The first wine club that we ever joined was “A Taste of Monterey” and the big plus, was that they could ship wine to Michigan, as we were considered a felony state.  The famous case of Heald vs. Granholm changed Michigan’s status, and suffice it to say, that wine lovers did not have to ship wine home listed as olive oil any more.  Granholm is now trying to eliminate natural gas stoves now; she just likes to make things difficult for consumers.

The first wine in the carton was Folktale Winery Sparkling Brut Monterey NV. 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.  This wine is pure Chardonnay and the grapes were harvested three weeks prior to the harvesting of the balance of their Chardonnay vineyards, so that the grapes would have a lower sugar level, compared to their still wines. Then the juice was put into a Stainless-Steel tank and bubbles were added through a forced carbonation method. They were going for a softer, less aggressive style, and wanted more of a texture of a Prosecco or Frizzante wine.  The wine is described as opening with notes of green apple, banana, and kiwi, and developing into flavors of peach and tart strawberry on the palate.

The second wine in the carton was Scott Family Estate Pinot Noir Arroyo Seco 2021.  The funny thing is that Scott Family Estate is from Carneros in Napa Valley and is actually part of the much larger Rutherford Ranch Winery of Napa Valley, and they actually have a total of nine different labels and the wines can be tasted at their tasting room in Rutherford, Napa Valley.  The winery is named after the owner’s grandfather, and this wine is produced from Pinot Noir Dijon clones grown on the Arroyo Seco estate.  The estate has gravely soil, with hot days and cool evenings and almost a month longer growing season that is found in Napa Valley, so the region is perfect both for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. This vineyard was planted fifty years ago, and Scott Family Estate was founded 2008.  The wine is described as having notes of cherry, sage, raspberries, and earthy notes.  On the palate a richly textured and medium-bodied with balanced acidity creating a smooth, lingering finish.   

The third wine in the carton was Russell Joyce Wine Mourvedre Antle Vineyard Chalone 2021. Joyce Vineyards began in 1986 when Francis Joyce planted a vineyard on a steep hillside on his property in Carmel Valley, and was the start of the original six-acre estate.  Joyce Wine Company is now under the supervision of second-generation winemaker Russel Joyce.  Russell Joyce, as well as his father that he worked with, were self-winemakers, and now with wife Charlotte they are now into their third generation of winemakers.  They are basically focused on Burgundian style wines and they produce about ten-thousand cases each year.  This wine is made high in the Gabilan Mountains within the Chalone AVA near Pinnacles National Park is Antle Vineyard that is organically farmed and managed by Bill Brosseau, whose family has been farming Brosseau Vineyard since 1980.  Antle Vineyard grows on a block of decomposed granite and limestone at 1700 feet on top of a rocky slope; the heat being perfect for Mourvedre.  The grapes are hand-harvest, and sixty percent of the grapes are processed whole-cluster; fermented with native yeast at cool temperatures in a small open-top temperature-controlled tank.  The wine was aged on the lees for ten months in neutral oak barrels, racked to tank and allowed to settle for one-month prior to bottling unfined and unfiltered.  There was one-hundred-fifty cases produced.  The wine is described as having notes of blueberry, raspberry, Tuscan salami, white pepper and dried herbs.  On the palate there are tones of cherry jam, black plum, fresh thyme, cracked pepper, and violets.