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Spangler Vineyards 2012 Claret
A little bit of France in the Umpqua.
Pat Spangler was living in suburban Chicago when he discovered some wine grapes growing in the back yard. After a magical trip to Napa, he decided to try his hand at making grapes - but those backyard grapes weren't going to do it. He tried shipping frozen grapes from California, and that worked for basement wine, but before long, Pat was on the road, moving to California and working at some of the best regional wineries.
Restless, Pat discovered Roseburg - a perfect place for him, and his wife, to raise their daughter and grow some grapes. And not just any grapes. The Bordeaux varietals that he loves to work with grow perfectly in Roseburg. It's warm, but not too warm, and all those microclimates in the Hundred Valleys of the Umpqua make it possible to find the perfect spot for each of the Bordeaux grapes.
Roseburg has the perfect climate to grow the grapes for this traditional blend; warm but not too warm with many different microclimates.
And Pat Spangler takes advantage of each of those microclimates to grow each of the grapes exactly where they'll be at their best.
Cellar 503 Tasting Notes
Spangler Vineyards, Roseburg, Oregon
2012 Claret
Like many good stories, this one starts with a beautiful woman. Wealthy and powerful, Eleanor of Aquitaine was the most eligible bride in 12th century Europe. She became Queen of France, but when she tired of Louis VII, the Pope granted her an annulment.
Eight weeks later, she married Henry II and soon became the Queen of England, delivering the French province of Aquitaine. The English nobility adopted the Bordeaux wine of her home - but anglicized it as "Claret". Whether Louis VII went to war with Henry II over the woman or the wine is lost to history, but Eleanor survived both of them, running the Empire while her son, Richard the Lion-Hearted, joined the Crusades.
Claret is a traditional blend of Bordeaux grapes - Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec.
The Spangler Claret has complex aromas of red raspberry and red pepper, with flavors of spicy cherry red licorice, allspice and sweet tobacco. Perfect for a holiday dinner!
A Cellar 503 selection in December 2016, Happy Holidays Southern Oregon | Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot
