Oracle Oaks and Cole Bailey, Hopland CA

Category & Type :

Wineries And Breweries

Location :

13275 Highway 101 Ste. 5 , Hopland CA

Phone :

707-744-1230

Website :

http://www.colebailey.com/

Information about Oracle Oaks and Cole Bailey...

Cole Bailey produces Sauvignon Blanc and estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon. Each of the wines is noble, with the understated yet pulchritudinous aroma typical of a blue-blooded Brahmin. Nevertheless, from the first sip its clear that Cabernet, Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc Sesquipedalian are mouthfuls. Like a character from a Faulkner novel, they come right at you, powerfully forging ahead full-throttle, stunning reflections of their respective vineyards terroir. These wines speak to a worldly palate and have no patience for those anchored to the jejune in life.

While exploring the Mendocino wine region, the town of Hopland is an easy stop to experience a handful of small wineries who inhabit a quaint enclave of buildings along the main street. All within walking distance of three or four blocks, one will find seven wineries’ tasting rooms, a local brewery, and a restaurant or two. Oracle Oaks Winery is such a winery and being relatively new on the block, shares their pouring space with Cole Bailey.

It was Cole Bailey’s Bob Anderson who was manning the tasting room on the day of my visit and I failed to inquire sufficiently about Oracle Oaks’ history. All I know is they are an offshoot of the Lolonis Vineyards (a sibling? a son? I can’t recall). Their vineyards are, however, located in Redwood Valley so while the tasting room lies in the center of Sanel Valley, they are wholly and entirely wines from the Redwood Valley appellation. One of the characteristics of Redwood Valley is its remarkable change in temperature, where it can change twenty- to thirty-degrees from evening to mid-day. I also failed to acquire prices on the wines I tasted, but look forward to learning more about this new business for there are several wines showing considerable intrigue:

About Cole Bailey

Cole Bailey Vineyards is located in Redwood Valley, a beautiful undiscovered town in Mendocino County, situated 50 miles directly north of Healdsburg. The proprietors, Jennifer and Bob Anderson, named the winery after their son, Cole Bailey Anderson, who was born in 1998 during the week that they planted their first hillside vineyard.

The Mission

The Andersons' mission is to preserve the elitist atmosphere of the high-end world of wine. Knowing that great wine is the divine right of the upper class - not the huddled masses - Cole Bailey targets its market accordingly, christening its wines with the high-brow multi-syllabic moniker "sesquipedalian" to prevent them from falling into the mundane hands of the bourgeoisie and proletariat. At Cole Bailey there's no "dumbing-down" to attract the average consumer; rather, there's a "smartening-up" to attract the aficionado.

The Wines and Vineyards

Cole Bailey produces three wines: Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc. Both the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Syrah are estate-grown, coming from a steep, terraced hillside that is also planted to the traditional Bordeaux varietals: Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. The Bordeaux varieties are blended to produce Cole Bailey's "Cabernet Sesquipedalian."

Cole Bailey's Sauvignon Blanc is sourced at the Sanford Ranch, a vineyard located in Talmage, a small town approximately 18 miles south of Redwood Valley. Unlike Cabernet Sesquipedalian and Sauvignon Blanc Sesquipedalian, both of which are available at select restaurants and retailers throughout the United States, the Syrah Sesquipedalian can only be purchased directly through our web site.