More Wines Served at Home

Posted on April 4, 2026 by thewineraconteur

As I have stated, the first several months are rather quiet at the home front, with my Bride helping her sister.  This year that worked out very well, as just before Christmas, I had a hernia operation that ruptured, and it was totally a period of being pampered.  And now just before Easter, I must have some oral surgery; let me say that I have had better years.

My Bride has always been partial to fish, so she loves to serve fish for dinners.  One night, and even the next night we enjoyed Isxir Grande Reserve White 2015 from Batroun, Lebanon.  Isxir derives from the Arabic word “Iksir” which is the original Arabic word for “elixir.” The first time I had this wine it blew me away, and we have had it a few times, though I think this is the last one now.  The wine is a blend of sixty percent Viognier, twenty-five percent Sauvignon Blanc and fifteen percent Chardonnay.  The wine was aged for five months in French Oak, of which half was new.  A deep golden-yellow wine that offered notes of assorted white fruits, white florals, eucalyptus and a whisp of smoke.  On the palate this full-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of peaches, pears and citrus, blending with striking minerality and ending with a long finish of fruit, terroir and pepper.

Another wine that we enjoyed when we could have dinner together was Chateau La Castillonne Bordeaux Blanc 2022.  Chateau La Castillonne is in the commune of Saint-Ferme, and is affiliated with Maison Bouey, the owner of one of the largest wine cellars in Bordeaux.  The wine is a blend of Semillon, Muscadelle and Sauvignon Blanc.  The wine undergoes fermentation, blending and aging in Stainless Steel tanks.  The pale-straw-yellow colored wine offered notes of peaches, pears, kiwis and white florals.  On the palate this light to medium bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of peaches and flowers with bright acidity, ending with a medium-count finish of fruit.

The last wine that I will discuss at the moment is Bos Wine Wishflower Michigan 2021. I have had the pleasure of meeting and tasting the wines David Bos is making up in Elk Rapids, Michigan as well as a couple of California wines that he produces as well.  Wishflower is a blend of Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Riesling; co-fermented with fruits harvested from Leelanau Peninsula and Old Mission Peninsula (on each side of Traverse City).  The Pinot Gris is from Brigadoon Vineyard on Leelanau Peninsula, while the Pinot Blanc and Riesling are from Ten Hands Vineyard on Old Mission Peninsula.  A soft-yellow wine that offered notes of white fruit and white florals.  On the palate this light-to-medium bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of green apples, lemon, and ginger with a splash of high acidity that ends with a medium-count finish of fruit, spice and a refreshing tartness.

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Just Wines We Have Been Drinking

Posted on April 1, 2026 by thewineraconteur

Writing a wine blog may appear to be glamorous, and perhaps some may use the concept to ask for wine.  That doesn’t happen here.  Since we have retired, the first four months, each year, I seem to entertain myself quite a bit, as my Bride has been helping her sister.  She keeps the house full of food that I may fend for myself.  Usually, we she gets home in the evening, she looks to see what I have opened up for my dinner and she will have some, as she unwinds in front of the television in the family room.

Thankfully I keep the refrigerator in the garage filled with assorted wines to handle whatever I may be having for dinner.  The other night I opened Chateau La Gabarre Bordeaux Rosé 2021 and is in the commune of Galgon on the Right Bank, northwest of Lalande-de-Pomerol. The estate has been in the Gabard family since the 1800’s and the present stewards are Stephane and Paola Gabard.  They use sustainable farming practices, and the soil is gravel, clay and sand and the average age of the vines is between fifteen and thirty-five years.  Besides this wine they also produce a Bordeaux Blanc, and a Bordeaux Supereiur; and all three wine types are done both as Chateau La Gabarre and their label “La Gabarre.”   The wine is a blend of forty-five percent Merlot, thirty percent Cabernet Franc and twenty-five percent Cabernet Sauvignon.  They use a direct press method and then age the wine for nine months in Stainless Steel to keep the fruit and crispness and they produced eight-hundred-fifty cases of this wine.  This copper-colored wine offered notes of raspberries and strawberries.  On the palate this medium-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of fresh red fruit with some bright acidity and ends with medium-count finish of fruit and spices.

I am not going to mention the entrées that I have had with these different wines, as sometimes there are several different choices waiting for me and when one has a cellar, it is easy to find something to try.  Sometimes I even surprised myself as I discover a wine that I had forgotten about like this bottle of Tenuta Ronci di Nepi Rosso di Ne’ Lazio IGT 2019. The winery was founded by Arturo Improta in the Eighties looking for an uncontaminated nature that was near volcanic lakes, a few kilometers north of Rome.  He planted both native and international varieties on soil made of disintegrated “peperino” stone, a volcanic rock, rich in minerals that would create a distinct terroir to the wines made.  The estate is about thirty hectares on the gentle hills of the Ronci Valley.  The wine is a blend of sixty percent Merlot and forty percent Cabernet Sauvignon, and the vineyards are about twenty-five years in age.  The wine is fermented and aged in Stainless-Steel tanks to maintain the freshness of the fruit.  This ruby red wine offered notes of cherry and raspberry and a mix of spices and herbs.  On the palate the red fruits and spices blended with velvety tannins in a well-balanced wine and a smooth finish featuring fruit and terroir.

It has been quite fun, since I am just pulling something out for myself, there really is no stress and I can check out how a wine is aging.  Sometimes I just want something light, as when I grabbed this bottle of Joseph Mellot Destinea Sauvignon Blanc Val de Loire IGP 2021.  Joseph Mellot is a wine producer in the central Loire region of Sancerre with a portfolio of labels and Domaines covering a huge swath of real estate in the region.  The estate was established in 1969, but the Mellot family name goes back to the 16th Century.  Since 1513 Pierre -Etienne Mellot established his Domaine and began his winemaking dynasty.  Cesar Mellot acted as a wine advisor to King Louis XIV.  In the 1920’s they were the first Sancerre winemakers to showcase their wines at the Foire de Paris.  Unfortunately, there was an inheritance split, and one brother began Joseph Mellot. By far, Sauvignon Blanc is the grape of choice for the estate from one hundred-hectares of vineyards in the Loire; and each plot is harvested and vinified separately.  Val de Loire IGP basically covers the entire Loire Valley, encompassing fourteen departments and in terms of area, is one of the largest in France.  It basically follows the Loire River for about 350 miles.   The designation was established in 2009 from its prior Vin de Pays, or its proper and more floral Vin de Pays du Jardin de la France.  The grapes are destemmed, then pressed.  A short maceration period and a short fermentation period of ten to fifteen days and then aged for a short period on the lees before bottling to maintain the fresh fruit finish.  The wine is a pale gold in color with notes of florals and orange and passion fruit.  On the palate the fruit is fresh with tones of lime and lemon, and well balanced with bright acidity and ends with an aromatic finish.  The Sauvignon Blancs of France are usually classified as Green and flinty, to differentiate the wine as it can be found especially in New Zealand and Australia.

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ZFG Winery – “Zen From Grapes”

Posted on March 29, 2026 by thewineraconteur

As a bonus, at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan, after the tasting of Paul Kornell Wines, Mike and Jenny Farmer were pouring their ZFG wine, and the only time that this wine will be offered in Michigan.   

As the Farmers explained, it was serendipity that they had been Paula Kornell’s first customers when she launched her inaugural vintage of her Napa Valley Blanc de Noir 2017.  They ended up bonding over their passion for wine, dogs and commitment to charitable work.  Paula Kornell was the president of the board of directors for Napa Valley Vintners and served on the boards of Napa Humane and Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa.  Mike Farmer was formerly president of commercial operation at Builders FirstSource and now serves on the board of directors for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  His wife Jenny, who as a labor and delivery nurse for twenty years, now serves on the board of Hope Scarves, which raises funds for metastatic breast cancer research and patient support.

The Farmers and Paula Kornell began a friendship immediately at Paula’s “Chateau Drool” which is fitting as she has three dogs, and the Farmers were perfect as they have bulldogs.  The Farmers are also originally Michiganders and wine was in their blood, as they were from the wine region near Traverse City.  They claim that they started off drinking the assorted cherry wines made in Michigan and part of the National Cherry Festival which attracts over 500,000 visitors each year    In fact, after leaving the tasting sessions they were meeting up with family for an outing that evening.  Wine people tend to be so festive.  I try to do some research, ahead of time for tastings, if possible and they were surprised that I knew that ZFG officially stands for “Zen From Grapes” as well as the more casual colorful “Zero ‘F’ Given.”

The last wine of the tasting was ZFG Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Reserve Production Napa Valley 2023.  This wine began for the Mike and Jenny Farmer, just for fun, but through their association with Paula Kornell Wines, this is now a labor of love and they are now producing one hundred cases of this wine, which they sell in allotments of six-packs or twelve-packs and the first time available in Michigan.  The fruit is harvested from the Oakville Benchlands and exemplifies the famed gravel and loamy soils of the Oakville AVA.  The deep garnet wine offered notes of black cherry, blackberry and cassis, followed by violets and lavender, along with cigar box and toasted vanilla.  On the palate the this full-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of black and red fruits, mocha, leather and baking spices blending with silky tannins ending with a good medium-to-long count finish of fruit, crushed stones and graphite and the ethereal tones of Sous-bois blending with terroir.

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Three Vintages from Paula Kornell Wines

Posted on March 26, 2026 by thewineraconteur

After we enjoyed the two non-vintage California sparkling wines from Paula Kornelll Winery of Napa Valley at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan, we were ready for their following three vintage sparklers.

We started with Paula Kornell Wines Blanc de Blanc Napa Valley 2020.  While all the wines from Paula Kornell are Methode Champenoise, this was the start of a vintage year and not a blend of years.  This bottle of wine is pure Chardonnay and after the harvest the grapes are pressed, and the juice is first in Stainless-Steel tanks.  The “tirage” was done on January 22, 2021, and this is a crucial step in the process known as Methode Champenoise.  A mixture of sugar and yeast (Liqueur de Tirage) is added to the still wine, which is then bottled; this mixture creates a second fermentation in the bottle and is essential for creating the effervescence qualities of this type of wine and explains the need for heavier and sturdier bottles.  Disgorgement is the next step and is the removal of dead yeast cells that have accumulated in the neck of the bottle.  The small amount of liquid is replaced with additional wine, and perhaps some sugar, and allows some fresh oxygen to let the wine “breathe and evolve.” The wine was a pale straw-color leaning towards a soft-golden shade with fine, persistent bubbles that offered notes of pear and lemon zest, along with white florals and baguettes and croissants.  On the palate this medium-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of citrus and golden apples blending into a creamy-textured wine with a medium-count finish of fruit, brioche, chalk and almonds.

We then went with Paula Kornell Wines Blancs De Noir Napa Valley 2020.  This Methode Champenoise wine is a blend of seventy percent Pinot Noir and thirty percent Chardonnay.  The grapes were harvested in August 2020 and underwent Initial Fermentation in Stainless-Steel tanks, then Tirage occurred on February 1, 2021, to start the Second Fermentation.  The Disgorgement occurred in October 2024 after three years of “riddling” which is process to finally get the bottles upside down very gradually, to allow the art of disgorgement to proceed.  This golden-colored wine with tiny, persistent bubbles offered notes of lemons, strawberries and currents followed by freshly cut hay.  On the palate, this medium-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of lemons, peaches and white cherries, followed by croissants and brioche ending with a medium-to-long finish of citrus, fruit, brioche and a whisper of ginger.

The final bubbly that we had and created a bit of a stir was the Paula Kornell Wines Rosé de la Vallée Napa Valley 2022.  It had created quite a stir as it had just arrived, moments before Mike and Jenny Farmer came to the shop to discuss the wines during the tastings.  It was also an exclusive, as it was only available at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan as there were only one hundred cases produced and the would only be sold at the winery.  I also should mention that the fruit for the vintage wines came from Mitsuko’s Vineyard in the Los Carneros appellation. The vineyard is named after the late wife of Jan Shrem, the owner of Clos Pegase, who gave her this property proclaiming his love for her.  This coppery-salmon colored wine with tiny, persistent bubbles offered notes of strawberries and white cherries, along with rose petals and cherry blossoms.  This medium-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of strawberry, white cherry and pears, blending seamlessly rosewater with bright acidity to create a subtle mousse, and ending with a medium-to-long count finish of fruit, oystershell minerality and a subtle salinity beckoning for another taste.  

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Paula Kornell Wines at The Fine Wine Source

Posted on March 23, 2026 by thewineraconteur

Club membership at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan pays off finely with another perk.  This time with a wine tasting presented by Mike and Jenny Farmer, owners of Paula Kornell Wines and ZFG Wine. 

Hans Kornell arrived in America in 1939 with only a couple of dollars and hitchhiked to California and in 1951 began making sparkling wines in Sonoma County.  By 1951, he had saved enough money to buy the old Larkmead Winery, which was started in 1906.  Paula Kornell is a fourth-generation sparkling wine producer with over thirty years of experience, including time at Eleven Eleven Wines, Vichon and Robert Mondavi.  Last year, after Vintage Wine Estates filed for bankruptcy, Paula Kornell and some thirty-odd wineries were left unprepared and facing the auction block.  Then in November, Paula had new partners with Mike and Jenny Farmer of Calistoga. 

The first wine of the session was Paula Kornell Brut California Sparkling Wine NV.  This sparkling wine was the perfect way to begin the tasting, as it is a California wine and comes from certified sustainable vineyards in the some of the coolest growing regions and are managed by fifth-generation grape growers.  The wine is entirely done using Stainless-Steel and then glass, without the use of any oak.  The wine is made in the classic Methode Champenoise and not by the bulk method.  A blend of eighty percent Chardonnay and twenty percent Pinot Noir.  After the Initial Fermentation the wine was aged for twenty-four months, before disgorgement and then a few more months before being released for retail.  A beautiful golden color with consistent small bubbles offered notes of peaches, apricots and lemon zest along with white florals.  This medium-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of green wines, fresh fruit, racy acidity, a mild toasty mousse and ending with medium-count finish of fruit and florals.  And way too nice for Mimosas.  

We then had their second non-vintage sparkling wine, Paula Kornell Brut Rosé California Sparkling Wine NV.  This is a multi-vintage blend of seventy percent Pinot Noir and thirty percent Chardonnay using the classic Methode Champenoise.  The wine was aged for thirty-eight months on fine lees in the bottle and then an additional several months after the disgorgement.  A pretty salmon-pink colored wine with persistent small bubbles offered notes of strawberry, raspberry and watermelon along with wet stones.  On the palate this medium-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of currants, cranberries, pomegranate seeds and tart cherries followed by lively acidity, a creamy mousse and ending with medium-count finish of fruit, terroir and some toasted hazelnuts.        

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Bahama Breeze

Posted on March 20, 2026 by thewineraconteur

My Bride and some of her girlfriends get together, along with their spouses for a dinner periodically, and I am not sure how the restaurants are selected, but we were going to Bahama Breeze. 

My Bride and I tried the restaurant when they first opened, went back several years later, and then this time; they began in 1996 in Orlando, Florida by the Darden Restaurant chain.  Between the time the venue was selected and the appointed date, the Darden Restaurant chain announced that they were closing all the Bahama Breeze locations as they were “no longer a strategic priority” due to declining sales and increased competition.  My thinking is that they will probably retrofit the building into either one of their Olive Garden or LongHorn restaurants.  I always thought that the restaurant was cute, I have never been to Bahama, but the design of the buildings evoked a structure on Kiawah Island or parts of the Lowlands in South Carolina.  My Bride and I shared a spicy shrimp appetizer, then she went with a “themed” salad with salmon, and since I had discovered from previous times, that I am not partial to their cuisine, I opted for a burger and fries.

The wine list was a “no-brainer” of common popular brands.  Her first choice was no longer available, as they were probably selling the available inventory down; this also happened to some of the dishes that others had ordered.  My Bride had Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay California 2024. We have enjoyed a lot of Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay wines through the years.   We used to keep some in the house for our friends that enjoy this wine and has been our “go-to” wine in restaurants that have a limited selection of wines on their list.   The late Jess Jackson started the winery in 1974, and his first vintage was in 1982.  I once heard a statement that I will paraphrase that “people tend to talk about dry wines, but that they prefer some sweetness.”  From what I have read his first vintage under his own label was not a true dry Chardonnay, so he labeled it a “vintner’s reserve” and it took off from there.  He was an attorney, but he was a marketing genius.  This is an extremely popular bulk-wine and a classic example of a California Chardonnay.  The golden colored wine offered notes of tropical fruits, citrus, a trace of honey and vanilla.  On the palate this light-to-medium bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of pineapple, mango and papaya, along with citrus peels blending with some good acidity and ending with a short-to-medium count finish of fruit, oak and butter.

As for me, I selected from the wine list of “common popular” wines a Robert Mondavi Private Selection Cabernet Sauvignon California 2023.  There is nothing wrong with going with the big brands, especially as you won’t have to keep printing menus, especially if you conveniently omit the vintage year.  Robert Mondavi began his career with his family and was known for his technical and marketing skills and was one of the original promoters of Napa Valley.  He was originally a proponent of labelling wines varietally, which became the norm for the New World wines. Though in the 1990s he created a joint venture with Baron Philippe de Rothschild to create Opus One Winery.  In 2004, Constellation Brands acquired the Mondavi winery.  He then partnered with his younger son and daughter to make a single wine from a single estate.  The Robert Mondavi Private Selection was founded in 1994 by Robert Mondavi to capture the flavors of California’s best Central Coast vineyards.  This is a bulk wine created in tanks, with some time in barrels, to maintain a popular price point.  The wine is predominately Cabernet Sauvignon with some Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Petite Sirah and Sangiovese.  A deep ruby colored wine that offered notes of blackberry and black cherry along with spices and graphite.  On the palate this medium-bodied, well-balanced wine display tones of cherry, plum, with some coffee and mocha blending with velvety tannins and ending with a medium-count finish of fruit, spices and graphite.  A decent chewy wine to accompany my burger.     

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The Fine Wine Source Club – March 2026

Posted on March 17, 2026 by thewineraconteur

With the doldrums of enduring the last of the winter season, waiting for signs of Spring, the high point of the month so far is going to The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan and picking up the Club offerings for the month.  The Club always features a selection from the Old World and one from the New World.

The featured wine from the Old World was La Bioca “Adae” Barbera d’Alba Superiore DOC 2022.  La Bioca is a relatively new winery in the centuries-old region of Langhe, in fact, it is still in its first generation.  Bisso Atanassov, is La Bioca, a former wine critic from Bulgaria, who decided that he needed to move to the Langhe and produce his own wine.  The winery is in Serralunga d’Alba and they have almost eight hectares of vineyards in the Langhe; and they only use grapes from their own vineyards.  They have seven plots of vineyards planted between 1961 and 2017, in Monforte d’Alba, Novella, La Morra and Barbaresco.  The terrain of this region is varied composures of sand, clay and limestone in a temperate Continental setting.  Adae is Barbera grapes from an older vineyard, and locally the owner of the vineyard is known as Ada, or in Latin as Adae.  The fruit is manually harvested, destemmed and undergoes cold maceration for three days in Stainless-Steel tanks without temperature control, with fifteen days of punch-downs and pump-overs, followed by post-fermentative maceration for about twenty-one days.  The wine is then aged for about five months in used oak tonneaus.  The wine is described as ruby-red and offers notes of black and red fruits, violets and spices.  On the palate this medium-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of cherry, plums, menthol and balsam blending with firm tannins and ending with a medium-to-long-count finish of fruit, oak and spices.

The wine representing the New World is RouteStock Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 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.  The fruit for this wine is sourced from vineyards in Coombsville, St. Helena, Mount Veeder and Rutherford, on a mix of alluvial, volcanic, loam, sandstone and shale soils. The wine is a blend of ninety-two percent Cabernet Sauvignon, three percent Merlot, two percent Cabernet Franc, two percent Malbec and one percent Petit Verdot. The wine is aged for twenty-one months in ninety-eight percent French Oak (eleven percent is new, the balance is neutral) and two percent American Oak.  The wine is described as a deep garnet color and offers notes of blackberry, tobacco, flint and graphite, and wet stone.  On the palate this full-bodied, well-balanced wine displays tones of blackberry, dried cranberries, rhubarb and licorice blending with firm tannins and ending with a long-count finish of fruit, spices and terroir.

I will mention another wine that I had a chance to taste, which is Bodegas Manzanos Siglo Crianza Seleccion Rioja 2020.  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 a patterned fabric, made by Asprodema, an association for people with intellectual disabilities.  The wine is a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha (Grenache) and Graciano from vineyards in the Rioja Alta and the Rioja Oriental, with vines from thirty-to-fifty-years of age.  The fruit is hand-harvested, with Initial Fermentation occurring in Stainless-Steel tanks with twenty days of maceration and about five daily pumping over done manually.  Malolactic Fermentation occurs in concrete tanks, then twelve months of aging in French Oak, with an additional six months of aging in the bottle, before release.  A deep red colored wine offering notes of cherry and plums, with licorice, cocoa, tobacco, vanilla and Sous-bois.  On the palate this medium-bodied, well-balanced wine displays tones of black cherry and figs, followed by some caramel and mocha, blending with some bright acidity and velvety tannins; ending with medium-count finish of fruit, spices and terroir.   

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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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