Dear Friends,

Today’s first release is pretty straightforward – Lot 377 2009 Monterey County Pinot Noir is a wine we bought that was already in shiners (for the uninitiated, that’s a bottle of wine sans label). Sourced from vineyards in Arroyo Seco and the Santa Lucia Highlands, this wine is an archetypal Central Coast Pinot Noir, with a nose of black cherry, strawberry, and cola, with hints of pie crust and orange peel providing the spice. On the palate, this wine shows excellent complexity and depth of flavors, with pomegranate, raspberry, strawberry-infused tea, white pepper, and well integrated oak. Delicious. Compare at $30.

Next up is our Lot 381 2011 Lodi Zinfandel. When you taste this wine, I think you’ll agree this is our best Zinfandel yet. This is our fourth vintage with this winery (as part of our vineyard partner program), and in 2011 we did a couple of things that resulted in higher quality - the addition of a new grower, tightening our vineyard protocols with our existing growers, dialing in our fermentation methods, and adding more barrels for longer aging. Also, while 2011 was a pretty tough vintage on the North Coast, it turned out to be another great year in the vineyards of Lodi (extended hang-times). Lot 381 is boisterously aromatic, with jammy raspberry, plum, and baking spice aromas and hints of black pepper. Ripe and thick across the palate, with fresh crushed raspberry, blackberry compote, spice, toasty oak, and more black pepper. Mouthwatering, and a fantastic value at $14.

Please note that our shipping rates have recently changed in 2013. There is now free shipping once you reach 24 bottles. For full details on our shipping rates, click here.

As always, if you have any questions, comments, or need assistance in selecting the right wines for you, please do not hesitate to email us or call 1-800-805-1971.