Davis Family Vineyards Wine Club
I’m going to take a break from my usual crude, juvenile alter-ego and post something straight up here:Â if you like wine and 
want to do a wine club, the Davis Family Vineyards “Friends of the Family” wineclub is hands-down the best one I’ve ever found. Most wineclubs I’ve found will sometimes ship some oddball or mediocre stuff just to make sure they can fill out the shipment. A winemaker may not have 3 different vintages of good wine that’s ready to send, so he/she will send you some filler wine. The worst wineclub I’ve ever joined was Bonny Doon Vineyards DEWN wineclub– Randall Graham shipped me some outright rank wine as part of that endeavor, while giddily charging me way too much for it.
Now, I’ve been in the Davis Family wineclub for 4 shipments now, and not a single shipment has been average. Every single bottle of wine they’ve sent me has been absolutely outstanding. Every single one has been a bottle that one would normally save for a special occasion.
The first shipment I received included 6 bottles of their ‘06 Old Vine Zin. This stuff comes from 106 year-old vines on their property near Healdburg, CA. It’s without question the best zin I’ve ever had.
The next shipment consisted of 6 bottles of their ‘06 Pinot Noir, also an estate wine. I found Davis in the first place because of their outstanding Pinot, so this one was no surprise to me. I will write a separate review of their Pinot when I’m in the mood… but it should suffice to say that it’s consistently, year after year, one of my favorite wines on the planet.
The next shipment included 6 bottles of their Gusto Sauv Blanc. Guy Davis goes down to Australia in our springtime and crushes Sauv Blanc at his vineyard in the Marlborough region, then brings it back for his lucky wineclub members. Once again, unquestionably the best Sauv Blanc I’ve ever encountered. Really crisp citrus, really bright, really balanced. This is a wine that you almost feel bad not cellaring…. but it’s s sauv blanc, so you’ve got to drink it up…. and so I did.
The next shipment incuded 3 bottles of their estate Syrah and 3 bottles of cab. I’m not a big Cab guy these days, but this cab is wonderful and will age out and become something super special. But the Syrah blew my mind. It’s the most food-friendly Syrah I’ve ever seen. Basically all-around friendly: he blended some Viognier with it believe it or not, and the result is this spicy backbone with a velvety smooth front-end. I’ve never tasted a Syrah like this. Just unreal.
Thinking the Syrah was unreal, I did a little research, and found this from Robert Parker:
A sensational discovery, this 2006 Syrah from a two and one-half acre block was co-fermented with 3% Viognier. Its dense ruby/purple color is followed by an exquisite nose of blackberries, spring flowers, earth, and subtle wood. In the mouth, the wine exhibits beautiful concentration, peppery, creme de cassis flavors, good acidity, and ripe tannin. Its seamlessness, purity, complexity, and length are all impressive. It can be drunk now and over the next 5-7 years. Four hundred and twenty cases were produced. 94pts.
Now, I’ve always thought that Parker was a bit too powerful for his own good… but…Â he’s right, in this case.
Point being: all these wines came to me as part of a wineclub. With the Davis wineclub, the UPS guy shows up and consistently brings me wine that is WAY better than I expect it to be. It’s the way a wine club ought to me. ‘Nuff said.
(4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading ...