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Monday 8am - 7pm Tuesday 11am - 8pm Wednesday 11am - 8pm Thursday 11am - 8pm Friday 11am - 9pm Saturday 11am - 9pm Sunday 12pm - 5pm

Comet Wine Club, 1509 Chicago Avenue, Evanston, IL (2026)

11/17/2021

January 2020
Desparada Chenin Blanc
Vailia is the winemaker and owners of Desparada. She was named after her Grandmother and is full of strength, confidence and pluck. The wines are guided by sprit and inspired by Italy and Bordeaux. Her wines are the culmination of 19 years of traveling and working in wine in sales and directly in the winery. Her website is also worth a look.

The Shell Creek Chenin Blanc is 100% Chenin from Paso Robles. Vailia describes her wine as Barely bloomed jasmine, kayaking at sunrise, alpaca knit sweater, sandy boat deck, and open walkways. I would agree with the jasmine, and add peach skin, golden apple, minerality, and balanced acidity with a full, rich body. Enjoy this with roasted salmon or quail.

11/16/2021

January 2020
Clesi Dolcetto
Clesi was started by winemaker Chris Ferrara and his wife and marketer, Adrienne Lindsay. They met and fell in love while working together at other wineries and decided to start one of their own. Clesi is based on unique Italian varietals and convivio – a shared life and welcome. They opened Clesi in 2004 with just 75 cases. They did not have a tasting room yet, but in 2015 purchased more land to open a tasting room and plants grapes in Templeton.

Dolcetto means “little sweet one”, this traditionally refers to the fact that the grapes are fairly small and cute, not the actual sweetness levels. Clesi does produce larger grapes and bunches than normal, but still produces a tasty, dry style of Dolcetto. This wine has a nice richness and soft tannins balanced out by spice and juicy blue and black fruit. Enjoy this with Italian Sausage pizza, charcuterie, and pasta with mushrooms.

11/09/2021

December 2019
Blackbird dissonance Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon
Blackbird began as a vineyard, first planted with Merlot in 1997 after previously being a walnut orchard. Their first bottling was in 2003 and labelled as the “Best Merlot nobody had ever heard of.” The area is similar in soil, composition, and microclimate to the merlot based wines of the Right Bank of Bordeaux. They use native yeasts, rigorous grape selection, and sustainable farming to produce high quality wines that the land will be able to sustain. Blackbird also uses 100% French Oak from several different high end coopers, each with their own level to toast to work best with the make up of the barrel.

The Dissonance is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, typically bout 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Semillon, but it varies each year. They use mostly clay amphorae, but a little bit of New French Oak to add some texture and complexity. There are notes of acacia flowers, papaya, and toasted almond with bright acidity. Enjoy this with a summer salad with grilled peaches or chicken stir fry.

11/09/2021

December 2019
Freemark Abbey Merlot
The winery was started and vineyards cultivated in 1886 under Josephine Tychson, a Victorian widow who became one of the first female winemakers in Napa Valley. In 1898, she sold the property to her good friend, Antonio Forni. He changed the name to Lombarda Cellars after his birthplace in Italy. The winery closed down for twenty years during prohibition. It was sold to Charles Freeman, Marquand Foster, and Albert “Abbey” Ahern. They combined their names into Freemark Abbey and reopened. The winery has changed hands a few more times since, opened one of the first sampling rooms in Napa, and was selected to participate in the Judgement of Paris in 1976. They were the only winery with the red and white wine both selected to compete.

The Merlot is made from the grapes from several different vineyards blended together, as well as a little bit of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot as well. This full expressive Merlot features blueberry, raspberry, dried cherry, baking spices, leather and a hint of arugula with the oak being present, but well integrated. Enjoy this with lean steak on the grill or beef stroganoff.

11/09/2021

November 2019
Shapeshifter PG
Iconic wines was started by college roommates Birk O’Holloran and Karl Antle. They bonded over their love of whiskey and comics. Their goal with Iconic is to produce wines that are well balanced, focused, have good complexity and a strong sense of place, but also don’t break the bank. Their motto is “Dwarfs standing on the shoulders of giants.” They enlist help of experienced members of the wine community (giants) and still keep an open mind to new ideas and techniques.

The winery was started from their love of Chardonnay, but has grown into several other varietals. They have two lines; the heroine and sidekick. The sidekick wines are designed to be the best wines they can make at have at everyday drinking prices. The Hero series is their higher level wines that they make to enjoy either on their own or paired with food.

The Shapeshifter falls into the Hero line, is their only single varietal Pinot Gris. The grapes are from the Glen Oaks Ranch Vineyard in Sonoma Valley, which is primarily Cabernet Sauvignon, but with a small area of Pinot Gris on the cooler northern section. The grapes are picked early to maintain acidity, then foot tread and cold soaked for three days. That gives the wine the light pink hue. The grapes are pressed and fermented in neutral French oak for 7 months on the lees and then bottled.

The cold soak and lees aging, give this wine a little bit of richness. The wine has a delicate pink hue from the skin contact. There are notes of orange peel, yellow apple, with crisp minerality. Enjoy this with mild soft cheese and oilier fish, like mackeral.

11/09/2021

November 2019
Davis Family Zinfandel
Guy Davis started out in a French Restaurant, where he, the Chef, and the Owner would enjoy their own dinner with wine and conversation after the restaurant closed for the evening. He ended up going to school for business, but quickly realized that he would rather work with wine and moved to Sonoma to work for a mail order company for boutique wine makers. He started working vintages and even started his own mail order wine company, Passport with his wife Judy. She is also an RN who focuses on labor and delivery. In 1997 Davis Family vineyards was born and produced its first vintage. Both of their sons and some of their grandchildren are involved in this family affair.

Davis Family offers a selection of red wines from Pinot Noirs to Cabernets and some blend in between. They also have a rose and several whites. Their Russian River Valley Zinfandel is a 2.8 acre vineyard with many of the vines over 100 years. They hand pick the bunches and make several passes through to get all the grapes at their prime ripeness. The age of the grapes combined with the cool climate makes this a unique and unable to be replicated elsewhere.

The RRV Zinfandel has juicy black berry, plum, and currant with pie spice, hints of thyme and earthiness. Enjoy this with braised beef short ribs or grilled kabobs. Avoid anything too spicy as the alcohol will boost up the spiciness.

11/07/2021

October 2019
Jim & Mary Dierberg, banker’s by profession, began their wine journey by owning Hermannhof Winery in Missouri. They renovated and provided a place for wine, entertainment and education. In the 80s, they realized that they could not produce the varietals and styles of wine that they preferred and began to look elsewhere. They searched France and Napa and decided to give Santa Barbara a try. In 1996, they planted several vineyards and began their California journey. They now have three vineyards that they have planted and it’s a family affair with them and their grown children and spouses.

Their winemaker, Tyler Thomas, joined the team in 2013. He has a B.S and M.S. in Botany from Colorado State University and a Masters in Viticulture & Enology at U.C. Davis. He strives to produce wines that are compelling both intellectually and hedonistically. Wines that draw you in at first sip and peak your interest.

Only about 15% of the juice goes through malolactic fermentation, which is then aged in 400 L new French barrels. The rest is fermented and aged in stainless steel to preserve the freshness and crispness of the wines. You’ll find a hint of tropical fruit, with lemon pith, juicy nectarine, a touch of fennel, and limestone. These combine for a fresh, crisp wine that also has enough body and richness to enjoy with a variety of food. Enjoy it with semi firm raw milk cheeses, plank grilled salmon, or roasted game hen with herbed potatoes.

11/07/2021

October 2019
The Hilt grapes are grown in the harsh conditions of the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. They are grown near the ocean with heavy winds, warm daytime sun and cold maritime nights. The soil is poor so the vines need to dig down deep, which helps keep them in place with the high winds and also causes lower vigor. There are fewer grapes, but the flavor is much more concentrated and complex. These are the similarities of the vineyards, but they all have different soil compositions, altitude and aspect. The wine maker, Matt Dees, can combine these into the best vintage representation each vintage. He uses 30% new French oak and 70% neutral French oak to age the wines.

There are notes of sage, cracked white peppercorns, fresh black cherry and just a hint of rose petal and freshly turned soil on the finish. Enjoy this with grilled salmon or roasted pork loin or tenderloin.

11/02/2021

September 2019
Two Angels Sauvignon Blanc
This fruit-forward wine shows great intensity as it is poured into the glass, with hints of grapefruit, pear, honeysuckle, and citrus blossoms to name a few. A little sur lies aging adds weight to the mid-palate without sacrificing the refreshing crispness from first touch on the tongue to its lingering finish. Added flavors of honeydew melon and mineral notes are also evident on the palate.

Two Angels Sauvignon Blanc features fruit only from the High Valley Appellation in Lake County. These High Valley vineyards boast extremely volcanic, red pumice stone terroir. At close to 2100 feet, the area is reminiscent of the Rhone’s Valley’s Crozes-Hermitage vineyards.

The grapes come from the acclaimed High Valley Appellation in Lake County from a vineyard located at approximately 2000 feet elevation. With its sloped (20-30 degrees), well drained hillside soils, and slightly cooler daytime temperatures we are able to generate wonderful fruit characteristics in this Sauvignon Blanc.

Two Angels is great accompaniment to pasta with light butter or cream sauce, white fish, and shellfish.

11/02/2021

September 2019
This month’s wines are brought to you from Hill County in Northern California. Hill County is located in-land and directly north of Napa Valley. Lake County's dramatically unique terroir is the result of a tremendous 11,000 year-old volcanic eruption. It’s known for its fertile soils, hot days, and cool nights. This combination produces wines that are well-balanced fruit and acid.

Dancing Crow Cabernet Sauvignon
Red Hills and Big Valley AVAs Lake County. The Red Hills AVA is located on the hillsides South East of clear Lake. The vineyards in this region have a distinctive deep, red, iron rich volcanic soil that produces grapes with thick skins and robust flavors. The Bartlett Creek then yard sits on a gravel bench just above Kelsey Creek near clear Lake in the Big Valley district Ava. At a lower elevation than red hills and with alluvial soils. The combination of these 2 AVAs produces wines with dark complex fruit, good acidity, and refined tannins.

This is a uniquely styled cabernet that showcases plum and allspice aromas which develop into flavors of dark cherry and cedar. Fresh acidity culminates in a bright finish with a gentle note of oak. The wine is smoothly textured on the palate from start to finish.

The berries for the Dancing Crow Cabernet Sauvignon are grown at elevations from
1400 to 2500 feet above sea-level. It’s aged for 9 months in French and Hungarian oak.

11/02/2021

August 2019
This month’s Comet Wine Club takes us to Mendocino County California.
Mendocino County is part of California’s North Coast wine growing region, which includes Napa, Sonoma and Lake Counties. It possesses extreme coastal beauty, hot and cold climates, old and new vines, and a growing reputation for world-class wines.
The area also produces some of the best sparkling wines in California.

The 2017 Las Jaras Glou Glou was 100% Charbono. However, the 2018 release is a blend of several different varieties from a several of old vine vineyards in Mendocino and Solano Counties. The grapes were harvested early (between 20 and 21 brix) to keep the alcohol low and acidity high. Each vineyard lot was vinified separately. Most underwent carbonic maceration, a gentle process that helps to keep early harvest wines from becoming too tannic. After 7 to 12 days, the juice was pressed off its skins and fermented spontaneously in stainless tanks. Half of the lots were aged in barrels and half in stainless steel tanks to keep the wine bright and fresh. The wine was bottled without fining or filtration.

Pairing Notes: Las Jaras Glou Glou has intense berry notes that complement the char of a grilled burger or chops or cooked pizza crust. It has enough acid to stand up to your favorite tomato sauce.

11/02/2021

August 2019
Lang & Reed 2017 Chenin Blanc Mendocino is medium-bodied white wine offering depth and complexity that are unusual for the varietal in California. The variety arrived in France’s Loire Valley more than a thousand years ago and was firmly established by the 15th century. Not only can Chenin Blanc acclimate to a variety of conditions, it can also deftly express its terroir. Typically, the grape buds early and ripens late, which makes it a versatile player in the production from dry to sweet and even sparkling wines.

Though Lang & Reed also makes a Napa version of Chenin, their Mendocino iteration offers more aromatics and a truer expression of Loire-based Chenin. The 2017, only the third vintage of this wine, was whole cluster pressed and was aged in both French oak barrels and stainless steel tanks. The winemakers, John Skupny and his son Reed, used both selected and native yeasts during fermentation. This results in green apple, white peach, baked pear, mild honeysuckle, with notes of lemon-lime, and kiwi. Though the acidity is mild the viscous nature of this wine, due to the lees stirring, creates a harmonious wine merging Old and New World into a verifiable California expression of Chenin Blanc.

This Chenin Blanc has a white peach flash of aroma that expands to include scents of fresh apple and linden blossom. The flavors are equally expressive, with peach and stone fruit flavors and a healthy hint of honeycomb. The finish is extremely brisk with keen acidity but yet with a lingering texture that bodes well for additional complexity with some cellar time.

Pairing Notes: Lang & Reed 2017 Chenin Blanc is a perfect wine to pair with light cheeses, grilled fruit, kale salad, black-garlic rubbed grilled octopus or scallops.

Comet Wine Club

11/17/2021

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11/09/2021

11/09/2021

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Monday	8am - 7pm
Tuesday	11am - 8pm
Wednesday	11am - 8pm
Thursday	11am - 8pm
Friday	11am - 9pm
Saturday	11am - 9pm
Sunday	12pm - 5pm