July 2015 Wine Club Selections
July 2015
Dry Creek Vineyards
The history of Dry Creek Vineyard is a long and colorful one. Founded in 1972 by David S. Stare, Dry Creek Vineyard paved the way for a renaissance of winemaking and viticulture in the Dry Creek Valley. Before his arrival, the Dry Creek Valley was little more than a few family farms and prune orchards. It was Dave’s vision to start a Loire Valley inspired winery, which triggered a viticulture reawakening in northern Sonoma County.
Without a doubt, David Stare is a pioneer. Heading west in the late 1960s, he personified the character and work ethic of early Gold Rush pioneers. Educated at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Dave worked for the B&O Railroad for several years but quickly realized that his true calling was in the wine industry. Inspired by his trips to the Loire Valley, he headed west to California to start his own family winery.
Today, the second-generation family owned winery continues to evolve and grow to meet the demands of a global wine marketplace. The primary mission of our winery is to produce distinctive wines that over deliver on quality. For more than 40 years, this pursuit of winemaking excellence has led to many international awards and accolades.
Dry Creek Vineyards Heritage Vines Zinfandel 2013 $ 15.99
90 Rating by Wine Spectator!
The 2013 Heritage Vines Zinfandel continues their string of delicious and beautifully balanced versions of this wine. This vintage presents enticing aromatics of fresh blackberries, black cherry and toasty oak nuances. On the palate, complex flavors of raspberry, licorice and allspice give way to intriguing notes of Asian spice and pepper. The wine is dense and complex, but does not burden the palate with too much of any single character – everything is in balance and carries the right amount of finesse. The tannins are silky and smooth with refined notes that please the senses. From start to finish, this wine is a joy to experience and reminds of us of just how good Zinfandel is from the Dry Creek Valley.
Dry Creek Vineyards Fume Blanc 2013 $ 12.99
91 Rated!
At first swirl, this beautiful wine emanates the classic Dry Creek Vineyard “house” style of Sauvignon Blanc with crisp lemon-lime citrus characters and a zesty mineral edge. Several more turns of the glass reveal tart green apple, fresh grass and a steely quality that harkens to a good Sancerre. On the palate, the wine dances with wonderful bright fresh fruit notes and juicy acidity. The wine is bone dry but not overly so – it has a lovely intensity that finishes clean and pure. A wonderful wine that is simply delicious!
Connoisseurs Club
Lemelson Vineyards
Lemelson Vineyards was designed with two primary goals: to produce the highest quality Pinot noir from our vineyards and to create a winemaking environment that is both aesthetically beautiful and highly functional. The 21,000 square foot, gravity-flow facility features a unique mobile grape sorting platform and three levels to accommodate gravity based production of approximately 12,000 cases per year with extended barrel aging of Pinot noir. Complete in 2000, the winery is located at the foot of the Stermer Vineyards, three miles east of Carlton, Oregon. Lemelson Vineyards owns seven estate vineyard sites that are located in the Yamhill-Carlton, Dundee Hills and Chehalem Mountain AVA’s and are all Certified Organic.
Lemelson Thea’s Selection Pinot Noir 2012 Retail $29.99
Integrating wines from each of our certified organic estate vineyards, Thea’s showcases the vintage, our intentions, and our efforts perhaps more than any other wine. The fragrant, spicy nose of the 2012 Thea’s shows black cherry, licorice, cocoa, and dusty earth. The palate is medium-full with vibrant red cherry and spice on the sweetly fruited, yet restrained mid-palate. The long, juicy finish has good flow, moderate tannins and persistent strawberry and spice. This wine will begin drinking best during the summer of 2015 and improve in bottle for another 5 to 7 years.
Bright ruby-red. Black raspberry, cherry pit, peppery spices and licorice on the nose and palate. Silky, broad and open-knit, with hints of candied flowers and smoke emerging with aeration. Finishes supple and gently sweet, leaving notes of allspice and bitter cherry behind. I find this expressive pinot very approachable now. 90 Points – Stephen Tanzer International Wine Cellar
Lemelson Tikka’s Run Pinot Gris 2013 Retail $ 19.99
WINEMAKER NOTES:
Tikka was a Great Pyrenees dog that used to patrol the perimeter of our two Pinot gris vineyards. Tikka’s Run Pinot gris combines early-ripening fruit from our lowest elevation vineyard in Dundee Hills with late-ripening, vibrantly structured gris from our highest site, Chestnut Hill Vineyard. Each year, one of these wines drops to neutral barrels while the wine is still fermenting. Churning caused by fermentation in barrel creates a wine with more complexity and texture. The 2013 is perfumed with papaya, white flowers and tobacco combined with notes of toasted almond and chalk. The palate enters with a gentle touch, offering a delicate balance between pit fruit and juicy acidity finishing with flavors of snap pea and stone.
