Wine and The Velvet Fluegeltones

Posted on March 14, 2026 by thewineraconteur

When my Bride and I go with The Wine Raconteur, Jr. you just must go with the flow.  One evening before the holidays, the joys of a raconteur, we met him and his wife, along with his parents, for dinner and then a night of music, across the street from a biker club.

Upon learning where the music venue was, I took it upon myself to suggest a restaurant that would be close by, and have good food and wine, you understand how my brain works.  We ended up going to El Barzon, which I have written several articles about.  The restaurant is famed for having Italian and Mexican food side by side on the menu; and we all had excellent dinners.  I also took it upon myself to suggest a white wine which would accompany the dinner choices.  I chose a new wine for the others, that I was sure that they would enjoy, Sella & Mosca La Cala Vermentino di Sardegna DOC 2024.  Sella & Mosca (Sella e Mosca) is the largest wine producer in Sardinia, featuring local varieties and “international” varieties.  The winery was founded in 1899 by two Piedmontese businessmen.  Their I Piani estate is one of the largest wine estates in Europe with five hundred-twenty hectares of contiguous vineyards.  Vermentino di Sardegna DOC was granted in 1988 and covers the entire island.  The history of Vermentino on Sardinia is vague as to whether it is from Liguria in Italy where it is known as Pigato, Provence and the Languedoc of France where it is known as Rolle or from Spain, where it is barely seen anymore.  Internationally, the lion’s share of Vermentino is Italy.  There is not a lot of information about the wine, outside of soft pressing, cold settling, fermentation, and short aging in Stainless Steel.  The golden colored wine offered notes of citrus, white florals and minerals.  On the palate this medium-bodied, well-balanced wine crisp white wine displayed tones of tropical fruit, pear, apple, along with good acidity and ending with a medium-count finish of fruit, citrus, terroir and a trace of iodine.

After dinner we went to Ro Cham Beau, just a short drive away and right across the street from a motorcycle club that had been there for years.  I told my wife, it was probably one of the safest locations in the Detroit.  The club was just getting it all together, an anteroom on one side and an ad-hoc band stage with chairs on the other side.  We went to see The Velvet Fluegeltones, a truly eclectic group of musicians having fun, using their own custom arrangements.  There were two fluegelhorns, a flautist, a clarinetist, two bass guitars, an acoustical guitarist, an accordionist, a percussionist on the vibes and a drummer.  It was The Tijuana Brass in Motown.  The music was totally enjoyable, and I must admit that I was a bit concerned, but I was easily brought into the throng of fans that evening.  The whole evening, I was thinking of tunes like “A Taste of Honey” and the theme song from The Dating Game from the Sixties and Seventies.

In the anteroom there was a make-shift bar, as I am sure the owners were still feeling their way about the makeup of the room.  There were munchies, beer, limited mixed drinks and a couple of wines being served.  We had Agricola La Portera Tardano Macabeo Carinena Spain 2024.  Agricola La Portera was begun in 2017 by three friends to apply what they do elsewhere and apply for themselves as well.  Their first wine was La Pinada and in 2019 they began Tardano, in a vineyard in Carinena, Aragon.  At one point, Carinena had given its name to a variety, and dominated the area, one of the oldest appellations in Europe, with a DO status in 1932.  Winemaking in the region dates to the Roman times.  The vineyards are in high altitudes along the plains of the Ebro River, with a Continental climate and a rocky terrain.  Macabeo is known as Viura in Rioja and Navarra as a versatile white grape grown on both sides of the Pyrenees, and in France it is known as Maccabeu.  There are two plots encompassing four hectares in the Almonacid de la Sierra Vineyard at 650 meters above sea level, on calcareous and clay soil; and the vineyard was planted in 1983.  After manual harvesting, the grapes undergo a soft and short maceration and fermentation is with indigenous yeasts. The wine is aged for twelve months in a mix of glass, concrete and neutral French Oak; glass is the traditional method of the region for generations.  A deep golden yellow wine that offered notes of orchard fruit, citrus, spices and wet stones.  On the palate this light-to-medium-bodied, well-balanced dry wine displayed tones of yellow apples, lemon zest, and tarragon blending with moderate acidity and ending with a medium-count finish of fruit, nuts and flint.     

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Domaine Gille at The Fine Wine Source

Posted on March 11, 2026 by thewineraconteur

It was a special wine tasting event at The Fine Wine Source featuring Matthieu Gille and his wines from Domaine Gille, represented by Michael Corso Selections.  We were also allowed to order through MCS other vintages of some of the wines as well as Vosne-Romanée “Basses Mézières” 2022, Nuit-St. Georges “Aux Bousselots” and three vintages of Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru. 

We proceeded with Domaine Gille Vosne-Romanée “La Croix Blanche” 2022.  It was a pleasure having these wines and the estate discussed by Matthieu Gille and his family has resided in the village of Comblanchien since 1570.  Today the nine-hectare estate is run by Pierre Gille and his son, Matthieu.  In Burgundy the largest region is the Cote d’Or, which is basically divided into the Cote de Nuits and the Cote de Beaune.  Cote de Nuits begins south of Dijon to Nuits-Saint-Georges and Corgolin and Comblanchien and then the start of Cote de Beaune.  The small commune was originally Vosne, but applied the suffix of Romanée in 1866, in honor of the prized vineyard La Romanée.  They have been growing grapes in this region for over a thousand years, and the total area is 151-hectares, of which a third is for 14 Premier Cru sites and 8 Grand Cru appellations (specific vineyards). Domaine Gille owns a .25-hectare parcel and produces a mere 120 cases per year of Pinot Noir from this famed commune.  This parcel was established in 1900 and replanted in 1956 on Clay and Marlstone, with a Limestone subsoil.  The grapes are harvested manually followed by five days of cold maceration and natural fermentation without external yeast or temperature control.  The wine is aged for eighteen months in tine textured, medium toasted French Oak barrels, of which a third are new.  The Lieu-dix (place name) of “La Croix Blanche” is at the southern border of Vosne-Romanée.  The deep ruby-red wine offered notes of cherry, strawberry and cassis along with violets, truffles and sous-bois.  On the palate this full-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of the red fruit, the earthiness of truffles blending with ripe tannins ending with a long-count finish of fruit, sous-bois and terroir.

The penultimate wine at the tasting was Domaine Gille Nuits-Saint Georges “Les Brulées” 2018.  Pinot Noir accounts for about ninety-five percent of all wine in the Cote de Nuits.  Nuits- Saint-Georges has had its appellation since 1936, and the area has been respected for its wine for almost a century.  The Saint-Georges vineyard has been famed for ages, and the town of Nuits (Latin for walnuts) appended its name to the famous vineyard, and this wine carries the appellation of Nuits-Saint-Georges Village.  The lieu-dit vineyard of Les Brulées is south-east facing central Nuits-Saint-Georges, located directly beneath Les Poirets 1er Cru.  The Domaine has 1.21-hectares of twenty-to-ninety-year-old vines planted on Limestone and Clay soil and produces about 6,500 bottles each year.  The Domaine has all work done by hand, following traditional methods, using sustainable farming practices.  After the manual harvest, the grapes undergo five days of cold maceration followed by natural fermentation without the use of external yeast or temperature control.  The wine is aged for eighteen months in fine textured, medium toasted French Oak barrels, of which a third is new.  This ruby red wine offered notes of red fruit and hints of blackcurrants, as well as violets and spices.  On the palate this full-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of red and black fruit blending with elegant tannins and ending with a long-count finish of fruit, vanilla and terroir.  

The last wine of the tasting was Domaine Gille Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru “Les Cailles” 2022.  Nuits-Saint-Georges is the second largest of the twenty-six communes in the Cote d’Or with three-hundred-twenty-hectares of Village and Premier Cru vineyards of which there are forty-one Premier Cru climats.  The Premier Cru vineyard Les Cailles totals 7.11-hectares of stony limestone and clay with poor topsoil and is held in the same esteem as Les Saint-Georges.  Domaine Gille has .43-hectare of this famed vineyard, and the Pinot Noir vines were replanted in 1975, and they average about 2,500 bottles each year.   The Domaine has all work done by hand, following traditional methods, using sustainable farming practices.  After the manual harvest, the grapes undergo five days of cold maceration followed by natural fermentation without the use of external yeast or temperature control.  The wine is aged for eighteen months in fine textured, medium toasted French Oak barrels, of which a third is new.  This deep ruby colored wine offered notes of cherry and blackcurrant, along with violets, rose petals, licorice, spices and crushed stone.  On the palate this full-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of red and black fruit, blending with bold acidity, silky texture, and dominated full tannins and ending with a long-count finish of fruit, vanilla and terroir.             

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Domaine Gille and Michael Corso Selections

Posted on March 8, 2026 by thewineraconteur

It was another important and curated wine tasting at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan featuring the Burgundian wines of Domaine Gille.  Matthieu Gille was speaking about his wines as he was brought in by Michael Corso Selections.  Michael Corso began his wine career in 1972 at The House of Glunz, Chicago’s oldest wine retail shop and since then he has been in wine sales at restaurants, wholesale, distributor, and importer.  He helped create Chicago Wine Merchants, one of the leading fine wine distributors in the United States.  The basis of Michael Corso Selections was formed during this time frame.  In 2008, he established MCS as an independent importer of high-quality estate wines and spirits from France and Italy. 

The next wine that we tried was Domaine Gille Bourgogne Cote d’Or Pinot Noir “La Lutheniere” 2022.  The Gille family has resided in the village of Comblanchien since 1570 and over the years the estate has increased to a nine-hectare Domaine.  The vines are forty-five to eighty years old, and some plots have been with the family since the 18th Century.  All work is done manually in the time-honored tradition of respecting the terroir and still being sustainable.  This is only the second time in the history, that this plot has not been blended with other wines, and they devoted a few barrels, and even some of this wine was allotted for the American consumer.  This plot of Limestone and Clay soil sits just outside of the border of Vosne-Romanée.  After the manual harvest, the vinification begins with five days of cold maceration followed by natural fermentation without external yeast or temperature-control.  It matures in fine-textured, medium toasted French Oak barrels of which a third is new.  This deep garnet-red wine offered notes of cherry, blackberry, and currants with rose petals and violets, followed by mocha, anise and sous-bois.  On the palate this full-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of black and red fruit along with savory spices and ripe tannins and ending with a long-count finish of fruit, spices and terroir.

We then went with Domaine Gille Cote de Nuits Villages “Reserve Comblanchien” 2022.  Domaine Gille is an historic estate located in the village of Comblanchien with viticultural activities dating from 1570 and always within the family.  The “Reserve Comblanchien” comes from prime terroir at the edge of the Cotes de Nuits, noted for it limestone and clay soils and vines from fifty to over one hundred years of age.  The Domain employes traditional, handcrafted techniques emphasizing minimal intervention with traditional biodynamic principles.  The grapes are manually harvested and undergo a cold maceration period of five days (not temperature-controlled) and then fermented with indigenous yeasts, with aging for fifteen months in French Oak, of which one-third is new.  A deep garnet colored wine that offered notes of black cherry, blackberry and currants, along with rose petals and violets, followed by mocha, spices and sous-bois.  On the palate this full-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of red and black fruit, mocha and anise blending with silky tannins and ending with a long-count finish of fruit, spices and terroir.

The next wine is where we began entering the communes of Cote d’Or, with Domaine Gille Pommard “La Chaniere” Cote de Beaune 2022.  The appellation for Pommard is only for red wines.  It is named after Pomona, the Roman Goddess of fruit trees.  The Premier Cru vineyards of Pommard, almost run uninterrupted from the boundaries of Beaune in the north, to Volnay in the south.  The vines for this wine were from forty-five to eighty years of age and planted on Limestone and Clay soil.  This part of the estate was established in 1900 and is .26-hectare in size of pure Pinot Noir planted in chalky soil with iron and clay.  The vines are from thirty-to-fifty years old, and the lot averages about 1400 bottles each vintage.  La Chaniere is a lieu-dit (place name) in the northwester part of Pommard in the Beaune side.  All the work is done by hand, respecting the terroir and using traditional and sustainable farming methods.  After the manual harvest, the vinification begins with five days of cold maceration (not temperature controlled) and natural fermentation using indigenous yeast.  The wine is then aged for eighteen months in fine textured, medium toasted French Oak barrels, of which a third are new.  A deep ruby colored wine that offered notes of black fruit, spices, sous-bois and crushed stones.  On the palate this full-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of dark plum and black cherry along with some fresh acidity and silky tannins that end with a long-count finish of fruit, spices and terroir.    

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Domaine Gille Tasting with Matthieu Gille

Posted on March 5, 2026 by thewineraconteur

I attended another wine tasting at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan.  The Fine Wine Source and Michael Corso Selections presented a Domaine Gille Tasting with Matthieu Gille, and his wonderful wines from the Burgundy region of France.

The Gille family has resided in the village of Comblanchien since 1570.  Since that time, the Domaine has been passed down continuously through the generation and has changed sizes due to purchases and marriages.  The current Domaine was developed by Vivant Gille in the beginning of the last century and currently the nine-hectare estate is managed by his great-grandson, Matthieu Gille.  The vines on the properties range from forty-five to eighty-years of age, with some parcels owned by the family since the late 18th Century.  All the work is done by hand, following traditional methods to “respect the terroir and the unique character and challenges of each vintage.”

We started with Domaine Gille Bourgogne Chardonnay 2024.  This wine is pure Chardonnay grown on a soil of mixed clay and limestone.  The fruit is manually harvested and free of pesticides and herbicides from their estate in Comblanchien.  They employ sustainable and organic practices and this is from their plot Bellevue or beautiful view.  Vinification begins directly in new French Oak barrels with fine texture and medium toast.  The juice slowly fermented over a period of eleven months with no additional yeast or chemicals added and just occasional stirring.  Even though this wine only carries a basic Appellation of Bourgogne, there were no short cuts, and it impressed the crowd.  A nice golden-colored wine offering notes of apples, citrus, white florals, hazelnuts, vanilla and gravel.  On the palate this full-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of orchard fruits and tropical fruits and ending with a strong medium-count finish of fruit, vanilla and terroir.

We then had our first red wine Domaine Gille Bourgogne Cote d’Or Pinot Noir 2022.  This is from a sustainable estate plot of just under three hectares of Pinot Noir grown on a soil of limestone and clay.  These are vines that are thirty-years-of-age.  The Clote d’Or is the heart of Burgundy, an escarpment that runs from Dijon to Santenay, and then it is divided again between the Cotes de Nuit and the Cotes de Beaune; while there are other great regions in Burgundy, we will settle here for the moment.  This is a hand-crafted wine, from manually harvested, and the initial vinification is done with five days of cold maceration without external yeast, or temperature control (real Old School).  Then the wine is aged for eighteen months in fine textured, toasted French Oak barrels, of which a third are new.  A deep garnet colored wine that offered notes of blackberry, black cherry, currants and cassis along with rose petals, violets, spices and sous-bois.  On the palate this medium-to-full-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of ripe cherries, blackberries, and cassis, followed by mocha and star anise, blending with ripe tannins and ending with a medium-to-long-count finish of fruit, spices and terroir.    

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Dinner at Zingerman’s Roadhouse

Posted on March 2, 2026 by thewineraconteur

Every couple of months my Bride gets together with some of her school friends, one going back to elementary school, and the husbands all tag along.  The group no longer live in the old neighborhood, so there is always logistics that take place in deciding the next venue.

We were meeting at Zingerman’s Roadhouse on the western edge of Ann Arbor.  Zingerman’s began as a delicatessen in 1982 in an historic building near the Ann Arbor Farmers Market, within walking distance of the famous university in the city.  It was started by two friends and Zingerman’s became an entity of it’s own, with assorted secondary businesses and has become a legend in the area, and very well respected.   My Bride and I were the first to get there, and we were trying to figure out what business was there before it became the Roadhouse.  The room our party’s table was in, revealed the name, as they moved the old sign from the parking lot and installed it above the fireplace.  It used to be Bill Knapp’s Restaurant.  Bill Knapp’s was a regional chain that began in Battle Creek, Michigan in 1948 and ended up in five states, before the company went into bankruptcy and total closure in 2002.  I would venture to say that every “boomer” has had at least one encounter with the chain.  They were famous for their chocolate cake, which was a gift to the table, if you came in on your birthday, and the cakes are still being made today.  The other thing that they were famous for, was that if you came in on your birthday, you received your “age” as a discount for your meal.

There were five couples, so I will just mention what we had.  My Bride naturally went with Herb-Crusted Whitefish (from the Great Lakes) crusted with Dijon Mustard, herbs and breadcrumbs, and served with Carolina Gold rice and Sautéed Spinach.  I went with Niman Ranch South Carolina BBQ Ribs, smoked for nine hours with a Mustard BBQ sauce, along with Anson Mills’ heirloom grits, and some Mustard Slaw.  We also shared an order of Pimento Cheese & Bacon Macaroni, with Nueske bacon, house made Pimento Cheese and their Bechamel Sauce caramelized with Mancini pasta.  We had a bottle of Carol Shelton “Wild Thing” Damiano Vineyard Viognier Placer County 2023.  Carol Shelton began her career in 1981 working for Rodney Strong and Windsor Vineyards.  In 2000, she and her husband created their own winery, starting small and actually began the second year by selling futures, for the business to keep going, and some of the original investors are still with her.  Placer County is in the heart of California’s Sierra Foothills wine region, once the home of some of the largest wine industries during the Gold Rush, then abandoned and now recently re-discovered by some boutique wineries.  The soil is mostly decomposed granite and loam.  Most wineries use the more recognizable appellation of Sierra Foothills. The vineyard is in the Gold Country town of Auburn, and the fruit is picked slightly less ripe to ensure citrus and aromatics.   The wine is ninety-four percent Viognier and six percent Chardonnay.  The fruit is destemmed to press and cold settled, then it is barrel fermented (neutral barrels), stirred weekly sur lie for five months, with no Malolactic Fermentation to keep the wine crisp.  This pale-golden colored wine offered notes of jasmine, gardenia and honeysuckle along with grapefruit and orange zest.  On the palate this light-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of peaches, nectarines, orange-cream and ending with a mouth-watering slight tart, medium-count finish of fruit, florals and granite.

For dessert we shared an order of “Ari’s Donut Sundae” which is a house made Dutch donut topped with Vanilla Gelato, Bourbon Caramel sauce, Virginia peanuts, and a Woodford Reserve Cherry.  She was happy that she had a decaf Cappuccino and I had a wee dram of extra dessert.  I went with The Rare Wine Co. Historic Series Madeira Savannah Verdelho Special Reserve NV, produced by Barbeito; and they have the longest brand name known to man or woman.  Verdelho is one of the drier and fresher (high acid) of the four varietally labeled, fortified wines of Madeira: Sercial, Bual, Malvasia and Verdelho.  Verdelho Madeira now represents a wine style, as much as the varietal.  After the phylloxera devastation of the 1860’s, Verdelho Madeira almost disappeared as they began using a resistant hybrid Jacquet, now outlawed, and Tinta Negra Mole, but in 1993, legislation was introduced that stipulated at least eighty-five percent of the variety must be used, if it is on the label.  Madeira Verdelho historically is a relatively dry, very fresh, fortified, oxidized white wine.  This wine was released in April 2010 and is still available.  This tawny-amber colored wine offered notes of orange zest, shortbread, ginger, milk chocolate, and almonds.  On the palate this medium-bodied, well-balanced wine is lightly sweet and displayed tones of candied citrus, ginger, and some spicy honey that ends with a delightfully long finish of spice and citrus sweetness.     

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A Shopping Spree of Wines – Part Two

Posted on February 27, 2026 by thewineraconteur

It was a lively event at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan.  The shop had taken advantage of some great discounts on several wines from a vendor, if they bought the entire offering, which they did and then gave the savings first to the wine club members, who had signed on at hourly intervals for the tastings.

The first red that I will discuss is Convene by Dan Kosta Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2021.  Dan Kosta has over twenty years of quality experience including his namesake Kosta Browne wines, which he founded in 1997.  Convene by Dan Kosta was launched in 2019.  The Pinot Noir fruit comes from the Campbell Ranch and the Umino Vineyard in the Sonoma Coast region.  It is aged for ten months in French Oak of which thirty percent is new.  This deep red wine offered notes of cherry, strawberry and plum along with roses, blood orange, spices and minerals.  On the palate this medium-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of red and black fruit, cola, mocha blending with plush tannins and ending with a medium-count finish of fruit, vanilla and graphite.  

The next red wine that I will discuss is Domaine Julien Cruchandeau Ladoix Les Ranches 2022.   The estate was established in 2003 and currently comprises nine wine appellations from the Burgundy region.  The vigneron Julien Cruchandeau is not from a winemaking family; in fact, he is a successful musician that retired to become a winemaker.   He began first with Bouzeron and built his Domaine in the Hautes Cotes de Nuits and is working towards sustainable viticulture.  Ladoix was originally granted an appellation in 1937, and the vineyards were classified in 1982.  Ladoix is a small village that lies at the bottom of the hill of Corton, in the Cote de Beaune; a large proportion of village’s vineyards are covered by other appellations, which makes Ladoix one of the least prolific communes of the region.  Les Ranches means “spiky thorny bushes” in old French and was planted in 1974 on a soil of clay and limestone and is located where the Cote de Nuits ends and the Cote de Beaune begins on the Corton slopes.  The wine is crushed, using thirty percent whole cluster, and maceration is done using low temperature for the first ten days.   The wine is then fermented in vats for about six weeks with frequent pump overs and then aged for fifteen months on fine lees in French Oak, of which twenty percent is new.  A deep red wine that offered notes of cherry and currants along with roses and kitchen spices.  On the palate this medium-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of cherry, strawberry, currants blending with silky tannins and ending with a medium-count finish of fruit, toasted oak and licorice.

We then had Bodegas Urbina Seleccion Rioja DOCa 2000.  Salvador Urbina moved to Cuzcurrita del Rio Tiron in 1870 and begins making wine in oak barrels and with the first vineyards in his estate, which has since grown to seventy-hectares.  The soil has a healthy mix of clay, iron and alluvial components, giving it a redder color than its northern neighbor’s sandy white soils. When compared with Rioja Alavesa, these wines tend to be lighter in body and lower in acid, with the emphasis on elegance.  Now, the family is in the fourth generation, and in 1986 began employed Stainless-Steel tanks as well.  All the wines that they produce are from their own estate, using traditional practices, limiting the use of pesticides and fungicides, and only using indigenous yeasts.  Cuzcurrita is in the Rioja Alta, and this wine is pure Tempranillo from fifty-year-old vines. The wine is aged in a mixture of American and French Oak, all new, for one year, and then is aged in Stainless-Steel tanks for over fifteen years, before bottling.  This deep purple-red wine offered notes of cherry and plums, with baking spices, leather, tobacco, cedar and sous-bois.  On the palate this medium-to-full bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of cherries and plums, with savory herbs and spices, earthiness and a touch of mocha blending with subtle polished tannins and ending with a long-count finish of fruit, spices and the ethereal sous-bois.   

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A Shopping Spree of Wines – Part One

Posted on February 24, 2026 by thewineraconteur

I, along with all the other club members at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan got an email about a forthcoming sale of wine at the shop.  For whatever reason, one of his vendors needed to move a lot of inventory.  Rather than taking a bigger markup, the wine shop passed all the savings on towards the club members, with wines starting way below current retail prices.  It was a major sales event to start off the new year.

The first wine was Mascaro Indomit Blanc de Noirs Cava Gran Reserva Brut Nature Catalonia, Spain 2020; Indomit is Catalonian for indomitable or impossible to subdue or defeat. The Mascaro family has been in its third generation of winemaking and distilled beverages since they began in 1946.  They have two estates in the Penedes, with thirty-five hectares devoted to vineyards.  The estates are farmed organically on calcareous and clay land.  The wine is pure Grenache, with thirty months of aging and no additional sugar added. This pale golden sparkling wine featured a consistent flow of tiny bubbles and offered notes of strawberry, cherry with violets and spices.  On the palate this medium-bodied, well-balanced sparkling wine displayed tones of strawberry, cherry, blending with good acidity and finishing with a medium-count of fruit along with some leather.

Our next wine was Fattoria Giuseppe Savini Rondineto Passerina Colli Aprutini IGT 2021.  The winery was founded in 1949 by Giuseppe Savini, and it is still in the family today.  Colli Aprutini IGT used in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. The designation was created in 1995 and allows all types of wines to be produced, though the majority tend to be dry table wines.  Passerina is considered an ancient and traditional grape variety used in the white wines of the Marche region of central Italy.  The grape reacts differently according to the terroir, and some have opined that it can be different grapes lumped together over the years.  Passera means sparrow, which is makes sense, as the sparrows enjoy this grape, and the “ina” suffix was probably added on, because the grapes are smaller in size, even when mature.  The grape is also known as Uva Passera, Campolese, Trebbiano di Teramo and Pagadebit.  This wine was Estate grown of pure Passerina in the province of Teramo in the Abruzzo region on clay soil.  After a soft pressing, the Initial Fermentation took place in temperature controlled Stainless-Steel tanks for about twelve days, then racked and bottled, with a short refinement in the bottle before release. The straw-yellow-colored wine offered notes of peach, pear, citrus, white florals and spices.  On the palate this light-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of subtle tree-fruit and spices, with lively acidity and ending with a finish of soft fruit and minerality.

The third wine that I want to mention from this tasting was Domaine Joel & Thierry Delaunay Touraine “Le Grand Balloon” Rosé Loire Valley 2023.  The Delaunay family has been making wines for five generations, and since 2004 the Domaine has been run by Thierry, taking over from his father Joel Delaunay.  They have forty-five hectares in the Touraine appellation.  “Le Grand Balloon” Selection is a range of red and rosé wine with the Appellation Protégé Touraine expressing the minerality of the terroir.  This wine is a blend of seventy percent Gamay, twenty-five percent Cabernet Franc and five percent Malbec.  The wine is direct pneumatically pressed and fermented in Temperature Controlled Stainless-Steel tanks, the juices are then blended and allowed to mature on fine lees prior to bottling. A subtle salmon-pink colored wine that offered notes of strawberries, raspberries and currants followed by some floral notes and spices.  On the palate this medium-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of fresh berries and cream, ending with a short-to-medium count finish of fruit and terroir.           

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Korbin Kameron Chardonnay

Posted on February 21, 2026 by thewineraconteur

Korbin Kameron is a winery that I have written about many times, as Korbin Ming is a regular presenter of his wines at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan; not to mention that I have plenty of their wines in our cellar.

I have been watching the reconstruction of the winery after the Tubbs Fire in 2018, in which they lost buildings, homes and part of the vineyard.  The winery is named after Mitchell Ming’s fraternal twins Korbin and Kameron, and it is located high above Sonoma Valley on Mount Veeder, on a 186-acre property where they grow several diverse varietals.  Moonridge Vineyard is a family endeavor, and a home above the clouds at times.   The estate was planted in 2000, and it sits on the ridge of Mount Veeder on Mayacamas Mountain Range and straddles the Napa/Sonoma County line at 2,300 feet in elevation.  Most of the estate is in Sonoma County and they can look out and see Santa Rosa, Sonoma Mountain and on a clear day the Pacific Ocean.  Then if you turn around you are looking at Oakville and Rutherford, below the fog line.  That is the beauty of a mountain winery and one of the added benefits is a couple of hours of extra sunlight for the vines.   Korbin is the General Manager, Viticulturist and Winemaker with degrees from Boston University and UC Davis.

Korbin Ming has begun producing Moonbeam Chardonnay Massa Vineyard Carmel Valley 2023, which is produced by Moonridge Vineyard, the parent company and estate of Korbin Kameron Winery.  Even the labeling is different and depicts a line drawing of Korbin’s dog Kiera.  While the wines of Korbin Kameron are from the family estate on Mount Veeder, this is a completely new venture, using the Massa Vineyard in Carmel Valley, with an elevation of 1,500 feet and ten miles from the Pacific Ocean.  Massa Vineyard was formerly Heller Estate and was a very early champion of dry farming and organic farming.  The Chardonnay rootstock was planted in the 1970s of unknown Chardonnay clones.  This wine was produced using an Oxidative Fermentation, with SO2 after fermentation to bring color back and to block Malolactic Fermentation.   The wine was aged for eighteen months on gross lees in Neutral Oak and Stainless-Steel drums with no lees stirring and racked to tank for bottling.  Oxidative Fermentation is like a controlled process found in Sherry or Vin Juane.  This initial wine created seventy-five cases produced and The Fine Wine Source purchased the entire lot.  This pale golden colored wine offered subtle notes of caramel and toasted almonds.  On the palate this light-to-medium bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of muted green apples and melons, with astringency and ending with a medium-count finish of soft fruit and nuts.  A very low-key and interesting Chardonnay.

Korbin Ming also created Moonbeam Chardonnay Alder Springs Vineyard Mendocino County 2023 and produced and bottled Moonridge Vineyard.  Alder Springs Vineyard was formerly a cattle operation Alder Springs Ranch, and initial planting was done in 1993.  The vineyard is at 2,400 feet elevation above Laytonville in Mendocino and twelve miles from the Pacific Ocean. The vineyard is organically farmed and has a cool climate that lends the fruit to have higher acidity and lower alcohol.  The vineyard was planted with Chardonnay clones: Heintz for acidity, and Clones 548 and 124 for complexity, aromatics and depth.  This wine was aged for sixteen months on the lees in a mix fifty percent neutral oak, twenty-five Austrian Oak and twenty-five percent Stainless-Steel.  Sixty cases were produced and the entire lot was purchased by The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan.  This soft golden colored wine offered notes of green apples, stone fruits and toasted almonds.  On the palate this light-to-medium bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of fresh fruit, Vanilla and toasted almonds ending with a finish of subtle fruit and minerality.  Part of the original Moonridge Estate was damaged along with outbuildings, the family home and some vineyards.  The damaged vineyard was replanted with Chardonnay which will create a third Chardonnay, an Estate version with the 2024 vintage estimated to produce twenty-five cases and the 2025 vintage to produce forty cases.    

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Dinner at Sacred Heart Major Seminary

Posted on February 18, 2026 by thewineraconteur

I have been a native Detroiter my entire life and I have never encountered this monumental structure, and it was just blocks from the original real center of power in the city, when the city was competing with New York City in status and grandeur.

We went to the Sixteenth Annual Dinner for Life at the Sacred Heart Major Seminary, and it is affiliated with the Archdiocese of Detroit.  The third time was the charm for creating a seminary in Detroit, and this institution was established in 1919.  I am a major fan of cathedrals, and I was in Seventh Heaven as we wandered in the halls of this complex, and it is the second largest installation of Pewabic Pottery tile in the country. The brickwork, woodwork and stained glass were everywhere.  I also found out that part of the basement was retrofitted during World War II to be a bomb shelter and the original signage is still there. Today there are 107 seminarians, representing eleven dioceses and two religious orders, along with 426 lay students (full and part-time).  We attended a mass in the cathedral after walking halfway around the complex.  The mass was officiated by the Archbishop of Detroit Edward Weisenburger and assisted by the Archbishop of Detroit Emeritus Allen Vigneron.  This was one time that I didn’t complain that the mass was too long, as my Bride sometimes thinks I am a heretic or a heathen, as I was just enthralled by the majesty of the cathedral and the entire complex.

The dinner itself was created and prepared by the seminarians and there were a few asides mentioning the beginnings of this dinner and the spaghetti dinners.  The dinner began with a Michigan Salad that you could construct yourself.  Followed by Roasted Asparagus, Roasted Baby Potatoes, Roasted Turkey Breast and Roasted Salmon.  The wines for dinner were both Bonanza, Bonanza Chardonnay Lot 1 California NV and Bonanza Cabernet Sauvignon Lot 9 California NV. Bonanza is part of the Wagner Family of Wine which includes Caymus Vineyards, Caymus- Suisun, Mer Soleil, Conundrum, Emmolo, Red Schooner, Sea Sun and Bonanza.  Both wines are bulk production and run overseen by the grandson of Charlie Wagner Sr. The collection began in 2019.  Chardonnay Lot 1 is a golden yellow colored wine that offered slight notes of orchard fruit, melon and florals.  On the palate this light-bodied, balanced wine displayed tones of some fruit, and some acidity, ending with short-count finish of fruit and dry alcohol.  This was made in Stainless-Steel as there was no notice of oak or butter at all.  The Cabernet Sauvignon Lot 9 was a dark garnet colored wine that offered notes of black fruit, cassis and some cocoa and baking spices.  On the palate this light-bodied, balanced wine displayed tones of blackberry and black cherry, blending with soft tannins and ending with a short-count finish of fruit.

There was a dessert table set up afterwards with mini-cannoli, assorted macaroons and other bite size morsels.  There were also small glasses filled with Dow’s Fine Tawny Porto NV, and forgive me, but I could in my mind’s eye envision Barry Fitzgerald as a Monseigneur approving the selection.   The wines used to be called Port, but since the advent of other wineries years back, especially in America offering tepid imitations called Port, the great Port houses of Oporto renamed their wines Porto, and the Porto wines are legendary fortified wines. Most of the grand Port houses have a British name, which shows how much the British valued these fortified wines. Dow’s is over two hundred years old and has changed hands and is now part of the Symington Family Estates, but the quality and tradition has been maintained. Dow’s was the first house to receive Royal Assent and was allowed to maintain their own armed shipments of wine to Great Britain during the Napoleonic Wars. Dow’s also owns four famed vineyards in the Upper Douro Valley, and these are considered great vineyards and allow them to make all the different versions of Port wines, including when deemed proper, a vintage year; as not all years are declared a vintage year. The grapes used to make Port wines are a mix and perhaps not even the winemakers can agree on what the actual percentage of each grape is used. The most common varietals are Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz (more famous and recognizable as Tempranillo), Tinto Cao and one can also find Souzao, Tinta Amarela and Mourisco Tinto.  Dow’s Fine Tawny Porto is a three-year-old blend aged in small casks, which produces smoother and lighter wine and doesn’t require additional aging.  This reddish-amber colored wine offered notes of caramel, apricots and raisins followed by hazelnuts and roasted chestnuts.  On the palate this medium-bodied, well-balanced viscous wine displayed tones of ripe fruit, dried fruit and ended with a good medium-count finish of raisins and roasted nuts.  

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Fine Wine Source Club – February 2026

Posted on February 15, 2026 by thewineraconteur

It is always a pleasure to stop by The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan at any time, but this time I was picking up the two wines curated by them for the club.  As a retired retailer I look on the club as a great way to keep you returning, and it is worth returning.

The first wine representing the Old World is Siglo Tempranillo Rioja DOCa NV.  The story of this wine begins in 1890, when a small winery was started in Azagar by Fernandez de Manzanos.  In the 1940s a new facility was created and in the 50s and 60s the family consolidated their projects and exceeded 1.5 million liters of wine.  In the 90s, the fourth generation created Bodegas Manzanos.  In 2025, Michel Boutin of the Domaines Michel Boutin group acquired the Manzanos Wines Group.  “Siglo” is the most recognizable brand, because they still use the classic Burgundian bottle wrapped in jute, made by Asprodema, an association for people with intellectual disabilities.  This wine is the result of blending vineyards from the Rioja Alta and Rioja del Reyno areas, pure Tempranillo; the vines are older than fifty years and planted on poor white soil and clay-limestone. The fruit is hand-harvested, and fermentation takes place in Stainless-Steel tanks. The wines is then aged for twelve months in French and American Oak (fifty-fifty) and then aged for an addition six month in the bottle, before release.  A deep cherry red color that offers notes of red and black fruit along with spices, eucalyptus and toasted oak.  On the palate this medium-bodied, well-balanced wine displays tones of red and black fruits blending with ripe tannins and ending with a medium-count finish of fruit.    

The second wine represents the New World is RouteStock Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2023. In 1978, Wilson Daniels was founded as a fully integrated marketing and sales company by Win Wilson and Jack Daniels. In 1979, they became the exclusive US importer of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. In 2003 Wilson Daniels was bought by the Underwood family and their Young’s Holdings.  RouteStock winemaking emphasizes minimal intervention, indigenous yeasts, natural Malolactic Fermentation and avoiding chemical additives.  They have two estates in the Sonoma Coast, one in the Petaluma Gap and the other in the Sebastopol Hills region of the Russian River Valley.  The vines are sixteen years of age planted on volcanic mix of clay, sand loam and goldridge (weathered sandstone with trace elements).  Each vineyard was fermented with ten percent whole clusters and aged in French Oak, of which twelve percent was new.  After fermentation the wine stayed on gross lees for nine months without racking and no additives.  The wine is described as a rich burgundy color that offers notes of red fruit, cardamom, soy sauce and bay laurel.  On the palate this medium-bodied, well-balanced wine displays tones of red fruits, black tea, spices, white pepper and orange peel and ending with a medium-count finish of fruit and savory umami core.

I also had a chance to taste some wines, more about them later, but I really enjoyed Thibaut Henrion Domaine de la Treille Crémant de Loire Brut Rosé NV.  Domaine de la Treille is in the village of Saint Macaire du Bois, not far from Saumur. The estate is forty-two hectares of clay, silt and sandy soil. Since January 2014, Thibaut Henrion has taken over the estate from Gabriel Taillée (who came from a family of millers and winegrowers).  The farming methods used have always been environmentally friendly and are now certified since 2019.  This wine is pure Cabernet Franc and made in the classic Methode Champenoise.  Outside of Champagne, the Loire Valley is the biggest producer of sparkling wine in France; and can only be produced in the sub-regions of Anjou, Saumur and Touraine.  Typically, the Crémant de Loire spend about nine months in the bottle during the second fermentation, and the Rosé style only accounts for about ten percent of the production.  Even though this wine is labeled Brut, I have always heard that the French make the wine a tad sweet, because they believe the American like to see the word Brut, but like a touch of sweet.  A pale pink colored wine with continuous fine bubbles offered notes of strawberries and raspberries and a trace of anise. On the palate this light-to-medium bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of strawberry, raspberry, citrus and licorice with a soft mousse ending with a medium-count finish of fruit, citrus, some spice and a soupcon of honey.

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