No Keeping Mumm About This Lot 18 Deal

It had been a while since we’d heard from Internet wine site Lot 18. In the past, we had scored some screaming free-shipping deals on artisan Pinots from Oregon and Cremant from France, among other Old World and New World gems. But lately, Kath and I seem to have dropped off their radar; our inbox had been suspiciously barren of Lot 18 e-mail.

Ah, but it’s great to be back, and with such a “welcome back” flourish: The Lot 18 “Wine Country Pass 2012,” a VIP card entitling the bearer to free tastings and a one-time 20 percent discount at dozens of Cali wineries up and down the coast.

We were particularly interested in the Napa Valley participants, primarily because, as I’ve written ad nauseum previously, Kath and I are scared to death to just pop in randomly to any of the dozens upon dozens of inviting tasting rooms forming a continuous ribbon along Highway 29 or the parallel Silverado Trail. I mean, just because a sandwich board at the winery entrance exclaims “Wine Tasting Today!” does not mean that they won’t try to jack you with exorbitant tasting fees. Maybe 10 bucks, maybe 20, maybe $30 per person: Who can take a chance that it’ll even be refundable with purchase?

The Wine Country Pass smoothed our feathers, enabling us to enjoy a Napa tasting jaunt without us having to pack a crowbar to insert into our wallets in order to sample five 1-oz pours.

I’ve posted before about our recent baby-steps ventures back to Napa. And the only reason that we did return, after years of Napa-voidance, was Kathy’s online discovery of several Valley tasting promotions. Internet sites such as Groupon and livingsocial got us back on the block, though we were careful to limit our winery visits to participants of their particular promotions. We actually even joined the Hess Collection wine club to, as well as dig the permanent art collection on display in the adjacent galleries, motivate us to pick up our club selections in person and avail ourselves of members’ complimentary tasting privileges anytime.

Turns out that this past weekend, our Hess juice was ready for p/u, and the Lot 18 Pass promotion came our way. Suddenly, our Sunday was booked up!

But first, a slight diversion. For months, Kathy and I have held onto a 2-for-1 printed Internet coupon for a winery called Reata, located at the south end of the Valley. Kathy and I are always heading north, and even though Reata is the first facility we see as we motor toward 29, we invariably drive by the winery prior to their being open for tasting.

Sunday, however, we got a later start to our adventure, and, armed with said coupon, stopped in to Reata. And we were so glad that we did. Spanish for “Ranch,” the name “Reata” lives up to its legacy, as exemplified by the towering equine sculpture that greats you upon arrival (see Kathy’s photo). The tasting room is a spacious log facility reminiscent of the Great Northern hotel from “Twin Peaks.” Tasting room associate Mike Arens led us through Reata’s vinous gamut and, not only did he not charge us the “1” of the “2-for-1,” he gave us a 10% discount on the bottles we purchased. A class act, and a great way to start the morning.

OK, back to our Lot 18 Wine Country Pass adventure. We were delighted to see that Mumm Napa, the sparkling wine producer that began as the California outpost of French Champagne giant G.H. Mumm & Companie, was on the list of participating wineries! We have such fond memories of Mumm Napa, having been wine club members, on and off, from our days in San Francisco 14 years ago, to a decade in Seattle, to our current CoCo days. Unfortunately, Kath and I have fallen victim to what we dub “The Curse of the Mumm.” We have joined, and quit, their wine club some 3 or 4 times; it seems that every time we sign up, one of us loses our job. Then, prospects brighten, so we re-up. Then, unemployment strikes again. Rinse, repeat.

We have the most wonderful memories of capping a day of Napa Valley wine tasting by sitting out on the patio at Mumm, a flute of sparkling in hand, watching the sun slink down the other side of the Mayacamas mountains. The Wine Country Pass allowed us to relive those memories. And, I didn’t realize the extent of the card’s VIP component until our server, Jose, informed us that anything on the sparkling menu was comped for cardholders. Kathy and I opted for a pair of side-by-side tasting flights, selections for which even wine club members would have to pay, though at a discount. The kicker: The member price for these two wine flights totaled the price for one of our two Passes! One winery in, and we’ve already paid off half the investment! Plus, we can continue to revisit until the end of 2012.

Kathy and I have always maintained that North Americans do not drink enough sparkling wine, reserving it for weddings and New Year’s Eve. Believe us when we say that this past first Sunday in May, approximately 1 p.m., was a true cause for celebration.

K and I continued to press our luck, continuing along Silverado Trail to the cross street that would lead us up Mt. Veeder to pick up our club elections at Hess. Just so happens that the Trail is home to a few more Pass participants, so we made pittance stops at Clos du Val and, even though Judd’s Hill is appointment only, associate Max Clancey welcomed us and led us through a special tasting for Lot 18 customers in their barrel room, complete with Tiki bar.

Picked up our wine at Hess, our last stop before continuing south and home to Contra Costa County. Kathy later did some research online to determine tasting fees of some of the other Napa Valley wineries participating in the Wine Country Pass program; there was no shortage of $25+ tolls listed.

We look forward to visiting these tasting rooms, foregoing the fees, and finally fearless.