Red Car Wine Offer

Later today, we’ll be in the Clubhouse tasting wines with Vintner Member Richard Crowell, and Winemaker Tanner Scheer of Red Car. Although you may not be able to join us in person, you can still get some of these beautiful wines for your wine locker or to enjoy in the comfort of your home.

In 2000, Red Car produced its first 50 cases of Syrah in a garage in Culver City. In a nod to their Los Angeles roots, they named the project Red Car, after the Red Car Trolley line that connected LA neighborhoods during the first half of the 20th century.

Encouraged by the success of that initial Syrah, Red Car set out to craft site-specific, cool-climate wines from vineyards on the Sonoma Coast. In 2004, they purchased land in Fort Ross-Seaview and planted a variety of Syrah, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay clones. Over the next decade, Red Car's vineyards expanded into some of California's most unique AVAs, including Fort Ross-Seaview, Occidental, Freestone, and the Russian River. A range of elevations, proximity to the Pacific Ocean, and varied soil types allow Winemaker Tanner Scheer to produce a family of wines, each unique in their own right, but with similar underlying characteristics—complex aromatics, bright fruit, crisp texture, and uplifting acidity.

My very first introduction to Red Car wines was unforgettable. I had just moved to California that year from New York. I was living in Los Angeles and had gotten into the wine world down there, which centered (at least on the East Side of LA) at Palate Food and Wine in Glendale. All the cool kids knew that the wine shop and lounge area back behind the restaurant was where all the real action was. It was back there, one random day, that I got the chance to meet with Red Car’s winemaker at the time, Carroll Kemp, the very week their wines had hit the cover of The Wine Spectator, taking down 97 points for the Heaven and Earth Pinot Noir. We tasted together through the line up, and wowed, laughed, and shared our mutual dislike for numerical scores—but they sure are good for business! Long story short, looking back on that Wine Spectator cover with a tag line of “Best Ever California Pinot Noir”, I think the Red Car wines are just getting better and better.

Twenty-five years on, Red Car's combined passion for hospitality, a taste for hard work and a steadfast dedication to the craft of sustainable winemaking define who they are and the wines they make.

Life is a journey, get on the Red Car

I’m excited to be featuring these wines and presenting them to you today, so, as always, please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

Thank you for your continued support.

Cheers!

Jared Hooper, Wine Director

WINES BEING OFFERED:

Chardonnay, Estate Vineyard, Fort Ross-Seaview, 2021 ($65/btl)

Pinot Noir, Estate Vineyard, Fort Ross-Seaview, 2021 (80/btl)

Syrah, Estate Vineyard, Fort Ross-Seaview 2021 ($58/btl)