Red Wine Club & Cabernet Club
April brings us our 2nd shipment of 2020.
CLUB CRUSH RED features two different Rhone varietals, Grenache and Syrah. Both wines are extremely small production (less than 300 cases of each) and come from small family owned wineries. This shipment is exactly the kind of wines we endlessly search for and we are fortunate that both wines were available for us to feature in the club.
TOR Kenwood Family Wines is a family owned winery in Napa Valley. They focus on single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, cuvées and Bordeaux varietals. Everything they produce is in incredibly small quantities. The TOR 2016 KICK RANCH VINEYARD GRENACHE is a departure from the aforementioned focus of the winery, and is more of a passion project. It is a single vineyard wine from Sonoma County and one of the better representations of Grenache that we have tasted in quite some time.
The Kick Ranch Vineyard is located at the western foothills of Spring Mountain in the Mayacamas Mountain range. It is considered a particular golden spot within Sonoma County and has over the years shown to provide delicious cool-climate Rhone varieties. These vines are planted along the gentle hillside slopes, in deep soils with river gravel and experience cooling winds directly from the Petaluma Gap.
Spear Vineyards & Winery is a family owned, sustainable and certified organic 
vineyard nestled in the heart of the Sta. Rita Hills Appellation. Spear Vineyards began in 2014 and is located along the Highway 246 corridor of the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. Peaking at 900’ above sea level, the vineyards are among the highest elevation in the region. There are currently 33 acres in production representing six different grape varieties, the majority of which are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Syrah. At Spear, the hope is to craft wines that transparently communicate the estate vineyard’s voice with the utmost lucidity and sincerity. We invite you to join their soil to glass experience.
The SPEAR VINEYARDS 2017 SYRAH is a great expression of a cooler climate Syrah with a more savory profile (than fruit profile). Clones 383, 470, and Alban selection are represented in the 2017 Estate Syrah. Gentle slopes marked with a clay and sandy clay loam soil profile. 20% whole cluster fermented.
CLUB CRUSH CABERNET features two wines from different sub-regions of Napa Valley, Oakville and the Spring Mountain District. It is always interesting to see the regional influence on wines even when they come from the same appellation (Napa Valley). This difference helps to explain why we see an emphasis on the sub-appellations within a specific wine region. Not that you will drink the wines side by side, but you will create your own tasting memory of each and begin to understand and appreciate what each sub appellation provides.
The PARADIGM 2014 CABERNET SAUVIGNON comes from Oakville and is produced by famed winemaker Heidi Peterson Barrett. The Oakville AVA is located in the heart of Napa Valley and extends to 600 feet in elevation up the base of the Vaca Mountains to the east and the Mayacamas Mountains to the west. One of the most sought after wine regions, Oakville is home to many of Napa Valley’s preeminent producers of Cabernet Sauvignon.
The SCHWEIGER VINEYARDS 2014 CABERNET SAUVIGNON is a family owned 
and operated winery from the Spring Mountain District. Spring Mountain is often above the fog and in the summer can be noticeably warmer than the valley floor. Unique microclimates and terroir make this an ideal growing region, especially for Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is produced from 23-31 year old vines planted in deep volcanic soils at a 2,000 foot elevation.
You can find additional tasting notes, technical data, and food pairing recipes for any of the above club selections at club-crush.com