Ogier Clos de L’Oratoire Chateauneuf du Pape, Southern Rhone, France.
June 1, 2013 
Grapes
80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 5% Mourvedre, and 5% Cinsault
Facts
- It’s been a little-while since I last had/reviewed a bottle of CdP (what the cool kids call it…or at least…what I call it). Chateauneuf-du-Pape isn’t for everyone – its intensity and “tertiary” flavors certainly take some getting use to – but I’d probably put it up there as my overall all-time favorite French wine region.
- Seven generations of winegrowers have tended to the vineyards Ogier uses for their grapes, since 1780. The Ogier winery itself was founded in 1859. The one thing you can say about the French, is they know how to “do” history!
- The Clos de L’Oratoire label has remained unchanged since it was designed in 1926.
- The Ogier Clos de L’Oratoire Chateauneuf du Pape spent 12 months of its existence in oak “foudres.” These massive wine barrels are of an undefined size, but usually are between 4000-8000 liters in capacity. Each barrel holds enough to fill 5,000-10,000 bottles of plonk.
- All the wines from Ogier are made from organically grown grapes, but it’s not something they brag about. You’ll find that with a lot of French producers; namely, they aren’t in a big hurry to plaster “ORGANIC!!!” on the front label of their bottles. The polar-opposite of their New World counterparts. For Ogier, they’re just making wine the way they always have, and not simply to cater to Portland-dwelling-carrot-munching-tree-hugging-20-something-hipsters. It’s a small demographic after all…
- 91 points in the Wine Speculator and 93 from the Wine Enthusiast (I haven’t come up with a “creative” way to twist their name yet…but I will)
Big Alcohol Gives Wine Lovers a Headache.
June 1, 2013
Article from The Asian Age (..the source of ALL my wine news..)
Do those New World Cabernets and Zinfandels make your head spin? Fed up with having to stop drinking after just one glass?
Plenty of wine lovers around the world will have noticed their favorite tipples are getting stronger, and many of them are unhappy about the hangovers that come with increased alcohol levels.
But it seems they have only themselves to blame as experts say that changing consumer tastes are mainly responsible for driving the trend. Wine critics and advances in winemaking techniques also shoulder some of the blame for what experts say are unbalanced wines that can cause health risks and safety issues, casting a pall over the pleasure of imbibing.
“The rise in alcohol content of wine is primarily man-made,” reported a working paper by the American Association of Wine Economists in 2011.
Click here for the full article from The Asian Age.
My Thoughts…
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: There’s a time and a place for high alcohol wines!
I don’t think we’re in any danger of seeing wine stores dominated by wines with 16%+ alcohol wines, but this “high octane trend” does seem to be quickly filtering down to grocery stores and wine lists of chain restaurants.
Maybe I’m getting old, but I myself used to be a big fan of these “monster” wines; but now they give me a hangover after just a few glasses.
As my wine drinking has evolved, I let “subtlety and elegance” take the place of “high alcohol” and “crazy fruit extraction.” I’m not saying that’s the path everyone should take…actually…that’s a lie…that’s EXACTLY what I’m saying! In-fact the sooner drinkers can appreciate wines that don’t “let it all hang out,” the sooner they’ll realize that many of the wines they used to love…well…all taste the same.
With said, the success of brands like Mollydooker and Orin Swift didn’t come because they make subtle and restrained wines. U.S. wine drinkers DO love some “guts” to their juice; at least, that’s what I’ve found, but personally these bottles just don’t float my boat the way they used to.
Wine Down Every Wednesday in June at III Forks.
June 1, 2013
An Evening in Wine Country – An Event to Benefit Boys & Girls Club of Northeast Florida
May 20, 2013
What
Your senses are sure to be delighted as we offer a fun-filled evening for over 500 guests featuring a fabulous selection of international wines to delight every palate paired with heavy hors d’oeuvres and an array of tantalizing fruits, cheeses, and desserts. Groove to the sounds of live smooth jazz inside the grand banquet room, and enjoy acigar and beer or port as you party to the rhythms of a steel drum under the stars on the outer deck. End your fantastic evening by taking home an awesome raffle prize. All proceeds benefit Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida, helping provide a safe, positive place for 3,600 youth in Duval, Nassau, & St. Johns counties.
Click here for more info/to purchase tickets.
Where
Adam Herbert University Center at UNF
When
Friday June 14th 6-10pm
Taken: The Wine Bottle Warning Device!
May 19, 2013
Have you ever had a bottle of wine “Taken?”
Introducing the Liam Neeson “Taken” wine bottle warning device!
Simply print and cutout the template below, and hang it on any bottle you don’t want your friends, family, roommates, house guests or friendly Eastern-European terrorists to touch. It’s sure to send the right message!
Kupljen “Spirit of Svetinje” White Wine Blend, Jeruzalem, Slovenia.
May 16, 2013
Grapes
34% Chardonnay, 33% Renski Riesling, 33% Pinot Gris
Facts
- Ahhh yes! There’s nothing better than getting home from a hard day’s graft ( after staring at a computer for most of the day) than to kick off my shoes, and reaching for a bottle of Kupljen “Spirit of Svetinje” from the Jeruzalemsko-Svetinjske hills of north-eastern Slovenia…
- Ok, so that’s a lie. Firstly, I mainly work out of my house, so my shoes are pretty-much off all day. Secondly, this happens to be the first bottle of Slovenian wine which has ever entered the Chislett household; and indeed, the first which has ever graced my lips.
- The first thing that caught my eye, was that this bottle’s an ‘03. For a white wine, that’s usually not a good sign. Usually the stuff you find in the bargain bin at the local liquor store.
So I jump onto the Kupljen website, half-expecting to be told the current vintage is in-fact 2012 (or something similar). Nope! The current vintage is in-fact 2003….I sure-as-hell hope that the nice people at the Kupljen winery know what they’re doing here…
- Luckily for me (and you), the nice people at the Kupljen winery have actually been making wine – in one form or another – since 1836….so they’ve had plenty of practice. Little-did-I-know, the wines from this particular region of Slovenia are famed for their aging potential.
- The Kupljen winery is a family winegrowing estate, with winemaker Jože Kupljen (no, I can’t pronounce it either) launching the Vino Kupljen wine brand in 1976.
- Renski Riesling: It’s kind-of like Riesling, but not….
- Oh, you want more information than that!?!?! Well, Renski Riesling tends to be more aromatic than the more common “straight-Riesling” grape, showing lots of acidity, as well as peach, apricot and mineral notes.
The World in Wine – INFOGRAPHIC
May 15, 2013
Wine infographic brought to you by: www.wild-grapes.co.uk
23rd Annual Jacksonville Foodfight
May 15, 2013
What
Each year volunteers representing the local restaurant community host an event called “The Jacksonville FOODFIGHT” that features 60 of Jacksonville’s finest restaurants and beverage wholesalers/distributors who come together in friendly competition to “take a bite out of hunger” by raising funds and awareness for Second Harvest North Florida. More than 1,200 guests are tempted to taste everything they see from the glorious variety of the finest foods and spirits displayed throughout two floors of the fabulous Touchdown Club East at EverBank Field. Live musical entertainment and two exciting raffles round out the evening.
General admission tickets are $60 if purchased in advance (if ordered by phone before 4 p.m. on the day of the event) and $70 if purchased at the door.
All tickets purchased will be left at the Will Call table in the lobby of the Touchdown Club East and available on the night of the event, beginning at 5 p.m.
Where
Touchdown Club East at EverBank Field
http://www.jacksonvillefoodfight.org
When
Thursday June 6th 2013
EVERYTHING Pairs With Pinot!
May 9, 2013
Wine Down Every Wednesday in May.
May 7, 2013
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