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RoxyAnn Winery 2019 Claret
AKA Meritage
It’s hard to think of another winery as historic as RoxyAnn in Southern Oregon. The Parsons family has been growing pears at the Hillcrest Orchard since 1908. (Imagine bringing pears to market before the widespread adoption of motor vehicles!)
In 1997, Jack Day — the grandson of founder Reginald Parsons — realized the potential of growing grapes and planted 20 acres on the Southwest slope of Roxy Ann peak. In 2001, their first harvest of grapes produced 200 cases of a Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It sold out in two weeks and the family realized they had a hit.
Fast forward to today. The family has 70 acres of grapes planted and produces around 10,000 cases of wine each year. Jack Day left his legacy in the hands of his children, Chad Day and Crissie Olson, who run the day-to-day operations and hope to one day pass on the family business to a fifth generation.
But who, you may ask, was RoxyAnn? Well, in 1853, she and her husband Samuel Bowen were the original settlers of the land that now comprises the Hillcrest orchard and vineyards. They decided to honor her passion for the land by naming the winery after her.
Cellar 503 Tasting Notes
RoxyAnn Winery, Medford, Oregon
2019 Claret
"This classic combination of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec leads with aromas of ripe blackberries, violets and cigar box. Sturdy tannins back flavors of blackberry, bacon and cedar. This is a medium-bodied wine with a lean, clean texture. It will likely offer enjoyment for another four to five years." — Michael Alberty, Wine Enthusiast
35% Cabernet Sauvignon 35% Merlot 15% Cabernet Franc 15% Malbec
100% Rogue Valley AVA
21 Months in American oak barrels; 33% New
Alc. 14.1%
Single Vineyard
100% Estate Grown, Produced, & Bottled
2023 Oregon Wine Experience Best Of Class WINNER
Awarded 90 Points from Wine Enthusiast
Winner of the Critic’s Choice Award from Northwest Wine Report.
Back to School
Claret is a name primarily used in British English for red Bordeaux wine. Claret derives from the French clairet, now a rare dark rosé, which was the most common wine exported from Bordeaux until the 18th century. The name was anglicised to "claret" as a result of its widespread consumption in England during the period in the 12th–15th centuries that Aquitaine was part of the Angevin Empire and continued to be controlled by Kings of England for some time after the Angevins. It is a protected name within the European Union, describing a red Bordeaux wine, accepted after the British wine trade demonstrated over 300 years' usage of the term.
Claret is occasionally used in the United States as a semi-generic label for red wine in the style of the Bordeaux, ideally from the same grapes as are permitted in Bordeaux. The French themselves do not use the term, except for export purposes. The meaning of "claret" has changed and now refers to a dry, dark-red Bordeaux. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carménère.
Meritage is a name for red and white Bordeaux-style wines without infringing on the Bordeaux (France) region's legally protected designation of origin. Winemakers must license the Meritage trademark from its owner, the California-based Meritage Alliance. Member wineries are found principally in the United States, though increasingly elsewhere.
The Meritage Association was formed in 1988 by a small group of Sonoma County and Napa Valley, California vintners increasingly frustrated by U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives regulations stipulating wines containing at least 75% of a specific grape to be labeled as a varietal. As interest grew in creating Bordeaux-style wines, which by their blended nature fail to qualify for varietal status, members sought to create a recognizable name for their blended wines.
In 1988, the association hosted a contest to conceive a proprietary name for these wines, receiving over 6,000 submissions. "Meritage"—a portmanteau of merit and heritage—was selected and its coiner awarded two bottles of the first ten vintages of every wine licensed to use the brand.
The first wine to be labeled with the term "Meritage" was the 1986 "The Poet" by Mitch Cosentino (Cosentino Winery) and 1985 vintage by Dry Creek Vineyard was the oldest vintage released "Meritage".
A Cellar 503 selection in September 2024, Back to School Rogue Valley |
