$14.99 (retail) Wine Club pricing reflected in receipt

This wine is 100% Tempranillo from the Ribera del Jucar appellation of La Mancha, Spain. The vineyard is covered with a layer of inhospitable pebbles, followed by several meters of sand. The upside of this is any rain drains through and is captured below. Hearty vines drill deep into the ground in search of water, and, as a result, the wine is imbued with a layered minerality.

Vines range in age from 60 to 80 years old. Juice is barreled in a combination of new French, American and Hungarian oak.

Winery Tasting Notes: “Only the finest fruit from the best vines in the vineyard are selected to make this Tempranillo wine. This deep red wine has a long cherry finish and hints of minerality. 
Intense purple-red color. Fruity flavor state (red fruit). Taste powerful, fresh and slightly astringent.”

$30 (retail) Wine Club pricing reflected in receipt

John Hawley leveraged his 25+ years of winemaking experience with Clos du Bois and Kendall-Jackson to launch his own brand in 1996. He works with his two sons, Paul and Austin to produce terrific wines.

The Ponzo family has been farming their ranch just south of
Healdsburg on the Russian River since 1929. The vineyard hugs the border of the Dry Creek and Russian River Valley appellations. The grapes for this zinfandel came from two separate blocks on the Ponzo ranch. The first is head-trained vines planted from cuttings off of the original 100-year-old vineyard on the property. The second is from a block closer to the Russian River planted with cuttings of the Ridge Geyserville clone.

Winery Tasting Notes: “Shows bright aromas of raspberry with notes of spice and pepper. It is rich and well balanced with ripe flavors of red plum and wild strawberries. The wine finishes remarkably long with spicy vanilla and brambly flavors lingering. This wine typically drinks best in its youth, and being recently bottled, could benefit from another year or so of bottle aging before being at its best.”

$42 (retail) Wine Club pricing reflected in receipt

Star Lane is owned by Jim and Mary Dierberg, two bankers who also own a winery in Missouri. . .of all places. They acquired the property for Star Lane in 1996 in Santa Barbara County; in 2009 the region was designated as the Happy Canyon of Santa Barbera AVA. The Dierberg’s companion label is Dieberg Vineyards.

The ’07 Star Lane Estate red blend is sold out at the winery.

Winery Tasting Notes: “This wine blossoms with a nose deeply evocative of Santa Rosa plum, crème de cassis and blackberry which are given complexity by wild sage and chaparral. The mid-palate is marked by a strong mineral presence with a chalky, savory richness joined to round fruit and notes of Moroccan spice. Structure and balance are given by a bright spine of acidity.”

Blend: 54% cabernet sauvignon, 29% cabernet franc, 7% merlot, 7% syrah, 2% petit verdot and 1% malbec
Cases Produced: 4,100, produced to celebrate the winery’s 10th anniversary

$46 (retail) Wine Club pricing reflected in receipt

This month’s selection from the Placer County winery of Scott and Judy Pruett represents a breakthrough for the local wine scene: their ’09 Reserve Syrah was the first wine made with Placer County fruit that has been awarded 90 points or more from Wine Spectator magazine. Long-time California critic James Laube scored Scott’s Syrah 91 points. Only 100 cases were made, so enjoy this wine before our very limited supply runs out.

This is one of three, Wine Spectator 90+ point scores earned by Pruett Vineyards. Most recently, the 2010 Lucky Lauren ($30) earned an unprecedented 93 points, and we’ll be stocking it very soon at Carpe Vino. The 2009 Estate Syrah was also the recipient of 91 points from Laube.

For those of you unaware, Scott is not only a talented winemaker, he’s also one of America’s greatest race drivers, a five-time winner of the prestigious Can-Am Championship (2004, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012). He’s also a really nice guy who loves to talk about wine. Here’s a head’s up: look for Pruett Vineyards to be featured early next year with a profile in Wine Spectator.

Wine Spectator Review, 91 Points: “Intense and extracted, with detailed mineral, spice and dark berry nuances. Shows a touch more earthiness and rusticity, but also a shade more depth, than the Pruett Estate. Best from 2012 through 2022.” –James Laube

Winery Tasting Notes: “Intense and extracted, huge black cherry, blackberry Syrah varietal fruit. Spice with a hint of pepper give way to a long, rich and satisfying finish.”

$19.99 (retail) Wine Club pricing reflected in receipt

Gary’s Notes: There is a very complex story behind this wine, produced by the Boisett Family Estate based in France but with operations in Canada and the United States. In 2009 Boisett acquired Raymond Vineyards in California and, as a result, instantly became one of the top 25 producers in the United States.

Jean-Claude Boisett is the charismatic, flamboyant front man for the brand and to learn more about the company and this month’s selection, all you need do is go to http://jcbwines.com/wines/jcb-wine-21. Jean-Claude himself will dazzle you with his description of N21 and his own love of wine and winemaking. It’s a hoot.

Here’s a tip: visit the JCB Tasting Room on Healdsburg square and you’ll get a complementary $50 tasting of five wines if you spend at least $1000 per person!

$23.95 (retail) Wine Club pricing reflected in receipt

After working with grapes from all over California, Prime’s winemaker, Ted Henry, launched Prime with the 2005 vintage to focus on a prime piece of Napa Valley called Coombsville. With its cooler temperatures and unique flavor and acid profile, Coombsville was approved as Napa Valley’s newest AVA in 2012.

Ted remains the winemaker at Napa Valley’s Jarvis Estate and has been making wine in Napa Valley since his graduation from UC Davis’ winemaking program in 1999. PRIME wines are extremely limited with production levels of less that 700 cases annually.

Winery Tasting Notes: “This second vintage of PRIME Chardonnay comes from the 25-year-old vines of the Berry Lane Vineyard in Napa’s Coombsville district. The wine was made in a fairly unusual style: 33% New oak, 33% neutral oak and 33% stainless steel fermentation. To preserve the natural acidity, the wine did not go through malolactic fermentation. The result is a chardonnay that has an unusually crisp acid profile yet has the flavors associated with barrel fermentation.”

$65 (retail) Wine Club pricing reflected in receipt

One of the things we really pay attention to in selecting wines for Carpe Vino. . .as do most wine buyers. . .is knowing details about the wine maker. In the case of this chardonnay from Knights Bridge, winemaker Jeff Ames has developed his skills working with some of the industry’s most highly regarded winemakers. Jeff served as assistant winemaker under Thomas Brown, James Johnson of Bisou, Barry Waitte of Tamber Bay, and also worked at Howell Mountain, Schrader Cellars and Maybach Cellars before becoming winemaker for Kenward Family Wines. There, he made wine from fruit purchased from such top vineyards as Howell Mountain, To Kalon, Hudson Vineyard, and Judge Vineyard. Besides making wine for Knights Bridge, Jeff is the owner and winemaker of Ames Wine Company, founded in 2005.

Winery Tasting Notes: “Vivid aromas of pear, apple, white peach and minerality abound in this wine with subtle toasty vanilla notes and a hint of mint. Golden in color, this wine is rich in the entry with ripe fruit flavors integrated well with nutty oak components leading to a long and vibrant finish.”

$29.95 (retail) Wine Club pricing reflected in receipt

This winery is on property where wine has been made since 1780 about 20 kilometers west of Strasbourg in Alsace, very near the border of Germany. The Pfister family has been making wine for eight generations. André Pfister took over management of the estate from his father in 1972 when he was just 21. His daughter, Mélanie, earned a degree in enology, and she will be the first woman to eventually head the family business.

Winery Tasting Notes: “Stored horizontally ‘on laths’ for at least 24 months prior to disgorgement, the wine acquires the typical brioche aromas of yeast autolysis, while remaining fruity, lively and well structured. The delicate and long-lasting effervescence also bear witness to the slow second fermentation and ageing of the wines on lees. This Cremant is ideal for celebrations; it also works well as an accompaniment to meals, from the aperitif through to dessert.”

$14.99 (retail) Wine Club pricing reflected in receipt

This wine is 100% Tempranillo from the Ribera del Jucar appellation of La Mancha, Spain. The vineyard is covered with a layer of inhospitable pebbles, followed by several meters of sand. The upside of this is any rain drains through and is captured below. Hearty vines drill deep into the ground in search of water, and, as a result, the wine is imbued with a layered minerality.

Vines range in age from 60 to 80 years old. Juice is barreled in a combination of new French, American and Hungarian oak.

Winery Tasting Notes: “Only the finest fruit from the best vines in the vineyard are selected to make this Tempranillo wine. This deep red wine has a long cherry finish and hints of minerality. 
Intense purple-red color. Fruity flavor state (red fruit). Taste powerful, fresh and slightly astringent.”

$65 (retail) Wine Club pricing reflected in receipt

One of the things we really pay attention to in selecting wines for Carpe Vino. . .as do most wine buyers. . .is knowing details about the wine maker. In the case of this chardonnay from Knights Bridge, winemaker Jeff Ames has developed his skills working with some of the industry’s most highly regarded winemakers. Jeff served as assistant winemaker under Thomas Brown, James Johnson of Bisou, Barry Waitte of Tamber Bay, and also worked at Howell Mountain, Schrader Cellars and Maybach Cellars before becoming winemaker for Kenward Family Wines. There, he made wine from fruit purchased from such top vineyards as Howell Mountain, To Kalon, Hudson Vineyard, and Judge Vineyard. Besides making wine for Knights Bridge, Jeff is the owner and winemaker of Ames Wine Company, founded in 2005.

Winery Tasting Notes: “Vivid aromas of pear, apple, white peach and minerality abound in this wine with subtle toasty vanilla notes and a hint of mint. Golden in color, this wine is rich in the entry with ripe fruit flavors integrated well with nutty oak components leading to a long and vibrant finish.”

$46 (retail) Wine Club pricing reflected in receipt

This month’s selection from the Placer County winery of Scott and Judy Pruett represents a breakthrough for the local wine scene: their ’09 Reserve Syrah was the first wine made with Placer County fruit that has been awarded 90 points or more from Wine Spectator magazine. Long-time California critic James Laube scored Scott’s Syrah 91 points. Only 100 cases were made, so enjoy this wine before our very limited supply runs out.

This is one of three, Wine Spectator 90+ point scores earned by Pruett Vineyards. Most recently, the 2010 Lucky Lauren ($30) earned an unprecedented 93 points, and we’ll be stocking it very soon at Carpe Vino. The 2009 Estate Syrah was also the recipient of 91 points from Laube.

For those of you unaware, Scott is not only a talented winemaker, he’s also one of America’s greatest race drivers, a five-time winner of the prestigious Can-Am Championship (2004, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012). He’s also a really nice guy who loves to talk about wine. Here’s a head’s up: look for Pruett Vineyards to be featured early next year with a profile in Wine Spectator.

Wine Spectator Review, 91 Points: “Intense and extracted, with detailed mineral, spice and dark berry nuances. Shows a touch more earthiness and rusticity, but also a shade more depth, than the Pruett Estate. Best from 2012 through 2022.” –James Laube

Winery Tasting Notes: “Intense and extracted, huge black cherry, blackberry Syrah varietal fruit. Spice with a hint of pepper give way to a long, rich and satisfying finish.”