We received our second shipment of wine club wines this month from A Taste of Monterey Wine Club and we opted years ago to get their Reserve Wine selections.  I mean back when we started with the club, Michigan was still a felony state for the shipment of wines, and this club said that they could ship to Michigan.  A couple of syndicated wine writers from Michigan had to sue the governor of Michigan, thankfully she lost, she ended up a one term wonder, moved to California and until recently was basically forgotten about.  I and many others were glad to see her go, as we could stop shipping “olive oil” to our home or business. 

The first wine in the carton was from Meniketti Wines, another celebrity winery, which is becoming all the rage these days.  I had to look it up, but Dave Meniketti is the lead singer, lead guitarist, principal songwriter and founder of the globetrotting rock band, Y&T.  Jill Meniketti is the manager for the rock band Y&T, as well as an author.  One of the perks of performing around the world, is the chance to enjoy beverages, especially wines.  They were tempted by both friends and wine industry associates to start their own winery and label.  They have sourced fruit from California vineyards in the Santa Lucia Highlands and Monterey appellations.  They are eco-friendly and only deal with SIP (Sustainable in Practice) certified farming techniques.  They also use light-weight bottles, natural corks and their wines are Vegan.

The wine we received is Meniketti Wines “Forever” Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands 2017.   “Forever” is one of Y&T’s most popular songs from their “Black Tiger” album.  The fruit for this wine was harvested at the Tondre Grapefield in the famed Santa Lucia Highlands of Monterey County.  The wine was aged in French Oak, of which twenty-five percent was new.  The aging potential is six to eight years.  The wine is described as having notes of spicy dark fruit.  On the palate tones of blackberry and cherry and spices in a medium-bodied, softer tannin and well-balanced wine with a finish of terroir.