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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Our Time in Stratford, Ontario SRO

Posted on February 12, 2026 by thewineraconteur

There were several locations that we tried to go to that evening, but the nightlife was extremely lively and several of the theaters were still offering plays, and I will make sure that the next time we have reservations, even the wine bar was packed.

My Bride was excited, as her “Dick Tracy” smart phone wristwatch, was logging up all the steps that we were racking up, walking up and down the downtown area.  We passed by a couple of times the store that specializes in tartans, full regalia, pieces, even neckwear, but the last time I checked there were no Armenian tartan plaids, but still a fascinating shop for this retired clothier, as they do custom work as well.  We walked by a restaurant that had tables on the sidewalk and they were all taken.  I asked one of the waitresses if they had any tables indoors, and she said absolutely, just walk in and grab a table.  We were going to have dinner at Bentley’s Bar Inn & Restaurant, and it seemed like the perfect location for a weekend to see several plays and in the center of the gastronomic offerings of Stratford-upon-Avon.  Instead of a television blaring sporting event, there was a streaming series of films about the rooms to be found upstairs, and the assorted breakfast, lunch and dinner offerings.  We had worked up quite a thirst from all our hiking and started with La Maison Ogier Ventoux Blanc 2021.  In 1859, Antoine Ogier acquired an old cooperage and set up a negociant firm, and in 1948 the firm began creating their own blended wines.  They then merged with another negociant Caves de Papes, and this combined firm was purchased by Maison Jeanjean in 1994, who then joined with Laroche in 2010 to form AdVini SA.  They have the oldest cellars in the southern Rhone Valley; and since 2006 they have been committed to sustainability and organic farming.  Ventoux is a large wine region and abuts Provence, originally known as Cotes de Ventoux, until 2009.  The wine is a blend of Grenache Blanc and Marsanne and grown on clay-limestone soil.  The fruit is hand and mechanically harvested at night, fermented in temperature controlled Stainless-Steel vats and then aged on fine lees in concrete vats.  A light copper-colored wine that offered notes of tropical fruits, grapefruit and white peaches.  On the palate this light-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of peach and pear blending with delicate acidity and ending with a short-count finish of fruit and saline; a very unpretentious and satisfying wine now.

We started our dinner by sharing an order of Salmon and Crab Cakes with Panko, pan seared with a Creole dipping sauce and a side of Sweet Potato Fries. My Bride had a classic serving of Cajun Jambalaya with Chicken, Shrimp and Chorizo over Rice.  I had this unnamed special that was created with beef and vegetables and a spicy cream sauce that was a pure delight, and my Bride agreed that I had the best entrée, as she kept picking at my plate.  The Ventoux evaporated and we then had Les Jamelles Merlot Pays D’Oc 2023.  Les Jamelles is based in Monze, in the Aude department of the Languedoc, one of many estates run by the Badet Clement group by winemakers Laurent and Catherine Delaunay. The winery produces entry level blends, varietal wines and some vineyard selections.  The region has been making wines since the Roman times and most of the wines were Vin de Pays d’Oc and now are Pays d’Oc IGP, for standardized labeling in the European Union.  This wine is a blend of five regions: the environs of Narbonne, the Aude River plain, the coastal region near Beziers, the slopes of the Orb Valley and the mid-slope vineyards of the Herault’s Valley.  Maceration lasts for almost four weeks.  Most of this wine is aged in Oak (2/3 French and 1/3 American) and a small portion using thermovinification to boost fruit, roundness and suppleness.  This deep garnet colored wine offered notes of cherry and plums with baking spices.  On the palate this medium-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of red cherry, with some cinnamon and nutmeg, blending with some bright acidity and silky tannins, ending with a short-to-medium-count finish of fruit and some minerality.

The next morning, we got up bright and early so that my Bride could finish her Christmas shopping at a delightful boutique, and she finished in time to meet her cottage friends at The Parlour Inn, originally called The Mansion House and was built in 1871 to serve the Grand Trunk Railway, later Canadian National.  It was very handsomely renovated and would also be a nice place to stay in Stratford.  We were treated to lunch by our friends, and it seemed that the ladies went with the Parlour Caesar with Romaine, Bacon, Shaved Parmesan, Croutons with a Lemon Garlic Dressing topped with Jumbo Shrimp.  The men went with Steak Frites, a New York Strip, with Yukon Gold Fries, Roasted Shallot and Red Wine Jus.  We had coffee and Mimosas using Chateau des Charmes Eclat! Bubbles St. David’s Bench VQA NV.  Paul Bosc Sr. was a visionary for the modern wine movement and especially for the Niagara Peninsula of Ontario.  He planted his first vineyards at the St. David’s Bench in 1978 with his belief that vinifera wines could be made properly there.  Chateau des Charmes has one-hundred-twenty acres of vineyards, including seventy-two acres on St. David’s Bench on rich underground limestone runoff.  The main planting began in the 1990s, with the first harvest in 1994.  The wine is pure Aligote and the sparkling wine was produced using the Charmat Method.  This pale golden colored wine showed plenty of medium-sized bubbles and offered notes of white stone fruit, green apples, lemongrass, lime zest and wet stone.  On the palate this light-bodied, well-balanced sparkling wine displayed tones of apple, pear and peach, some toasted brioche and ending with short-count finish of citrus, granite and almonds.  It was crisp and refreshing and the tincture of orange juice with our brunch was very festive.  

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Grand Bend to Stratford

Posted on February 9, 2026 by thewineraconteur

It was another side trip that we made up to Canada last year, but we weren’t going to any of the wine country areas.  My father was born in Canada, and if I go back to the old haunts, in a week’s time, I will be speaking and acting like a native; I could have some black tea in a China teacup with saucer, while sitting on the chesterfield in the parlour. 

Now this trip was for my Bride, as she wanted to see one of her old friends that she grew up with, almost every weekend at her parents’ cottage in Kettle Point, which her father had built.  He leased the land from the Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point First Nation, but that is another story.  She didn’t want to make a side trip to see the cottage, but we drove to the major community of the area which is Grand Bend.  Grand Bend was known as a party town and a great weekend destination, even when I was a kid, especially for the motorcycle crowd.  We walked along the main street and down to the beach and she was getting nostalgic and we finally ended up at Willy’s Beach Bar, and I am sure that during the high season the floor is covered in sand. I do believe that the main beverages served were tequila, beer and rye.

Of course, we decided to have cheeseburgers, fries and guacamole, the food that one immediately thinks of when one thinks of Canada.  We were just a couple of Yanks, but we did use Malt Vinegar with the fries, instead of ketchup, which I don’t think I have ever known in my life. We ordered a bottle of wine for lunch, and that did raise a few eyebrows.  We had Famiglia Cielo Prosecco DOC Brut “Blu Collection” NV from Cielo e Terra, also known as Gruppo Cantine Colli Berici near Verona.  They market wines from DOC, IGT and Vini da Tavola.  The winery is in partnership with over two thousand wine growers, with different labels for different niche markets.  The business was founded in 1908 by the Cielo family and has been family owned ever since.  This sparkling wine is pure Prosecco (Glera) and made with the Charmat Method and comes with a distinct wavy engraved shaped bottle.  A light yellow colored sparkling wine with medium size persistent bubbles that offered notes of golden apples, white flowers and lemon peel.  On the palate this wine displayed tones of fresh fruit and citrus and ended with a short-count finish of fruit and citrus.  An easy drinking wine for a party-culture environment.

We then set off to Stratford Ontario, and we were going to meet her friends on Sunday for lunch.  The city was settled by almost equal numbers on English, Irish, Scottish and Germany immigrants around the 1830. The center of the town was on the Avon River and is known as Stratford-upon-Avon, the town was incorporated in 1859 and the city in 1886.  The swan is the symbol of the city, and each year, twenty-four white swans are released into the Avon River.  The town is noted for the Stratford Festival, which performs Shakespearean plays and other genres from May to October.  The Stratford Shakespeare Festival began in 1953, and Alec Guiness spoke the first lines of the first plays produced; Richard III and All’s Well That Ends Well. Some of the other famed actors that have tread the boards there are Christopher Plummer, Dame Maggie Smith and William Shatner.  The evening that we arrived without any dinner reservations, which was a mistake on my part, and we wandered around the downtown area searching for a table.  While we roamed the streets, we looked at store front windows, which proved to be a big expense the next day.  We also discovered commemorative “Stars” on the sidewalks, and we will go back another time to discover more.  I wanted my Bride to pose next to one of her favorite stars, but she insisted that I have the honor, I think she is holding out to pose with Christopher Plummer.     

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J L Hudson and Lunch at Chartreuse

Posted on February 6, 2026 by thewineraconteur

My Bride and I try to have dates to this day.  We found out that there was a special exhibit on the history of the J L Hudson Company and the Detroit Historical Museum and we also found out that Chartreuse had lunch hours on Fridays; a perfect combination. Though we didn’t partake of any of the fifteen different offerings of the said aperitif.

J L Hudson Company was founded in 1881 and at one time was the second largest department store in square footage, and it was the tallest department store in the world, with twenty-five stories and encompassed an entire city block.  At one time they also produced automobiles, which became part of American Motors Corporation and later Chrysler and now Stellantis.  I remember shopping there as a child with my mother, and she would park in a structure across from the back side of the building and at that time there was still a doorman at that entrance.  They had beautiful bays of elevators of copper, brass and wood, with elevator operators that announced the products on each floor, or you could use the escalators that were found at several locations on each floor.  Somewhere in the house, I still have my mother’s original metal “key ring” charge plate, which was later reissued in plastic, and I would marvel at the labyrinth of pneumatic tubes that would go from a cash register to a central location for approval and then would return in the tube, totally impressive, especially to a child.  I remember that my mother would also call the credit department when I was a little older, and they would issue me a temporary one-day cardboard card good for a couple of hundred dollars, so that I could do my Christmas shopping.  Since I was still young, and traveled by bus, it was no problem as Hudson’s had a huge fleet of dark green delivery trucks that would deliver all purchases on certain days, depending on the district of the city where one lived.  The exhibition at the museum touched upon all of this, and they even had one of the wonderful brass water fountains that were located everywhere in the building.  When they announced that the store would be closed and later imploded, I always thought a water fountain would be a great memento, but it was not for me to have; and yes, I guess I am a strange guy and even a kid earlier on.

After the special exhibit at the Detroit Historical Society, plus viewing all the other standard exhibits, we crossed caddy-corner to the Park Shelton Hotel and had lunch at Chartreuse.  Chartreuse opened in 2015 and immediately was in the forefront of the “farm to table” concept, but not corporate farming.  Also, it is rather eclectic that whatever you order comes out as soon as the kitchen is done preparing it, so it is fun to just order, and we share dishes, no matter what the sequence.  We started by ordering: Twice Cooked Egg with Werp Farm greens, Brussels Sprouts, Salty Cheese, and warm Shallot Vinaigrette. Steak Tartare with Leek, Radishes, Dill Crema, Cured Egg Yolk, Cilantro, Togorashi, Bao Bun.  Angel Hair Pasta with Butternut Squash, Mushroom, Brandy Sweet Cream and Spiced Almonds.  We started with Jordanov Rkasiteli Tikves, North Macedonia 2023 and Jordanov is a private label for Stobi Winery for the US Market. Stobi Winery opened in 2009 in the city of Gradsko, next to the ancient site of Stobi. Tikves is a prominent winegrowing region in North Macedonia, not to be confused with Tikves Winery which is from the region as well.  The Rkasiteli grape is indigenous to the Caucasus region, and it has the ability to retain good acidity in the harshest summers and is successfully used in all types of wine styles in the region.  It is also known as Rkatziteli, Baiyu and Corolioc.  This wine is pure Rkasiteli and harvested from their own estate vineyards.  A soft yellow-green colored wine that offered notes of pear, peach, apricot and white florals.  On the palate this light-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of green apple, peach and quince with crisp acidity and ending with a short-medium-count finish of soft fruit, it reminded me of a Pinot Grigio from Northern Italy.

The latter half of the meal, which we selected properly for timing was Striped Bass with Beluga Lentils, Haricot Verts, Succotash, Lotus Root, Scallions, Chili Crunch and Dashi. The other entrée that we shared was Braised Short Ribs with Sheridan Acres Beans, Root Vegetable, Cabbage Mostarda and Shitake Chip.  Followed by Colombian coffee and German Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Mousse, German filling, Chocolate Sauce, Caramelia Pearls and Candied Pecans.   We then went for a red wine with Scythian Wine Co. “Revolution Red” Cucamonga Valley 2023 bottled by Parr Wines LLC.  Scythian Wine Co. is a new project by sommelier-now-vigneron Raj Parr that highlights the nearly lost viticultural heritage of Los Angeles.  Before Prohibition, the city was the center of the California wine industry, with Palomino, Mission, Grenache and Zinfandel planted on the sandy soils.  The remaining vineyards are relics, interspersed between warehouses, corporate headquarters, neighborhoods and highways.  Some of the vines are close to the century mark and had never been treated with fungicides, sulfur or copper.  Phelan Farm is a California producer based in the village of Cambria specializing in minimal-intervention wines.  Greg Phelan founded the estate in 2007, but the farm was in the Phelan family since 1851, and Raj Parr now leases the entire property.  Cucamonga Valley was once the largest area under vine in the state, now there are less than a thousand acres devoted to vineyards.  The soil in the hot, desert-like valley are rocky and sandy, allowing for excellent drainage, which produces smaller berries with thicker skins and more concentrated flavor and bold tannins.  The existing vineyards survived during Prohibition as they grew grapes for home winemaking which was allowed during that era.  This fruit is from the Lopez Vineyard that was planted in 1912.  This wine is a blend of sixty percent Zinfandel; thirty percent Palomino and ten percent Grenache planted on sandy granite soils.  The fruit is hand- harvested and fermented whole cluster in open-top neutral fermenter, then aged in old French Oak barrels.  The wine is bottled without fining or filtering.  This red colored wine offered notes of black cherry and licorice.  On the palate this medium-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of cherry, cranberry along with red florals and spices blending with big tannins and ending with a medium-count finish of fruit and spices.   

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Henry Ford Big Band Concert

Posted on February 3, 2026 by thewineraconteur

I am slowly but surely going to get some of the past adventures that I just have not had the chance to write about.  Raconteurs always have stories buried, just waiting for the moment to boor a captive audience.

My Bride, I must admit is the music aficionado, I am happy with the music of the Rat Pack, classic Broadway musicals that have you dancing and singing as you leave the theatre and of course the music of the sixties.  My Bride loves all genres, she loves operas and ballet, orchestral concerts, jazz and goes way beyond my choices, which she also enjoys.  We went to see The Wine Raconteur, Jr. as he performed with the Henry Ford College Big Band playing classical, jazzed up and stylized Christmas Music.  We sat at the table where his parents were holding court, and we have had a long history with his family as well.  Our boy was the ad hoc emcee, as well as the creator of the evening.  He found corporate sponsors, caterers and a venue that appreciated the additional attention as they were amid renovation construction. 

The Henry Ford College Big Band has been an entity for ages, and some of the musicians have been with the group long since after they graduated from college.  They have travelled with the band for concerts across the United States, but they have also performed in Europe, which is really quite heady for a local and at one time a community college.  They lost “The Big Guy” who really pushed this group of dedicated alumni to go beyond the local gigs, and I think at one time they felt rudderless, but others took up the challenge and the baton with the intention of keeping the group intact and maintaining goals and keeping the energy on high voltage.

While we were noshing before and in between sets, my Bride was cajoling the bartenders to create her a Spanish Coffee and she was finally happy after a couple of attempts.  As for me, I found wine, of course I did, to allow me to eventually write another article, see how devious I am.  I enjoyed several glasses of Napa Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2022.  Napa Cellars sits on the original five acres where it was established in 1976 along Highway 29 in Oakville. They still use the geodesic dome commissioned by the founder Charlie Woods.  The wine is made by the winemaker Joe Shirley, and the fruit comes from a variety of vineyards in the Napa Valley including Atlas Peak, Oak Knoll and St. Helena and this wine is pure Cabernet Sauvignon.  The grapes from the assorted locations were brought for processing and underwent a twelve-to-twenty-four-day maceration period.  After fermentation, the wine was aged for twenty-one months in ninety-six percent French and four percent Hungarian Oak barrels.  This deep-dark ruby colored wine offered notes of black cherry, blackberry, plum and cassis followed by toasted oak, vanilla, mocha and cloves.  On the palate this medium-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed the dark fruits, baking spices, as well as traces of cinnamon and black pepper blending with supple tannins and ending with a medium-count finish of fruit, graphite, and some bright acidity.

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48th at Mint 29

Posted on January 31, 2026 by thewineraconteur

I think it is easier to accept that our grandchildren are either in college or have graduated, than to believe our children are getting older. Our other son who just recently moved back from Las Vegas, turned forty-eight and he and his wife wanted to celebrate at Mint 29 in Dearborn, Michigan.

Mint 29 was originally a bank, then famously remembered as Dearborn Music for ages; during renovations they found coins in the wall from 1929, hence the name.  Our waiter asked if we wanted tap or bottled water, and now having lived in the Detroit area for over seventy years, surrounded by the Great Lakes, we opted for tap water. I asked if they dipped the carafe of water into the infamous Rouge River as it was very skunky. We ordered a couple of bottles of Acqua Panna Tuscany, which is natural spring water to make sure that we made it through dinner.  We ordered several appetizers for the table as shareables: Ceviche of Salmon, Cod, Onion, Jalapeno, Avocado, with a Cilantro Citrus Marinade and house-made tortilla chips, Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail with Cilantro Mint Coulis, Cocktail Sauce and house-made tortilla chips, and their Truffle Crab Mac N’ Cheese with Maryland Jumbo Crab, a four cheese house blend, bread crumbs and topped with Parmesan.

Our son had an order of Braised Tenderloin Tips, with Wild Mushrooms, Zip Sauce, Fried Onions, Crostinis and Garlic Smashed Potatoes.  His wife had Chicken Citron, an organic Chicken Breast with Roasted Potatoes, Roasted Carrots, Broccolini and a Cilantro-Lime Sauce.  My Bride and I decided to create our own version of Surf & Turf with an order of Chilean Sea Bass with Garlic Smashed Potatoes, Wilted Spinach, Lemon Butter Sauce and Cilantro Mint Coulis and a Dry Aged Angus Filet with Broccolini along with Bearnaise butter and some roasted garlic.  I ordered a bottle of Decoy Brut Cuvée Sparkling Wine California NV, figuring everyone likes some bubbles, we have to have kids that don’t drink wine and they drink Diet Pepsi.  Decoy Wines was a second brand label for Duckhorn Vineyards and was originally Napa Valley based and a Bordeaux style red blend.  Now this label is basically based in Sonoma County.  Duckhorn Vineyards also owns Paraduxx, Migration, Goldeneye and Canvasback labels as well as acquiring Calera Wine Company. The Decoy label was created over thirty years ago by Dan and Margaret Duckhorn, and this Brut Cuvée uses the Methode Champenoise to craft a fine bottle of sparkling wine. The wine is a blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and has a “dosage” of French Oak barrel fermented Napa Valley Chardonnay.  The soft golden colored wine with plenty of small bubbles offered notes of apple, peach, orange zest, honeysuckle, and vanilla.  On the palate this medium-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of Golden Delicious apple, citrus, orange zest, florals and a delightful mousse with bright acidity and ending with a medium-count mouth-watering finish of vanilla cream and crisp minerality.

For dessert we left the restaurant and went to their house to have cake and coffee.  It was a fitting that the day before we had six inches of snow, on the day that he was born, the morning was clear and bright, and I got a chance to drive home in a blizzard.  We had a chance to see their daughter who got home after work, but their son was still working. Our son and his wife were saving themselves to have some drinks later that evening, when their friends would stop by to celebrate. Their internal clocks are still on Las Vegas time, especially for partying.  In two years, he will be fifty, and in eight years, My Favorite Daughter will be fifty, it just does not seem right.          

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My First Tasting of 2026 – Part Two

Posted on January 28, 2026 by thewineraconteur

My Bride and I had a great time at this first wine tasting and I got back to the swing of things quite quickly, and that the wines at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan were so agreeable, that I am glad that they had help to carry the cases to our car.

We also enjoyed Chateau Bouscaut Blanc Grand Cru Classé de Graves Pessac-Leognan 2020 from Famille Lurton- Cogombles.  Chateau Bouscaut was classified as a Grand Cru Classé de Graves in 1959, for both its red and white wines.  Originally known as Haut Truchon, but by 1881 it was known as Chateau Bouscaut.  In 1979, it was purchased by Lucien Lurton, and since 1992 has been managed by Sophie Lurton.  The soil is clay on a limestone base, and the vines average thirty-five years of age.  This vintage is a blend of sixty-eight percent Sauvignon Blanc and thirty-two percent Semillon (of which there is a plot of hundred-year-old ungrafted vines). The wine is fermented and aged with batonage for ten months in French Oak, of which forty percent is new. This pale greenish-yellow colored wine offered notes of passionfruit and gooseberries.  On the palate this medium-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of exotic fruits and a creamy texture with good acidity that ends with a strong-medium count finish of fruit, flint and baking spices.  We bought the balance and they even tossed in the tasting bottle. 

We then had a couple of reds starting with Vine Hill Ranch VHR Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville 2022, a family-owned farming estate from the last century. Alexandra and Robert Phillips in 1978 moved to the family ranch that their grandfather had purchased about twenty years earlier and named it Vine Hill Ranch. They not only farmed the land but also dedicated to land preservation and assorted community services, and the tradition continues with the third generation.  The estate had been listed as a vineyard and with other crops since 1884. They still maintain the old ledger style of documenting the crops in their seven blocks. This wine made from twenty-five-year-old vines that began with three weeks of being on the skins for fermentation and post-fermentation using wild indigenous yeast. The juice was then aged for twenty months in French Oak, then bottled without fining or filtration.  They produced eight barrels with careful allotments to special restaurants and hence not a lot to spread around after. A dark garnet color wine that offered lilacs and violets, followed by black cherries, raspberries and a trace of orange zest. On the palate this full-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of dark fruits, black olives, and spices with great tannins ending with a long finish of fruit, oak, and terroir. Even fresh from a Coravin pour this wine promises to be wonderful fifteen to twenty-five years down the road, though I doubt there will be many bottles around that far in the future, the wine is that delicious even now. 

Then we finished the tasting with Schrader Cellars Double Diamond Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville 2023.  Schrader Cellars is a “cult” Napa Valley winery founded by former antiques dealer Fred Schrader. Its focus is Cabernet Sauvignon from single parcels and single vineyards.  He began in 1992 with Colgin Schrader Cellars with his then wife Ann Colgin, who went on to found Colgin Cellars.  In 1998, he started his own label along with winemaker Thomas River Brown and grape grower W. Andrew Beckstoffer. They were the first winery to receive 100-point reviews from Robert Parker for four consecutive vintages for two of his labels “Schrader CCS” and “Old Sparky.” In 2017 Constellation Brands bought the winery for a reported $60 Million deal. As is common in Bordeaux, many of the leading chateaux have created a “second wine,” that tends to mirror the grand vin only with younger vines at a more modest price.  “Double Diamond” follows this tradition sourcing younger aged fruit from To Kalon, which is Napa Valley’s most famous vineyard.  All the wines are vinified the same as the flagship labels, but this wine only uses fifty-four percent new French Oak compared to all new.  The Cabernet Sauvignon grapes sourced from the Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard and Beckstoffer George III Vineyard.  This deep ruby-purple colored wine offered notes of dark fruits, roses, lavender, ivy along with bay leaf, menthol, and vanilla bean. On the palate this full-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of black cherry, dark plums, cassis, blackberry along with black tea, nutmeg, dark chocolate and toasted cedar blending with silky textured tannins and ending with a long-count finish of cassis, flint, and lavender.  I guess, I was a good boy, as my Bride wanted a bottle of this as a St. Valentine’s Day gift.

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My First Tasting of 2026 – Part One

Posted on January 25, 2026 by thewineraconteur

The first day that I claimed to have gotten my sea legs back, I had my Bride drive me to The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan.  My surgeon had strongly recommended that I shouldn’t drive for at least two weeks, and in fact suggested that I really shouldn’t be a passenger as well, because of sudden stops and unusual shakes that one can encounter, especially on our terrible roads.  While at the wine shop they asked if we had time to try some new arrivals, and of course, we both had the time and the inclination.

 The first wine that was poured for us was Domaine Sylvain Bailly Sancerre Terroirs 2024.  Domaine Sylvain Bailly has been a winemaker since the 18th Century with continuing generations of family. The Domain offers red, white and rosé wines; and is spread from the family farm in Bué in the center of Sancerre to Amigny, Crezancy and Montigny, and finally to Quincy.  The white wines are planted on limestone soils, hard and stony from the Jurassic period.  About seventy percent of the vines are grassed to limit erosion.  The Sauvignon Blanc grapes are sorted on a table, and transferred by a conveyor belt, each lot is pressed separately and allowed to settle for about two days and then fermentation occurs in thermos-regulated vats, while the juice rests on fine lees.  The wine is racked and then filtered.  The pale-yellow colored wine offered a delicate nose of grapefruit and oranges.  On the palate this medium-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of grapefruit and oranges and ended with a medium-count finish of crisp citrus and minerality.

We then tried another Sauvignon Blanc wine from Bordeaux, being 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.

We then enjoyed Chateau Millet “Cuvée Henri” Graves Blanc 2024.  Chateau Millet is the crown jewel of the Domaines de La Mette, a collection of chateaux comprised of sixty hectares of vines in Graves and twenty hectares in Bordeaux Supereiur.  The Chateau is in the village of Portets, and the chateau was re-built on the foundations of a Medieval castle.  The estate is under the care of Thierry de La Mette and Jean-Batiste Solorzano, who manage the day-to-day operations.  Chateau Millet’s almost fifteen hectares of vines are planted on the gravelly soil of clay and limestone overlooking the Garonne River.  One hectare is dedicated to Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris and Semillon. “Cuvée Henri” is in homage to Thierry’s late father, Henri de La Mette.  The wine is a blend of fifty percent Sauvignon Blanc, forty percent Semillon and ten percent Sauvignon Gris; with the age of the vines between fifteen to thirty years.  The wine undergoes fermentation in Stainless Steel vats and then is aged in French Oak, of which a third is new, for six months.  The pale-straw-yellow colored wine offered notes of white fruits, melon and vanilla.  On the palate this light-to- medium bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of fruit and citrus in a supple texture that ended with medium-count finish of fruit and terroir.       

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