I live in the San Francisco Bay area and am exploring the potential of joining a wine club or two through a winery.
I would want the focus to be California Pinot Noirs (Sonoma, Anderson Valley, other? , etc).
Since I am in the SF bay area I wouldn’t mind making a day trip a few times a year to pick up the wine, I am not looking to have it mailed to me.
Currently I buy most of my wine from K&L, Costco and Garagiste. I’m not use to paying the high price tags that are often found when buying direct at a winery.
I would recommend visiting several wineries and taste as many different wines as you can. Then buy what you like. There are lots of different styles of Pinot Noir. I wouldn’t get on to a winery’s list from recommendations. Your tastes might be different from the recommenders.
Recommend that you join mailing lists rather than wine clubs. That way you get to pick. I have been on many over the years but am currently only buying from one. The ones you end up patronizing should of course be based on what you like. Make a few trips to the central coast and the RRV to taste and zero in on the wines you like. My list of reasonably priced producers that I like would include Walter Hansel, Dehlinger, Melville, Loring, Siduri, and Calera. Of course there are literally hundreds of others. Explore and enjoy.
Great wine shop in Santa Rosa carries many wines only found in wineries at better pricing. They also do tastings where you can try a bunch at one time. As a bay Area local you have that advantage
I have never been to that Albertson’s but I am guessing they carry a good selection of Paso area wines. I can as someone who lives about one half mile from Bottle Barn, it’s likely a rung or two above Albertson’s. If you come up for a visit to taste in Sonoma County, it would be worth a quick 15-20 minute stop just to see it.
I echo the recommendations to take a couple of day trips and find what Pinots are in your wheel house. You can visit everywhere from Anderson Valley in the North to Monterey in the South. As mentioned above visit Siduri, Williams & Selyem, Dehlinger and Windy Oaks. Others I would add are Navarro, Woodenhead, and Testa Rosa. FWIW the only wine club I currently belong to is Navarro.
For a modern style, I recommend purchasing from Calera direct. Their Selleck vineyard is my favorite. If you are looking for a more traditional producer, I highly recommend Ceritas, but you’ll need to wait 5+ years before they shine.
I would check out the San Francisco K&L wine shop and start with a mixed 6 pack of local Pinots. You should be able to get a good variety and some idea of which ones are worth more investigation. There are loads of California Pinots to try at all price ranges. Once you’ve found some you like, you can contact the winery directly to purchase or get on their allocation lists.
As mentioned, very much a style thing. We’ve been going to Anderson Valley for six years and would recommend Witching Stick, Baxter, Drew, and Phillips Hill. All make really nice single vineyard Pinot plus some Syrah and some aromatic whites (and Zin in WS case). And second Navarro. No shortage of variety and all around good stuff.