California Pinot Noir Club recommendations?

Hello

I live in the San Francisco Bay area and am exploring the potential of joining a wine club or two through a winery.

I would want the focus to be California Pinot Noirs (Sonoma, Anderson Valley, other? , etc).

Since I am in the SF bay area I wouldn’t mind making a day trip a few times a year to pick up the wine, I am not looking to have it mailed to me.

Currently I buy most of my wine from K&L, Costco and Garagiste. I’m not use to paying the high price tags that are often found when buying direct at a winery.

Ideas???

Well, usually a wine club offer a discount for agreeing to buy a certain amount of wine over a year. Mine is 10-15-20 % , for a 16, 24 & 48 bottles…

Here is a link for your reference.

https://www.roadhousewinery.com/Club

We are in downtown Healdsburg, and there are several other Pinot outfits like mine in and around the town, one is bound to suit your tastes.

I would recommend visiting several wineries and taste as many different wines as you can. Then buy what you like. There are lots of different styles of Pinot Noir. I wouldn’t get on to a winery’s list from recommendations. Your tastes might be different from the recommenders.

1 Like

Wait a couple months and Sandler will offer a Pinot 6-pack for like $150. Buy two. Repeat next year. :slight_smile:

Most of the clubs that I still keep (not many) are Wineries that I first visited and then decided to join because I liked the wines and the story.

Why not plan a tasting day trip, try a few, and then buy what you like?

Good inexpensive club

https://boekenoogenwines.com/wines/

Berserker Day!

I am a member of Eric’s Roadhouse Winery club and enjoy it a great deal.

I agree with this completely - especially since you live in the SF Bay area. If I had “day-trip” access, this would be the only way I would buy wine.

Recommend that you join mailing lists rather than wine clubs. That way you get to pick. I have been on many over the years but am currently only buying from one. The ones you end up patronizing should of course be based on what you like. Make a few trips to the central coast and the RRV to taste and zero in on the wines you like. My list of reasonably priced producers that I like would include Walter Hansel, Dehlinger, Melville, Loring, Siduri, and Calera. Of course there are literally hundreds of others. Explore and enjoy.

Two words…Bottle Barn

Great wine shop in Santa Rosa carries many wines only found in wineries at better pricing. They also do tastings where you can try a bunch at one time. As a bay Area local you have that advantage

Thanks for the suggestion, sounds like the Albertsons in Paso Robles, I heard they have alot of local wines at a nice discount.

Bottle Barn is amazing.

http://www.windyoaksestate.com/benefits.php

I have never been to that Albertson’s but I am guessing they carry a good selection of Paso area wines. I can as someone who lives about one half mile from Bottle Barn, it’s likely a rung or two above Albertson’s. If you come up for a visit to taste in Sonoma County, it would be worth a quick 15-20 minute stop just to see it.

I echo the recommendations to take a couple of day trips and find what Pinots are in your wheel house. You can visit everywhere from Anderson Valley in the North to Monterey in the South. As mentioned above visit Siduri, Williams & Selyem, Dehlinger and Windy Oaks. Others I would add are Navarro, Woodenhead, and Testa Rosa. FWIW the only wine club I currently belong to is Navarro.

For a modern style, I recommend purchasing from Calera direct. Their Selleck vineyard is my favorite. If you are looking for a more traditional producer, I highly recommend Ceritas, but you’ll need to wait 5+ years before they shine.

I would check out the San Francisco K&L wine shop and start with a mixed 6 pack of local Pinots. You should be able to get a good variety and some idea of which ones are worth more investigation. There are loads of California Pinots to try at all price ranges. Once you’ve found some you like, you can contact the winery directly to purchase or get on their allocation lists.

As mentioned, very much a style thing. We’ve been going to Anderson Valley for six years and would recommend Witching Stick, Baxter, Drew, and Phillips Hill. All make really nice single vineyard Pinot plus some Syrah and some aromatic whites (and Zin in WS case). And second Navarro. No shortage of variety and all around good stuff.

Adam Lee started something called Clarice. Something to consider if you enjoyed Suduri.