24th Annivesary Sale!
24TH Anniversary Oconee Cellar V2 (002)
Click on the above to see what’s on Sale this weekend!
Allocated Bourbon Raffle
ALLOCATED BOURBON DRAWING!
At 8:00 AM Saturday August 20th at The Oconee Cellar everyone in line picks a #. #1 has 5 minutes to purchase one bottle of these allocated bourbons and so on until they are gone. If you want a bonus pick, you must purchase our newest store pick (George Dickel 18 year Single Barrel). Over 60 bottles to choose from including a Pappy Van Winkle 10 year, 12 year, and 15 year. Pricing will be announced that morning only so please don’t ask ahead of time. Good Luck!
20th Anniversary Sale!
Click on the image above to see what’s on Sale!
#46 in Top 100 on Sale Now!
Il Poggione Rosso di Montalcino 2015
#46 in Top 100 for 2017
91 Rating Wine Spectator
Bright, delicate and vibrant, with berry and floral flavors. Accents of earth, tobacco and spice add interest as they linger on the finish. Well-rounded and long. Drink now through 2023. 16,666 cases made.
Regular Price $ 26.99
Reward Card Price $ 21.99 Save $5 per bottle!
New Location for Oconee Cellar Now Open!
The Oconee Cellar has finally made the move to their new location, which will ensure that they continue their ranking as “The Best Wine & Spirits Store in Georgia’s Lake Country”. 15 years to the day, The Oconee Cellar moved to their new location on the other side of the Publix Supermarket next to Subway. As soon as you walk into the store, you will notice a much more user friendly, wide open floor plan, beautiful LED lighting, new tiled floors, highly visible glassed in wine cellar, walk-in beer cave, and much more!
“We have been talking with Publix for over 2 years trying to make this move happen, and on November 1st it finally became a reality. I believe it is a real positive for The Oconee Cellar and my customers. We were able to fix all the things that troubled us in the old location and really use my 18 years of experience to create an improved consumer-friendly shopping experience. I am so happy and proud of the new store.”, says owner Matt Garofalo.
“It took a lot of great people to make this project a reality. From my realtor Ted Baker, my builder
Ed Blume, interior decorator Maryln Alea, the entire Oconee Cellar staff, my wife Daniela, my parents, my architect Steve Kippels, and so many more, I am eternally grateful for all their contributions.”, states Matt.
Stop by their new store and see why The Oconee Cellar seems to be well on their way to 20 more years of continued success in The Lake Oconee area.
February Wine Club Selections 2016
February 2016
Michel Gassier Wines
With encyclopedic knowledge of the wines and terroirs of the Rhône
as well as his native Costieres de Nîmes, Michel Gassier is a restless and
innovative vigneron. Usually inquisitive personalities like Michel start as
outsiders, enfants terribles, iconoclasts. Such is not the case with Michel,
whose family has been growing grapes and making wine in the Costieres de
Nîmes for four generations. Together with his wife Tina, they are helping
to establish a new level of quality for Costieres de Nîmes without forsaking
the uniqueness of their terroir.
They have achieved this through nurturing their land, farming organically,
promoting biodiversity, and respecting their employees as much as their
vines. They are proponents of indigenous varieties and taking advantage of
the diversity of climats to make wines that are dense and pure but elegantly
balanced. Cercius is made in partnership with Eric Solomon and Philippe
Cambie from several sites throughout the Rhône valley. Nostre Païs is the
epitome of the terroir of the Costieres de Nîmes while Lou Coucardié
represents the aspirations of Michel and Tina through conversation with
the land and its history.
Cercius 2012 Cotes du Rhone $ 13.99
91 points Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
A joint venture between Gassier, Philippe Cambie, and importer Eric Solomon, the 2012 Cercius Vieilles Vignes is a year in, year out ridiculous value that also drinks well past its humble price point. Comprised of 85% Grenache and 15% Syrah that was aged for 6 months in concrete, it has loads of raspberry, licorice, mineral and Provencal herbs as well as a soft, supple and silky textured feel on the palate. Coming from old Grenache vines (70-90 years in age) located on the Plateau de Domazan – which lies on the right bank of the Rhone river, just west of Avignon and bottled unfined and unfiltered, it is a quintessential Cotes du Rhone that will deliver the goods for 4-5 years, possibly longer. The leading estate in the potential rich Costieres de Nimes region, these knockout wines are made by the talented Michel Gassier, who is leading the way in this appellation and showing what’s possible when you focus on quality. Both the 2011s (which are as good, if not better than his 2010s) and 2012s are incredibly strong here. (JD) 
(12/2013)
Cercius Blanc 2012 $13.99
“a blend of 70% Grenache Blanc and 30% Sauvignon that was aged all in concrete, with plenty of lees contact, the 2012 Cercius Blanc delivers a knockout bouquet of peach, tropical, and pit fruits to go with a core of edgy minerality. Containing a full 40% of declassified Nostre Pais, it delivers an absurd amount of quality for a wine that sells at this price. Full-bodied, rich and gorgeously textured, yet also brilliantly pure and precise, it should be purchased by the case load and consumed over the coming 3-5 years.” WA on the 2012
Connoisseur Club
Lagar de Costa Albarino 2013 $24.99
This 100% Albarino from Rias Baixas, Spain is grown in the Atlantic climate with mild temperatures throughout the year in granite soil with good drainage. On the palate you will experience pale lemon-green, medium-intense balsamic, herbal and citric (grapefruit and lemon) flavors and white fruit aromas. Fresh and penetrating on the palate, recurring citric fruit notes as well as white flowers. Unctuous and long. This wine received an 89 Rating by Robert Parker and a Gold Medal at the Brussels International Contest. Perfect with almost any seafood and especially mussels or oysters.
Aster Ribera del Duero 2010 $29.99
100% Tinta del País from the Fuentecojo, Otero Joven and La Cueva estate-owned vineyards surrounding the winery in Anguix, Burgos. They are on silt loam soils located at an altitude close to 780 meters. They picked the grapes manually, very early in the morning, taking advantage of the cold to preserve the integrity of the clusters until they arrive at the winery sorting table. After destemming, the grapes were crushed and then put in tanks, where alcoholic fermentation took place. 80% of the wine underwent malolactic fermentation in French oak barrels, with weekly bâttonages for two months. The wine was aged for 22 months in new French oak barrels (70%) and the rest in French oak barrels with two wines.
Flavors of intense dark cherry red; very clean and bright, with a lively ruby-red rim. The nose uncovers intense notes of wild berries and ripe fruit enveloping a rich balsamic core of sweet spices, cocoa, liquorice and mild herb scents. Impressively strong in the mouth, with nerve, a delicate acidity and good balance. Soft, tamed, round tannins give this wine the imprint of Ribera del Duero.
January Wine Club Selections 2016
January 2016
Oconee Wine Club
Tournon Winery by Michel Chapoutier
In 1997, true to his pioneering spirit, Michel Chapoutier set out to explore the terroirs of the oldest continent. He wanted to meet people, people like him with a passionate interest in bringing out the true character of vines. A matter of convictions, too, prompting discovery and observation. He found land awaiting its revelation. Michel Chapoutier’s aim is to invent properties, not to follow the example of others. Michel Chapoutier buys land and joins forces with major winemaking families, playing on their complementary know-how and experience The result is exceptional Shiraz wines, displaying great elegance and mineral purity. In 2002 he joined forces with Ron and Elva Laughton (Jasper Hill) in central Victoria, and at Heathcote, north of Melbourne, on a very unusual, early Cambrian soil. He has also worked with Rick Kinzbrunner on the Giaconda vineyard at Beechworth, in northeast Victoria, on a granite soil. After a brief experimental joint venture with his US importer (Terlato & Chapoutier), Maison M. Chapoutier bought two other Australian vineyards (Shays Flat and Landsborough) in the Victorian Pyrenees and set up the fully owned Domaine Tournon.
Tournon Mathilda Shiraz 2013 $14.99
The wine is entirely aged in cement or stainless steel tanks and it is bottled 12 months later. The wine is brilliant, dark ruby color. The nose is deep with black fruits and pepper aromas with a mouth feel of supple silky tannins.
Rated 89 by Wine Spectator, “Velvety and focused, aiming the plum and black pepper flavors into a lithe structure that settles gently into the long and vivid finish. Best from 2016 through 2019. 4,000 cases imported.”
Tournon Mathilda White Blend 2013 $14.99
The wine is entirely aged in stainless steel tank on lees for 5 months. The color is pale gold with a fresh crisp and fruity with stone fruit in abundance.
Rated 91 Wine Spectator “Stacks a rich parfait of spicy pear and grapefruit flavors over lively acidity, stretching the structure into a supple wrapping. Impressive for the purity and precision of the flavors. Viognier and Marsanne. Drink now through 2020. 1,900 cases imported.”
Connoisseur Club
Mollydooker Winery
MollyDooker Two Left Feet 2014 Shiraz, Cabernet, Merlot $25.99
A generous array of bright fruit flavour with outstanding depth, gives this wine the approachable and engaging qualities it’s become adored for. Showcasing every character in our flavour spectrum, including raspberry, plum, deep mocha and licorice. All the elements interweave themselves harmoniously throughout each sip and work together in a way that achieves the subtle mouth feel of a truly delightful wine.
Ten Acre Russian River Chardonnay 2013 $31.99
Ten Acre is dedicated to producing cool-climate pinot noir and chardonnay from some of the most renowned vineyards in the Russian River Valley. As a winery, they work in small lots, with a focus on discovering the personality and distinctive flavors of these great sites. Flavorful, balanced, intense—they strive to let the vineyard personality burst through the wine. Small by design; each wine is hand crafted, barrel-by-barrel.
This expressive wine perfectly personifies the classic style of chardonnay that the cool-climate Russian River Valley is known for. Fruit from several of their single vineyard chardonnay sources was combined to create this well balanced take on the classic Burgundian varietal. The Russian River Valley is famous for the coastal morning fog that slowly burns off throughout the day, lengthening the hang time of chardonnay fruit during the ripening season.
The 2013 Russian River Chardonnay entices with a bouquet of bright tropical notes and vanilla bean. On the palate, lush texture is balanced by crisp acidity. Eleven months in French oak barrels, combined with full malolactic fermentation gives this versatile chardonnay a rich, memorable mouthfeel and finish.
September 2015 Wine Club Selections
September 2015
The La Compuertas vineyard is located a stone’s throw from the northern end of the Mendoza river. The property has very deep soil, down to nearly 1.8 metres in places, though part of the property is close to a hilly area where the soil is shallower and somewhat rocky.
Ungrafted Malbec vines planted in 1929 enjoy an abundant source of clean, run-off water from the river and a longer ripening season thanks to the region’s cooler temperatures. Over the years, this vineyard has used a Guyot system with narrow rows and low trellises, irrigation provided by furrows running down the slope, a method used by the immigrants who started the industry in our province. This irrigation method brings silt and clay that retain moisture so less irrigation is used.
Terrazas Reserva Malbec 2012 $ 17.99
The 2012 vintage is characterized by a very cold winter followed by extremely high temperatures from late spring to early summer; this lead to an accelerated increase of sugar rate and a decrease of grape weight. Then, temperatures dramatically decreased therefore slowing down the ripening cycle on the vine; as a result 2012 wines are very fruity and aromatic, with an acidity found typically when the end of the summer growing season is cooler.
Tasting Notes
Intense purplish colour with red shades. Very expressive, revealing a floral and red fruit profile of violet, raspberry and cherry, with marked aromas of toasted coffee and chocolate. Characterized by a broad and sweet mouthfeel, delicate tannins add finesse to this great Malbec.
Ratings
James Suckling – 92 Points: “This is seamless with extremely fine tannins and gorgeous subtle dark fruits with black licorice. Hints of nuts too. Drink or hold.”
Food Pairing Notes
Grilled meats such as chicken or turkey. Lamb cooked with wine sauce. Grilled vegetables and red oily fish.
Terrazas Altos del Plata Chardonnay 2013 $ 12.99
Harvest 2013 was one of the most important harvests of the last decades in qualitative terms, thanks to the absence of climate risk factors. It was characterized by cool climate trends, excellent health conditions and scarce rain. Mild temperatures contributed to an extended ripeness and cool nights helped with keeping a great acidity and a right aromatic development.
Golden yellow with greenish highlights. Highly fruity. It reveals typical peach and white fruit notes, as well as tropical aromas such as pineapple and ripe melon. Slight herbal touch and white chocolate notes. Excellent balance between freshness and a touch of oak. Hazelnut and vanilla hints in the finish.
Dedicated to Chardonnay, Tupungato lies at the heart of a valley with magnificent views of the just-there Andes. Shallow, sandy soil, and a dry climate are a haven for grapevines accustomed to growing at high altitudes.
With a 16°C difference between day and night during the summer growing months, the cold nights enable the grapes to lock in all the aromas and flavors the plants produce during the warm daylight hours.
Connoisseurs Club
Emmolo Merlot 2012 $ 54.99
This well-balanced and darkly colored wine evokes the scents of saddle leather, coffee and plum, with traces of smokiness amidst its rich fruit. A smooth entry on the palate leads into ripe flavors of plums, prunes and cocoa, balanced by acidity and a grippy tannin character. On the finish: a harmony of fresh earthiness, smoky notes and cocoa’s lingering, inviting warmth. This is one of the best Merlot’s I have had in a long time!
Merlot is a variety that requires hands-on manipulation in the vineyard to make a rich, concentrated wine. Crop thinning throughout the growing season leads to a low yield of rich, concentrated fruit. Grapes are sourced from Emmolo Oak Knoll, which includes two vineyards, one of which r Frank Emmolo purchased in 1972. On an average summer day, Oak Knoll is about 7 degrees cooler than Rutherford, allowing for a longer “hang time” than in warmer areas, which means that they can push the grapes to full ripeness. Harvest came in early to mid-October, and the combination of cooler weather, crop thinning and gravely light soil created ideal conditions for producing a rich, distinctive Merlot.
Critical Acclaim
-
Rating
Wilfred Wong of Wine.com – “Taking a big leap forward, the 2012 Emmolo Merlot has entered the arena of the elite. Rich, lush and generous, yet refined and super well balanced; sweet black fruit flavors; long and lusty from its incredible aromatic nose to is pleasing impact on the palate. Winemaker/owner Jenny Wagner is making a great statement here. How about seared filet mignon over a bed of fresh greens with this baby. Tasty now, but will get substantially better with a half a dozen or more years of bottle age. “ -
The Wine Advocate – “Although this winery has been around since 1944, I am unfamiliar with its wines. Packaged in an interesting bottle with a label sporting green ink, this 2012 Merlot is made in an explosively rich, blockbuster style. Its opaque purple color is accompanied by oodles of blackcurrant and black cherry fruit intertwined with hints of espresso and chocolate. Full-bodied and super-rich, but not overly extracted or astringent, this beautifully made, full-throttle, pedal-to-the-metal Merlot should win the hearts and minds of many California wine enthusiasts. It is the complete package – from aromatics to an impressive entry, a full, savory mid-palate, and a long finish. Kudos to producer Jenny Wagner.”
Emmolo Sauvignon Blanc 2014 $19.99
With a light straw color, the 2014 vintage opens with the soft aromas of melon and white peach, with an underlying note of pantry spice. On the palate, this wine offers a flinty first impression, evoking the freshness of summer rain hitting pavement. An initial tartness quickly dissipates, yielding to the wine’s minerality. Lean but with a fleshy fruit body, this wine remains dry and maintains interest with a lingering lime citrus finish.
February 2015 Beer of the Month Club
Boulevard Brewing Company, Kansas City, Missouri
Founded in 1989, Boulevard Brewing Company has grown to become the largest specialty brewer in the Midwest. Their mission is simple: to produce fresh, flavorful beers using the finest traditional ingredients and the best of both old and new brewing techniques.
The Boulevard story begins in 1988, when founder John McDonald started construction of the brewery in a turn-of-the-century brick building on Kansas City’s historic Southwest Boulevard. A vintage Bavarian brewhouse was installed, and the first batches of beer were produced in the fall of 1989. That November, the first keg of Boulevard Pale Ale was delivered—in the back of John’s pickup truck—to a restaurant just a few blocks away.
In 2006, a major expansion adjacent to the original brewery raised Boulevard’s brewing capacity to approximately 600,000 barrels per year—a sizable increase from the 6,000 barrels contemplated in John’s original business plan. The new brewing and packaging facility is a model of sustainable urban architecture and engineering; a three-story, 70,000 square foot building housing a new, state-of-the-art 150-barrel brewhouse, packaging lines, administrative offices, and hospitality rooms.
Boulevard Brewing Company Unfiltered Wheat Beer
Unfiltered Wheat Beer
- Style: American-style Wheat Beer
- Availability: Year-round, Bottles and Draught
- Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat Beer is a lively, refreshing ale with a natural citrusy flavor and distinctive cloudy appearance. This easy drinking American-style wheat beer has become our most popular offering, and the best-selling craft beer in the Midwest.
A slightly cloudy, light-bodied, straw colored beer with a sweet, bready malt flavor, low hop bitterness and a hint of citrus.
| Aroma | Light fruitiness |
| Malt | Sweet, bready flavor |
| Hops | Low bitterness and flavor |
| Balance | Malt |
| Body | Light |
Ingredients
Malt: Pale Malt, Unmalted Wheat, Malted Wheat
Hops: Bravo, Zeus, Summit
January 2015 Wine Club Selections
January 2015 The Oconee Wine Club Selections
Valentin Bianchi Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 $ 16.99
Bodega Valentin Bianchi is one of the oldest and most important wineries in South America. It is a symbol of tradition, nobility and quality in Argentine wines. Started in 1928 by Don Valentin Bianchi, they have won world attention and acclaim since 1934 starting with the “Maximum Quality” honor in Mendoza. On August 12, 1968, Don Valentin Bianchi passed away. However, the tradition that he firmly established continues to live on in his successors.
Today, Valentin Eduardo Bianchi and Ricardo Stradella Bianchi have brought the winery into the modern era. Valentin is the President of the winery while Ricardo is the Chief Financial Officer. Recently, they enlisted the aid of California winemaker, Robert Pepi. He has helped them refine some of their techniques and the new wines show the style that this new breed of management exemplifies. Pepi believes that Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon are the future of this winery.
90 Rating Wine Enthusiast!
Wine Enthusiast – “This is a superb value Cabernet. Black-fruit aromas come with touches of licorice, herbs and marzipan. The palate has an elegance to it, while flavors of berry fruits, cassis, chocolate and fig finish smooth and long. Bianchi has always made good Cabernet, but this one is better than usual. Best Buy”
Leyda Sauvignon Blanc 2013 $ 10.99
89 Rating Best Buy!
“Tropical more than green and pungent, this fragrant wine offers powdery, sweet notes and stronger coastal ones. It’s lean and angular in feel, with oceanic flavors of nettle, tangerine and lemon. A light green flavor and a chalky feel make up the finish.”
The grapes were harvested between March 21 and April 15, in different stages, with 20.8-22.8º Brix, depending on the exposure of the parcels and the clone. The 2013 harvest stood out as the coldest season ever, leading to lower pH levels, higher acidity and juiciness, and a powerful aromatic expression. At the winery, the grapes were macerated in a pneumatic press at low temperatures for eight hours in order to enhance aromas and flavors. Afterwards, the wine was cooled to controlled temperatures (46º F) before being clarified to 60-120 NTU. Alcoholic fermentation was carried out at low temperatures (54-55°F, finishing at 60°F) in stainless steel tanks for 18 days. The wine was aged on its lees for five months to round it out and improve the texture on the palate.
Tasting Notes
Showcasing expressive minerality, the 2013 Sauvignon Blanc is marked by a powerful aromatic intensity and a wide aromatic spectrum, with herbal, citric and tropical notes. It is fresh on the palate, offering a crisp, tangy acidity and a juicy, citric finish.
Food Pairing
Pair with crab cakes, chicken tarragon or mussels.
Connoiseurs Club
Chateau Ducla 2012 White Bordeaux $ 18.99
Acquired by the Mau family in 1920, Chateau Ducla comprises some 80 hectares in the heart of the Entre Deux Mers region. The château combines longstanding authenticity and tradition and today offers wines that embody the Bordeaux tradition. Production area encompasses the Castets, Saint Hilaire, &Saint Exupéry. The appellation is in the Gironde region with Semillon and Sauvignon grapes, Bordeaux white are fruity, scented, and perfect served with seafood. The soil is silt-clay-limestone grown on the hillsides.
88 Points Wine Enthusiast
Tangy and fruity, this is a lively, bright wine that has added weight from light wood aging. Citrus and apple flavors show strong and bright to give a crisp, textured aftertaste.
Emeritus Hallberg Ranch Russian River Pinot Noir 2011 $ 36.99
93 Rating Wine Spectator #26 in The Top 100 Wines for 2014
“Impressive, offering richness, vibrancy and subtle charm, marked by snappy blackberry, red berry, spice, sage and underbrush notes. Ends with a minerally edge that holds the flavors. Drink now through 2021. 11,100 cases made. ”
In 1999 Emeritus was born when Brice Cutrer Jones closed on the purchase of Don and Marcia Hallberg’s prime apple orchard in the heart of the Russian River Valley. The 115–acre parcel, the Hallberg Ranch, is located two miles north of Sebastopol, on both sides of the Gravenstein Highway and directly on the Gold Ridge—the ten-mile long ridge that bears the name of the predominate soils of the area.
After acquiring the Hallberg property in 1999, Emeritus cleared the land over a three-year period and established a Pinot Noir vineyard with rootstocks and clones specifically chosen for the soils and orientation. The first few harvests were sold to various wineries in the area while Emeritus experimented with small lots of Pinot, and began to outfit the Hallberg barn with fermentation vats, barrels, and environmental controls. Then, in 2004, Brice finally convinced longtime Pinotphile, Burgundy–trained winemaker Don Blackburn to join the team. Don came aboard the day before the first harvest of the William Wesley Vineyard and established the hallmark style of Emeritus—that of elegance and charm. We lost Don to a brief but serious illness after the ’08 harvest, but his protégé, Nicolas Cantacuzene, stepped into his shoes and continues his quest: to produce an authentic wine of great distinction, one that represents its vineyard heritage, a wine of great balance, elegance and charm.
Hours of Operation
Monday- Thursday 10:00 am – 7:00 pm
Friday- Saturday 10:00 am- 8:00 pm
Sunday 12:30- 6:00 pm
Reader’s Choice Awards
We’ve Won Every Year Since 2010!
Latest Posts
Allocated Bourbon Drawing 2024August 11, 2024 - 11:11 am
Limited hours September 18thSeptember 15, 2023 - 10:02 am
Allocated Bourbon DrawingAugust 8, 2023 - 4:46 pm
Closed Sunday for EasterApril 8, 2023 - 9:41 am
24th Annivesary Sale!August 16, 2022 - 4:24 pm
