“The first rule of WINE CLUB is… ALWAYS talk about  WINE CLUB!”

The Wine buyers (Andrew and Dale) pick two wines each month for you that we love, one white (or rose, or bubbly) and one red each the total value of which will exceed $40
Come by the shop to sign up, or give us a call at 803.279.9522

3 months $40/month = $120 and you get a Riedel glass
6 months $36/month = $216 and you get two Riedel glasses
12 months $32/month = $384 and you get four Riedel glasses
(totals are pre-tax)

WINE CLUB
April 2016 Selections
Pinot Noir! and more Pinot Noir! (with just a little Chardonnay)

Gloria Ferrer Blanc De Noirs NV
Methode Champenoise

92% Pinot Noir 9% Chardonnay

One of our favourites for many years, this is an outstanding bubbly. Very slightly pink in color persistent bubbles, lovely complexity, and a long clean finish, every time we treat ourselves to a bottle of this I’m always surprised that it’s even better than I remembered!

The Blanc De Noir is made in the traditional Champagne Method, with a secondary fermentation in the bottle. In Champagne only three grapes are allowed, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, the latter two are both red grapes. When the wine is all chardonnay it’s called Blanc De Blancs, when it’s made from Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, or some combination thereof it’s called Blanc De Noirs. The juice of the grapes is white it’s only when the juice is allowede to rest on the skins after crushing that the wine becomes red by soaking up color, flavor, and tannin from the skins.

This wine, like most Sparkling wines, is Non-Vintage, allowing the wine maker to blend from different years, in order to have a consistent house style.

We choose WINE CLUB based on what we have tasted and loved, not by score, but it is nice to know that this wine was given 90pts by both the Wine Spectator and The Wine Enthusiast!

Below are the tasting notes from the Winery, which are spot-on

Click to access Gloria-Ferrer-Caves-Vineyards-Blanc-de-Noirs-Tasting-Notes.pdf

Our Blanc de Noirs is predominantly made from hand-harvested Pinot Noir grapes, the hallmarks of which are a vibrant red fruit character. The creamy palate and rosy hue are a result of a small addition of Vin Gris, which was blended into the base cuvée. Over forty different clones and selections of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are planted on our 340-acre estate in the Sonoma Carneros district. This allows us to consistently produce cuvées with complexity and clear fruit expression.

TASTING NOTES
Bright strawberry and black cherry aromas with subtle vanilla highlights. Creamy cherry, lemon and cola flavors combine with a lush palate, lively bubbles and a persistent finish.

FOOD PAIRINGS
Outstanding with crab, Thai cuisine, roast pork, quail, foie gras or semi-sweet desserts. Seasoning affinities include star anise, plum sauce and tarragon. Look to triple aged gouda or hard aged cheeses with persimmons and hazelnuts for the cheese course.

WINEMAKING
• Whole cluster pressed to avoid bitter compounds
• Juice is naturally settled overnight (debourbage) to encourage a clean fermentation
• Proprietary yeast used for secondary fermentation provides a delicate house signature
• Cuvee is a blend of 18 different base wines fermented in stainless steel tanks 55F to 60F
• 5% to 7% cold-soaked Pinot Noir juice (Vin Gris) is blended into the base wine for color and to establish the creamy notes in the finish
• Wine spent a year and a-half en tirage (on the yeast)

BLEND
92% Pinot Noir
8% Chardonnay
ANALYSIS
pH: 3.07
Total acidity: 0.73 grams/100 ml
Alcohol: 12.2%
Appellation: Carneros
Gluten Free

Willamette Valley Vineyards Whole Cluster Pinot Noir 2014

We used this wine in a seminar last fall, it showed remarkably well and was a favourite of the seminar. Dale and I tasted it again a couple of weeks ago and found it even better as it has matured a bit in the bottle. There is some very nicely complex dark fruit here, cherry and cassis, a clean wine, not light, true Pinot Noir!

This wine is produced partially using the technique of Carbonic Maceration, in which the wine starts fermentation while still in the grape, which produces a brighter, less tannic wine, that is not intended for long cellaring, as the wines produced by this method usually lack the structure needed for proper aging, although… I’ve had older Beaujolais that I think aged wonderfully, and this wine is certainly not devoid of structure! Anyhow.. The Whole Cluster is amazing now, and will be for at least the next two or three years.

For pairings, Spicy grilled pork loin, a good Cuban Ham Sandwich, Grilled salmon with sauteed baby portabellos and tomato, throw some fresh rosemary, in the mix… Yum!!

Another highly rated wine in the $20-25 price range, both Wine & Spirits and The Wine Enthusiast give this wine 90pts

Here’s what the Enthusiast has to say:
“Partially carbonic macerated (think Beaujolais), this bright and fruity wine has extra complexity in this new vintage. An interesting whiff of funk leads to forward and appealing cherry and plum fruit flavors. This is a great bottle to pop with a grilled salmon.”

“The first rule of WINE CLUB is… ALWAYS talk about  WINE CLUB!”

The Wine buyers (Andrew and Dale) pick two wines each month for you that we love, one white (or rose, or bubbly) and one red each the total value of which will exceed $40
Come by the shop to sign up, or give us a call at 803.279.9522

3 months $40/month = $120 and you get a Riedel glass
6 months $36/month = $216 and you get two Riedel glasses
12 months $32/month = $384 and you get four Riedel glasses
(totals are pre-tax)

WINE CLUB
March 2016 Selections

Protea Chenin Blanc 2014 Western Cape, South Africa
South Africa is known for its great Chenin Blanc, and this one is a stunner! Crisp and clean, nice mineralty, and a full mouthfeel, peach and melon… This was suggested as a WINE CLUB selection by Erica Crawford, who with her husband Kim, established the Kim Crawford winery. She was here showing off their Love Block wines, which are wonderful, though a little pricey for WINE CLUB. Dale and I opened a bottle and decided it would be a great choice. Mom tasted this one as well, and raved about it. (she also loved the Priorat) Anyhow, here’s what Wilfred Wong of Wine.com has to say –
“A really cool wine (aka: I like this stuff), the 2014 Protea Chenin Blanc has beautiful flavors, is very fresh and drinks so nicely. I would ask the chef to make a shredded chicken salad, with romaine lettuce, pickled scallions and dressed with a light touch of sesame oil. Medium straw color; ripe honey dew aroma, appealing, medium depth; off-dry, medium acidity, well balanced; fine white peach, melon flavors; medium finish, lively aftertaste. (Tasted: June 26, 2015, San Francisco, CA)”
I would add that the slight minerality of this wine will pair wonderfully with light seafood dishes!

Bluegray Priorat 2012 Spain
I saw this wine on a list and thought to give it a try, as this is in a very attractive price range for a Priorat blend. It’s 45% Garnacha, 30% Mazuelo, and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon. Mazuelo is also used in Rioja blends and is genetically identical to Carignan, which is grown widely throughout Europe and primarily used as a blending grape.
This wine is a big dark inky thing, clean dark fruit, nicely complex, definitely old world, clean and well balanced with nice acidity and tannins. It’s relatively high in alcohol at %15, and it shows up in the glass as an asset to this wine.
I’d have this wine with grilled or smoked meats, lamb shish kebab, even a heavy roast if you choose to age the Bluegray for a couple of years. A little char would match the intensity of this wine quite well, this wine will heighten the effect of any hot pepper you use.

I found a couple consumer reviews on this Priorat:

“This one opens quickly. Lovely garnet color with ruby tips.
Nose of blackberry and tobacco with a dark chocolate fade.
Opening of black fruits favoring blackberry and plums with French oak, slate and leather.
Medium bodied, above average acidity with a lovely complex tannin that emerges quickly but lingers long.”

“drinks above the price tag, stewed berry and earth on the nose, soft entry, powerful as it crosses the palate, raspberry, plum, smoke and cassis flavors, a heavy dose of tannin, the finish is long, had with a beefy stew, a structured, strong performing wine for the price, excellent value”

“The first rule of WINE CLUB is… ALWAYS talk about  WINE CLUB!”

The Wine buyers pick two wines each month for you that we love, one white (or rose, or bubbly) and one red each the total value of which will exceed $40
If you sign up by before the end of the month, you can start with our January 2016 selections!
Come by the shop to sign up, or give us a call at 803.279.9522

3 months $40/month = $120 and you get a Riedel glass
6 months $36/month = $216 and you get two Riedel glasses
12 months $32/month = $384 and you get four Riedel glasses
(these totals are pre-tax)

Cooper Hill Pinot Gris 2013
At Wine World representatives from our various distributors drop by throughout the week and bring wine to taste. When Dale and I tasted this Pinot Gris we both loved it immediately and ordered a few bottles, funny thing though, we already had it! Same vintage! (Dale must have tasted it already and bought some, before I came back to Wine World) Pinot Gris is the same grape as Pinot Grigio, but has a very different expression in Oregon. To my pallet this 2013 Pinot Gris has a wonderful delicate floral complexity, great for sipping or with lighter dishes, especially with a little spice and acidity maybe a thai-style squid or shrimp salad, a simple steamed whitefish on a bed of gently sauteed cabbage and mushrooms, seared scallops with garlic butter sauce and pasta, or how about chili lime chicken kabobs?
Here’s what Cooper Hill says about this wine:
Bright and aromatic.
This crisp Pinot Gris is loaded with pear, melon and peach that explode on the palate.
Made with Organic and Biodynamic grapes
(which means a great deal of care was taken in getting the best fruit possible!)

Stag’s Leap Hands of Time Red Blend 2012
This is essentially a Napa Valley Bourdeaux-style blend 57% Cabernet Sauvignon and 43% Merlot. We were impressed by the generous complexity of this wine. 2012 is a stellar vintage for California in general, this wine drinks wonderfully now, but promises to age nicely with full fruit, nice acidity and full, but silky tannins. Stag’s Leap is a well known producer of quality Napa wines, and Hands of Time is no exception.
Here’s what the winery says about the name: “Along a shady walkway on the tranquil grounds of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars one comes across a succession of limestone plaques, each bearing a handprint. These handprints comprise the Hands of Time exhibit, an enduring tribute to the many people who contributed to the winery’s
history over the years and who have gone on to become celebrated winemakers and viticulturists in their own right. With a tradition of mentoring that dates back to our founding in 1970, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars has been a springboard for many a storied winemaker’s career. This wine is a tribute to our alumni whose unwavering vision of crafting elegant and balanced wines has been passed down from teacher to student, and through the hands of time.
Pair with grilled skirt steak, roast duck, pork tacos