The Mother Load

Just a few weeks ago, in my post entitled "Open Season", I was belly-aching a bit about the fact that not all of the wine clubs and mailing lists that I belong to had yet announced their spring releases.  Well, the mother load has come in.  If you'll continue to allow the hunting analogy, it's like when you are sitting in the duck blind all morning - just about to give up - and a black cloud of birds comes in right on top of you.   All you can do is 1) hope you can have the guide's limit (if applicable), and 2) hope you have enough shells.

My orders from DiStefano and Williams Selyem have shipped.  My order from Dehlinger arrived a few weeks ago (see my review of their 2009 Chardonnay - maybe the best I have ever tasted...no joke).  And just last week, two of my favorites, MacPhail and Grey Stack, sent out their glorious spring releases.  I'm like a kid on Christmas Eve.  I wish it could all get here now, and my head may explode if it doesn't.

MacPhail and Grey Stack are both small, family operations (MacPhail did sell to Hess last year, but their keepin' it real), but quite different.  MacPhail doesn't own any vineyards, but makes fantastic single vineyard and appellation wines - mostly Pinot Noirs -  from primarily Anderson Valley and Sonoma Coast.  Winemaker James MacPhail is a master at coaxing site characteristics out of his wines.  From MacPhail, I ordered his 2010 Toulouse Vineyard (my perennial favorite), Pratt Vineyard, and The Flyer (a one-time arrangement with Inman, from their Olivet Grange Vineyard) Pinot Noirs, the Gap's Crown Chardonnay (their second vintage - first was awesome), and the 2011 Rose of Pinot Noir (perfect for our warm Spring/Summer days).  The 2011 vintage in Sonoma and Mendocino was cool and rainy, with heat spikes at harvest.  The result, according to MacPhail, is more restrained, nuanced wines with lower alcohols and higher acidity - food-friendly and built for aging.

Grey Stack is located in the cool, obscure Bennett Valley in Southeast Sonoma County.  They make a variety of singe vineyard and appellation wines from their own estate vineyards and those of their friends.  Their website is friggin' hilarious and I suggest checking it out:  greystackcellars.com.  On top of that, though, they make great wine. This year, I ordered their 2011 Rosemary's Block Sauvignon Blanc, 2011 Rose of Syrah & Greanache, 2010 Bennett Valley Cuvee Pinot Noir, and two Rhone-style blends:  the 2010 The Folly Syrah-Grenache and the 2008 The Muldoon Syrah-Grenache Blend.  Their wines are complex, but creamy-smooth and easy to drink.  Affordable, too.

As I've said before, the great and exciting thing about these wine clubs and mailing lists is that these wines aren't available in our market.  It's a shame, but it also makes me feel all warm and fuzzy when the shipments come in.  What are your spring release wine club orders?