California Wine | Wine of the Month Club's Ultimate Wine-pedia

Domestic Selection: Cabernet Sauvignon, 1989. McDowell

August 26, 2016

In 1970, Richard and Karen Keehn purchased over 500 acres in Mendocino’s McDowell Valley. Although grapes for wine production had been cultivated in this valley and sold to Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino wine makers without interruption since the 1890s, nobody had ever put a winery there. The region boasts low fertility, gravely loam soils, ideal… read more »

Domestic Selection: Fume Blanc, 1990. Haywood

August 25, 2016

After about twenty years in the construction industry, Peter Hay-wood’s tolerance for night meetings had waned. He longed to “get back to the land”. So, he undertook a search for the perfect vineyard. In 1973 he located, in Sonoma County, a valley of great potential, covered with oaks and brush. He judged, from the harshness… read more »

This Matter of California Wine Labels

August 25, 2016

Wine labels are an interesting phenomenon. There are two forces governing them. First, there’s the marketing arm of the winery which, hopefully, is in tune with what the consumer wants and gives it to them. Secondly, there is the government, better known as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF). These two are frequently… read more »

Domestic Selection: Mourvedre, 1988. Francal

August 23, 2016

If you have been with us for about a year, you will remember Cask One Sauvignon Blanc (#291A). Well, the same people who make Cask One make Fran-cal. There is, in fact, no Francal Winery or Cask One Winery (or Plume Ridge Winery, for that matter, recalling last month’s Chardonnay, #291A…different producer, though). To make… read more »

Domestic Selection: Midnight Cuvee, 1988. Van Der Kamp

August 23, 2016

Martin Van der Kamp, a native of the North Coast wine country, was a home winemaker there for many years. In his youth he had done a stint as an employee at Napa’s famous Schramsberg Champagne Cellars. Bitten by the bug, he took several trips to some of the top Champagne houses in France. It… read more »

Domestic Selection: Colombard, 1989. Carmenet

August 23, 2016

In opening, let me first ask you to notice the small print section of this wine’s label which reads “A Chalone Property”. Any discussion of the Carmenet Vineyard must include a discourse on its parent company. Chalone Incorporated is the only publicly-held company in the U.S. whose principal business is producing and marketing premium wines…. read more »

Domestic Selection: Zinfandel, 1988. Glenn Ellen

August 23, 2016

The Benziger family moved to Glen Ellen California in 1980 from White Plains, New York to set up a boutique winery. The rest is truly California wine making history. The 1981 crush came before construction of the winery was finished. There was no electricity. There were no wine storage tanks. The crush went on through… read more »

Domestic Selection: Charbono, 1979. Inglenook-Napa Valley

August 23, 2016

Note: Please do not confuse the wine maker Inglenook-Napa Valley with the jug wine maker Inglenook-Navale. Founded in 1879, the Inglenook-Napa Valley winery was the hobby of the great seaman Gustave Niebaum. Not only a diligent student, receiving his ships papers by attending merchant marine school in Finland, he was a brilliant businessman. At age… read more »

Domestic Selection: Old Vine Red Lot #9, NV. Marietta

August 17, 2016

We knew there was something special about this wine the first time we tasted it. It seemed to want to be our friend. We have watched it for many years and have continually been impressed. There was something very warm and loving about this wine. Now we know why. Marietta Cellars was founded in 1979… read more »

Temperature Control for Various Wines

February 24, 2016

“Dear Paul & Rosemarie, I know that to fully appreciate a wine it must be served at the proper temperature. What are the temperatures for the various types of wine, and how can you tell when the bottle has reached that temperature? They say that reds should be served at room temperature, but in California… read more »