California Uncorked: Napa Valley & Beyond (Total Wine class review)

Nothing helps smooth the path to the weekend better than a midweek wine or spirits tasting. And so, I frequently take Thursday evening classes at the Total Wine in West Plano, Texas. It’s like an educational version of a Thirsty Thursday happy hour!

Last night’s class was “California Uncorked: Napa Valley & Beyond.” It’s an overview of popular California wine styles with a particular focus on Napa and Sonoma. You’ll try about 7-9 wines from around the state and compare/contrast them. As one of Total Wine’s oldest and most popular classes, it’s likely to be offered again soon at a Total Wine near you.

Today, I’m sharing my experience at this most recent class, as well as some tips for getting the most out of Total Wine’s educational offerings.

The Class

When you enter Total Wine’s classroom at the back of the store, they’ll check your name off the reservation list and invite you to sit at one of several long tables. If the class is full–and it usually is–you’ll be sharing space. Each place setting is equipped with two wine glasses, a printed mat, bottled water, a spittoon cup, a stapled workbook and a pen for taking notes.

The little workbook is very cool. It has regional maps and a few production facts that are relevant to the class’s theme. Inside, there’s space to take notes and rate each product that you try. The pamphlet can double as a souvenir of the class–or a shopping list, depending on how much you liked the wine.

In the front of the classroom is a digital screen and all the bottles chosen for that night’s tasting. (For wines, these will almost always be Winery Direct brands–more on that later.) They’re lined up in tasting order (from left to right) so you can see your progress as you drink your way though the class.

In past classes, the wines have been accompanied by printed paper tags with each wine’s vital stats. However, as you may notice in the photo above, this time they weren’t. There may be a reason for this: Class attendees tend to pay too much attention to the price, critics’ scores, and “official” tasting notes, and that can distract from their firsthand impressions of the wine. (It’s so boring to hear a whole roomful of people say they liked the most expensive wine the best…although in this case, I did actually like the most expensive wine the best.) Whether Total Wine decided to nix the “shelf talkers” to encourage better discussion in class, or whether they just forgot to print them out, I have no idea.

Total Wine is always switching up the wines and spirits for its classes. The instructors rotate, too. That means you can repeat the classes and feel like you’re getting a new experience every time. I’ve taken “California Uncorked” once or twice before, but the wines were totally different.

You have to book the class online in advance through Total Wine’s website. (Sometimes two or three months in advance, if it’s a popular topic like Bourbon or sparkling wine). In my area, the weekday classes almost always sell out and skew heavily toward suburban retirees. The weekends sell out even faster and have a younger, more diverse crowd overall.

You’ll be trying a lot of wine, so Total Wine wisely provides food before the tasting starts. This time, it was charcuterie and cookies from Market Street in Plano. Because the class is scheduled right smack in the middle of dinnertime (6 PM – 7:30 PM), nobody’s shy about diving right into the snacks.

The class is conducted by two Total Wine employees: A lecturer/instructor and an assistant/pourer. First they take a moment to push the Total Wine app and the current promos, and then it’s on to the wines!

The class is a lecture format with the tastings spaced out between slides about history, geography, and production. In this case, we heard about the major areas of Napa and Sonoma and their climatic influences. We learned about Prohibition (everybody: “Booooo!”) and the rise of California as a world leader in wine.

The pourer circulates around the class, serving each wine to accompany the slideshow. After every tasting, you’ll get a chance to write down notes and share your perceptions and opinions with the class. (It’s really interesting to hear which wines people prefer and why!)

In our class, we tried eight wines. That’s equivalent to about two glasses, and perfect for the roughly two-hour time slot. Pours are limited to under 2 ounces for each wine due to state law–but if you need a second taste or want to re-visit a favorite, you can get a refill at the end of the presentation.

So how were the wines? They are all products of Total Wine’s very complicated Winery Direct distribution system. Total Wine gets better margins on these labels than the national brands, and so they make up the vast majority of wines featured in classes, flyers, and in-store tastings.

Wine people tend to turn up their noses at the Winery Direct program, saying that it’s merely a way for winemakers to dump oversupplied grapes or bad vintages on an uneducated and indifferent drinking public.

That honestly hasn’t been my experience. Sure, Winery Direct and Spirits Direct bottlings can be hit-and-miss–but at least Total Wine is happy to let you try them first. I’ve taken home a lot of these bottles over the years and they can be great values. Overall, I think the spirits are more consistent than the wines. Among the wines, Total Wine’s imports are often better than their California wines–but again, that’s a huge generalization.

I can say this tasting was a bust for me. I didn’t like any of the whites. Among the reds, a few were okay but there was only one wine that I’d actually be excited to drink again. (It was a Napa Bordeaux blend–and for 50 bucks I’d just as soon get an actual Bordeaux from France.)

This tasting included some legendary California styles: A golden, oaky Chardonnay, a raisiny red Zinfandel, a Sonoma Pinot Noir, and an elegant Napa Cab. However, to present a true overview of the state, I would’ve also loved to see something downmarket and chill-able on the list. (If you’re reading this, Total Wine, how about a White Zin or California bubbly? Don’t act proud–I know you stock them!)

Here are my tasting notes for the eight wines served in a recent “California Uncorked” class. Total Wine’s workbook uses a 5-star rating system, so I’ve copied those grades over from my notes. I didn’t catch any of the vintages except for the Pinot Noir but you can safely bet these are all 2022-2023-ish. Prices are suggested retail–they’re often cheaper with Total Wine’s sales and discounts.

The Wines

Precision Wines District Series Sauvignon Blanc (Napa Valley) – $24.99

Pear, pineapple, citrus pith (lime and grapefruit). Medium body, leaning toward off-dry and lacking acidity. Not very characteristic of Sauvignon Blanc, but still a pleasant, fruity white. In our class, it was more popular with the Chardonnay drinkers than the Sauv Blanc drinkers. ⭐⭐

Rock View Reserve Chardonnay by Rob Lloyd (Mendocino County) – $27.99

100% Chardonnay. Vanilla, baked apple, custard, crème brûlée, grilled pineapple. Typical rich buttery style with an unfortunate bitter finish. Mostly inoffensive but there are better buys if you like this style. ⭐⭐

River Road Reserve Unoaked Chardonnay (Yolo County) – $18.99

100% Chardonnay. Camp stove fuel, faint white blossom, green apple, cooked lime. Thin and sour lees-y aftertaste. Hard pass. ⭐1/2

River Road Reserve Pinot Noir 2022 (Russian River Valley) – $24.99

Fresh strawberry dominates, with cooked cherry, plum sauce, and a heap of smoke. Medium garnet color and just starting to show some age with wet mulch and sage leaf. Moderate acidity, balanced. This one’s rather tasty and it’s 100% Pinot Noir for under $25–nice. ⭐⭐⭐

Invicta Red Blend (Alexander Valley) – $19.99

The worst of the lot. Cloying, powdered-sugar vanilla nose. Get past that and you might scrounge up some red cherries, red plum, mocha and soft tannins. Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel. ⭐1/2

Harvester Zinfandel (Paso Robles) – $19.99

Simple, very ripe style of Zinfandel. Blackberry, black plum, baking spice with a velvety grape-y finish. Intense purple color. Our local store sells this by the pallet and it was popular in class, too. It’s a tad sweet and it paired well with the cinnamon raisin cookies from Market Street. ⭐⭐⭐

Amici Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) – $49.99

My favorite! Juicy aromas of fresh redcurrant and cherry juice. Dry herbs (bay leaf, oregano) followed by oak aromas of vanilla, cloves, and anise. Moderate tannins keep it approachable. A youthful, highly aromatic wine that I’d love to try with grilled and marinated steak. It’s labeled Cabernet Sauvignon but it’s a Bordeaux blend (82% Cab Sauv, 7% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot). ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Precision Wines District Series Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) – $25.99

Red and black cherry, blackberry, smooth oak. Hint of green peppercorn and cranberry sauce on the palate. Nice price–and adequate if you’re going to a dinner party and just need the label to say “Napa”–but it’s really nothing special. ⭐⭐⭐

Final Thoughts

I should mention here that as a Grand Reserve rewards member, I get a monthly voucher from Total Wine for a free class for 2 people. [Edited to add: Looks like it’s now a bi-monthly voucher. Boo.]

I try to always take advantage of these credits for the sake of learning and fun. I wrote at length about Total Wine’s classes and how to get to Grand Reserve status in an earlier post. (Hint: Spend entirely too much time and money at Total Wine.)

I tend to like most wines–premium, not-premium, and in between–and it’s against my ethos to complain about free stuff. (Also, you get cheese.) While I wish the wines had been a little more interesting, I had a great time exploring these classic California wine styles.

What: Total Wine’s “California Uncorked: Napa Valley & Beyond”

Where: Total Wine (various locations)

Cost: $20 per person ($10 for Total Wine Reserve members and complimentary for Grand Reserve Members).

The Wine Fairy