What/Types: Your Wine Club Choices.
Our wine club has really good wines! Sure, it's easy to say, but what wine club(s) truly deliver the best wines?
As you consider the Back Room Wine Club, here are some examples of wines you may receive. The tasting notes you see below are the same that accompany the wine shipments. Wines in your wine club membership depend on the wine budget you choose.
California Red Wine Club
6 bottles per quarter, and here are four wines we might include:
Stellareese Cabernet Sauvignon, Calistoga, Napa Valley 2015 $55
Husband/wife winery making only this Cabernet from a tiny, organic vineyard in Calistoga. Sports ripe, slightly jammy black cherry smells and flavors along with cocoa, vanilla bean, a pinch of tarragon & sage and pomegranate syrup smells & flavors. Very rich, full-bodied and layered. Youthful tannins give structure while allowing the flavors to shine. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. 400 cases made.
Crocker & Starr 'Bridesmaid' Napa Valley 2015 $50
Pam Starr starts with 60% Cabernet Franc and then adds Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec to create a blend that is definitely greater than the sum of its parts.
Lunar Ridge Syrah, Coombsville, Napa Valley 2009 $28
Vineyard in front of the owners' home, 2 miles from here in the Coombsville District. Spicy aroma: black pepper, roast coffee beans, anise, dried blueberries. In the mouth get loads of dark, deep, ripe black and blueberries. Has a liqueur-ish concetration, with Syrah spice and the oak complementing the fruit. Big time flavor. 75 cases made.
The Withers 'English Hill' Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2015 $52
Crafted by one of the founders of AntHill Farms, this is an absolutely stunning expression of Pinot Noir: all the aroma, all the flavor you could hope for.
California Mixed (Red & White) Wine Club
6 bottles per quarter, and here are four wines we might include:
Two Old Dogs Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley 2017 $25
Sadly one of the old dogs on the label, the late great grapegrower Herb Lamb is no longer with us, but this crisp, zippy bottling is an excellent tribute.
Gro Chardonnay "Ruhl Vineyard" Mt Veeder, Napa Valley 2016 $38
Drive west out of Napa, climb up Mt Veeder and you’ll discover “Ruhl Vineyard” above the fog-line and looking down on the Carneros. Cool climate and lots of sun makes for a Chardonnay with both richness and healthy acidity. Smell and taste pineapple cake, baked apples, caramel, peaches, and clover honey drizzled over wheat toast. 15% Malolactic, 10% new French oak. One of our best Chards, no question.
Por que no? Napa Valley Red Wine 2014 $26
Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah and Petit Verdot join forces to make this delicious, robust, dark berry fruit and spice driven red wine. Smell and taste black cherry liqueur, allspice, incense, mocha, fruitcake, blueberries and more. One of our favorite wines to recommend if you want local, unique, delicious and very fairly priced.
White Rock Claret, Napa Valley 2014 $55
76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot. Bordeaux-style blend in the “classic Napa” style (think 70’s-80’s). All estate fruit from the base of Atlas Peak. Cassis, black cherry liqueur, blackberry, cocoa, mandarin rind, graphite and a distinct chalky quality to the tannins, courtesy of compressed white volcanic ash soils. Fantastic now, will age gracefully for at least 15 years.
International Wine Club
6 bottles per quarter, and here are four wines we might include:
Domaine Saint-Remy Vieilles Vignes Riesling 2016 $23
“Vieilles Vignes” in this case equals 30 year old vines. Certified biodynamic vineyards farmed by the same family since 1725. Remarkably full and intense for a “base model” Riesling. Get a bushel full of apple, pear and pineapple on the nose and palate, with a pinch of key lime pie on the long, mineral-driven finish. Petrol and white flowers emerge with air. Great acidity, nicely structured. Sweetness: 1.5/10
Rafael Palacios "Louro" Godello Valdeorras 2016 $22
Rafael is the youngest of the 9 Palacios brothers, helping revolutionise Spanish winemaking. Valdeorras in north-west Spain is the DO, Godello the grape – both of them revived by Rafael. Godello has a naturally fresh acidity and a rich, full body. Find a stone, mineral, beeswax texture, with green apples, citrus, and nectarine aromas, and an acacia and honeysuckle nose. Complex, concentrated, and vibrant.
Segla Margaux 2012 $72
Equal parts (47% ) Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with a little bit of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. This is classic left-bank Bordeaux, with a firm tannic structure lifted by a fresh acidity. Smoky, with fleshy black fruit aromas of blackcurrants and plums, together with licorice and dark chocolate. Surprisingly approachable already, but can easily age for another five-ten years .
Domaine Roger Sabon Chateauneuf-du-Pape Reserve 2016 $53
80% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah. Chateauneuf-du-Pape A top drop by any standard!.
Whatever your preference:
Napa Valley cult club, Sonoma Pinot club, or a "Wines of the World" club, you'll be thrilled by the range and quality of these wines.
To join our wine club, go to our Wine Club Join Now page.
Thank you!