February Pinot Club
 This month, we're pleased to present a selection fo wines from one of California's pre-eminent producers of Pinot Noir - Radio-Coteau.
Radio-Coteau is a great success story, with proprietor Eric Sussman producing small-lot, handcrafted wines. Everything is fermented naturally, there are no enzymes, acidulations, very low SO2 is utilized, and the wines are bottled in-house, with neither fining nor filtration. This is always an exciting line-up of wines that remain fairly priced.
Sussman brings a wealth of winemaking experience to the project, most recently as the associate winemaker at Dehlinger. Prior to that, Eric was at Bonny Doon (Associate Winemaker), Comte Armand & Jacques Prieur - Burgundy, Mouton Rothschild & Clerc Milon - Bordeaux.
Radio Coteau is a French colloquial expression, translating roughly to word of mouth, or heard it through the grapevine. The name aptly expresses Eric's feelings about commitment to the land through sustainable farming, and traditional methods of winegrowing being passed onward.
In starting Radio Coteau, Eric was determined to select the best vineyard sources along the north coastal areas (both Sonoma Coast and Mendocino County), treat the fruit with the utmost care and non-interventionist
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January Pinot Noir
This month's selection is one of the reasons that you joined the Pinot Noir club: a highly allocated Russian River Pinot Noir that's impossible to find in stores: Rochioli Russian River Pinot Noir!
One of the great wine families of Sonoma, the Rochiolis’ legacy dates back to the 1930s, which may not be quite as long as the Martinellis, who date back to the late 1800s, but underscores the extraordinary wine culture these families built with their meticulous attention to top vineyard sites, which today are some of the gems of Northern California. The Chardonnays are all superb and very consistent, even in vintages such as 2006. Having their own vineyards obviously makes a huge difference, and the farming is impeccable.
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Dec. '09 Pinot
 This month, we present Dehlinger Pinot Noir Estate, a delicious wine that is nearly impossible to find. A darling of the pundits and restaurateurs alike, Dehlinger is a family owned and operated winery that focuses on hand-crafting wines from its Estate Vineyard in Sonoma County's Russian River Valley.
Dehlinger has a national reputation among wine connoisseurs that outstrips its physical size. Critical publications have consistently given strong reviews for over thirty years. Wine writers have praised the winery for its uniqueness, quality, consistency and value.
92 points, Parker: The dark ruby/purple-tinged 2006 Pinot Noir Estate reveals notes of damp earth, underbrush, black cherries, raspberries, and a hint of meatiness. Medium to full-bodied with silky tannins, outstanding purity, and a firmer, richer style, it should drink well for 7-10 years.
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Pinot Club November 09 Selection
Dear Pinotphile:
 This month, we return to the Anderson Valley for a choice between two fabulous wines from Londer: Londer Anderson Valley Estate Pinot Noir, and Londer Anderson Valley Paraboll Pinot Noir. This is the third time we have offered Londer wines to the Pinot Club.
Londer Vineyards is a small family owned winery founded in 2001 that makes Pinot Noir and Gewurztraminer from their own Anderson Valley vineyards and other wines with fruit from other quality North Coast vineyards. All grapes are hand picked and sorted. Made by consulting winemaker Greg LaFollette and winemaker Rick Davis.
LaFollette previously worked under Andre Tchelistcheff at Beaulieu, at Flowers, and at his own label, Tandem. Davis was assistant winemaker at Flowers and Tandem.
The Londers have planted 15 acres of Pinot Noir and 1 acre of Gewurztraminer on their estate property. The vines are situated on south-facing hillsides and have excellent sun exposure.
Paraboll is a reserve blend from select Anderson Valley vineyards. The name means "good red" in the local Anderson Valley Boontling dialect, and this year's vintage comes from both the Ferrington and Valley Foothills vineyards. It's always one of my favorite wines - I love the plush fruit and fine tannins.
2006 marks the third vintage for the Londer Estate program, and each year the fruit keeps getting better and better, with gobs of the cherry fruit that the Anderson Valley is known for.
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October Pinot Noir Club
One of the highlights of my year so far was the wine dinner we held with Dan Goldfield at the sublime Rivoli restaurant. Dan was an articulate campaigner for cool climate wines, and his bottlings are plush, lush, well-balanced and very food friendly.
You have a choice between a bottle of
- Dutton-Goldfield Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
- Dutton-Goldfield McDougal Ranch Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
- Dutton-Goldfield Devil's Gulch Pinot Noir Marin County
 Russian River Pinot Noir Dutton Ranch A blend of five of our favorite Dutton Ranch vineyards in Russian River Valley, this wine is a our vision for classic Russian River pinot. The 2007 vintage was about a good as it gets for growing Pinot. Ample early winter rains provided excellent subsoil moisture, while the dry, warm spring and early summer stimulated balanced vine growth, good set, and early conversion to ripening metabolism. The year turned cool in late summer and fall, preserving acidity and providing us with extended hang time for superb flavor and tannin development. The resulting wine is everything we want in the Dutton Ranch Pinot Noir: opulent and bright on the nose, focused and lush in the mouth, and fresh and lingering on the finish. The nose bursts with ripe black cherry, Asian spice and cinnamon. The mouth is striking for its combination of plush cherry and blackberry fruit, bright acidity and supple tannins, all carried through the persistent, spicy finish. A very versatile food match, try it with roasted fowl, salmon on the barbeque, chanterelle risotto, or your favorite fresh cheeses. 90 points, Wine Spectator.
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