Cellar Craft Cellar Craft Red Mountain Cab alternative?

Any opinions on alternatives to this kit. I guess its discontinued...

Who told you that? They have run out of juice before due to high demand and it has been unavailable until the next Fall harvest. It is getting harder and harder to get fruit from Red Mountain so it would not surprise me completely.

As far as alternatives, yes have won plenty of medals and rave reviews from the CC Showcase Walla Walla Cabernet-Merlot. As good if not better.

Kiwisholland said:

Any opinions on alternatives to this kit. I guess its discontinued...

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Not listed on Vineco Showcase website, not available from any of my preferred vendors. I read a post here or Winepress forum about it being done. Is that just temporary? Any non-Cellar Craft Cabernet favorites?

What about the Cellar Craft Showcase Sonoma Valley Cabernet Sauvignon? I don't recall reading much about it here. Anyone have any reports on this kit?

(I snagged one of the last Red Mountain Cab Sauvs that my LHBS had! )

You originally asked for something equally as good as the RMC. Now you are asking for something something completely different....

The two questions are mutually exclusive IMHO.

Kiwisholland said:

Not listed on Vineco Showcase website, not available from any of my preferred vendors. I read a post here or Winepress forum about it being done. Is that just temporary? Any non-Cellar Craft Cabernet favorites?

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You're as Internet tough as your avatar "ibglowin". You sure you're not from Jersey?

I'm simply asking for advice on a cab kit....

Thanks Sour Grapes. I did see that. Thought someone more experienced than me might have experience fermenting an alternative. I'm not manufacturer exclusive. Thanks again for your help. I'll try the Sonoma

Your dancing around your own question. Just saying.

Kiwisholland said:

You're as Internet tough as your avatar "ibglowin". You sure you're not from Jersey?

I'm simply asking for advice on a cab kit....

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Kiwisholland said:

Not listed on Vineco Showcase website, not available from any of my preferred vendors. I read a post here or Winepress forum about it being done. Is that just temporary? Any non-Cellar Craft Cabernet favorites?

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What I read (if I recall correctly) was that they had simply run out and hoped to be releasing more after this fall's harvest. I hope that's true. I want to make it again. In the meantime, the Walla Walla Cab/Merlot is on my list.

I have also done the Walla Walla Cab/Merlot, and found it stonkingly good! I only got to sample it at four mos. aging before bottling, but it was really nice at that point already.

The CC Showcase Sonoma Cab is pretty new and there is not much (if any) real world data. I am sure its good as the Showcase line has always been pretty darn amazing top to bottom.

The Sonoma Cab showed up on the vineco web site at/about the same time as RMC disappeared so I think they have decided to stop making the RMC.

I too would be curious to hear whether anyone has done the Sonoma version. I agree with @ibglowin that it is new and may have been out for only a few months.

Just spoke with FVW's and that kit is gone for good. The vineyard that was selling the fruit to Cellar Craft decided to open their own winery. Its amazing we got fruit from Red Mountain as long as we did. A single bottle of wine made from grapes grown on Red Mountain will fetch almost as much as that Kit sold for!

No no no! Oh, the humanity!

ibglowin said:

Just spoke with FVW's and that kit is gone for good. The vineyard that was selling the fruit to Cellar Craft decided to open their own winery. Its amazing we got fruit from Red Mountain as long as we did. A single bottle of wine made from grapes grown on Red Mountain will fetch almost as much as that Kit sold for!

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Let's have a moment of silence for the passing of the Red Mountain Cab................... It will be missed and not soon forgotten. I have one bottle left from my 2013 batch and I will savor that.

Long live the Walla Walla Cab Merlot!

ibglowin said:

Just spoke with FVW's and that kit is gone for good. The vineyard that was selling the fruit to Cellar Craft decided to open their own winery. Its amazing we got fruit from Red Mountain as long as we did. A single bottle of wine made from grapes grown on Red Mountain will fetch almost as much as that Kit sold for!

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Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :<

Time to take my remaining bottles off the rack and stash them away for the apocalypse.

LOL, I still have 25 bottles of my 2013 RMC and I am still not drinking it because it simply isn't that good. This was one of three kits I did at a FOP back in 2013 and all of them have a funny banana aroma/flavor that I can't stand. That is diminishing but it may be 3 years before I can drink them!

I still have no idea what went on there because I have since done a number of other kits at home and none of them have had that kind of off flavor.

I am glad everyone else seemed to have better results than I did!

I bet they added the Sorbate!

29 bottles left from April 2014.

Thanks, all. Should have pulled the trigger earlier. I'll look into the Walla-Walla