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Bob Oatley's heritage goes back to the early days of the convict settlement in Sydney. Bob is a fifth generation Australian-a direct descendant of the convict, James Oatley, who was born in Warwickshire, England in 1770, the same year that Captain Cook discovered the east coast of Australia. James Oatley grew up to become a clockmaker, but along the way was a little errant in his ways, as he was found guilty of stealing bed linen. Unfortunately for him (but you could say, fortunately for Bob and the family), his punishment was a life sentence, which meant being transported to Australia. He arrived in Sydney in 1815 just 27 years after the first fleet had sailed into Sydney Harbor. James Oatley's talents as a clockmaker were quickly recognised in the colony and he soon became its most highly regarded clock and watchmaker. Officially pardoned in 1821, he was appointed Keeper of the Town Hall Clock. The Robert Oatley Vineyards winery is the Mudgee region's largest and most technologically advanced facility. Located on the family's Montrose Vineyard, it has a 10,000 ton capacity, one million cases storage capacity, over 2,500 predominantly French oak hogshead barrels and the world's most technologically advanced bottling line capable of filling and packaging more than 10,000 bottles per hour. Bob Oatley's winemakers, led by Chris Hancock and Senior Winemaker James Manners, craft modern, authentically Australian wines intentionally suited to the American palate-wines that people simply enjoy drinking. In 2006, the family purchased the historic Craigmoor property on the outskirts of the Mudgee township. The winery, now a tasting room and visitor center, was established in 1858 and the surrounding vineyards grow some of the finest grapes in the region. Our selection is atypical of the region as it doesn't sport a lot of fancy new oak as you'll find in so many others. Instead you get the clean crispness of the grape spicy overtones to blend seamlessly with chicken salad or crab and artichoke dip. January 2012 Vintners Series Newsletter (.pdf) January Vintners Series 2012 from Wine of the Month Club on Vimeo. |
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