Bois D’Arlene “Origine”

Wine Info

Region: Vacqueyras, Rhône Valley, FRA

Grapes: 65% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 5% Cinsault, 5% Carignan     

ABV: 13.5%                                        

Winemaker: Phillipe Bernard 

Viticulture: Organic

Winemaking: Whole cluster fermentation, co-fermenting with 2% Viognier

“Smoke. It’s the first thing you notice when you put your nose in the glass”

One of my favorite things to do is show classic wines with age that are drinking nicely. Enter this 2013 Vacqueyras, a perfect example of a southern French red wine. At seven years of age, it’s developed, mature, and ready to enjoy.

Bois d’Arlene is an awesome organic vineyard in the southern Rhône, producing classic wines typical of the region. Phillipe Bernard is making excellent, powerful wines.

Buried beneath the notes of smoke, bacon, black pepper, and crushed rosemary are notes of robust black and red fruit. Roasted strawberry and prune and fresh figs. Orange peel and potpourri. This wine’s got something a lot of wines don’t have–complexity. This wine’s a savory beast that longs for food. We picked this 2013 vintage because it’s in the sweet spot and aged to perfection.

Pair it with anything cooked over live fire! Rich, marbled cuts of steak would be great, or any kind of roasted chicken or pork.

suggested pairings.

in partnership with Simply Real Health

We’ve partnered with Sarah Adler of Simply Real Health to provide recipes for all the wines in the July box. Sarah is a cookbook author, nutritional coach, and blogger who focuses on pure, natural ingredients in her cooking. We’ve been admiring her work for a long time and were so excited to collaborate on pairings with her! We hope you enjoy these summery, fresh recipes and make them alongside the wines in the July release.

Roasted Sheet-Pan Chicken

Chicken and vegetables. Feel free to replace these vegetables with whatever you want: onions, potatoes, leeks, anything!

Further Pairings

This would be a great steak wine as well, and anything cooked over a live fire goes wonderfully with these smoky, peppery notes.

 Music: “Can You Hear the Future” by Ark Patrol

A thoughtful, slightly brooding song for a decidedly brooding wine.