A groovy wine tour at Domaine O’Vineyards

I’d heard from some of the other Naked Wines Angels and Archangels that a visit to the Domaine O’Vineyards in France is an absolutely excellent experience. So when we were in the Languedoc this summer, we decided to book a night with meal and wine tasting with Joe and Liz O’Connell.

Joe giving his groovy wine tour

It was a really, really hot on the day we visited. Apparently it was the hottest September that the region could remember. We’d spent the day wandering around nearby Carcassonne and lying by the lovely but very breeze-less Lac de la Cavayereand we were literally expiring when we arrived.

We were over half an hour early, but Liz, Joe and Muse the dog opened the doors and welcomed us into a wonderfully cool room and opened an ice-cold bottle of delicious white wine. It was absolute bliss. And, it wasn’t a thimble-full of wine either, it was a nice, big, juicy glug.

The view from our balcony

Liz and Joe were like these super cool hipsters. Not cool in a modern way. More a laid back, 70s throwback sort of way. Joe kind of shuffled around in his Hawaiian shirt, jeans and sandals, humming away to his Beatles and Elton John music with a wry, knowing smile while Liz wafted in and out in her denim shorts and huge shades. Apparently they met while she was sunbathing nude on a beach in California. Says it all really. Very cool.

 

My husband and I enjoying the yummy wines

The winery and the vineyards were absolutely stunning. Joe had designed the building himself and the decor and structure were an interesting mix of modern, rustic and baroque. All peppered with art that you felt they’d collected on their journey through life. Our bedroom had a fabulous view of the vines and I joked to Liz that I would need a ladder to get onto the ginormous bed. Everything was very luxurious and felt like a proper treat. Again, probably not stylish in a modern or conventional sense, but all very cool, eclectic and distinctive.

When everyone else arrived, Joe introduced the event as “not a wine tasting, but a wine drinking”. And, that really set the tone for the event. The measures were generous as were the hosts with their time and attention.

Stunning sunset over the vines

The tour itself was informal and fun. It didn’t feel like a stuffy lesson on winemaking. But it had enough content to be interesting and enough interaction for us all to feel comfortable and get chatting.

Joe and Liz moved to France with their son Ryan to make the type of wine they wanted to make, the way they wanted to make it. Apparently, there have been some frustrating times along the way navigating the Languedoc Appellation rules. But he’d come out the other side and has earned a great deal of respect for his wines and methods both in France, England and across the pond in America where his son, Ryan does a great deal of work with Naked Wines USA.

Me with Joe and Liz and the star of the show, Muse

At the tasting and meal, we were treated to glass upon glass upon glass. So much so that I think we tried everything in their range. The wines were stylish and interesting, without taking themselves too seriously. For example, all the bottle labels were designed by the family and one even had the head of a Naked Wines Archangel on it.

My favourite wine was probably the O’Chasan 2015. I’d never tried a pure Chasan wine before, but apparently it is a popular, but underrated wine of the Languedoc region. Very light and easy drinking and perfect served crisp cold. We also loved the O’Syrah 2011. A smooth and peppery Shiraz that left my mouth warm and very happy for a long time after each sip.

We tried pretty much the whole range

The food was all lovingly prepared by Liz. The website promoted the meal as “home cooked food”. Well, if you live in a house with about 20 chefs! I have no idea how she managed to create all that food. We enjoyed course after course of interesting and intricate Asian-French-Californian fusion food. And Liz lovingly enthused about how she made each dish and her added personal touches.But the real star of the show was their beautiful conker dog, Muse. He seemed to lead the wine tour, obviously knowing the route by heart. Staring lovingly up at us all with gorgeous eyes, hoping to perhaps get a few of Liz’s supper treats.

What a view to have from your dining room table!

When we finally stumbled to bed, I’ve never seen such a beautiful sky from our balcony overlooking the vines. Hundreds of stars and with not an artificial light or sound in sight.

The whole experience was extremely relaxing, very decadent and, well, groovy baby….

2016 harvest started at 4am!

The lab test showed the Chasan and the Merlot ready for harvesting this week!

Syrah next week? … then the Cabernet…

More pictures will be added as we go!

Less wine again in 2016….. but Better quality!

95 points score for O’Vineyards Proprietor’s Reserve by Miles Simmons-drinkmemag.com

http://www.drinkmemag.com/domaine-ovineyards-proprietors-reserve-2005-95-pts/

Wine – Proprietor’s Reserve
Vintage – 2005
Varietal – CS, Syrah, Merlot (Undisclosed %)
Score – 94/100
Price – GBP £33.99 USD $44.69

This is quite simply, a stunning wine! Huge beyond belief, with oodles of character and an intensity that grips you throughout the entire mouthful all the way to the never ending finish.

A stunningly aromatic bouquet of black stone fruit, sweet spice and some earthy, dank woody tones! The palate is dry, very dry. It’s full of black cherry and liquorice, with some beautiful soft savoury flavours of mixed herbs, clove and aniseed. Polished, yet still rather grippy tannins, alongside subtle oak layers offering up sweet vanilla and a still vibrant acidity makes for a wonderfully balanced wine, incredibly poised and elegant.

Weighty, rich and unctuous. Opulence personified. A true showpiece, fit for any special occasion. I must offer a huge thank you to Joe, Liz and Ryan O’Connell at Domaine O, for this masterpiece!

Thank you Alastair and Kim for the great TripAdvisor Review!

People like you, your family and your friends make hosting easy.

“My wife and I have been here three times this summer and we enjoyed it more and more with every visit! Whether we brought friends, parents or grown up children everybody enjoyed the experience and considered it the highlight of their visit. Jo and Liz are the consummate hosts and put a lot of effort in to making sure that all the guests have a wonderful time. On top of this – the wines are the best in the region and the food varied and always a delight. If you like fabulous wines and enjoy great food you will not be disappointed. It has taken us 6 years to find O’Vineyard and we will not forget it! Take a taxi as you will not want to drive home!”

A Great Review from our last week visitors! Thanks Mike & Claire Goldwater!

“When you stumble across something really exceptional, it’s worth posting on Facebook. We have just spent two magical nights with our hosts Joe and Liz, owners of this incredible vineyard and ‘B&B’. In just 48 hours we have been made to feel like family. The wine, the food, the hospitality, the whole kit and kaboodle has been off the scale. Do yourself a favour – book your Ryanair flights to Carcassonne, 20 mins from the airport you’re here, take Joes tour of his vineyard and winery and stay for dinner (at least) to sample Liz’s cooking. The bedrooms are great too. You can thank me later.”

Great time! Great Fun! Thanks to all for visiting us!

93 point Score for O’Vineyards Stranger Stranger 2011 By Miles Simmons:

http://www.drinkmemag.com/domaine-ovineyards-stranger-stranger-2011-93-points/

Winery – Domaine O’Vineyards
Wine – Stranger Stranger
Vintage – 2011
Varietal – 100% Merlot
Score – 93/100
Price – GBP £15.99 USD $23.40

The 2010 vintage of Stranger Stranger was simply sublime, a truly wonderful wine, punching well above it’s weight, all things considered. This latest vintage, is nearing the same quality, even with a years less age at this point in time. Whether it will quite reach the same dizzy heights as the 2010, I’m not sure, I guess only time will tell, although my personal opinion is that 2010 was a slightly more rounded vintage. Having said that there’s only one point in it on my scorecard, so don’t be swayed either way, this is still an exceptional vintage of an exceptional wine.

A heavenly, aromatic bouquet, led by rich, intense dark fruits and freshly polished leather, with baked plums and raspberry rounding off an endearing array of scents. The palate is broad; black cherry, damson and vanilla, with mild aniseed and velvety milk chocolate on the finish, which itself is of extraordinary length. A texturally addictive and hugely masculine mouthfeel really make one appreciate the full bodied presence of this wine. Rich, dense and oily in complexion, deep purple and opaque in colour.

A good splashy decant really helps open up this wine’s potential and realises it’s power. A real classy wine. Enjoy folks!

Unique Thing to do in Carcassonne:

A Winery Visit with Joe, the Winemaker!

followed by a convivial family style Wine & Dine.

All the Fun at O’Vineyards!

Wine, Dine and Stay with us. and get your favorite recipe!

This one is requested by Claire and John McDermott: Happy Honeymoon Claire & John!

De-bone the turkey leg

Make a stuffing with your favorite meat and herbs

Precook 40 minutes in the oven at 225°C

Cut the slices the thickness you like.

In a sauce pan sauté a sliced oinion, 6 precooked potatoes cut in half,

add fresh cream, salt, pepper,

add the sliced stuffed turkey,

cook medium heat

Bon Appetit!

The four O’Connells in Paris for a well deserved Wine, Dine & Relax Weekend!

Muse stayed behind and was happy to see us back!

Now ready for our 2016 O’Vineyards Visitors!