How do you choose between the 26 wines offered for the 2022 vintage? What do you not buy when trying to stay on budget and have space constraints?
So for the club members out there how do you pick and choose?
One word: Strategery…
Kidding aside, it’s tough. I’m a 12 bottle member, and do not buy more than the 12 bottles. I’m on my 4th club shipment. First one was all about adding additional bottles after tasting @ the winery. 2nd and 3rd were about exploration. I literally picked 2 bottles of 6 of the selections. I tried to mix it up, for example, I think on this release there are 5 from Freedom Hill. I’d select 1 or 2 max. Same with Wadensvil’s clone. I also avoid those I can buy locally, there are a couple this round I can get at retail.
Trying to mix it up so I start to get a better idea of what I really enjoy, then start to zone in on those. Which is where I’m at with this current release. Likely going heavier on Balcombe 1B, Balcombe, and Wind Ridge. Then fill in with a couple more I haven’t purchased before to continue the exploration.
Happy shopping!
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Spend your first couple a shipments trying a few bottlings from the different AVA’s. After about 2-3 years, I gradually learned which vineyards I prefer and have honed in on those.
Try them all, right away! Joking aside, tasting at the winery helped. I think i tried 8 different bottles when we were there and it reallyhelped narrow things down.
Visiting them and getting to taste broadly was a huge help to me.
I’m relatively new to both Patricia Green Cellars and, Pinot Noir in general. I’m afraid I like just about everything Jim bottles and, special treat (for me, being “late” to the show) is I’ve found most of the 2021s and 2022s I’ve tried to be quite enjoyable this early in their journey. The 2021 Wind Ridge (I’ve gone through over a case at this point) I had a month or so ago put me in another world, it was so damn good. After opening one or two of them shortly after the Spring 2024 release I was a bit hesitant (not sure why I would ever doubt the winemaker’s assessments) regarding the 2022s providing me the level of drinking pleasure I was getting out of so many of the 2021s . . . but then I got to thinking “wait a minute, I’ve been drinking those 2021s beginning in the fall of 2023 and so perhaps I should revisit the 2022s closer to this fall before I make up my mind.” I did. As of today I am up to about 5 cases of the 2022s ordered. It’s not quite the quantities of the 2021s ordered to date but, hell, there’s still time (so long as I don’t get hit by a train after getting up on the wrong side of the tracks one morning).
I also try to mix it up a bit, in order to try to experience what Jim and PGC are doing with the different clones, blocks and vineyards, hoping to be able to sit down and try a couple or three different bottling (of same vintage) in a setting, to see, taste and smell the contrasts. That adds a bit of “fun” and interest to it all.
Also, I have found Jim’s detailed and comprehensive descriptions on the web site to be really helpful - even more so than the critics’ tasting notes/reviews.
Regardless, I hope you experience as much enjoyment and pleasure with these wines as I have!! Good luck!
“As of today I am up to about 5 cases of the 2022s ordered. It’s not quite the quantities of the 2021s ordered to date but, hell, there’s still time”
You should not be a member of the Wine Club, you should be the President of the Wine Club 
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Thank you for all the suggestions and advice. Truly helpful.
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We realize that the breadth of what we do is both something hugely compelling and incredibly frustrating about our winery. Patty and I went out first 15+ years without any sort of organization to our DTC program. We wanted to allow people to get the wine or wines that they wanted and not be few things they weren’t necessarily interested in. Allowing people to personalize their club has created an environment that we (now, just me) were/are comfortable with. As this thread shows it is even to the point that the embarrassment of riches available is somewhat overwhelming.
I would say, also, we’ve been gifted (2020 aside) a run of vintages that any wine producing region would be envious of and 2022 is another excellent one. They’re a little more out of the gate user friendly than the at times tough/intense 2021s but they don’t lack for anything in the stuffing or ageworthy departments.
It’s hard to pick any one wine or sets of wines but the Dundee Hills AVA wines and all the Freedom Hill wines are particularly good and on point. Our Estate Vineyard was significantly impacted by the April frost and there is one lone wine from there this year which is hard (we just finished bottling 7 Estate Pinots from 2023). Also, don’t over look the wiry and nervy Bearwallow Vineyard from Anderson Valley. Narrowing down, I did not do. Hopefully helpful hints though.
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If you are just starting out and haven’t been to the winery to taste, I would just get out a blindfold and some darts. It’s hard to go wrong.
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Thank You.