OPPA!
Enjoy this vertical 3 pack!
(According to Decatur.com)
What is a vertical tasting? A vertical wine tasting is a wine tasting that compares different vintages of the same wine. It's a way to learn about how a wine's character changes over time, and how factors like weather and aging affect the wine.
What happens during a vertical tasting? You taste different vintages of the same wine from the same winery. You compare the wines to see how the vintage, climate, and aging process affect the wine. You learn about the winery's history and the challenges and successes of each vintage.
Why is it a good experience? It's a unique way to learn about the factors that affect a wine. It's a fun way to learn and have conversations with other wine lovers. It's a great way to discover a winemaker's skill.
How can you host a vertical tasting? Choose a wine and buy three bottles from the same winery but different vintages. Start with the youngest wine on the left and the oldest on the right. Avoid flowers or candles, which can interfere with the tasting.
Winemaker's notes:
100% Cordon pruned. 20% Whole Cluster fermentation. Fermented in small, open-top vessels. No new oak. 25% 1yr old French oak, 75% Neutral French oak. 2 years aged in barrel. Bottled in 2015.
Clear garnet, with a little bit of brickiness. Dried rose petals, a little mintiness, bright red plum, satsuma plum, a little forest floor earth. On the palate, bright red fruit, cherry, nice acidity, balanced, great mid-palate, medium length. Finish is a little riper with red raspberry and yellow pomegranate. Astringency shows up which gives it a youthful glow. Doesn’t taste like a ‘13. It’s holding up well. No oak perception.
This is a classic pairing for duck with a cherry glaze. The earthiness will go with all sorts of things as well, like brussel sprouts, or a salad nicoise.
Winemaker's notes:
50% each Cordon and Cane pruned. 25% Whole Cluster fermentation. Fermented in small, open-top vessels. 25% New French oak, 25% 1 yr old French oak, 50% neutral French oak. Aged for two years. Bottled in 2017
Bright red, brilliant red. No browning, no visible shift in the meniscus. On the nose, I get a little bit of funkiness, charcut, cured meats, a hint of organic purple cabbage. More on the nose there’s some cassis, ripe plum, other dark fruits. Savory in the mouth, wet slate, bing cherry, cassis, …. The tannins on this a year ago, were so grippy, now they have softened. This will be amazing in another ten years.
With the tannin density we’d want to go with red meat, or venison backstrap w/ smoky cippolini onion reduction and meyer lemon risotto, butter braised fennel bulb.
Available in large format too, this is the biggest of all the Oppenlander vintages and also has a long lasting ability to age well. Try all three and order more of your favorite as there are case discounts too! Join the Magnum Club to recieve magnums 2x annually if you enjoy sharing these fine flavors with family & friends. All other clubs are 6-12 bottles annually with options to modify before shipping or pick up at the tasting room.