Cooper’s Oak Winery: Elegant aging

Among the oaked reds, Tasting Room Manager Jennifer Ukutegbe poured a distinctive Vignoles:
“It has a big, bold start, and then it just kinda, almost disappears.”

Cooper’s Oak Winery is a spin-off of A&K Cooperage, based in Higbee, Mo. The winery has a retail outlet on a prominent corner of Main Street in Boonville, Mo. The winery uses the company’s French and American oak barrels to age its red wines, and it’s clear that the coopers and the vintners know what they’re doing. Like a jazz piano trio supporting the singer, the oak underscores the wine and never tries to become the main event. The hospitality at Cooper’s Oak was first-rate. The gracious tasting room manager, Jennifer Ukutegbe, created a warm, friendly vibe on a cold and wet afternoon as she led us through the lengthy menu of wines (the more the merrier …). I was skeptical of a winery named for barrel making. My only similar experience is with Independent Stave in Lebanon, Mo., which highlights wines that have been suffocated in the company’s oak barrels. A few tastes at Cooper’s Oak relieved my concerns. Highlights: 

• An earthy Merlot with a taste-of-Missouri finish. We couldn’t nail down the “Missouri effect,” but it made a strong impression. The grapes are from vines in Sturgeon, Mo.
  
• Missouri-California grape combinations: 

• Barrel Boy Blend (half-and-half Syrah and Merlot).

• Triple Oak Bliss, which refers to the number of wines in the blend (Missouri Norton and California Merlot and Cab).

• Toasted Oak (50-50 Cab and Merlot). I chose this one because it seemed to achieve the best effect of oak as a mellowing yet enriching agent.

• Teal Lake Sweet Vignoles: One of many white selections, this one didn’t feel as sweet as its name suggests, due to its clean finish. Our host described it this way: “It has a big, bold start, and then it just kinda, almost disappears.”