Grand Scheme Wines Blog

2025 Wine Enthusiast Spring Reviews

dev@grandschemewines.com (Grand Scheme) — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 01:49:17 GMT

93 Points - " Excellent" ratings from Wine Enthusiast!

We’re thrilled to share that both our
2023 Estate Carneros Pinot Noir and 2023 Estate Carneros Chardonnay
have been awarded 93 points by Wine Enthusiast , earning “Excellent - Highly Recommended" ratings!

This recognition is a testament to our commitment to crafting high-quality wines that showcase the unique terroir of the Carneros. As we celebrate this milestone, we remain dedicated to our vine-to-glass ethos—letting the vineyard tell its story in every bottle. Here’s what Wine Enthusiast had to say about our wines (available in print April, 2025):

2023 Estate Carneros Chardonnay
"This unoaked Chardonnay brings aromas of green apple, lime peel, and lemon verbena on the nose. The palate feels a bit fleshier, with flavors of green papaya, tart pineapple, Meyer lemon, and apple blossom pulsing across an acid-driven finish." — Tom R. Capo

2023 Estate Carneros Pinot Noir
"This bright and fruit-forward Pinot displays loads of sunny personality and ripe cherry and strawberry aromas on the nose. The palate possesses a vibrant streak of raspberry-lime acidity and flavors of crushed Bing cherry, black tea, cinnamon, and whispers of rose petals that linger and linger." — Tom R. Capo

2025 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition

dev@grandschemewines.com (Grand Scheme) — Sun, 19 Jan 2025 00:04:23 GMT

Best of Class in the
2025 San Francisco Chronicle
Wine Competition!

Our 2023 Estate Carneros Pinot kicked off the new year 2025 wine competition circuit this month clinching a "Best In Class" (BoC) win ( see all BoC winners ) out of a field of 213 total Pinot Noirs ( see our category ).

We're proud to represent the Carneros AVA, Sonoma Valley Wine and Sonoma County Vintners with this win as we continue our market debut. This is yet another proof point on how our "vine to glass" ethos produces the best of the best!

We're also honored to be included as a BoC winner in the sweepstakes round where an esteemed panel of judges debates the best wine in the top-level categories! (red, white, etc.)

In the organizers' own words : "The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition (SFCWC) is the largest competition of American wines in the World. There were over fifty judges, representing various North American wine regions, evaluating nearly 5,500 wines from 950+ wineries for the 2025 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition this week."

2024 Holiday Open House & Wine Tasting

dev@grandschemewines.com (Grand Scheme) — Fri, 29 Nov 2024 23:16:29 GMT

Holiday Open House & Wine Tasting

Sunday, December 8th, 2024 @ 12PM-4PM

495 Barneveld Ave, San Francisco

Join us for a festive holiday celebration of fine wine!

Discover a curated selection of premium wines from twelve exceptional small Bay Area wineries at our complimentary open house and wine tasting event. Whether you're a wine aficionado or simply enjoy a good glass of wine, this event is the perfect way to indulge your palate and shop for small production wines for holiday gatherings and gifts.

What to expect:

Complimentary Tastings : Sample a variety of small production handcrafted California wines, including Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Rosé and more. All produced right here in San Francisco!

Exclusive Wines for Sale : Take home your favorite bottles to enjoy or gift this holiday season.

Meet the Winemakers : Chat with the talented individuals behind the growing and production of these outstanding wines.

Warm Holiday Ambiance : Celebrate in a cozy, festive winery setting perfect for gathering with friends and family.

Admission : Free and open to the public.

2024 Harvest Challenge Sweep!

dev@grandschemewines.com (Grand Scheme) — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 06:36:21 GMT

A 2024 Harvest Challenge Sweep!

Double Gold, Best of Class, Best of Carneros AVA, and 97 points at the 2024 Harvest “Terroir” Challenge!

Our 2023 Estate Carneros Pinot debuted this month on the competition circuit, clinching several categories with judges describing our wine as: “Elegant. Purity, earthy; Cherry fruit.” A unique competition where only wines from their region compete in true exhibition of terroir: climate, soil and topography. Not only did we obtain Double Gold , but also Best of Class ( beating out all other Pinot Noirs ) and Best of AVA ( beating out any other wine and varietal submitted for the AVA )!

In the organizers' own words : "The Harvest Challenge is a wine competition that bases its judging on a group of vineyards (or even vines) from the same region, belonging to a specific appellation, and sharing the same type of soil, weather conditions, grapes and wine making savoir-faire, which contribute to give the specific personality to the wine."

"In other competitions, this factor is ignored. At the Harvest Challenge, judges taste wines with other wines of the same appellation. Thus, with cross-regional competition removed, the inherent quality of wines can be seen without the influences that sometimes eclipse even a wine of very high quality."

Read the Press Release

Read the Full Results

2024 Harvest Update & Fall Release

dev@grandschemewines.com (Grand Scheme) — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 05:01:12 GMT

2024 Harvest Update & Fall Release

“Blink of an eye…” Each year and each harvest is different. While 2023 was an extended, cooler, “normal” year (more like, “Are we there yet? — 1991 called!), 2024 had a series of early heat spikes in July, accelerating fruit set, veraision and ultimately ripening here in Carneros. Fortunately, the fruit was harvested all by Labor Day, avoiding late heat spikes in September.

“Certifiable…” We’re talking about our organically farmed vineyard, of course, now CCOF certified for the 2024 vintage! While a journey to get here, we are excited and proud to cultivate organically grown wines.

“Land and expand…” 2024 offered us more fruit as the vines matured while also improving quality, so we expanded our wine styles to offer you and our club members access to hyper-small lot wines. You’ll likely see a Rosé , Unoaked Chardonnay , Sur Lie Chardonnay , Sparkling Blanc de Blancs and our flagship Pinot Noir Cuvée .

It’s here! We’re excited for you to enjoy our latest release of organically farmed, estate 2023 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Perhaps the vintage of the decade, these wines are fruit-driven showstoppers that exhibit the best of Carneros terroir, with a long, lingering finish.

Current club member ? You’ll get an email shortly to update your profile and customize your Fall Release selections before we ship in late October. Wine up, mix ‘n match, and we’ll get you your wine!

Not a club member ? We invite you to Join the Grand Scheme ! Members receive 15-20% off all orders and access to exclusive small-lot releases.

Grand Scheme Wines Blog

2025 Wine Enthusiast Spring Reviews

93 Points - " Excellent" ratings from Wine Enthusiast!

2025 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition

Best of Class in the 2025 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition!

2024 Holiday Open House & Wine Tasting

2024 Harvest Challenge Sweep!

A 2024 Harvest Challenge Sweep!

2024 Harvest Update & Fall Release

2024 Harvest Update & Fall Release

Best of Class in the
2025 San Francisco Chronicle
Wine Competition!