Gold Medal Wine Club seeks out wine from California’s “best boutique wineries” and sends it directly to your door every month.
They offer several different clubs to suit various tastes and budgets, and you can choose whether to receive all white wines, all reds, or a mix of both.
Everything comes packaged securely to ensure safekeeping while in transit. The wine itself comes in a very beautiful, artist designed box. Some additional information about the artist is featured on the inside of the lid.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
This review is of the Gold Wine Club, $39 a month + shipping, box.
About Gold Medal Wine Club
The Subscription Box: Gold Medal Wine Club
The Cost: Price is dependent on which club you join. All clubs prices do not include shipping. (For reference, shipping to PA was an additional $13.) The following clubs are available:
- Gold Wine Club: $39 (2+ bottles monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly)
- Platinum Wine Club: $79 (2+ bottles monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly)
- Garagiste Wine Club: $65+ (2+ bottles monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly)
- Pinot Noir Wine Club: $69+ (2+ bottles monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly)
- International Wine Club: $65+ (3 bottles quarterly)
- Diamond Wine Club: $165+ (2 bottles quarterly)
The Products: “Superb medal-winning wines from California’s boutique wineries.”
Ships to: US
Gold Medal Wine Club April 2019 Review
This box is beautiful! From the artist designed cover art, to the large organza bags, coordinating with the wine varieties, this box feels extra special from the first glance. I knew I was in for a treat and couldn’t wait to taste these wines!
The first insert was a customized note to me – it made this box feel like a gift, and I appreciated the customized note inside from the curator.
The next insert was a flyer promoting their delivery notification e-mails and encouraging you to sign-up so that you know when to expect your wine.
The third insert was a bit more detail about the rewards program and instant savings that the club offers to its members.
Each month, you will receive an issue of “The Wine Press” – this month was Vol 28i05 and featured Dierberg Vineyard and Three Saints Wines, which correspond with the wines that I received this month. These are sister winery brands and are both produced on California’s Central Coast by Jim Dierberg. He is known as a world-class grower of premium Burgundian and Bordeaux-style varietals.
I think that a really fun and special touch that this insert offers is the inclusion of a recipe to pair with each wine. You could truly make this an experience by cooking the meals and inviting a few friends over to share and sample.
The final insert is a feature on one of the bottles that I received, the 2014 Pinot Noir. I believe that because the magazine featured a different vintage, this was included to provide a similar amount of information on the bottle that I was sampling, along with purchase pricing for this specific wine.
Three Saints 2014 Pinot Noir
“The Three Saints 2014 Pinot Noir is a blend of fruit from the winner’s estate Dierberg Vineyard, nestled in the Santa Maria Valley appellation of California's Central Coast, and also from a handful of select blocks in the esteemed Sta. Rita Hills appellation. Blending these two fruit sources together has resulted in a vibrant, fresh, and excellent example of Pinot Noir. Red fruit notes like bright raspberry as evident in both aromas and on the palate. While previous vintages of this wine have emphasized earthiness, this 2014 vintage brings a more fruit-forward style without compromising the fresh and classic feel of Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir. Try pairing this food-friendly wine with anything from grilled chicken, to mushroom pizza, roasted salmon, or creamy risotto. Aged 12 months in oak. 100% Pinot Noir."
This is a great wine. First, when uncorked you’re hit with the classic Pinot Noir aroma. The wine is smooth and fruity, balanced with low acidity and is easily enjoyed. This is the type of wine that you would pick out in a blind taste test as an “expensive” bottle – it has a rich mouthfeel and is utterly fantastic.
Dierberg 2014 Chardonnay
“Crafted exclusively with Chardonnay fruit from the Dierberg Vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley, the Dierberg 2014 Chardonnay is a bright, focused wine – a classic Santa Maria Chardonnay built on energy and tension. The Dierberg Vineyard Chardonnay has consistently offered, and almost paradoxically so, both tropical and citrus notes. This 2014 vintage emphasizes the vineyard's lemon, lime, and fennel characters more so than previous vintages, but it also expresses the classic California Chardonnay characters with lychee and a general rick, ripe fruit. It's focused, tight texture makes it an age-worthy wine that will continue to beautifully develop in the cellar. Aged 15 months in oak. Enjoy now until 2019.”
This chardonnay tastes like a well-done classic chardonnay, but I must caveat that I am not a lover of chardonnay so it’s hard for me to glow about this bottle in the way that I raved about the Pinot Noir above. I thought that the buttery color of the wine was beautiful, and the sleek label makes the bottle look expensive. I found this bottle to be fairly acidic, light and citrusy.
Verdict: This is my second time trying Gold Medal Wine Club and I am once again pleased with the quality of the wine received! Using the listed values I received $56 worth of wine for $39 (not including shipping from the winery or from the subscription) – so with that fair comparison, I'd estimate that I received around a 30% discount from retail (+ shipping). More than the discounted wine though, I feel that the value in this subscription is learning about smaller batch, artisan wineries and sampling bottles that are unlikely to be in your local wine store.
To Wrap Up:
Can I still get this box if I sign up today? No, you will receive the May box.
Value Breakdown: At $39 + $13 shipping a month for this box, here is what you are paying approximately per item:
- 2014 Pinot Noir: $22.29
- 2014 Chardonnay: $29.71
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