Cycles Gladiator Banned in Bama Cuvee
Way To Go, Alabama
What’s better than wine trivia? Interesting wine trivia.
When you pull out a bottle of Chateau d’Nobody, what can you say to your friends? “Oh, this was the bottle I bought at the gas station back in 2011, quite a fine year for the beef jerky that was right next to it in the rack.” They’ll nod and smile then, but inside they’ll be secretly crossing you off the list for their next party.
That’s something you won’t risk with the 2010 Cycles Gladiator Banned in Bama Cuvee. The story of this wine begins in 1891, with a company called Gladiator that made bicycles. Bikes were the iPhone of their day, of course, and so Gladiator needed a classy marketing campaign. The art posters they had printed were a brilliant success, and even today our perception of the classical bike rider are mostly based on these images.
See? You’re hooked already. And that’s not even the good part of the story.
It was this 19th Century artwork that first graced the bottles full of Cycles Gladiator wine. It was this artwork that the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board found a little too risque for wine drinkers. For real, they called it “immodest and sensuous” and said it wasn’t fit to sell in 21st Century Alabama.
So this 2010 Cycles Gladiator Banned in Bama Cuvee is a tribute to those small-minded board members who got scared of a woman on a bicycle. The spicy aromas, the supple mouthfeel, the cardamom and blueberries and hints of vanilla all mesh like gears in a machine, pedaling out flavor that not even regressive liquor boards can halt. And that’s the story you’ll be telling your guests when you pop open a bottle from this four pack. And that’s why you’ll be the first one they invite to the soiree of the season.
“Tell that story about the 2010 Cycles Gladiator Banned in Bama Cuvee!” they’ll demand. And guess what? It’ll never ever stop being funny.
2010 Cycles Gladiator Cuvee 4-Pack
- Appellation: Lodi
- Varietal Composition 47% Cab, 26% Grenache, 22% PS, 2% Malbec, 1% CF, 1% Zin, 1% Pinot Noir
- Brix at Harvest: 24-26.5
- Cooperage: 45% new French Oak, Balance neutral
- Total Acidity 0.55 g/100 mL
- Total pH: 3.68
- Residual Sugar: Dry
- Alcohol: 14.5%
- Cases Produced: 500
The Banned in Alabama Red Wine, a unique blend of Cabernet, Grenache, Petite Sirah and Malbec showcases a spicy aroma and a supple mouth feel. Initial notes of cardamom and blueberries segue into aromas of cedar and spearmint. Full bodied but extremely plush, this wine's fine grained tannins linger on the finish along with hints of vanilla.
Rules and restrictions:
- Wine sold by winery
- You must be 21 or older to order
- Whoever receives the package must be 21 or older
- If you're drunk when the package shows up, you will not be allowed to receive it
- Wine cannot be delivered to a P.O. Box
- We highly recommend you use a business address as your shipping address
Thanks to stick-in-the-mud buzzkilling state legislators, wine may only be delivered to the following states:
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- District Of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oregon
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
If your state's not on the list, you're out of luck... for now. Keep up with the ever-changing laws over at ShipCompliantBlog.com, and/or sound the alarms with your state assembly person through FreeTheGrapes.org. Meanwhile, all Federal, state and local laws are complied with in providing this wine.