Announcing our October wine box collaborators, Patrick and Ashley Skelton. Patrick & Ashley have been long time friends. John Mark and Patrick have known each other for over 25 years. We have shared many fun wine dinners together and plan to share many more in the future. They have recently made Auburn their home, so be sure to help us welcome them to town.
Patrick and Ashley both have been in the insurance business with Colonial Life for a number of years. If you were to ask them, they’d say, “We have the honor and privilege to work alongside the absolute best Colonial Life leaders in the South Region!” In Patrick’s previous life, he owned and operated restaurants and also worked in the private club sector. He knows a thing or two about ‘wining and dining.’ We love the wines they chose for their cases and hope you do too!
“Skelton’s From the Closet” contains a great mix of wines to enjoy with these falls temps and Halloween celebrations. The name of the case comes from a play on the Skelton’s last name and the Grateful Dead album ‘Skeletons From the Closet.’
Each case (12 bottles; 3 of each selection) is $275+ tax.
OR a 4- pack (1 bottle of each) $125+ tax. **Please indicate in your request if want to go with this option.**
Auburn: Orders due by NOON, 10/27 with pickup the following day, 10/28 at Charred Oak Premium Spirits. (There will be an upcharge of 4% on all card transactions. Purchase by cash or check is encouraged.)
Alexander City: Orders due by NOON, 10/27, with pickup the following day, 10/28 at Grain & Leaf. (There will be an upcharge of 4% on all card transactions. Purchase by cash or check is encouraged.)
Dadeville: Orders due by NOON, 10/27, with pickup the following day, 10/28 at 34 Market.
Dothan: Orders due by NOON, 10/24, with pickup the following day, 10/25 at KBC.
Enterprise: Orders due by NOON, 10/25, with pickup the following day, 10/26 at Corks and Cattle.
2018 Carson Phillips Chardonnay – Carson Phillips wines are grown and made by three brothers, Douglas, Grant, and Thomas Phillips, dedicated to expressing place, time, varietal and the people who care for them. Their home, organic farm and estate vineyards are nestled in the Dundee Hills of Oregon where they grow Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Gamay Noir with the highest attention to quality. In the winery, Grant Phillips takes a nuanced approach, allowing the grapes and hardwork in the vineyard to express themselves in the most pure and balanced way possible. In addition to estate grown wines, they also source fruit from other exceptional vineyards within the Willamette Valley. This Chardonnay comes from three distinct vineyards within the Willamette Valley. Risdal Ranch, formerly known as Shafer Vineyard, is one of the oldest vineyards in Oregon and is located in the Willamette Valley AVA. The estate vineyard Chardonnay comes from their own rooted vines planted in 1974 on ancient volcanic soils. Finnigan Hill Vineyard is an organically grown, high elevation vineyard in the Chehalem Mountains AVA and is planted on Laurelwood soils. Azana Vineyard is a high elevation, biodynamically farmed vineyard located in the Chehalem Mountains AVA and is planted on volcanic soils. This chardonnay is a bit bigger than what most have come to expect from Oregon, but it is perfect for Fall!!
2020 Van Duzer Pinot Noir – Proprietors Carl and Marilynn Thoma were among the first to choose the foothills at the mouth of the Van Duzer Corridor in the Willamette Valley to create their family estate in 1998, intrigued by the potential of the microclimate and its ability to produce tremendous Pinot Noir. Sitting atop a hill surrounded by vines on three sides, the site is situated in the gateway of the Corridor, a deep gap in the Oregon Coastal Range that draws brisk air from the Pacific Ocean into the Willamette Valley. The flagship estate’s 83.7 planted acres are in the direct path of marine winds, and benefit from the cooling gusts that moderate the temperatures over the vineyard, guaranteeing a long, beneficial growing season year after year. This wine shows aromas of bright cherry, strawberry and rose petal with notes of black tea and licorice. Leading with bright red fruits and vanilla, the flavors are complex with hints of black pepper and barrel driven spices. With soft and supple tannins and brown sugar notes, this wine has a light and lingering finish.
2018 Farm to Table Cabernet Sauvignon– This Cabernet Sauvignon is made by Fowles Wines in Victoria, Australia. This wine embodies their connection to the land and their enjoyment of it through quality food and wine. It is comprised of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Shiraz. In the glass, it is a dense dark red with purple hues. One the nose it shows aromas of dark blackberry fruits, hints of wild herbs and oak spice. On the palate it is smooth and rich with dark cherry and plum flavors balanced with a hint of black pepper and dusty tannins.
2021 Daou Pessimist – As children growing up in Beirut, Georges, Daniel, and their sisters, Marie Jo and Michelle, fell in love with the rural way of life during visits to their grandfather’s ancient olive groves. Their childhood was steeped in Lebanese traditions of generous hospitality, family values, and faith. But in 1973, their world was turned upside down. A missile, fired to begin the Lebanese civil war, struck the sidewalk in front of the Daou family home sending shrapnel tearing through the house. For two years, the family rebuilt and recovered from serious injuries, but when the war escalated in 1975, Joseph and Marie, the parents, made the courageous and difficult decision to save the family, leave everything behind, and move to France to give their children peace and hope for a brighter future. The family emigrated to Paris and, later, Cannes in the south of France. In France, Joseph developed a passion for wine, and it was here, surrounded by vineyards and centuries of winemaking tradition, that Georges and Daniel first dreamt of a life in wine. In the early 1980s, Georges and Daniel moved to California to pursue their American dream. They both enrolled at UC San Diego and studied Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering. Industrious and driven to succeed, Georges and Daniel followed in their family’s entrepreneurial footsteps and started their own company, DAOU Systems, a networking technology company that would revolutionize hospital computer systems. In 1998, after taking DAOU Systems public, Georges and Daniel sold the company, and a new dream arose, a dream with its roots in France. For years, Daniel had been making wine in his garage in rural San Diego, tending to a one-acre vineyard of Cabernet Sauvignon, and reading every book he could find about winemaking. He knew he was destined to be a winemaker and knew it was time to start a winery. Everyone told him he was crazy, but with Georges as his business partner, Daniel told his father, “I’m going to buy this property in Paso, and I want to become a winemaker, and I think I can make one of the best wines in the world.” Without hesitation, Joseph said, “Go and don’t look back. Go full throttle.” This wine is a blend of 76% Petite Sirah, 12% Zinfandel, 10% Syrah, and 2% Lagrein. It has intense aromas of blueberry, cherry, plum and strawberry with a hint of lavender. The nose evolves with layers of warm leather, truffle, pipe tobacco, black pepper and allspice. Rich and weighty on the palate, this wine delivers bold fruit flavors of boysenberry, blackberry, cassis and plum, with notes of rhubarb, pomegranate and damp forest floor. Subtle hints of black olives and mushroom complement the balanced and well-rounded flavor profile. A persistent, elegant finish lingers with red cherry and cranberry tones highlighted by hints of dark chocolate.x
The Dining Winos 