
The Oliver Estate
Oliver Winery started in the 1960's as a hobby in the basement of Indiana University law professor William Oliver. His enthusiasm for making wine led him to establish a vineyard north west of Bloomington. Soon the flourishing vines produced grapes far in excess of his needs as a hobby winemaker, and he began plans to open a commercial winery.
Professor Oliver was instrumental in passing legislation allowing for the creation of small wineries in Indiana . The Indiana Small Winery Act passed in 1971 and Oliver Winery opened to the public in 1972. Initially sales were modest, but grew quickly after we began making Camelot Mead, a light wine made from honey.
Professor Oliver's son, Bill, took charge of the winery in 1983. He focused on enhancing the visitor experience by increasing wine quality and variety, establishing our gardens, and providing great customer service. Sales grew steadily in the 80's reaching 25,000 cases by 1990.
In 1993 Kathleen Oliver joined the winery as General Manager. This allowed Bill to focus on winemaking and viticulture and Creekbend Vineyard was started in 1994. Retail sales continued to grow and allowed for the construction of a new tasting room in 1997. By 2000 sales had reached 60,000 cases.
While retail sales marked the greatest growth prior to 2000, the years after saw tremendous growth in wine sold through wholesale channels. Major facility expansions occurred in 2002 and 2007 making Oliver Winery one of the largest wineries in the eastern United States. In 2002, interstate expansion began as Kentucky became the first state outside of Indiana to offer Oliver wines. By 2008 we had distribution in 14 states. In 2008 total case sales exceeded 270,000 cases.
The Vineyard
They farm 35 acres of vineyard land called Creekbend Vineyard, located in Monroe County and sitting on a ridge top overlooking the Beanblossom Valley. The site, with moderately sloped, well-drained soil atop limestone bedrock, is part of the geographic region known as the Norman Uplands. The vineyards are a mix of vinifera (Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, as well as small experimental plantings of Merlot, Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigio), Native American varieties and interspecific hybrids (Chardonel, Marechal Foch, Chambourcin and Traminette).

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Jonive Chardonnay Russian River Valley is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
2021 Jonive Russian River Estate Chardonnay: Harvested the night of September 20th with the two clones kept separate. The clone 95 was pressed into tank where it was chilled, settled and racked, then allowed to ferment naturally for 12 days when it then went to barrel. The primary and secondary fermentations lasted in barrel until April 20th, some seven months. The wine remained on its original lees until just prior to bottling. The clone 17/Robert Young chardonnay was pressed into tank and allowed to brown naturally before a natural fermentation occurred. This lasted for 15 days before going to barrel where it finished the last 12 days of primary fermentation and six weeks of secondary fermentation and it too rested on its original lees until just prior to bottling.
The wine has a typical straw color and complex aromas of lemongrass, nutmeg, Meyer lemon and a touch of passionfruit. It has an enveloping mouthfeel that is at once tart and linear as well as rich and expansive, a very unusual and beguiling combination of textures and mouthfeel. The browning of the clone 17 enables the wine to be rich, but at a lower alcohol (13.3%) and the clone 95 contributes beautifully fresh acidity. The pallet shows jasmine, honeydew melon, tarragon and lemongrass with a nice kiss of high-quality French oak. The extended lees contact gives the wine amazing length, energy and vitality.
353 cases produced
Harvested September 20th
14-month barrel aging in 67% new French oak barrels, 20% once used and 13% neutral
61% clone 17/Robert Young and 39% clone 95
13.3% alcohol
Bottled December 14th
Reviews:
A wildly elegant aromatic profile announces this Chardonnay from Jonive's estate vineyards, a combination of two separately fermented clones, 95 and clone 17, also known as Robert Young. The blend is beautiful and effusively aromatic. Lemon cream and white flowers mark the aromatic profile, and the palate, crafted with plenty of lees contact, shows a creamy texture of lemon and orange oils. Savoury notes of sorrel and lemongrass mark the lengthy finish. The new French oak kisses this wine just a touch with a note of Madagascar vanilla on the finish.
-Decanter 94 Points
This seamless, smooth and mouthfilling wine is packed with ripe fruit flavors and deftly accented with oak notes like vanilla, hazelnut and toast. It's rich in texture yet relatively light in body, encouraging flavors that mingle with a subtlety that asks for more sipping.
-Wine Enthusiast 94 Points
Dominique Piron Morgon Cote du Py is made from 100 percent Gamay.
The Morgon Cru is based in the heart of Northern Beaujolais. Côte du Py is the heart of Morgon, a little hill of very old blue stone rocks - the oldest soils of Beaujolais (around 430 millions years old), with a typical blue color.
Côte du Py has been known for centuries for being the best terroir of the village, producing long lived wines with strong structure and flavors.
Wines of the Côte du Py are very dark, profound and dense. Classic aromas of red berries, cherry, kirsh. Fruity, structured and mineral in the mouth with graphite flavors and spicy notes of black and white pepper. Wine can age up to 10 years.
Hand picked grapes are sorted manually and destemmed for 50 to 70%. Fermentation starts in concrete tanks and lasts for 18-25 days with remontages and pigeages. Then after pressurage starts the aging, for 2/3 in concrete tanks, and 1/3 in recent French oak barrels with batonages on fine lies only. After 10 month we do the blending, keeping only the best cuvees and best barrels, and do the bottling.
Pairs well with red meat like beef, duck and game (Hare, Dear, Wild Pork,…), cheses.