Clarksburg, Yolo County, California
$25 (Wine Club Reorder – $22)
There’s a really good reason behind why I respect basketball players: they’re wine snobs! Ever hear of the NBA secret wine society? Their team dinners now have wine pairings, they take team trips to Napa wineries, and they’re no longer “impressed by your financial portfolio or how big your house is. Nobody talks about square footage. Nobody talks about cars or jewelry or whatever. It’s who can bring the best bottle of wine.” – Gabrielle Union, on her husband Dwyane Wade’s obsession with wine.
Dwayne Wade’s love for wine started from the food and wine dinners he would enjoy during his Miami heat days with Lebron James and Chris Bosh. That passion has now been taken to the next level with his own winery. What I love about Wade Cellars, is that his mission is to create quality wine at a price point that can be enjoyed by anyone, therefore making good wine more approachable.
Wade partnered with Jason Pahlmeyer, whose own winery features Napa wines upwards of $150. While Wade does have a pricey Napa Cab under the label “Wade”, his Three by Wade line includes a $40 Napa Cab, Rosé, and Chenin Blanc. I love the Chenin Blanc because it is the perfect “in between” white wine. It’s a great balance between creamy Chardonnay and crisp Sauvignon Blanc and can pair really well with virtually any food – especially spicy foods.
Aromatically the wine is perfumed with fresh white flowers, zesty lemon rind, and ripe, juicy tropical fruits. On the palate, the wine is balanced beautifully by the acidity of the 95% Chenin, the slight weight from the malolactic fermentation (what makes a wine creamy), and the 5% Viognier to create a perfect anytime wine.
“NBA players are the product of so many unseen hours spent perfecting so many hidden details, all leading to the moment when the ball is tossed in the air. So too is wine crafted against countless variables — the weather, soil, harvest, tanks, the barrels and blends, the delicate alchemy of it all — until, one day, the cork is pulled. For both to shine, it takes so much work no one will ever see.” – Carissa Mondavi of Continuum Winery
Taylor Morgan – February 2021
Bacchus & Venus Wines 