The first club we ever joined was by accident, when we discovered “A Taste of Monterey” just before we were going to eat at the Sardine Factory at Cannery Row.  At that time Michigan was a felony state for having wine shipped to the citizens, until the legendary case of Granholm vs. Heald that changed all of that, and I wish it was the end of Granholm, but she still appears periodically.  “A Taste of Monterey” was the only entity that said that they could ship legally to Michigan back then, as I used to ship everything from California to myself as “olive oil.”

The first wine from the carton was Pianetta Winery and Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Monterey 2020.  It is located north of Paso Robles in the hills of Indian Valley.  John Pianetta planted his sixty-five acre estate in 1997 of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, and now the estate offers Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, and Petite Verdot.  On terraced slopes, the fruit is hand-harvested and aged in oak.  The wine is described as having bright fruit with raspberry on the nose, bold and velvety with hints of anise, currants, and balance acidity.

The second wine out of the carton is Joullian Vineyards, Ltd. “Family Reserve Merlot” Carmel Valley 2019. Joullian Vineyards was created by the Joullian and Sias families of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma with the goal of producing world class estate crafted wines and early on engage Ridge Watson for his expertise.   In 1982 they purchased six-hundred-fifty-five acres of hillside benchland at an elevation of 1400 feet in the heart of the Carmel Valley.  After contouring and terracing the land they planted Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Semillon, as well as the first to plant Zinfandel in the valley.  Then they planted various clones of Chardonnay and the winery was completed in 1991. In 2015, Joullian Vineyards, Ltd. was acquired by the Hammler Wine Corporation and are committed to maintaining the brand.  In 2017, Ridge Watson retired after working at the vineyard for thirty-five years.  The wine is a blend of eighty-five percent Merlot and fifteen percent Cabernet Franc.  This wine features two distinct clones of Merlot that are originally kept separate even during the hand-harvested.  Fermentation lasted for eighteen days following a four-day cold soaking of the fruit.  The wine was barreled for twenty months in French Oak, of which forty-five percent is new, and racked quarterly and then bottled unfined and unfiltered for maximum taste value.” layered notes of earthy mushrooms, sandalwood, and butter toffee pecans.  On the palate they report tones of vanilla-spiked dark chocolate and black cherry, with spicy, black pepper.  They call it a “Cab-drinkers Merlot.” The winery also mentions that they think it can cellar for at least ten years.

The last bottle out of the carton was Folktale Winery Le Mistral “White Witch” Arroyo Seco 2021. Folktale Winery and Vineyards was originally founded in 1982 by Bob and Patty Brower, as Chateau Julien Wine Estate and they wanted to replicate their wine experiences in France to the Carmel Valley.  In 1996 they expanded the property and structures to ensure that they were making great wines, and my Bride and I visited Chateau Julien each time we had holidays in Carmel-by-the-Sea.  In 2015, the property was purchased by local winemaker, Gregory Ahn, and renamed Folktale Winery and Vineyards; and as a side note, from what I gather the label Chateau Julien is still property of the Brower family.  The five-acre vineyard at the winery is one-hundred percent organically farmed, and they are working towards this goal in the three-hundred acres in the Arroyo Seco that they maintain.  The name “White Witch” was coined by owner Greg Ahn for Monterey’s daily barrage of coastal fog and wind that moves from the cool Pacific Ocean down the Salinas Valley every afternoon.  The wine is a blend of Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne, and Grenache Blanc; which some would call a Rhone Ranger’s white blend.  I could find no production notes for this wine.  Their tasting notes are; “Banana runts, coconut, white peach, jasmine, lemon balm, crème pie, fresh grass, and honey.  The wine has a soft sourdough, salty air, and popcorn layer that works well with the brightness that the floral quality brings.  The palate is light, fresh, and pops with brightness form the natural acidity.”