CLASSIC CLUB
Red 1- 2018 Chateau Montplaisir Côtes du Rhône Villages Valréas, France
Château Montplaisir takes an environmental approach. The whole range of wines on the property is certified organic. They do not use pesticides or chemical fertilizers. The grapes are hand-picked, sorted, transported to the winery in small boxes, destemmed and transferred to vats. The grapes are sorted and fermented by type and land plot to preserve the personality of each wine. Aging in vats helps soften and round the tannins.
This wine is a blend of Grenache and Carignan. It has aromas of ripe red fruit with a delicate spicy background. Well defined red fruits on the palate, it is supple and round. This is a delicious, fruity and spicy red wine, able to satisfy every palate.
Food pairing: Grilled or oven-roasted dishes cooked with Mediterranean herbs - thyme, rosemary, savory, bay leaf, garlic.
Red 2- 2015 Kelman Family Vineyards Dão Tinto, Portugal
Juliana C. Kelman has both Brazilian and Portuguese citizenship. Her grandparents left Portugal for Brazil in the 1940s and 70+ years later the pendulum is now swinging back. She and her husband Rafael work hard to praise the great produce of their corner of Portugal, the Dão region. They enjoy doing every bit of it and welcome you to join the ride. All of their wines are vegan friendly.
A blend of native red grapes, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Afroscheiro, and Jaen, this wine has ripe red fruit aromas, hints of wild berries, and spicy, floral notes. This smooth-bodied wine has a good balance between its natural acidity and structure. Mineral character provides freshness, with volume and a harmonious finish. It has good structure and freshness and the 2015 vintage is drinking at its best right now!
Food Pairing: Meat dishes and cured cheese
White 1- 2019 Kinero Cellars ‘Alice’ Grenache Blanc, Paso Robles
Winemaker Anthony Yount has a passion for making white wine, or as he states, he was driven by his father’s distaste for it to make the best balanced and interesting whites out of spite. He creates carefully sculpted and complex whites and has slowly convinced his father to appreciate them. His wines are not only for those drinkers that enjoy the nuances of a handcrafted white wine but also for those who pretend not to.
The 2019 Alice Grenache Blanc has a gorgeous nose filled with Meyer lemon, Asian pear, botanicals, and a touch of flint. Exotic flavors of kaffir lime, toasted sesame seeds, and honeydew melon evolve into a slightly oily and very textural mid-palate. The finish is precise with mouthwatering acidity that lingers for nearly a minute. If you enjoy Chardonnay, you will find Grenache Blanc similar in texture.
Food Pairing: Great with Moroccan spiced dishes, garlic chicken and softer creamy cheeses like Brie and medium-hard nutty cheeses such as Gruyere and Comté.
White 2- 2017 Prà Staforte Soave Classico, Veneto, Italy
Graziano Prà has been part of the family business since the early 80s, but he is responsible for bringing a bit of international fame to the winery. Respect for the land, purity above all else, and his choice to only use local vines reflect Graziano’s strong belief in the potential quality of local grapes and for the enhancement of the terrior.
Garganega is the indigenous grape responsible for the great Soave. It produces medium-bodied white wines with fine acidity. The 2017 Staforte is bursting with aromas of fresh fruit – apricot, peach, honey crisp apples – as well as dried chamomile, grated ginger, and white flowers. The mineral notes give the wine elegance and finesse. On the palate, the wine is smooth and round making it easy to drink. and persistent. 90 Points - Wine Spectator.
Food Pairing: Clams and gnocchi, squid ink pasta, scallops, and risotto.
COLLECTORS CLUB
Red 1- 2017 Division Wine Co. ‘Nightshade’ Nebbiolo, Red Mountain, Washington
Division Winemaking Company is a Portland, Oregon based winery founded in 2010 by Kate Norris and Thomas Monroe. Inspired by the wineries of the Northern Rhone where they first learned winemaking and viticulture, the urban winery creates Oregon and Washington wines. Initially focusing on Gamay, in 2017, Tom decided to take on Nebbiolo, a notoriously difficult grape. Very few local winemakers attempt this Piemontese classic, but this is quickly one of the better efforts, focusing on fruit and aromatics over structure.
This wine comes from a single vineyard in the Columbia Valley. Elegant, layered, nuanced, and softer on the palate, in other words, more Barbaresco than Barolo, but the comparisons to Piedmont are certainly obvious. Light in color but big in flavor, more on the pretty, floral side of Nebbiolo.
Red 2- 2006 Balgera Rosso de Valtellina, Lombardy, Italy
Founded in 1885. Paolo and Matteo Balgera are the 4th and 5th generations of the Balgera family to farm these vineyards and make wine. The Valtellina is a very small wine-producing region in the mountains north of Milan, just south of the Alps that border Switzerland. The predominant grape variety is Nebbiolo, usually referred to here as Chiavennasca, and this is one of the best places for this classic variety. The Valtellina valley runs East-West, and the steep slopes on the northern face of the valley are terraced for grapevines in what the Italians call 'heroic viticulture;' the amount of work involved in establishing and maintaining the terracing alone is hard to imagine, never mind working the vineyards.
The Rosso is 85% Nebbiolo, 15% other local varieties such as Pignolo or Rossola Nera. The grapes are destemmed and lightly crushed, the fermentation is carried out with indigenous yeasts, the wine is macerated for a total of about 10 days, then spends a year in tank and 4 more years in large barrels.
Tasting notes: strawberry, minerals, fresh, long, amazing for the price. Best base wine ever!
White- 2015 Domaine Serrigny Savigny les Beaune, Burgundy, France
Domaine Serrigny is a family operation deep in the hollow of Savigny-les-Beaune. The household is on the hill behind the local château, and when you pull out of their road you can look down and see the seigneur’s crazy collection of mothballed fighter jets. He’s got them lined up on the chateau’s lawn, an eclectic display of man’s bird of prey. Domaine Serrigny dates from the late 19th century. It’s made up of 17 acres of vines and is run today by Marie Laure Serrigny. She’s the fourth generation, and she took over the estate in 1995 with her younger sister Francine.
This Chardonnay is aged in older barrels for twelve months before racking to steel where the wine rests for four more months. A vivacious clean, fresh, and full-bodied wine with notes of lemon, stones, and apple.
Food pairing: Excellent with roast, glazed or caramelized poultry and mild French cheeses such as Brie, Tomme and Epoisses.
PINOT CLUB
Pinot 1- 2016 Black Kite Cellars ‘Kite’s Rest’ Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley
Black Kite Cellars is a small, family-owned and operated winery founded in 2003 dedicated to producing the finest Pinot Noir using the best growing and winemaking practices applied to vineyards ideally situated for these classic Burgundian varietals.
Dynamic and multi-layered, the 2016 Kite’s Rest Vineyard Pinot Noir is a harmonious blend of the three distinct blocks that comprise their Anderson Valley estate vineyard. Lively violet, rose potpourri, plum, vanilla, and spice highlight the aromatic profile, while the edgy core of cranberry and raspberry gains dark berry richness on the long, gracefully structured finish. This critically acclaimed wine received 94 Pts from Wine Enthusiast.
Food pairing: Pate, foie gras, mushroom, and anything truffle.
Pinot 2- 2012 Churton Pinot Noir, Marlborough, New Zealand
Churton is the brainchild of Sam and Mandy Weaver, English expatriates who have devoted themselves to producing small quantities of outstanding Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. Their wines have elegance and texture, complexity and layers of flavor, subtlety, and length. It’s the result of an Old World approach to viticulture, with close planting and low cropping vines and all work done by hand including picking at harvest. Biodynamic principles are used in vineyard operations.
“A spicy and very savory take on the style that has plenty of mellow red cherry fruit in the mix as well as a gentle peppery edge. The palate is nicely focused, fleshy soft edges wrap around a fine tanninc spine and poached spiced strawberry and red cherry flavors abound. An even and laid back pinot leading to gently gamy finish.” - JamesSuckling.com, 92 Points
Food pairings: Great with charcuterie platters or New Zealand lamb.
ORGANIC CLUB
Red 1- 2018 Chateau Montplaisir Côtes du Rhône Villages Valréas, France
Same as Classic Club Red 1
Red 2- 2015 Kelman Family Vineyards Dão Tinto, Portugal
Same as Classic Club Red 2
White- 2018 Zlatan Otok Pošip, Makarska, Dalmatia, Croatia
Zlatan Plenković decided to plant the south side of the incredibly steep Biokovo Mountain with vines. The terrain of the vineyards is extremely rugged with a very rocky soil that is mostly red clay top soil with a rugged limestone base. Organically farmed with no irrigation. Fermented and then aged for 8 mos. in stainless steel.
Pošip is an incredibly old indigenous Croatian varietal that dates back to the 4th century BC. It originates from the island of Korčula, just south of Hvar Island. This pošip has a straw-golden color, with denseness and minerality that leaves a thick trail in the glass. It is loaded with bright, full, and distinctive flavors, with aromas of dried apricots and figs.
Food pairing: Lobster, shrimp, traditional Dalmatian scampi in brudet sauce, mussels prepared in a variety of ways, grilled white fish, as well as Dalmatian pršut (prosciutto), aged cheeses, and grilled juicy pork chops.
NP SOMM CLUB
Red 1- 2017 J. Bookwalter Winery Conner-Lee Vineyard ‘Conflict’ Red Blend, Columbia Valley, Washington
Ten generations of the Bookwalter family have been involved in American agriculture. But it was Jerry Bookwalter, generation nine and father of current company president John Bookwalter, who led the family into viticulture.
This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot with a touch of Syrah and Cabernet Franc is suave and complex with classical aromatics of currants and dark berries, married to new French oak and savory earthiness. This wine provides abundant pleasure now. It has the power to be saved and become aromatically amazing in 5-10 years. The Cabernet Sauvignon’s tannic intensity vies with the voluptuous Merlot for attention in this dynamic wine.
Food pairing: Of course it will be great with grilled meats, but this also pairs well with a box of dark chocolate truffles.
Red 2- Abeja Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, Washington
Abeja founders Ken and Ginger Harrison came to Walla Walla Valley in the late 1990s in search of land suitable for planting world-class Cabernet Sauvignon. They discovered an extraordinary historic farmstead that captured their hearts and sparked their imagination. Not only did they plant vines but also restored the farmstead’s existing buildings creating a one-of-a-kind Walla Walla wine country destination.
This wine has dense aromas of black stone fruits, fragrant allspice, and berry that are captivating and generous on the nose. A surge of ripe plum defines the mouth-filling entry yet shows restraint in a well-crafted palate that displays grip and structure. Finally, layers of bright cherry, sage, and clove come into focus and leading to a lasting, memorable finish.
Food pairing: Ribeye steak or lamb.
White- 2017 Analemma Bianco, Mosier Hills, Oregon
First planted in 2011, the Mosier Hills is the home and heart of Analemma. Uniquely located at a convergence of cool, wet maritime, and warm, dry continental climates. The estate is farmed using organic and biodynamic methods that encourage life and health.
The Bianco is a blend of Spanish varietals. 85% Godello and 15% Albariño offer bright aromas of white flowers and peach, which accompany a balanced, full texture on the palate. Notes of key lime play alongside a mouth-watering saline character on the palate. True to its Galician heritage this is a medium-bodied and dry wine, with more herbs than flowers & more mineral expression than fruit.
Food pairing: Fish tacos with cilantro & lime