A Highly Recommended Bordeaux style blend that might just be too easy to drink, the Donati Family Vineyard Claret returns!
It’s an Insider Deal on a Claret!
What’s a Claret, you ask? It’s a fancy British name for a Cabernet based Bordeaux blend and this is one clearly delicious example.
We’ve offered previous vintages of this wine and had excellent feedback so today we’re back with the latest release from the winery, the 2021, which is as good as ever!
The blend on the 2021 is 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 46% Merlot, 3% Malbec, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc all from Paso Robles. The wine spent 20 months in oak, 6% of which was new French oak, 8% was new American oak and 6% was new Eastern European oak with the remainder being previously used barrels. The wine is completely dry with less than 1 g/L of residual sugar.
The Donati Claret has an SRP of $28, which is a pretty reasonable price for a wine of this caliber, but of course that’s not the way we roll here at Reverse Wine Snob…
For the next day you can get 4 bottles of the 2021 Donati Family Vineyard Claret for just $XX.95 ($XX.XX/bottle). That’s a savings of XX% saving you almost $XX a bottle!
This 4-pack deal is available to ship to the following states: AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, NH, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, SC, TX, VA, WA and WI.
(These states are dependent on the individual licenses of the offering winery and are not representative of all our deals. Every deal can have different, sometimes more, sometimes less, states available.)
Summer 2025 Shipping Options
We have both a Summer Shipping option (with heat protection) and a Summer Hold option. Our priority over the summer is to get your wine to you safely should you choose to have it shipped! Here are the details on both options:
Summer Ship (+$8) – Includes heat protection (styrofoam), freeze packs (when necessary), an upgrade to UPS 2-day shipping to minimize transit time when your order ships, and packages will only ship Monday through Wednesday to avoid them sitting somewhere hot over a weekend.
Because we’re only shipping at the beginning of the week, summer ship orders may take a bit more time to ship after the conclusion of the offer (likely 5-12 days rather than our normal 5-10).
These orders have an additional cost of $8 built into the product price for this Heat Protection Package. It is NOT possible (nor would it be advisable!) to purchase a deal with summer shipping without also including the Heat Protection Package.
Summer Hold (No Extra Charge) – Buy your wine now and have your shipment held (at no extra charge) for delivery in October! While we take every precaution we can with our Summer Shipping protocol, we also know that many of you travel or live in very hot areas where you don’t want to risk it (or you simply detest styrofoam).
Please note this is not a “ship-at-will” program, all your summer hold orders will ship (in cardboard/no styrofoam) at a date of our choosing in mid-October once temperatures have cooled down. Please read this post for important info to determine if the Summer Hold program is right for you.
Both Summer Ship and Summer Hold orders will incur the flat $7.99 shipping charge per order, no matter how many packs you buy. If this is your first time ordering please check out the shipping section of our FAQ for more information.
For your convenience you also have the option to select a UPS Store to ship to at checkout (with no extra fees) so you don’t have to be home to sign! For Summer Hold orders whatever shipping location option you choose at checkout (ship to home or ship to UPS Store) will apply in October.
Read on for our full review.
Clicking on the Add To Cart button above will take you to our checkout at shop.reversewinesnob.com. Once there you can adjust the quantity of 4-packs in your order. Ends Friday 8/29/2025 at noon (PT).
From the winery:
Tasting Notes
Aroma: Smoky, Rainier cherry, cherry cola, blueberry custard.
Palate: Slightly intense tannin with a buttery grip. White pepper meets cherry tart. Cranberry and fresh blackberry.
Finish: Medium balanced finish. Oak & acid. Black peppercorn rubbed ribeye.Blend: 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 46% Merlot, 3% Malbec, 3% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc
Appellation: Paso Robles
Winemaking: 100% Stainless steel fermentation with twice daily punch-downs
Aging: 20 months; 6% new French oak, 8% new American oak, 6% new Eastern European oak
RS: 0.08%
Malic Acid g/l: 0.02
TA g/l: 6.10
pH: 3.75Produced & Bottled by Donati Family Vineyard
13.8% Alcohol
Cork
And now on to our review:
The 2021 Donati Family Vineyards Claret opens with a very pleasing aroma of black cherry and blackberry plus a little cedar, baking spice, vanilla and licorice. It’s a lovely start!
The wine tastes smooth, fruity, juicy and amazingly good. It features soft tannins and similar fruit flavors to the nose with well-integrated spice notes to round things out. Very nicely balanced and quite smooth, this is a fantastic blend that is super easy to drink. It’s definitely a crowd-pleasing wine but still has a good amount of complexity as well.
It ends with a dry, very long and slightly chewy finish. It was just as good on day 2.
Whatever you want to call it, this is one tasty red blend! And with a score of 92-93 points, we liked it quite a bit more than another popular Claret from Coppola.
Cheers,
Jon
2021 DONATI FAMILY VINEYARD CLARET
Taste: 9 (92-93 points) Cost: 5
OVERALL RATING: 8.0
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Here’s what people are saying about our Insider Deals:
“I’ve bought a ridiculous amount of wine from your deals in the last year…I just want to say that I really appreciate what you guys have done with RWS. I discovered your site looking up Costco wine reviews and have been hooked on your insider deals ever since. I’ve been referring every friend I know.”
“I have been buying your Insider Deals for about 3 years now and we have enjoyed every one of them. They are wines that we never would have found on our own… ”
“The only thing I have ever been disappointed in with an Insider Deal is that I didn’t purchase more.”
“Received my shipment today and just cracked open my first tasting. It blew me away…I guess I have another top pick to my list. Can’t wait for my next glass…”
“I recently took advantage of your offer. So glad I did, and now sorry I did not buy more (like all those quotes on your website!)”
“the wine is, in a single word, superb! as have been all other wines offered and purchased since I first learnt about you…”
“love them all so far…Glad we ran across you. Too bad we can not order them all.”
“Also your prices are pretty amazing.”
“Hey Jon! You do great work. I’ve bought a bunch of the Insider Deals and probably 80% of the wine I drink comes from them. Great values!”
“Jon, this is a wonderful wine all around. You have become our go-to person for wonderful wines and wine values. Please keep up the excellent job that you’re doing! Regards, a very satisfied customer.”
“Just love your site and the great deals on unique small production vino. You do an outstanding job!”
“Wow!! Just got my shipment. It is absolutely tremendous.”
“Hi Jon, Best thing I ever did is buy wine thru you…not been disappointed with any of them! Thank you SO MUCH!”
“Would you happen to be offering this one again anytime soon? I regret not buying more. This was exceptional!”
“I am seriously considering having the Insider Deals as my primary go-to. Why did I not do this sooner? Thank you”
“I love this wine I bought from you!!!! Thanks for doing what do do!!!”
“This an absolutely amazing wine, Jon…You’ve outdone yourself!”
“Thanks Jon. We already drank all 6 of the first order so we were ecstatic to see you offering it again. My wife and I both love it.”
“You are a man after my own heart. I have always looked for the best and least expensive wine and you just made it easier. Cheers!”
“Hi Jon, well, I did something people have warned about – bought 6 bottles and should have bought 12!”
“Have had nothing but great bottles since I started ordering your recommendations. Thanks so much!”
“We’ve gotten in on three of the deals and have been VERY happy with the value. I originally was going to do a wine club thing but the insider deal appeals to me much more.”
“The shipping on the Insider Deals is another great part of the deal. We recently paid $27 to a winery in California to ship 6 bottles (same packaging as the insider deals)….yikes!”
“Just got my 6 bottles and having my first glass. WHY, WHY didn’t I buy a case??!!”
“I really missed the boat by only getting four bottles of this offer last month. Should have bought least at a case.”
“My wife and I have really enjoyed getting to know new wines (and better than we used to buy!) Thanks for what you do and providing this service!”
“Jon – you have to stop offering all of these amazing deals. My self discipline is fading fast!!”
“ I only drink Reverse Wine Snob wine, it actually doesn’t make sense to buy from a store. You don’t get anything interesting, unique, and full of value otherwise.”
“Jon, I should have bought more! Delicious!!”
“I am a Certified Specialist of Wine. I love your deals. You pick great wines!! Kudos to you for getting us great deals!”
“Wish I would have ordered more!! It was great. Looking back, I wish I didn’t open it at our annual pool party. It’s gone. **Sob**”
“Hi Jon, just had to let you know that I love this wine!!!! Thanks for doing what you do.”
“I have purchased many times over the last several months and loved the wines!”
“Seriously amazing deal!!! I love a bold red, and Reverse Wine Snob delivered!!! Perfect for a rainy night!!”
“AMAZING!! Damn, I should have bought a CASE!!”
“WOW. Just… wow. Absolutely delicious. If I knew it was going to be this good, I would have bought a case… or two. This was dead-center in the sweet spot of what I like. Thank you!!”
“I have loved all my RWS deals, can’t wait to get this one.”
“I know that you don’t need to have ‘customers’ email you every time they like a wine that you have suggested/rated, and I have enjoyed many of your recommendations. But this Tannat was spectacular! Wow! That was amazing!”
“I finally opened a bottle of this and it did not disappoint. Delicious!!!”
“Thanks for a great service! We’ve been loving your emails and wine deals!”
“This insider deal is a great wine!!! So glad I got it!!”
“I’ve gotten quite a few of these and loved them all — keep them coming!”
“I am very much enjoying the wines I have been getting from you. I have discontinued all other wine services as the quality of the wines you select seem superior to what I was receiving elsewhere.”
“Bought a case wish I had purchased 2-3 cases. Fantastic buy for the price.”
“I love your approach to wine and all the great wine finds out there. It’s tempting to order almost every time you send out a deal. Keep up the great work, truly appreciated. ”
“Wish I had doubled my order!
“By the way, you guys have a great company – smart concept, well executed. I may never have to make another trek to the wine store again. And your customer service is pretty darn good. Thank you. ”
“We purchased several times and have been massively impressed. Thank you.”
Get the 2021 Donati Family Vineyard Claret 4-Pack while you can! This deal ends Friday 8/29 at noon Pacific.
If you have more questions or any trouble ordering, please check out our FAQ or just click the Help button at checkout! No account is necessary to save your info for future orders or to checkout. GPay and Apple Pay are also enabled.
Would You Like To Save This?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
We won't send you spam, unsubscribe at any time.
