Their offer is out today, and I am surprised no mention here.
I am a fan of their Savoy pinot and my wife loves their chards.
I am in their club, and am just starting to understand the wines. I like them, but am not yet sure if I am wowed enough to stick with it. I have had a few really great experiences, and a few that seemed too run of the mill for my taste.
I was on their list at the start when they were Failla-Jordan and focused on Syrah and Viognier. Dropped them as they shifted focus to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. When I was purchasing the wines were well made.
I actually just placed an order, largely to finally try some of the Syrah. The club shipments tend to be mostly Pinot.
Well…I like the Failla wines quite a lot. I buy mostly for their Estate/FtRoss Syrah, one of the
greatest cold-climate Syrahs made in Calif. Their Pinots can be on the pricey side. Their regular
SonomaCoast Chard & Pinot is actually quite good values. I will probably several of the
Hudson Syrahs and a sampling of the Chards for a 6-pack.
Tom
“I’ve followed them from the start,” when they were Failla-Jordan. I saw the email this morning and will put together an order, likely chards and the syrah. When I started with Ehren, he was doing several syrahs and the viognier with Alban fruit, which apparently has gone away. Now he’s got some very pricey pinots (not in the current offer) and also the pinot from Oregon.
I’ve always thought the wines were well made and pleasant to drink, but the price increases have scared me off a bit. He’s also doing zins under the Day label; I have some but have not tried them.
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I’ve only had a few of these recently, and none directly from the winery. How much have the prices risen?
Bought a case of 2014s (4 Peay, 4 Hirsch, 4 Fort-Ross Seaview) at the winery after visiting in October 2016 - I really liked the style. Seemed built for the medium-term (7-10 years to start really singing?) and had some restraint and elegance. Didn’t join the club but got on the list, and would have continued buying but prices went up about $15/bottle for 2015 Pinot releases and a little more for 2016. Didn’t buy any Chardonnay but recall enjoying it quite a bit.
Big fan here. We import their wines to Australia.
The California Pinot Noir market seems more than a little overheated, and not just at Failla.
I am a fan and will be ordering a mix of Pinot, Syrah and maybe a couple of chards.
Prices are creeping but the SC chard and Pinot are still good values relatively and it’s more of a Cali issue than a Failla issue as noted above.
I know I sound like a broken record, but for those who have not done so, listen to Ehren’s I’ll Drink to That podcast with Levi Dalton - some great background information there.
Thanks for the tip on that podcast, Larry. I’ve visited the winery a couple times and usually buy a half case which waives our tasting fees. It’s a nice cave, easy to access, smells like fresh bread inside and totally worth a trip if you’re nearby. Plus it’s nice to break up the cab train on the Napa side…
The estate syrah is classy (as noted above) and carried a noticeable mint characteristic that I enjoyed.
Their chardonnays are unique in that some are fermented in ceramic eggs; reportedly an uncommon practice. I’ve had most of the chards from one vintage or another and in general they age very well in the short term. I haven’t kept any longer than 5 years though. Generally speaking, I’ve found them clean and pure, with lean fruit and some minerals, good acidic drive, quite similar to Hanzell IMO.
I agree that the pinots stand out less among a crowd. For fans of the style, most seem to favor Littorai at these price points FWIW. Nonetheless, they are well made and enjoyable in the context of a tasting.
But Larry, does he make anything from Santa Barbara? 
IIRC, he actually does - from Domaine de la Cote, Raj Parr and Sashi Moorman’s Vyd in the Sta. Rita Hills 
^^^ awesome vineyard
I have not enjoyed anything from DdLC. Just doesn’t ring right for me.
The Hudson Syrah is a beauty. A few local winemakers here in the Barossa are quite taken by it. The Day Zin’s are also terrific.
Si am really looking forward to trying the Syrah.
I’ve had mixed experiences from bottle, but admit I still drink them as they are commonly served by the glass here in the Bay Area.