Wine Club

DeLoach Pinot Noir Heritage Reserve

Grape Varietal: 100% Pinot Noir
Origin: California

DeLoach Vineyards, located in the heart of Sonoma's renowned Russian River Valley, is a pioneering producer of award-winning Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Zinfandel wines. The winery has over 45 years of experience experimenting with the perfect combination of soil, rootstock and clones, resulting in a history of producing high-quality, eco-friendly wines. We happened to taste this DeLoach bottling and knew we had a fantastic wine for our January "Wine of the Month."

The nose is loaded with cherry and cherry cola scents, aided by a general layer of mixed red fruits and berries. Notes of hillside brush and light florals add depth to the attractive olfactory milieu. The palate reiterates the bright, lush fruit, with cherries once again in the foreground! Mixed red berries and a touch of strawberry tea lead to light but brisk acidity that keeps the fruit-forward wine from becoming cloying. This is a tasty, bright Pinot that will please just about any crowd! The finish sees more cherry goodness deepened with touches of loam and mild spice and more mixed fruits and berries.

The fruit for this Pinot Noir is primarily from the Delta region of California and is fermented in closed-top fermenters. A small portion is aged in seasoned barrels to impart slight oak characteristics to the wine, but most is kept in stainless steel in order to stay true to the wine's lighter, food-friendly style. By fermenting and aging the majority of the fruit in closed stainless steel, it retains the delicate fresh fruit aromas. This Pinot Noir, like many of the world's finest wines, requires minimal handling. Buy and drink and enjoy!

Chateau Saintayme 2020 Saint Emilion

Grape Varietal: Merlot & Cabernet Franc
Origin: Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux, France

JAMES SUCKLING 94-95 POINTS

"A gorgeous red with so much black fruit and salty, mineral character. It’s medium-to full-bodied with creamy, polished tannins and a long finish. The precision and fine texture is impressive. One of the best I have had for a while."

We are frequently asked to recommend delicious, ready to drink Bordeaux at a reasonable price. Today's wine checks all those boxes and represents an amazing value. The 2020 Saintayme from Bordeaux star, Denis Durantou is a full-bodied wine packed full of perfectly ripened fruit that glides across the palate like pure silk.

We are not the only ones who enjoy this wine. James Suckling gave this wine a score of 94-95 Points, calling it "gorgeous," "impressive" and "one of the best I have had in a while." We couldn't have said it any better, this is one delicious wine!

How does all this great juice make it into the bottle for such a great price? First of all, this wine is from the famous right bank appellation of Saint Emilion, which is one of the greatest terroirs on earth. In fact, this Chateau is classified as Grand Cru and this is terroir where Merlot and Cabernet Franc show their greatest expression. Secondly, this wine was crafted by well-respected Denis Durantou of the famous Château L'Eglise Clinet. Finally, the warm 2020 vintage produced wines of richness, depth and seamless texture that make them so easy to like.

The same team that makes the wine of Durantou's flagship property in Pomerol, L'Eglise Clinet crafts the wine at this estate. You might also be familiar with Chateau Montlandrie, which is another of their popular wines and is one of the best-selling Bordeaux at Hi-Time. The terroir at Saintayme is comprised of primarily of limestone and clay and some gravel. The combination of soil, weather winemaking know-how resulted in a fantastic wine.

Gigondas 2019 Guigal

Grape Varietal: Grenache 70%, Syrah 20%, and 10% Mourvedre
Origin: Gigondas, Southern Rhone, France

VINOUS 93 POINTS

"Full ruby color. The deeply perfumed nose showcases cherry, dark berries, licorice, savory herbs and olive notes. Concentrated, spice-laced cassis, cherry cola and candied lavender flavors smoothly blend depth and vivacity. Polished tannins come in slowly on a very long, penetrating finish that strongly repeats the cherry and floral notes."

WINE SPECTATOR 91 POINTS

"Understated style, with light incense and worn cedar notes running along the edges of the slightly dried currant, raspberry and red cherry fruit flavors. The cedary edge lingers longest in the end. Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre."

Comprised of 70% Grenache, 20 % Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre, this "GSM" 2019 is in the perfect spot for drinking now or over the next several years. This wine is full-bodied, generous, and filled with concentrated, lush fruit and baking spices.

We were able to grab the last stock available at very favorable pricing, which allowed us to pass on the savings. The regular price was $34.95, but we are now able to offer this delicious wine at $24.95 per bottle!

Guigal is a historic producer from the Rhone Valley and is best known for their Cote Rotie bottlings of La Landonne, La Mouline and La Turque. With holdings in both the north and southern Rhone, Guigal is well known for their consistent quality across many appellations.

The Guigal domain was founded in 1946 by Etienne Guigal in Ampuis; a small, ancient village at the heart of the Côte-Rôtie appellation. It is overlooked by unique vineyards where vines and wine have been celebrated for over 2,400 years. The terroir is comprised of ancient alluvial soils of red clay and gravel situated on hillsides. After harvest and fermentation, the wine is aged in large oak barrels of which 50% are new.

This delicious, full-bodied treat is a great wine to grab for the holidays. There is limited quantity, when it's gone it's gone!

Ucceleria 2021 Rossi di Montalcino

Grape Varietal: 100% Sangiovese
Origin: Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy

VINOUS 93 POINTS

"Darkly alluring, the 2021 Rosso di Montalcino slowly comes to life with a beguiling blend of mentholated herbs, pine shavings and dried strawberries. This sweeps across the palate with textures of pure silk, soothing all that it touches with ripe red fruits and rosy inner florals guided by vibrant acidity. It finishes structured, potent and long, punching well above its weight class, as licorice mingles with savory spices through the youthfully tense finale. This is next-level Rosso di Montalcino. In a word, spellbinding." - Eric Guido

The Uccelliera estate lies in the sunny, open hills of the Castelnuovo dell'Abate area, southeast of Montalcino. The Sangioveses here are on the richer end of the spectrum, along with fuller tannic structures, and that shows in Uccelliera's Rosso di Montalcino. The winery's fruit purity and sauve textures are on clear display in this edition from the fantastic 2021 vintage! Let this open up in the glass or just decant the bottle, and enjoy with bold, savory falvors like aged cheeses and New York strip or bibeye steaks.

"A sunny and beautifully pure, ripe wine, the 2021 Rosso Di Montalcino is expressive in its notes of boysenberry, black cherry, dark wet stone, and sweet herbs. Ripe but taut, with medium to full body, it offers crunchy black cherry, ripe and present tannins, snappy acidity, and a note of turned soil on the finish. It is a well-structured Rosso with the bones to stand up to hard cheeses and steaks. Drink 2024-2030." - Audrey Frick

Rosso’s from Montalcino are, in essence, “baby” Brunello. If you’ve always been enamored with wine from Montalcino, Uccelliera has to be one of the benchmarks. The wine is 100% Sangiovese, but we’re talking about a different clone than what is used in Chianti. Here we get a wine that has more of everything and by that I mean breadth and amplification when compared to Chianti Classico (which is why Chianti producers make a Riserva). With Uccelliera’s it’s an unadulterated love affair. It’s fresh, rich, and powerful, but being a Rosso di Montalcino, just plain easy to drink!

Lazaridi 2022 Queen of Hearts

Grape Varietal: Chardonnay, Assyrtiko, Roditis, Muscat of Alexandria, Ugni Blanc
Origin: PGI Macedonia, Greece

For the production of the Queen of Hearts white wine we chose the Greek varieties of Assyrtiko – a Greek phenomenon spread worldwide – Roditis, Muscat of Alexandria, and the cosmopolitan variety of Chardonnay and Ugni Blanc.

Bright green yellow color with a gentle nose of white-flesh fruits and distinctive aromas of spring flowers. A wine with a surprising fine structure. Pleasant mouth and refreshing aftertaste.

Wine Tip

Queen of hearts is a lovely blend of International and native Greek grapes varieties. It is medium bodied, fresh and gently aromatic. ( white peach, citrus and flowers)

Hiedler 2023 Gruner Veltliner Thal

Grape Varietal: 100% Gruner Veltliner
Origin: Ried "Thal" Kamptal, Austria

FALSTAFF MAGAZINE 93 POINTS

"Medium yellow green, silver reflections. Delicate yellow apple, a hint of mango, fine blossom honey, multi-faceted bouquet. Medium complexity, white stone fruit, fresh acidity, mineral, subtle fruit in the finish, already accessible, has certain ageing potential.

JAMES SUCKLING 92 POINTS

"A bright and fruity gruner veltliner that has notes of lemons, peaches and sliced pears. It’s medium-bodied, crisp and pure, with persistent stone fruit notes in a long finish. Drink now. Screw cap."

This bright and sunny Gruner Veltliner is brimming with fresh pear and nectarine notes and a clean, citrusy finish. “Ried Thal” (Ried=vineyard), is Hiedler’s oldest vineyard, planted in 1856, composed of quartz and yellow calcareous loess. This is a wine you can immediately enjoy or cellar. We have tasted bottles of the grüner, "Thal" from the 70s, which were quite astounding. Stephan Reinhardt of The Wine Advocate shares his thoughts on the winery: "Hiedler's wine represents a unique style that combines elegance with baroque and finishes linear and lean like a Gothic cathedral. Impressive!"