RJ Spagnols Looks like some changes to EP kits

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vabeachbear

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Just noticed on the RJS website that the EP Pinot Noir is now from Chile instead of the Dashwood from New Zealand. Weird choice I think. Haven't heard alot of resounding reviews for Chilean Pinot, in fact myself, have never heard any. Didn't even realize they grew much Pinot in Chile.

Also, there is only 12 choices now, and they were 13, not sure which one they got rid of. At least it wasn't ST, Amarone, or Cali Cab Sav.

No announcements as far as I can find though, just made those changes under the cloak of night...............
 
checked and can't remember what one's missing either. But the Cab and Merlot is still there and those are my 2 EP fav's
 
TommBomb said:
How was the Amarone?
Have you tried the Camerene or what ever its called?
Click to expand...

Amarone is great, have made it twice. ST once, Cab once. Will make the Amarone, Cab, and Shiraz this year.

In looking through some other sites, it looks like the one missing is the Grenache Rose which is listed as seasonal, but doesn't show up on Spagnols site at all, so not sure.

Still think its weird that the changed the Pinot Noir to Chilean instead of New Zealand. Could understand, Austrailia, or Wash/Oregon, but Chile?
 
well back in the day when I bought my wines ;) Chilean was always one of my go to picks, so maybe... I might give it a try when Spagnol's does it's big Feb. sale
 
On a different subject.. I cracked the first EP super tuscan tonight after 5 months aging... wowzers. Ive been drinking wine for 3 years now, almost all red. The first 1.5 years i bought wine and then moved into the wine making. If this wine isnt the best tasting wine I've ever had its top 3. Unbelievable. Solidifies my hopes that kit wine making is not only cheaper but you can have a much higher quality wine then your 20 plus dollar bottles in the store.
 
TommBomm, so good to hear that. I have an HP super Tuscan in a carboy now waiting for bottling in another month and a half
 
I think it is a computer snafu. It does not list Super Tuscan on the side so it does add up to 8 .
 
SouthernChemist said:
We'll probably never know for sure, but it's likely that costs or grape supply was an issue.
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They also removed the description now for the Pinot Noir.

Another thing I noticed is they don't put the vineyard where the juice is from anymore. ex. California Cabernet, no more Delu Ranch.

If you know anything about naming on a wine label, "California Cabernet" means cheap $hit. It can come from anywhere and everywhere all at once.

Hope they don't go cheap on the high end kits. The Delu Ranch Cab turned out very nice for me.
 
vabeachbear said:
They also removed the description now for the Pinot Noir.

Another thing I noticed is they don't put the vineyard where the juice is from anymore. ex. California Cabernet, no more Delu Ranch.

If you know anything about naming on a wine label, "California Cabernet" means cheap $hit. It can come from anywhere and everywhere all at once.

Hope they don't go cheap on the high end kits. The Delu Ranch Cab turned out very nice for me.
Click to expand...

Well there you go. Just noticed the Delu Ranch Cab now has "while supplies last", and now have a new "Spanish Cab Sav" coming soon.

Kind of disappointing, if you are going to have a high end kit from Spain, make it Tempranillo.

Just don't get it for the high end kits. Spanish Cab, and Chilean Pinot Noir???
 
I think Chile has been producing some excellent Pinots in recent years, but I agree, for a top of the line kit you should be getting vineyard designated grapes. So I'm guessing the juice comes from a variety of places in a region, or if the juice all comes from a single vineyard, they must not be proud of the pedigree? Hmmm...
 
I am not a Pinot Noir drinker and have no idea what a good one or bad one are like. With that siad . . . my kids suggested I do one. I did the Dashwood PN, Pitched October of 2012 Bottled July of 2013. Tried a bottle for the first time a week ago. 15 months old, 6 months in bottle. Gosh was I disappointed. It doesn't have any obvious flaws, maybe I just don't care for PN. I stuck to the instructions and didn't add extra oak or tannins since it was my first time out with PN. I did cold stabilize to eliminate wine diamonds. It wasn't very fruity or spicy or oaky. Perhaps RJS was disappointed with the vintage too.
 
tonyt said:
I am not a Pinot Noir drinker and have no idea what a good one or bad one are like. With that siad . . . my kids suggested I do one. I did the Dashwood PN, Pitched October of 2012 Bottled July of 2013. Tried a bottle for the first time a week ago. 15 months old, 6 months in bottle. Gosh was I disappointed. It doesn't have any obvious flaws, maybe I just don't care for PN. I stuck to the instructions and didn't add extra oak or tannins since it was my first time out with PN. I did cold stabilize to eliminate wine diamonds. It wasn't very fruity or spicy or oaky. Perhaps RJS was disappointed with the vintage too.
Click to expand...

That's a little strange. NZ Pinot's can be rather fruit forward, and I think I've seen comments on that very kit from people stating it was too fruity for them. That said, we'll probably never know why the source region was switched. There could have been an issue with the quality of grapes.
 
I just picked up a New Zealand EP Pinot Noir - after reading this I am not sure I should have - I have made 3 EP kits and all have been great - here's hoping.
 
I just took my EP Pinot out of Cold Stabilization over the weekend. It has some nice strawberry and chocolate notes, but there is a sourness that I'm hoping will fade with time. At the moment, it's only about six months old.
 

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