Our Wine Club Memberships - Catheryn Grivna

One of my favorite ways to acquire wine is through and individual winery’s wine club. Believe it or not, there are a LOT of wineries that do not distribute their wine, so the only way to buy it is direct from the winery or through the club. I’d say this is the main reason why we are in so many wine clubs.

I love purchasing wine that you can’t find at your local grocery store or wine shop. I think it makes the wine seem more special! Also, a lot of these wineries don’t make enough wine to distribute, so I like the idea of supporting smaller businesses.

Right now, we are in 9 wine clubs plus an additional club that we are in locally at Envy Wine Room. It’s a LOT of wine that we receive each year, but I love supporting all of these wineries. Another amazing perk of being in a wine club is receiving FREE tastings whenever you visit the winery. If you frequently travel to wine country, this can help you save money since tasting fees can add up quick.

Below, I detailed out each wine club by region and included few tidbits about each winery. Take a look if you’re curious about the type of wine we receive and our reasoning for joining each of these clubs. Cheers!

Table of Contents

Napa

Davis Estates

Date Joined: October 2018
What We Get: 4 bottles, 3 times per year (12 bottles total)
Varietals to Try: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot
AVA: St. Helena
Why We Joined: We fell in love with all the wines at Davis Estates after our visit last October. Not only are all of their wines delicious, but their wine tasting experience is phenomenal. They have an on-site chef who prepares seasonal pairings with each wine. It’s one of my favorite experiences in Napa Valley, so be sure to check them out if you love amazing wine and delicious food.

Reverie II

Date Joined: October 2019
What We Get: 6 bottles, 2 times per year (12 bottles total)
Varietals to Try: Barbera, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon
AVA: St. Helena
Why We Joined: I thought it was really unique that Reverie II was making some different varietals like Barbera and Tempranillo. It’s getting harder and harder to find something other than a Cabernet Sauvignon when you’re visiting Napa Valley. Everything we tasted was outstanding and we had a great time during the tour. We took a ride on an ATV up to an amazing lookout point over the valley. The views were surreal. Needless to say, we were sold on joining the club.

Sonoma

Dry Creek Vineyard

Date Joined: April 2016
What We Get: 6 bottles (Bordeaux Lovers Club), 2 times per year (12 bottles total)
Varietals to Try: Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petite Verdot
AVA: Dry Creek Valley
Why We Joined: We originally joined Dry Creek because we fell in love with their Zinfandels. After a couple years of being in their Zinfandel Club, we switched over to the Bordeaux Lovers Club. Everything they produce is amazing, but our palettes were starting to change and prefer different varietals. We’ve stayed in their club for so many years because they are always so friendly each time we visit. I’ve never had a bad experience at Dry Creek, and this place feels like family to us.

Gary Farrell

Date Joined: September 2019
What We Get: 4 bottles, 3 times per year (12 bottles total)
Varietal to Try: Pinot Noir
AVA: Russian River Valley
Why We Joined: We mainly joined Gary Farrell because we wanted to be in more wine clubs that sent us Pinot Noir. We have completely fallen in love with Pinot Noir this year, and Russian River is one of the best places for that grape varietal. Everything we tasted at the winery was incredible, and I’m really looking forward to our future shipments.

Robert Young

Date Joined: February 2019
What We Get: 4 bottles, 3 times per year (12 bottles total)
Varietal to Try: Cabernet Sauvignon
AVA: Alexander Valley
Why We Joined: We joined Robert Young’s wine club because we love their story, and I love how small they are. They sell most of their grapes to other wineries, so they don’t produce much of their own wine. I like the exclusivity and the fact that you can’t buy their wines anywhere else. Also, their Cabernet Sauvignon is some of the best I’ve ever had. They opened a beautiful new tasting room at the end of 2018, so be sure to visit them the next time you’re in Alexander Valley.

Gloria Ferrer

Date Joined: July 2018
What We Get: 2 bottles, 4 times per year (8 bottles total)
Varietals to Try: Any of their sparkling wines or Pinot Noir
AVA: Carneros
Why We Joined: We had visited Gloria Ferrer several times, so we figured we might as well join the club so we could get free tastings for future visits. We almost always make this our first stop on our way into Sonoma County, so it’s nice to get a free tasting to start the day. They have some of the best sparkling wines, and their Pinot Noir is fantastic. I always tell people to go here because the views from their terrace are to die for.

Paso Robles

Tablas Creek

Date Joined: June 2019
What We Get: 6 bottles, 2 times per year (12 bottles total)
Varietals to Try: Marsanne, Roussanne, Grenache, Vermentino
AVA: Adelaida District
We We Joined: I love the variety of wines they produce, and I love that they are offering wines we typically can’t find in California. We wanted some more variety in our cellar, so we felt like Tablas Creek would be a great option for us. I love that they are pioneering the Rhone movement in California, and I hope that more wineries jump on board.

Santa Barbara

Au Bon Climat

Date Joined: October 2019
What We Get: 3 bottles, 4 times per year (12 bottles total)
Varietal to Try: Pinot Noir
AVA: Santa Maria Valley
Why We Joined: To be completely honest, Au Bon Climat is my favorite place for Pinot Noir. I haven’t found a winery that does it better than them. We kept stopping in their tasting room for a glass of wine, so we figured it was about time we joined the club!

Whitcraft Winery

Date Joined: September 2019
What We Get: 2 bottles, 4 times per year (8 bottles total)
Varietal to Try: Pinot Noir
AVA: Santa Maria Valley and Santa Rita Hills
Why We Joined: I love their style of Pinot Noir because it’s so unique and unlike any other Pinot I’ve had. They are known as one of thee best Pinot Noir produces in Santa Barbara, and all of their wines are of extremely high quality. I love that they do everything by hand and don’t use machinery to produce their wines.

There you have it. Those are our current wine clubs as of November 2019!

We are constantly changing up the wine clubs we are in, so if you’re curious about which wine clubs we were members of in the past, check out this post linked here.

As always, let me know if you have any questions about wine, joining a wine club or visiting any of the wineries I mentioned in today’s post. Cheers!