LOW ROAD WHITE

2016 Novellum Chardonnay $12.75

Extreme value alert! Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate gives this 92 points, compares it to high-end Sonoma County wines, and says it competes with Chardonnays five times its price. Expect a good minerality from the Mediterranean-adjacent vines. A small percentage is put into oak and the rest is aged in a stainless steel tank on the lees of Viognier. The result is a well-balanced, long, elegant, affordable Chardonnay (plus, a nice heavy bottle). Enjoy it at a friend’s house and they will think that you are generous. Even if they are tacky enough to Google it (guilty,) they’ll find that you brought them a very special $13 Chardonnay.

2015 Fenestra Verdelho $13.98

The Verdelho grape is grown primarily in Spain and Portugal, but we met it in Livermore. If it looks familiar, it's because we’ve had it before, and it was one of our most popular wines. This is the new vintage and it still stands up as a favorite (vetted by the parents in Marco’s class – shoutout!) Want an international vs. domestic side-by-side tasting? Add on a Spanish Verdejo for $13.

LOW ROAD RED

HIGH ROAD WHITE

HIGH ROAD RED

2016 Macedon Pinot Noir $13.75

Macedonia is the birthplace of wine – not on our radar. We stumbled across this Pinot while looking for a High Road Red for Club Member Michael (thanks Michael!). This location is on the same latitude as Burgundy and the Russian River Valley, two solid Pinot regions. It is aged in stainless steel, but the ancient soils give a unique, slightly smoky flavor to a familiar grape. We’ve been sharing (alright, and drinking) this wine for the last couple of weeks. And the biggest fans and orderers? The High Road Members. Good endorsement.

2013 Kirnbauer Blau Haus Blaufrankisch $14.25

This is the Low Road version of one our most popular wines, Das Phantom. Think of this as a cross between Pinot Noir and Syrah. It is an easy drinking, food wine, but with spice. The grape is Blaufrankisch (practice saying it, fun) and is grown mainly in Austria where white wine is king. As Austrian wines go, this grape is getting more and more recognition regionally and internationally. 

2012 Primosic Klin Collio Bianco $27.56

This is a special wine. Collio is the territory, Primosic is the winery, and Klin is the name of this blend of Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Ribolla Gialla, and Friulano – all grapes that we’ve featured in the Club. I know what you’re thinking, but don’t be scared of the older vintage. 2012 is the current release and has received many awards in Italy.  They recommend that you let it breathe, and, in my opinion, don’t worry if it warms up a little. Refrigerator temperature will hide a good amount of the complexity.

2015 Domaine Desertaux-Ferrand Cote de Nuits-Villages Blanc $23.50

We’re white Burgundy fans (Chardonnay is the grape) but when we tasted this, it was nothing like what we expected. It wasn’t until after that we realized it was 30% Pinot Blanc, which is our most current fave. Adding the Pinot Blanc makes it an oddity in Burgundy, but a perfect fit in the Santa Ray Wine Club.  

2015 Alain Graillot Croze Hermitage $28.50

An allocated wine is one that is in high demand, with limited quantity that the winery or importer dolls out sparingly, usually to reward loyalty. And boom! We got some (first time). Alain Graillot is the maker, who over the past 30 years has been consistently lauded for high-quality Syrah from the region. Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate gave it 92 points. Online you may see this wine priced between $32 and $48, but always sold out. Our allocation gets us just enough for this delivery, but if we continue to buy it each year, we’ll keep receiving our allocation. All of that to say, drink it now, or save it to build a vertical, but we can’t reorder.  

2014 Blackbird Vineyards Arise $41.25

Let’s just say that this wine is a little too expensive for the typical Santa Ray Wine club member (no offense). It retails for $54, but because of the quantity that we purchased for special holiday shipments (thanks club member Tim!), we have it for less than wholesale. Shh, don’t tell the winery, please. This beautiful, elegant and polished Napa Bordeaux blend received 92 points from Wine Enthusiast. Drink it now or lay it down.