About the Icons
A Monthly Wine Club Selection
In 1875 Vito Curatolo Arini built a small winery and set off in pursuit of his dream to make great Marsala wine and sell it throughout the world. That was quite an ambitious step for a young farmer from Sicily whose family only had 3 hectares at the time. However, he did in fact become one of the first companies in Sicily to ship wines to Europe and the Americas. Over the decades, the family continued to grow the winery, and today—after nearly 150 years, they are the longest standing family-owned Marsala producer. As Marsala’s popularity waned in the 20th century, the family began to develop their vineyard holding with native varietals, the aim being an expansion of their portfolio to non-fortified still wines. Today, after five generations, Vito’s dream is kept alive with the same passion by his direct descendants Riccardo and Alexandra, and their respective fathers Roberto and Sergio, in collaboration with veteran winemaker Antonino Reina and Tuscan oenologist Alberto Antonini. Curatolo Arini has garnered many accolades as a contemporary winery with an incredible heritage, and as such, they continue to make a small amount of Marsala in the old way with mosto cotta cooked over an open fire, carrying the traditions of the past proudly into the future.

About the Icons
A Monthly Wine Club Selection
The Pra family owns and works in one of the highest-altitude wine cellars in Veneto, locat-ed at 1,500 feet above sea level. From its perch, tucked away in the Lessini hills, Dama del Rovere sets itself apart from the masses of Soave producers with its high-altitude vineyards, which yield notably vibrant, character-rich white wines. The vineyards are plant-ed on the slopes of Monte Calvarina, an inactive volcano. The soils (primarily volcanic) are rich in minerals and ideal for the cultivation of native white grapes Garganega and Durella, which account for the majority of the vines. Winemaker Massimo Pra and his brother, Davide are fourth generation winegrowers; and the winery name Dama del Rovere is a shortening of their names: Davide and Massimo “Dama,” which also means lady—and a reference to the votive Madonna carved into an oak tree—or “rovere”—located in the family’s vineyard.

About the Icons
A Monthly Wine Club Selection
Deep, dark ruby hue. Inviting aromas of juicy, red and black fruit and garrigue. The palate is fresh and young, with prominent flavors of black and red cherry, blackberry and currant. Medium bodied, with plenty of fruit, and a solid acid backbone balanced with moderate tannins through the finish.

About the Icons

About the Icons
A Quarterly Red Cellar Trio Wine Club Selection
Deep, dark red. Multifaceted aromas of red fruit, pine, pepper and savory herbs. The palate is surprisingly bright, with red fruits, dried mushroom and plum. Medium-bodied with dusty tannins and a touch of toasted oak. Cellaring Recommendation: 3 – 5 years.

About the Icons
A Monthly Wine Club Selection
Established in 1963, Bodegas Jiménez-Landi is a family-owned, boutique winery located in Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. With its romantic gardens and cave which date back to the 16th century (and was used by their ancestors who made wine in clay vats), the estate has always been passed down through the family along with its rich history of winemaking and viticulture. The estate vineyards are planted on the lower scrubland of DO Méntrida, and in the rugged hills around El Real de San Vincente. The majority of the vines are Grenache (with some small plots of Syrah and other varietals), and are managed by winemaker José B. Jiménez-Landi. The farming is completely biodynamic, to maintain balance with the local flora, and the wines are made with native yeasts and minimal additions. Always committed to biodiversity, sustainability and transparency in winemaking, Jiménez-Landi is at the forefront, pioneering end-to-end product traceability, from the vineyard to wine consumer.

About the Icons
A Quarterly Red Cellar Trio Wine Club Selection
João Povoa is an ophthalmologist by profession but a farmer by passion. After realizing the unique potential of the soil, climate, and native varietals in the Bairrada region, João decided to change his profession, and has been making wines since 1991. Founded in 2005, Kompassus is a boutique winery, focused on producing outstanding, small-lot wines from autochthonous grape varietals. The name ‘Kompassus’ refers to the measurement between the row of vines which is 1.7 meters (new mechanized vineyards are about 3 meters). This specific planting was first used by the Romans, and with such a small space between the rows, makes it impossible to use any mechanized equipment, meaning everything must be done by hand. This smaller measurement allows a better use of light and helps control the plant’s vigor.

About the Icons
A Monthly Wine Club Selection
Bodegas Mustiguillo is located 100 kilometers from the Mediterranean coast, at a lovely site featuring classic old country Spanish architecture set against the beautiful landscape of Valencia, Spain. Toni Sarrion traded his career in business for a life tending grapevines and making wines. His initial mission when he founded Mustiguillo in the early 1990s was to save the ancient red varietal Bobal from extinction. He began rejuvenating his family’s vineyards and purchased several abandoned, old vine vineyards (at least 40 years old), with some dating back to 1917. Toni then began farming organically and making elegant, age-worthy Bobal like no one had imagined could be done. The white grape, Merseguera, was a similarly “forgotten” varietal that he also wanted to save; so, he spent four years farming and recultivating the grapes at an older vineyard site. He applied what he learned to his Calvestra vineyard in the El Terrerazo DOP. He grafted Merseguera onto 40-year-old Bobal rootstock in a block situated at 900 meters above sea—an altitude at which Bobal could not ripen appropriately, but where Merseguera flourishes.

About the Icons
A Monthly Wine Club Selection
The 2021 APLA bottling is a secret blend of three famous Greek grape varieties: Malagousia, Assyrtiko and Roditis. The grapes were carefully hand-sorted before being pressed. Each parcel was fermented separately in a combination of INOX tanks and amphorae, and saw three months aging on the fine lees before blending and bottling. The result is a wine that succeeds in artfully combining both maturity and freshness.

About the Icons
Sourced from multiple very old-vine vineyards spread across northern California, this exemplary Zin is blended with 11% Carignan, 5% Petite Sirah, 4% Grenache, 3% Cinsault, and the "remainder being assorted mixed varieties such as Mourvèdre, Negrette and more". As usual, the average vine age is around 80 years old, which makes this truly an “old vine” cuvee. Lush, aromatic and boasting concentrated layers of flavors, you would be hard pressed to find a better Zin at this price point!

About the Icons
A Quarterly Sparkling Wine Club Selection
100% Glera. The Prior Brut Millesimato was created in honor of Giuliano’s pioneering spirit
and his dedication to the evolution of Prosecco di Valdobbiadene, and was crated in the
Martinotti Charmat sparkling method with fermentation in an autoclave (also known as the
Italian Method). Pale straw yellow. Inviting floral aromas. The palate is light and bright, with flavors of white

About the Icons
This Chardonnay is a great illustration of how skill in blending from a variety of vineyard sources can deliver great value. Producer Notes - "The 2022 Camp Chardonnay is 83% Chardonnay, from the Lloyd Vineyard in Alexander Valley off of Soda Rock Road, 11% from our new planting of Chardonnay at the Vecino Vineyard in Potter Valley, 1% from Prior in Sonoma Valley, 2% from Lolonis in Redwood Valley, 1% from Brosseau in Chalone, 1% from Amaya Ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and 1% Viognier from Morrison Ranch in Suisun Valley. The various lots were fermented in a combination of stainless steel tanks and neutral French oak barrels, then racked to all older French oak barrels and left sur lies until the completion of the malolactic fermentation, and finally brought back to stainless for the complete blend and bottling."

About the Icons
A Monthly Wine Club Selection
Aromas of dried red berries and whiffs of geranium. The palate is medium-bodied with flavors of tart cherry, red plum skin, a peppery spice and loads of dry minerality. Fresh but with depth and enough acidity to counterbalance its youthful tannins.

About the Icons
A Monthly Wine Club Selection
Made from 100% Alvarinho from Monção e Melgaço, with traditional white wine vinification and aging on lees with bâttonage for 6 months. ​The result is a lively and layered white wine. Aromas of summer orchard fruit and citrus. The mouthwatering palate is vibrant, with flavors of lemon, underripe peach, cantaloupe rind and lime zest. Lean and lively with a long, mineral finish.

About the Icons
Can we be blunt? Riunite Lambrusco is a very successful brand in the US, but it has probably done a lot of damage to the consumer perception of traditional Lambrusco from Italy. In reality, much Lambrusco - like this one -  is quite dry, and it is produced in myriad variations from multiple clones of the Lambrusco variety. Producer Notes - "The Vecchia Modena Premium Lambrusco di Sorbara represents the history both of the Chiarli wine Company and of Lambrusco wine itself. The bottle and label are reproductions of an 1892 bottle, the oldest existing bottle containing Lambrusco that is still treasured in the Chiarli archives today. Chiarli Vecchia Modena won the first international recognition by a Lambrusco wine at the World Expo in Paris in 1900. Reintroduced in 2002 at a brand-new Cleto Chiarli winery, the wine is made through a single fermentation under pressure, rather than the normal two-fermentation process of almost all other sparkling wines. This is in the brut range, with minimal detectable sweetness."

About the Icons
A Monthly Wine Club Selection
This story begins in 1945 when Joannes Duroussay returned home after being held prisoner in Germany for four years. At that point there was no Domaine, just a small farm with a few cows and goats and some Chardonnay and Gamay vines. He started to make a little wine for himself while working for a local merchant. He also made a little extra cash performing as a saxophonist, going from ball to ball in different villages with his little band. Little by little, Grandpère Duroussay expanded the winegrowing portion of the farm, eventually handing the management of 7 hectares to his son, Jean-Luc. In 1985 Jean-Luc established Domaine Côteaux des Margots, now a third-generation family-owned wine estate. The Domaine is perfectly nestled in the Mâcon hills of Southern Burgundy and has grown to 15 hectares of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Gamay farmed by Jean-Luc and Veronique Duroussay and their son Pierre. The vineyards are certified "Haute Valeur Environnementale" due to their environmentally friendly farming practices, and they are currently working to take the winery 100% organic, while staying focused on the top priority—quality.

About the Icons
A Quarterly Red Cellar Trio Wine Club Selection
Crimson robe.  Lovely aromas of red cherry, rhubarb and savory herbs. The palate shows tart red fruit: cherry, red currant, wild strawberry, and a delicate earthiness. Youthful, grippy tannins set against a solid acid core; charming and precocious, this bottling is a remarkable value with great aging potential.

About the Icons
A few years back, we could barely keep up with the demand for a lovely Brachetto from a producer that is no longer imported to the Bay Area. We have been looking for a good replacement ever since and think we finally may have found one in this delicious offering from Giacomo Bologna's Braida winery. Brachetto is both the name of the grape and the wine, known as Brachetto d'Acqui for the official DOCG in Piemonte. Dark pink in color, Brachetto is a super refreshing dessert wine that is highly aromatic, with vibrant scents of fresh strawberries and red berries. A good Brachetto has the right balance of sweet fruit, lush texture and a fine, silky mousse, which this beauty certainly has. According to Braida, "The most traditional association, with a dessert after the meal or mid-afternoon, is with dry pastries and with oven baked sweets, from Christmas Panettone to jam tarts. Brachetto d’Acqui is one of the few wines throughout the world which can be matched with dark chocolate." 5.5% ABV

About the Icons
John Williams and Jim Holmes became fast friends after working together at General Electric in the 1960's. Their mutual appreciation for wine led to the wild idea to plant a vineyard on an overlooked expanse of desert on the edge of town; locals thought they were nuts. In 1972, the pair bought land on Red Mountain, eventually planting their first vineyard in 1975. The rest, as they say, is history…