, dark berries, and maybe cherry. Hints of spices and flowers here and there. A big nose that can fill the room. The tastes from the glass were in line with the nose - fruity, medium to low acidity, no significant tannin to speak of, moderately long finish. Flavours are fruit-dominant as you’d expect with the dark red and purple fruits at the forefront and the spices and leather/vanilla dominating the finish.
Knowing my preferences, I gave this a big ol’ Mollydooker Shake to get it some air and then did it again before recorking it until tonight.
My did that day help! (It helps when you’re familiar with the producer…) The fruit is still dominant but the bits that were unbalanced to me with excessive leather and vanilla came into a much more harmonious place. Another Mollydooker Shake or two into the wine tonight and it’s starting to show a bit more structure and the fruit has calmed down to be more in line with the other notes in the wine. The spices are more prominent as well.
As with all Pedroncelli - your patience will be rewarded! Buy with confidence and bring 8 or 9 of these to various Christmas/Channukah/solstice/New Year parties over the next month and keep the others for a couple years before opening them. You won’t be sorry. Especially at under $10/bottle plus a $20 casemates coupon? C’mon.
@klezman good to see you Rat’n here; a long overdue feature for meh.
However, how many do you really think know what Mollydooker is without an explanation link…?
@klezman @rjquillin So i just watched a video of it. It makes sense re: nitrogen. Does this mean Cheer is bottled with nitrogen, or is it just a way to aerate without decanting?
@klezman @rjquillin @ybmuG Sounds like we need more videos…
@klezman @ybmuG
Unlikely there’s any N₂ involved here, but it’s a good way to get some O₂ mixed in to help shake off the newness. Think rapid decant process.
@klezman @rjquillin interesting. Definitely a little shocking at first. I can’t imagine a waiter doing it at the table, but maybe I don’t go to the right restaurants.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Next time someone brings a bottle to dinner, I’ll have to try it and see what the reaction is!
@rjquillin @ybmuG I would love to see somebody doing that in a restaurant! Most of what they sell at restaurants could use it, actually…
I figured those who wanted to know what it was would google it. For those who want to know but don’t want to look it up, it’s just pouring a bit of wine out of the bottle, closing up the top, and then giving it a good hard shake to get more oxygen into the wine. Kind of like an aerator but for the whole bottle.
Isn’t cheerwine a soda?
@djkevdogg the best lol
@djkevdogg Yes it is!
@djkevdogg More of a philosophy, but yes also a carbonated beverage.
I’ve been impressed with these cheaper “cheer” varieties, and the copy is usually good for a laugh. Ordered a case, though I wish I could have used my spritzer coupon code here at meh before it expires
/showme marvelous-legendary-hope
the UPS staff will benefit from this delivery
Alright, the comments here convinced me. Here’s hoping y’all didn’t steer me wrong, lol.
/giphy treasured shivering trimming
OK, does the /giphy not work anymore? Lol
@DavidChurchRN
needs to be on it’s own line
iftfy
Wait, so if I buy this, I’m gonna be married within two years?
Nah, that’s a pass from me, dawg.
@ShotgunX Only if you take it to a party that has a mehtizen.
What are the chances of that?
/giphy bad hallmark movie
/giphy celebrated-flickering-vixen
/giphy golden-melodious-grinch
Very seasonal, I’d say.
Anyone done a flight of these?
2020 Cheer from over here (v2018)
2021 Cheer is almost here (v2019)
2022 Reyseglasa the Golden Mead Wine
2023 Bottled Cheer (v2021)
2024 Bottled Cheer (v2022)
I would have thought this year would be named “That time of Cheer” or “Cheers to you!” or something else disappointingly creative.
/image dicaprio cheers
@mike808 Only one I bought was 2022 Reyseglasa the Golden Mead Wine cause reds are not my thing, but mead is. and it was surprisingly good and i loved the humor of the name. people i gave a bottle too and commented said ‘huh’ until i told them to say it out loud, sometimes folk are dense
MORE MEAD
/showme more mead
@Cerridwyn @mike808 That 2020 vintage is probably just starting to get into my drinking window!
@Cerridwyn @klezman Before Reyseglas, over on casemates (possibly even on the old wine.woot) there have been summer white wines named Triacipidis and F-bomb (intentionally overtly floral).
@klezman @mike808 they were both on woot. At least that is what our Lord and Master Google says
I bought a full case last year and still have 9 bottles. Adding 6 bottles for this year. Looking forward to a side by side comparison. On a suggestion from a member last year, I’ll pour a glass of each in the morning and let them sit all day and try them in the evening. What a difference that made. Curious about doing the same resting period has on this year’s blend.
@Packageengineer Air did this wine very well. It’s also an indicator of how much it could improve with age. So feel free, encouraged, even, to open a bottle in the morning to drink in the evening. I suspect last year’s bottling would also fare quite well.
/giphy magnificent-excellent-merriment
/giphy reunited-jubilant-dressing
you had me at Pedroncelli.
Heads up, these will sell out.
@RogerWilco you seem to be a clairvoyant
/giphy icy-festooned-inn
@kasandrae and no twist-offs
@kitkat34 easy choice
These have all been excellent everyday drinkers. They also make great gifts. As was said above, an extra year or two in the bottle changes these from good to fantastic. I am way over supplied, my wine fridge just broke, and I’m still getting a case.
/giphy cheesy-ample-reindeer
I can’t stand the taste of wine, but my husband likes it. I just bought six bottles to add to his Christmas presents. I hope he likes it
/giphy generous-gratifying-snowman
/giphy grand-rednosed-tale
It’s the holidays-The Cheer must be maintained at all costs. Fortunately, the costs are pretty low!
/giphy fortunate-spiked-eggnog
Alcohol is allowed to be sold online?!?! Who would allow such things, predatorily towards minors. Does this country no longer have morals?!?
Are cigarettes next?!? Perhaps child labor at an hourly rate?!
Wait until you find out what you can buy online with cryptocurrency and the dark web. Cigarettes and child labor? Ha. Amateur stuff.
@Drez143 Sales are allowed on a state-by-state basis, and the package must be received (and signed for) by a sober adult.
@Drez143 @rpstrong LOL
depending on the driver. i’ve gotten it stuffed in the lockers before.
@rpstrong I guess I need to request my delivery before noon
@Cerridwyn @Drez143 Yeah; rules were made to be broken.
My drivers routinely treat the cases exactly like any other package, including wide screen TVs, computers, cell phones, etc. - they simply get left next to my front door, whether I’m home or not. They used to give a knock as they headed back to their truck; nowadays a delivery message lets me know they’d been there.
[I’m fortunate to live in a small town where porch piracy is unheard of.]
Hey meh - you might want to list the states you can’t have this wine shipped to in the description in this thread.
FYI: Before you order be aware that some states have restrictions on/outright forbid shipping wine to you. These rules may vary if the wine is shipped directly from the winery vs a store. I would presume meh would prevent you from buying if your state won’t allow the wine to be shipped but it might be worth checking first so you aren’t disappointed.
PS this page (scroll down) lists rules by state for shipping by winery or retailer. I am presuming (perhaps wrongly) that meh is having the winery ship? The url goes to an article first written in 2014 but the list was updated last year.
I am sure these rules are well known on casemates but I am not on that site as wine can’t be directly shipped to my state (well and I don’t drink but had thought about it as a present for someone and then discovered this state’s stupid rules - no doubt making sure they get their extra alcohol tax).
https://www.winespectator.com/articles/us-wine-shipping-laws-state-by-state-50258#RetailMap
@Kidsandliz The page is a bit misleading. “Winery direct shipping” does not necessarily mean that the winery packs, addresses, and hauls the cases to FedEx - it means more that the ownership of the wine is going from the winery to the end user. However, the winery can use an expediting service (Wine Country Connect [WCC] for Casemates or Meh) to receive a bulk shipment from the winery and then pack, label, and forward the individual orders to the shippers.
The expediter can also handle order and payment processing - but the payments aren’t income for the expediter; the money is being collected on behalf of the winery - which is the actual entity making the sale. Hence the note routinely found on Casemates.com:
TL; DR: Meh/Casemates/WCC are not retailers in this case, they are surrogates for winery direct sales/shipping.
@Kidsandliz From a recent sale on CaseMates, Ped could ship to these Available States:
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
@rpstrong That is good to know. Since under no circumstances can alcohol be shipped to me in my state I hadn’t bothered to follow casemates.
@rjquillin So it looks like 10 states are out of luck. Thanks for posting that.
@Kidsandliz @rjquillin
and OF COURSE, mine (AL) is one of them!
Misspelling “complements” on the label - - Classic Meh.
The previous time I bought a ton of liquid from Meh, the delivery person wouldn’t take it upstairs to my apartment and it was entirely raided before I even got home!
@pmcgrane Who signed for it? And were you reimbursed for the lost shipment?
She Who Must Be Obeyed (SWMBO) and I (rpm) were thrilled when Alice selected us to be Lab Rats for 2022 Bottled Cheer! This is a Holiday red wine blend for the 2024 Holiday Season from Casemates – a sister site to Meh - part of a tradition which goes back some 15 years or more to the early days of wine.woot Holiday Wines. Old Wootsters still talk wistfully about wines like Adequate Gift, which was much better than ‘adequate’, and Emergency Holiday Provisions, which came to the rescue of many a Holiday gathering!
SWMBO and I enlisted a couple we often share wine with – both serious 20-30 year old wines and just plain fun wines that may have been bottled a few months ago.
When we taste serious wines, we use the Modified Davis 20-point scoring system rather than the popular 100 point system: which seems to us a little too Lake Woebegone (all the wines are above average) to us! Every wine is between 88-95? Please….
Knowing this was meant to be a Holiday wine, our approach to Bottled Cheer was a hybrid – while we used our usual categories of 1) appearance; 2) color; 3) aroma and bouquet; 4) total acidity; 5) sweetness; 6) body; 7) flavor; bitterness; 9) astringency; and 10) general quality, we didn’t really focus on scoring. Expecting a 20-point (or 100-point) classic in a Holiday wine is like expecting the Spanish Inquisition…and NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition, right?
Bottled Cheer was made for Casemates by Pedroncelli, a well-known, almost century-old family-owned and run winery in Sonoma County’s Dry Creek valley. They’re known for wines that are always good, sometimes great, and invariably a very good value.
Enough intro…
The wine has good color and clarity – one taster described it as having “a jewel tone for X-mas!”
On initial opening, the nose was pretty closed. Time is needed to open up and for the interesting brambly and spicy aromas to develop. Dark berry aromas came out after the wine had been open over an hour.
Solid mouth feel and spicy, brambly flavor notes which match the aromas, but are more noticeable right away make Bottled Cheer very easy to drink.
Balance, tannins, dryness are all what one would expect in a good sipper.
Purely on “points” Bottled Cheer ranks as a solid ‘sound commercial wine’ but the tasting crew all thought that when you put it all together it punched above its weight and we enjoyed very much.
While we tasted it alone at first, we then paired it with some truffled artisan salami, Mt. Tam cheese, and thin crackers. Bottled Cheer paired very well with these appetizers. We saved a bit and 2 days later, as I write this, the nose has really stayed open and the flavor is stiil very good.
Bottom line:
Bottled Cheer is a well-made wine that’s easy to drink; it would go well with party food and be a great choice for your Holiday Party for that Holiday Season that runs all the way through the Superbowl! Or to enjoy with friends or give as the gift of Bottled Cheer.
The Bottled Cheer value proposition is impressive: less than $9 a bottle for a case! When we tasted we said we’d expect it to be $20-25 retail, so less than half price is exactly the kind of deal we expect Casemates and now Meh! to deliver.
rpm recommended!
@rpm I don’t go back as far as Adequate Gift, Emergency Holiday Provisions, but I still have a few bottles of Woot Cellars 2014 Bonus Round - I may have to crack a bottle of that while I wait for more my Bottled Cheer.
/giphy yummy-lovely-turkey
@rpm @rpstrong Sounds like our reports agree, rpm!
As for Woot Cellars, I still have a decent selection:
2008 Monkey 2nd Prize
Emergencier Holiday Provisions
2014 Bonus Level
2014 Large Bold Text
2015 Under the Mistletoe
2013 Vinitwo del Finito
one bottle of 2010 Vinito del Finito
and, of course, plenty of 2013 Revelry
I relatively recently finished my last bottles of 2009 Blitzen, 2009 Toothsteijn the Red #2, and 2008 Adequate Gift - two classics that aged extremely well!
@klezman @rpstrong My woot cellars inventory is down to a bit more than a case of Revelry, which of course is still in its youth…
@klezman @rpm @rpstrong OMG if my organizational skillz were better I could look and rattle off what i still have left (i believe I have Triacipedis (both) as well as Monkey Prize, Humbug, both Tøøthstejnn’s and many others…some in more quantity that others)
@klezman @rpm @rpstrong
The most recent comments in CT about the Revelry say “drink now”, and point to slightly faded fruit (not that there’s anything wrong with that). So is it in its sweet spot, or beginning its downhill roll? (Only one way to find out. ) My own experience with Wellingtons is that they are good for the long haul.
@klezman @rpm @rpstrong My heart fluttered upon reading Monkey Prize and Blitzen - wish I’d bought more of both!
@InFrom @klezman @rpstrong Interesting question. Peter and I had many discussions of age in Cab and Cab blends…he said he generally made wines to age for 8-10 years…where I’m generally looking for a wine rigged for ~20 years. However, his wines always seemed to me to age pretty well (though his corks are another story - anything of his older than 2012 requires a Durand, or at least a very good hand with an Ah-So).
That said, Revelry was actually blended by a 2014 rpm Magical History Tour team. Several teams each assembled a blend of 2013 varietals made by Peter. The blends were evaluated by Peter and the entire Tour group - the winning blend was what Peter assembled, produced and ultimately bottled. It was not the blend I would have chosen, primarily because the blend I preferred was structured to age longer. (It was my 2nd choice).
So, now we’re all waiting for the long term fruit of our labor!
@InFrom @rpm @rpstrong I think you voted for my team’s blend, as did I!
@DebRVA @klezman @rpm @rpstrong
Some Monkey 2nd Prize in my cellar, I think.
Along with spots where Triacipidis and F-bomb used to be. Alas, The Crusher orange wine is also gone.
I think I have 1 or 2 Donte Spille Le Black which was amazing, and might be past its prime now.
When are you bringing back the meh label? You guys sold a meh zinfandel a few years ago… I need the label to say meh
Do you get the $20 casemates coupon if you buy a 6 pack ?
@flotron Sure hope so! The description doesn’t say you need to buy a case to get the coupon, just need to buy “this”.
@flotron I’d like to revise yesterday’s answer to “Yes!”
/giphy jovial-nice-sled
YMMV, we bought this last year, and seriously didn’t like it. Found it harsh and sweet. Fortunately found a friend who did like and foisted the rest of the bottles off on her.
@drcate Not like some commercial bottles where the producer strives to maintain consistency year-2-year, don’t expect these to follow that profile.
@drcate @rjquillin Also, decanting for hours (or airing in bottle for days) turns this from a $7-14 bottle of wine that some people will like, to a $25-30 bottle of wine that many folks will really like.
I would tell folks that if they’re going to pop n’ pour it this year, I would not suggest buying it.
@drcate @rjquillin @wardad
at least for my taste…
For those who like grocery store bottles in the $15-20 range the day they buy them, then this will be similar and/or a step up today.
@drcate @klezman @rjquillin @wardad About a month ago I dug up a bottle of the 2015 Pedroncelli holiday offering (“Under the Mistletoe”), which was sold on wine.woot in 12/2017. It had settled into a very nice place – not overly hot or fruit-forward, but also not faded or old-seeming in any way.
Of course, not everyone wants to stash away inexpensive bottles for years in order to enjoy. (It’s a harmless form of lunacy.)
Love seeing well-seasoned rattage! Saw Pedroncelli and was intrigued. You guys pushed me over the edge. In for a case!
Cheers!
/giphy cold-cherished-wish
As much as I kind of want to get this, UPS jerking me around with the last Casemates deal that I got has reminded me of why I stopped buying the wine deals.
Now I want to text-based roleplay romance with the Meh copy writing staff.
How come casemates lists OK as a state they can ship to but when I try to place the order on meh it doesn’t work?
@walorski OK not on the list for Pedroncelli. Shipping list varies offer to offer depending on which states the producer purchases licenses in.
List posted up-thread.
@rjquillin oic thanks for the explanation.
@rjquillin @walorski can they call the winery directly, as one sometimes can for casemates?
@rpm @walorski The last Ped offer on CM did NOT list OK as a ship to state. But it’s always worth a call.
/giphy spirited-golden-frost
Ugh, cases sold out!
@KitMarlot Oh No! I’m too late!
@irenegade You could do what I did: order two 6 packs and hope that @winedavid49 can help you out…
@irenegade @KitMarlot looks like nearly 500 sold if you check stats.
Dang, the ONE DAY I didn’t check Meh first thing, and I missed the case. Went with two 6-packs.
/giphy illuminated-overjoyed-angel
@DebRVA Same. Wanted a case but I’ll settle for two sixers. Meh’s support has been phenomenally good to me in the past with returns so I guess I can send them a ‘gift’ of the extra $20 here.
Fuck Utah and all the Mormon politicians forcing their shitty ideology on the rest of us sane humans. I just want to buy alcohol online dammit, lol.
“There sure were a lot of fans there” is my new pick up line!
cries and orders two 6 packs
I too have been waiting for this and forgot to check last night before bed. Sigh.
/giphy holly-bedecked-dressing
Can’t believe I missed out last night… 4 6-packs it is… er… well… guess only 2 for now…
/giphy fluffy-terrific-mantel
Well, actually just paused until 16:00 eastern
Previous offerings were for their alter-bottled “Sonoma Classico”, but this one seems to not be. The 2022 Sonoma Classico is mostly Merlot, with some Zinfandel and Syrah (and maybe some other bits and pieces), says the video on their site.
Whereas this is a Super Tuscan type of blend. I can’t find an obvious match on their site. This might be indeed a custom blend. Interesting. Pedroncelli has done that historically, so no big surprise; just a different strategy for ‘Meh Cheer’ blend.
@wardad Hahaha…I did the same thing last night since I recall this looking previously like it was relabelled Sonoma Classico. Seems they went out of their way to not do that this time around.
@wardad it’s their 2022 Friends. They’ve used Friends for the holiday wine before. Specs and notes are all the same for this and Friends.
@wardad @warpedrotors Good sleuthing!
@InFrom @wardad @warpedrotors True - on the fact sheet you can find via Google. But the webpage for that vintage says Merlot/Zin/Sangio. So which is right? And the Friends sells for $16 SRP, so that would be downright lying to state the SRP at 50% higher than reality. Shrug.
FWIW, I liked this more than I’ve liked the Friends Red in the past. Could be an evolution of the style of that wine or something else. But previously it had more noticeable RS and this one did not.
@klezman @wardad @warpedrotors It’s been a few years since I’ve had the Friends, but I remember that it was on the sweeter side, and I didn’t love. So it’s good to hear that you found this blend to be less sweet than that.
Damn, only 90 day warranty! I need to check and see what is standard for wine?
Looks like even for members the cases are well and truly gone, but I snuck in and got a 6. I missed the last couple of these but I still have one of the 2019 Cheer Is Almost Here… comments above make me think I should pop that one open and see how it has been doing.
/giphy traditional-furry-dressing
@blandoon if I’m honest that was a lot more traditional and a lot less furry than I was hoping.
/showme traditional furry dressing
Was able to snag a 6 pack at the 4 pm EST drop!
/giphy peppermint-frostbitten-jelly
Sold out!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
This kinda ruins my day. Like, seriously…
@tnarg42 Well here, let me fix that for you!!
Same here! Disappointment for real!
@dawnlac We found more
@troy Thank you! I just bought a 6 pack but had really wanted a case for the price unwilling to buy 2 6 packs for $20 more than the cases were offered. My bad luck as I had been checking daily but forgot & got busy yesterday! Have enjoyed The Cheer in the past. I will enjoy my 6 pack.
@dawnlac and a $20 coupon. I just found mine today (in the spam folder).
I can’t drink like I used to, but a case of Pedroncelli for $100 is an instant yes. When I do indulge, it’s typically a good wine paired with a good meal. This checks all the boxes. And I’ll let my wife think I got it just for her
I was definitely gonna buy this year and of course this was the day I didn’t check till 10:00 at night.
If anybody has a bottle they wanna sell, please let me know.
@Star2236 Same! I’ve been checking EVERY DAY for weeks. Got busy w/ work yesterday. Help!!!
@kainc @Star2236 Pssst… we found more:
@Star2236 @troy Thank you, in for 6!
@customers We were able to secure a small additional amount of Bottled Cheer which we’ve put back up for sale in the Bottled Cheer event:
I know you bought some already, but I wanted to give you the opportunity to grab another 6-pack if you haven’t maxed out your quantity.
@dave Much thanks for the heads up! I wound up getting 2 6 packs when I realized the cases sold out!
@dave I did actually really want the 12 case; can I update my order to that?
@NoGenocide Unfortunately we’re all out of the cases
I haven’t tasted it yet to know if it is any good. I never buy wine in a twist off cap, only a cork. I don’t know what this is.
@tomogg doesn’t look like a twist cap, so you’re in luck.
It won’t let me buy it. Says they’re saving it for members who’d joined before today. But I’ve been a member in the past. I cancelled my shipping 'cause I hadn’t been buying anything, so that was $6 I could save each month.
Anyone know a work-around for this? Or else willing to buy a 6-pack sent to me, please?
Weird to have a sales company refuse to take someone’s money…
@SylvreKat tagging @dave @troy
@dave @jaybird @SylvreKat Sorry about that sylvrekat – we’ve discovered what the issue is and are working on it. Will update you as soon as it’s solved.
@dave @jaybird @troy I hope it’s solved before you sell out…
@dave @jaybird @troy Great sadness. It wasn’t fixed before I had to go to bells. And now of course it’s sold out completely. Very very sad about my money apparently not being good enough, or the right kind, or a member long enough, to allow me to buy this.
@dave @SylvreKat @troy still shows 6 pack available to me
@dave @jaybird @troy Weird. I saw your post and checked, and now there’s 6-packs. But–it still won’t let me buy one. I only want one 6-pack. I want to gift a bottle to my big bro whom I’m gifting a wine-night activity box.
@dave @jaybird @SylvreKat @troy Are you in one of the states that don’t allow it?
https://meh.com/forum/topics/6-or-12-pack-bottled-cheer-vintage-2022-red-wine#675862cefadd993e79ecf5a9
@dave @jaybird @Kyeh @troy Nope, in KS.
When I try to buy, it says it’s saving them for members who joined before today.
@jaybird @Kyeh @SylvreKat because the “VMP Only” switch was flipped, its currently restricted to VMP’s only. We are working on restoring access to everyone but it may not be until tomorrow. We have a total of “780” available, so as long as the number on the bottom of the page stays below that, we will still have some for you!
@jaybird @Kyeh @troy I used to be a VMP. Does that count?
@Kyeh @SylvreKat @troy working extra time to get you that good juice
@jaybird @Kyeh @troy Oh! You did it!! It worked! You took my money, but I’m getting six bottles of wine!!
/giphy peppermint-silent-pickle
Thank you so much for working extra hard and getting me that good juice!! Hopefully my bro appreciates his bottle.
@jaybird @SylvreKat @troy Woohoo!!!
Now if we only had pasta drop to have dinner with the wine.
@sylvandoc Another pasta drop would be awesome. I’m running out of linguine.
EVERYTHING IS AWESOME!
Some have commented that this years Holiday Cheer selection is not the Classico Red Blend, but the 2022 Family Red, here is a link to info about it and it seems to match the description in Meh’s listing. I’m sure it will be good, but last year’s selection was incredible. We all wish we had bought more. https://www.pedroncelli.com/media/3247/2022-friends-red-factsheet.pdf
@UncleMel I did. Learned my lesson years ago…
@UncleMel last year’s was really great
OK…I’m i. Where’s my coupon, dammit!!!
/giphy figgy-nice-inn
Hard to pass this up, so I didn’t!
/giphy fancy-olde-gravy
I just saw this. Ugh, missed the case but still got the 6
I just saw this. Ugh, missed the case but still got the 6
Final call – just 98 6-packs remain and will be shipped 2-day air (hence the $10 price jump)
@troy I’m not THAT drunk
The cheer is here!!!
@sillyheathen
How do you like it?
@Kyeh it’s actually lovely. I think it benefits from breathing a bit. It’s pretty jammy up front. Lots of dark fruit. I’m really enjoying the finish.
@sillyheathen Oh, good! Thanks for the review!
@Kyeh @sillyheathen
Sigh… Someday I’ll actually get to order wine from here!
@Kyeh @sillyheathen I got mine yesterday, have to say I’m a bit disappointed compared to last years selection. Maybe Meh was trying to cut down on cost? I suggest they not do that in the future, offer the best for their once annual holiday cheer, we can always buy smaller quantity, or just pay more, as long as it is a value. Not always about the price
@Kyeh @UncleMel maybe it’s just a palette thing? I actually enjoyed this more than last year I think. I also decanted it for quite some time. I was drawing up a tattoo for a client and forgot I even had the glass so it sat for a few hours and opened up nicely.
@Kyeh @sillyheathen Thanks! I will give it a try. We were so excited to try this years offering that we simply poured it into glasses and dove in. Three of us, we weren’t so impressed. Second glass was a bit better, so maybe that is the key. I have heard that some wines can greatly benefit from decanting, so going to give it the benefit of the doubt and try that. I can’t say it was a bad wine, just not what I was expecting. And yes, everyone’s palette is different. My sister loves tannins, me not so much.
I just got mine and the packaging is not what I’m used to from Meh / Casemates. Just the bottles of wine in two plastic bags w/ no padding or other packaging. Also, I only got 11 bottles of wine so be sure to unpack and count yours.
my package was damaged by UPS and returned to the shipper??? Oh no…why me?
No cheer for me…
so now what do I do?
@frankster14 Email support:
https://meh.com/support
this completely stinks. Meh’s solution was just to refund my purchase, not re-ship it. OK, an acceptable solution, fully understand. At the risk of sounding like I’m complaining for the refund, well, I am. I don’t get the opportunity to try the cheer - would so much rather have the opportunity to repurchase and have it reshipped. Any of the Pedroncelli folks monitoring and perhaps can help? Can’t hurt to ask (plead, beg, grovel…).