Archive for August, 2009
Friday, August 28th, 2009
Both Pinot Noir selections this month have roots overseas and a commitment to sustainability. For the Pey’s of Scenic Root Wine Growers (of which Pey-Lucia Vineyards is one of five entities) their initial bond was forged at the University of Arizona where they both connected over stories of living abroad and their love of the European cultures surrounded by fine wines. Laetitia Vineyards was started in 1982 by French enologists and viticulturalists from Champagne Deutz who wanted to expand their production of sparkling wines into the United States. The property was then purchased by Jean-Claude Tardivat, who shifted the winery’s focus to Burgundian-style varietals. Laetitia is now owned by Selim Zilkha, who was born in Baghdadm and raised in Egypt, Lebanon and New York.
 Jonathan Pey of Pey-Lucia began his career working for a number of wine industry giants: Lousi Jadot, Pomerol’s Chateau Petrus, Penfolds and Robert Mondavi. Susan was raised in wine country and caught the wine bug at an early age. Her first job was as a Wine Director for Spectrum Foods and Il Fornaio restaurant groups where she would taste, evaluate and purchase hundreds of wines from around the world. She continues to buy wine as a career, professionally evaluating hundreds of wines each week. The Pey’s settled in Marin County, California. Inspired by the area’s wine growing history, they produced their first vintage in 1999- a Pey-Marin Merlot. Together, Jonathan and Susan share all of the work that goes on at the winery, he in the vineyard, she in the cellar. Their wines are beginning to earn some serious recognition due to their location in the ultra-cool Santa Lucia Highlands (perfect for Pinot Noir), their self-proclaimed ‘pickiness’ about the grapes they choose, and their sustainable, organic winegrowing practices.
The Pey-Lucia 2006 ‘Frisquet’ Pinot Noir has earned 94 points and an ‘outstanding’ distinction from Pinot Report and 90 points from Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar.
Selim Zilkha is nearly 70 years old and has enjoyed several highly successful business ventures in his lifetime. His love for agriculture, food and fine wines brought him into the wine business and ultimately to Laetitia Vineyard and Winery. At the winery, he is joined by his son, daughter and an all-star viticultural team including father-son team Dave and Eric Hickey. The vineyard is located in Arroyo Grande, one of California’s coolest grape growing regions well suited for Pinot Noir and the sparkling wines they continue to produce in honor of the first owner.
 All farming on the Laetitia vineyard is done with the goal of long-term sustainability and overall vine health and was recently awarded certification by the Sustainability in Practice (SIP) program.
The Laetitia 2006 Reserve Pinot Noir is a premier blend of hand selected old and new Pinot Noir vines from Arroyo Grande. Awarded 95 points by Wine Enthusiast, this Pinot is described as “Laetitia’s best reserve ever”.
Gold Medal Wine Club has selected these two exceptional Pinot Noir’s for the Pinot Series Wine Club. We are very pleased to be able to present these highly-acclaimed wines to our members. As you taste the wines, please let us know what you think. Leave a comment here or go to “Judge the Wines“. All wine reviewers are automatically entered for a chance to win the quarterly drawing for 1/2 case of wine. Additionally, if we publish your comments about an individual wine, we will send you a complimentary gift.
Remember that Gold Medal Wine Club makes a great gift. Consider ordering a wine club membership for birthdays, anniversaries, or any other important events. Consider ordering a memberships for those on your holiday shopping list. It’s easy- and it makes a fabulous, exciting gift that keeps on giving month after month.
Tags: Laetitia Vineyards, Pey-Lucia Vineyards, pinot noir, wine, wine club, wine of the month club
Posted in Pinot Noir Series | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, August 26th, 2009
 This quarter, the Diamond Series shipment includes the Bodegas Resalte de Peñafiel 2000 Gran Resalte 100% Tempranillo. From a winery less than ten years old, but from vineyards at least 60 years old, Resalte de Peñafiel has carefully crafted a stunning, beautifully harmonious Tempranillo with their 2000 Gran Resalte. Aged 32 months in oak, 30 months in bottle, and with just 125 cases produced, the 2000 Gran Resalte is simply exquisite and a model selection of Spain’s legendary winemaking potential. The winery is located in Peñafiel, considered the heart of the Ribera del Duero arguably Spain’s top producing wine region, and the nations hottest for emerging wineries.
It is rare that a wine such as the Gran Resalte 2000 becomes available while the winery is still in it’s embryonic stages. Too often, wines such as this are long gone before the winery achieves stardom.
This wine has received many accolades:
94-Points,Wine Spectator—“This traditional red is aromatic with tobacco, lead pencil, licorice and floral notes, which give way to a silky palate and flavors of black cherry, mineral and smoke. Not overly muscular, but firm, balanced and lively, with a long, alluring finish. Drink now through 2015.”
Gold Medal,“Vinos de España” magazine
Winemaker Notes—Deep ruby color, high robe, clean and bright. Intense and complex in nose, ripe black fruit aromas, preserves, liquorice, dark chocolate and cedar, as well as spicy, balsamic and mineral hints. Great volume and structured flavour. Elegant, harmonious, velvety and balanced with finely blent sweet and toasted tannins. Very long and lingering finish, ripe fruit, balsamic and mineral hints in the aftertaste.
The Diamond Series is our exclusive, top-of-the-line wine club offering only 93+ rated wines from the world’s best wineries in California and  around the world. Each quarterly shipment features two hand-selected, highly allocated wines. Limited to 500 members, a fortunate few have the opportunity to enjoy the ultimate wine tasting experience.
Tags: high-end wines, luxury wine club, luxury wines, spanish wines, tempranillo, wine club, wine of the month club
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Tuesday, August 25th, 2009
![PFC_2006_TV_Zinfandel[1]Thumb](http://www.wineclubblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/PFC_2006_TV_Zinfandel1Thumb2.jpg "PFC_2006_TV_Zinfandel[1]Thumb") “We consider wine the sixth food group…” says Andrew Phipps of Phipps Family Cellars. It is this type of reverence for wine and the wine making process that makes the Phipps Family Cellars 2006 Zinfandel an exceptional wine and one of the selections for this month’s Gold Medal Wine Club Platinum Series. Phipps Family Cellars is located in Napa and is produces a very small quantity of wine each year. Their initial release in 2004 yielded just 310 cases. Even though they are really small, the industry’s appreciation of its wines has been nothing short of magnificent. Excellent reviews and high scores have vaulted the tiny winery into the ultra boutique category that is a testament to their skill and commitment. “I personally feel that wine is one of man’s greatest achievements and the result of really hard work. For that reason, the appreciation of wine should be extremely high for everyone involved” added Phipps.
 The 2006 Zinfandel is sourced from the Treborce Vineyard of Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma, California. Mr. Phipps describes the process behind making this particular wine in a personal note to all Platinum Series members: “Once in the winery, we ran the clusters of grapes through our crusher-destemmer before cold-soaking the grapes and juice for 48 hours prior to fermentation. The wine was then aged in a combination of American French and Hungarian oak barrels for 22 months before bottling in August of 2008. The wine was then aged for 12 months in the bottle. It is now in it’s finished state.” This small-production (only 355 cases) Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel was awarded a stunning 94 points by Wine Enthusiast.
The second selection, a 2005 Soñador Cabernet Sauvignon from Soñador Cellars owned by medical professionals and wine aficianados Sergio Gonzalez and Maria Morales-Gonzalez and their friends Doug and Sue Gallagher. In addition to running a busy medical practice in Miami, the Gonzalezes travel to Napa to perform most of the work to produce their wines. The Gallaghers are involved with marketing the wine. The couples have established long-term contracts for ultra-quality fruit from growers in Napa returning to help winemaker Bruce Devlin pick the grapes, and bottle and finish the wine. The 2005 Cabernet is the fifth release from Soñador and has received 93 points from Wine News and 90 from Wine Spectator. Sonador only produces one wine and it seems to get better with each vintage release.
Both of these outstanding wines are available for re-order by calling 1-800-266-8888 or visiting the wine store on our website.
Throughout the year, we have the opportunity to buy superb wines worthy of your attention but with availability too scarce to share with all members. We call this our Plus! Program. For the Platinum Series this month, the featured Plus! bottle is the Ilsley Vineyards 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon. Ilsley has been producing grapes for some of the finest wineries in Napa for three generations. Ilsley’s wines have consistently garnered 92+ point scores, establishing the venture as one of the great ultra-boutique wineries. The 2005 is no exception-awarded 94 points by Wine Enthusiast.
We hope you enjoy these exceptional, ultra-boutique offerings from Napa. Please let us know what you thought of the wines by commenting here, or rate the wine in the Judge the Wines section of our site.
Tags: Ilsley, Napa Valley, Phipps, small production, Soñador, ultra-boutique wines, wine club, wine clubs, wine of the month, wine of the month club
Posted in Platinum Series | No Comments »
Friday, August 21st, 2009
The Gold Medal Wine Club has four wine club series’ that feature award-winning white wines. All of these wines are available for purchase in our online wine store. EVERY WINE IN OUR WINE STORE IS AN AWARD-WINNER! This means that even if you feel uncertain about what to order, you can rest assured that each wine has gotten high marks from major wine entities. Whatever your choice, you are getting a great bottle of wine.
For a limited time, you will get free shipping on these highly-coveted wines if you order a full case. This is a great offer! You receive award-winning, highly-sought-after, boutique wines with deep discounts and free shipping!
If you are already a Gold Medal Wine Club member, now is the time to re-order your favorite white wines that we have shipped to you in the past.
If you are not yet a member of Gold Medal Wine Club, now you can sample some of our previous wine club selections.
Order today!
Tags: free shipping, white wine, white wines, wine club, wine of the month club, Wine Store
Posted in SALE!, Wine Store | No Comments »
Friday, August 21st, 2009
This month, Gold Medal Wine Club has selected the 2006 Sur Le Pont, and the 2007 Grigio Bianco from Carmichael Vintners to deliver to our Gold Series members.
 Carmichael Vintners was born out of a desire by its original owner to produce a number of blended wines that were European by design and Californian by nature. Carmichael, started by Michael and Carmen Levin was sold to the current owner Richard Spencer in 2003. Spencer has continued the tradition of the original vision. “We are aiming for an old world feel for our wines, a feel that also includes a fruit vibrancy that the wines might not enjoy were they made in Europe.” says Debra Morris, the general manager and two-decade wine industry veteran.
Immediately after buying Carmichael, Spencer, whose background is in construction, built an impressive 20,000 square foot winery in Madera, California. Carmichael is one of the few smallish boutique wineries in Madera usually known for large wineries who rely primarily on Central Valley grapes. Madera is centrally located within California’s wine country, allowing the Carmichael to easily pick and deliver from a variety of grape sources from all over California’s best gr ape regions: the Central Coast, Napa Valley and the Sierra Foothills. This allows for cost effective production of well-priced blended wines-a niche in the wine marketplace. “We wanted to utilize grapes from a number of sources that would provide us the ability to make our Euro-style blends. We have managed to stick with that philosophy and it seems to have worked out quite nicely,” added Spencer.
The 2006 Sur Le Pont is a Rhone-style cépage (a French term describing wines made primarily from a single grape variety) made from 77% Syrah. This wine showcases old world Mediterranean influences while achieving the characteristic fruit-forward varietal style that thrives in California. Look for red rasberry aromas, and dried herb earthiness (typical of Syrah) coupled with peppery notes from the Grenache that makes up a good portion of this red wine.
The 2007 Grigio e Bianco is a beautiful, unusual white wine blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay emphasizing melon, herbal, fruity and floral notes with hints of mango, sweet pea, lavendar and lanolin. This fresh and tantalizing wine is very versatile for sipping or pairing with light summer dishes.
Stylistically, these unique proprietary blends are structured for immediate drinkability and their attractive prices make them exciting
selections for our Gold Series members this month. Enjoy these wines and re-order them through the Gold Medal Wine Club at 22-25% off winery-direct prices for Gold Series Members.
Please let us know what you thought of these wines from Carmichael Vintners. What dishes did you enjoy them with?
Tags: blended wines, carmichael vintners, gold medal wine, gold medal wine club, gold series wine, wine club, wine of the month club
Posted in Gold Series | 1 Comment »
Monday, August 17th, 2009
The 2006 ‘J&S Reserve’ Barbera from Scott Harvey is this month’s selection for the ‘Plus Bottle’ to accompany the Gold Medal Wine Club Gold Series. This wine was recently awarded the Platinum Medal at the New World International Wine Competition.
The Plus! Program is a special add-on option to your regular scheduled wine deliveries. It’s a great way to discover more outstanding hard-to-find selections from California’s best small wineries. Throughout the year, we have the opportunity to buy superb wines worthy of your attention but with availability too scarce to share with all members.
Scott Harvey Winery is located in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains of California in Amador county. The people of Amador began producing wines in the mid to late 1800′s when the area was well populated with gold prospectors. Within a few decades, there were over 100 wineries in the region. The eventual decline of gold mining and the Prohibition devastated the region and by the 1930′s virtually all the wineries were abandoned. In the late 1960′s it was re-discovered for its perfect grape-growing climate and soil. The region now boasts about 40 wineries.
Scott Harvey Wines began in 2003 when Scott Harvey saw an opportunity to pursue a dream of owning his own namesake winery. He had previously been a partner in the successful Folie a Deux Winery which was about to be sold. He decided to branch out on his own with his wife Jana as his business partner. Scott was born in the Sierra Foothills. From experience he knew about all the best Northern California grape sources and his intention was to make a number of small lot wines from these sources. The initial release in 2004 instantly gave the small winery critical acclaim and helped to establish Amador county as a world-class wine growing appellation.
The 2006 ‘J & S’ Reserve (named for Jana and Scott) is a fruit forward wine made from the Barbera grape variety. Look for notes of cherry, tobacco, blackberry and vanilla. Please let us know what you think of this month’s Plus! selection.
Don’t forget to ‘Judge the Wine‘.
Not a member of Gold Medal Wine Club? Consider a membership for yourself or as a gift for a friend. The Gold Series is just $34/month for two award-winning bottles of wine.
Tags: 2006, Amador county, Barbera, Scott Harvey, wine, wine club, wine of the month club, winery
Posted in Gold Series | No Comments »
Monday, August 10th, 2009
Our newest contest to win a EuroTech Wine Cellar has begun. Eurotech’s™ line of beautiful wine cellars provides an elegant and tasteful way to store and display your personal wine collection. Your red and white wine selections can share in the experience together. Eurotech’s™ adjustable controls allow you to personalize your wine cellar’s temperature between 39F and 65F.
This beautiful free-standing unit holds 50-60 bottles in a beautiful black cabinet with smoked, locking doors. You can adjust the temperature to your preference. This will help keep all the award-winning wines you receive from Gold Medal Wine Club at the perfect drinking temperature, and eliminate the risk of spoilage in the summer heat.
There is no purchase necessary to enter the contest for this great wine cellar. Contest ends October 10th. The Grand prize Winner will be posted on notified during the week of 10/12/09. Gold Medal Wine Club will have the Eurotech 50 delivered curbside to your address of choice within the continental United States before November 30th, 2009 (in time for the holidays) Odds will vary upon number of entries. By submitting your entry you are granting permission to Gold Medal Wine Club and WineHar dware.com to contact you via email promoting goods and services. To enter, visit our wine cellar page, or to enter by mail send your Name, address, and phone number to: GMWC, 5330 Debbie Road, Suite 200, Santa Barbara, California, 93111.
Tags: contest, enter to win, eurotech, wine cellar, wine club
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 4th, 2009
Gold Medal is offering a special promotion when you sign up for a wine club. With your first shipment you will receive an extra bottle of 90+ rated wine as our way of saying “thank you” for your business.
Consider giving Gold Medal Wine Club as a gift to a favorite person in your life. It really is the ultimate gift you can give to the food and wine lover. Your gift recipient will be so excited to receive two ultra-premium bottles of wine each month. It quickly becomes something they will anticipate and look forward to.
Gold Medal Wine Club carefully selects only the best of boutique wines from California’s small-production wineries. All the wines we deliver to you are award-winners and have received high marks from major wine publications. A membership also affords you many member benefits including 10-40% off all wines in our wine store, access to quarterly contests, discounts on accommodations and travel, and first notice on special promotions and sales-and now, a bonus bottle of fine 90+ rated wine.
With five different wine clubs to choose from, there is a wine club for every price-point and palate.
Order your wine club membership today. The bonus bottle promotion ends August 31st.
Tags: fine wine, free gift, wine club, wine club gift, wine club membership
Posted in Diamond Series, gifts, Uncategorized, Wine Store | No Comments »
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