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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A Belated New Year’s Eve

Posted on January 22, 2026 by thewineraconteur

Since we had just received some limited good news from my surgeon, we decided to go out for the New Year’s Eve dinner, that we had to cancel.  I had even bought a new dinner jacket for New Year’s Eve and my Bride wanted to wear one of her new outfits that she found at a boutique in Stratford, Ontario, which I will eventually write about.

We had originally planned on going to Chicane, a restaurant in Plymouth that we go to periodically, since they have live music and a small dance floor.  It was going to be an evening of experiments to see how I felt, as the restaurant is not far from the house and I would be wearing a hernia brace or girdle.  The funny thing was that our waitress had handled our reservation call, as that we wanted to make up for our cancelled dinner and wanted a table near the dance floor and band.  We started off with an order of Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail with house made sauce with a good serving of horseradish. 

We also started with a bottle of Prosecco, one of my Bride’s favorite style of bubbles.  We had a bottle of Cantina Colli Euganei Prosecco Dozaggio Zero Veneto NV. Cantina Colli Euganei is a cooperative of 680 winemakers across the protected area of the Euganean Hills Nature Hills Reserve.  The cooperative was formed in 1949 and began production in 1951.  Today, they produce over two million bottles of wine.  The soil of the region is clay with volcanic and alluvial origins. The wine is made from pure Prosecco grapes (if not from a recognized Prosecco region, the grapes would be Glera).  The sparkling wine is produced with the Traditional Method, with Zero Dosage.  The sparkling wine was straw colored with a tinge of greenish gold with small bubbles.  On the palate this light-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of Granny Smith apples and pears in a very crisp and dry style, ending with a medium-count finish of fruit and minerals.  My Bride continued with the wine with her entrée choice of Scallops in a Coconut Curry Broth with Basmati Rice, a Root Vegetable Medley and accompanied with Chutney and crispy celery.  I had an order of Braised Short Rib with Rutabaga and Celeriac Mash, Maple-glazed carrots and Red Wine demi-glace and topped with Giardiniera.  I also had a glass of Celani Family Vineyards “Robusto” Proprietary Red Wine Napa Valley 2020, which is pure Merlot with no trace of “smoke” damage.  I have written several times about this wine and our waitress, said that this is a very popular wine at the restaurant.

We did get up to dance a few times, but alas we were the only ones dancing, the band featured a guitarist, a trombonist, a big bass player, a drummer and a singer, though it was the first time, that I can remember hearing a man sing “Love for Sale.”  My Bride and I shared a dessert of a mixture of caramel, sea salt and bananas, but I forgot to photograph the dessert menu.  We also had our decaf coffees and shared a glass of Porto Calem Dacosta Tawny Porto NV; the restaurant only had this wine by the glass for after dinner.  Porto Calem was founded in 1859 in the Douro Valley of Portugal.  During the early years, the wines were mostly produced for export to Brazil in exchange for local woods.  In the late 19th Century, they focused on the production of Port wines.  Porto Calem was family-owned until 1998 when the Sogevinus Group bought the company and all of its holdings and vineyards.  Their vineyards are basically from the Cima Corgo and Douro Superior regions of the Douro Valley and planted basically with Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Cao. They offer a wide range of Tawny Ports.  This fortified wine had a deep purple color and offered notes of dried fruits, raisins, caramel, chocolate and baking spices.  On the palate, though thick and syrupy, I found the wine on the lean side, but it did display tones of dried fruit and toffee and ended with a medium-count finish of spiced fruits and nuts.

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Fine Wine Source Club – January 2026

Posted on January 19, 2026 by thewineraconteur

A couple of weeks after my surgery, we went to see the surgeon for a follow up, I still should not lift anything heavy, we decided that a bottle of wine was fine, but a magnum was too heavy; this caveat was to continue at least until the end of the month.  It was the first time that I had been out of the house, we celebrated by going out for breakfast and then a trip to my local wine shop, The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan.

We went to pick up the January club selections, and to let them know that I was still among the living.  The first wine represents The Old World and was La Bioca “Daje Mach” Verduno Pelaverga DOC 2021.  This was the second wine from La Bioca which is a small winery in Serralunga d’Alba in the Langhe zone.  The word “Bioca” is a Piedmontese local word to describe a decisive person with a “tough head.”  “Daje Mach” is also a local Piedmontese idiom which translates to “Go for It,” or in today’s parlance “May the force be with you.”  The winery began in 2012 and now has two spacious warehouses, an underground cellar, a large tasting room and terrace and an “agriturismo” with six rooms, along with their large production facility.  Verduno Pelaverga DOC was elevated in the 1990s to promote Piedmont’s lesser-known varietals.  The entire area is tiny acreage at the northern edge of Barolo DOCG.  Pelaverga is a rare red grape, also known as Pelaverga Piccolo, Carola, Cari, Fra Germano and Taddone.  This wine is pure Pelaverga Piccolo and is manually harvested, destemmed and undergoes cold maceration for seventy-two hours with two pump-overs daily in a temperature-controlled Stainless-Steel tank.  Ther fermentation lasts for about nine days, followed by fifteen days of maceration, followed by Malolactic Fermentation and aging in Stainless-Steel for six months.  I have had this wine, and my notes are that it is a red colored wine offered notes of red currants, violets, and freshly ground black and white peppers.  On the palate this dry medium-bodied wine displayed savory tones of fruit, spices with velvety tannins, and ends with a medium-count finish of fruit and spicy peppers; this wine served slightly chilled, could easily be an aperitif with a charcuterie board.

The wine representing The New World was Séance Cabernet Sauvignon California 2021.  Christophe “Chris” Legrandjacques is the Director of Winemaking; born in Champagne, raised in Africa and trained in winemaking in Burgundy and Bordeaux, he now calls California his home.  He has named his wines Séance with the traditional French meaning of “to sit for a theatrical performance.”  The fruit is selected from various vineyards across California.  The fruit is harvested at night, destemmed and gently pressed.  A twenty-four-hour cold soak, followed by warm fermentations with limited punch-downs, to extract rich fruit flavors.  The wine is then racked and undergoes aging and Malolactic Fermentation in American Oak for ten months.  It is described as a deep red colored wine that offers notes of red and black cherry, red and black plum, roses and violets, and milk chocolate.  On the palate this medium-bodied, well-balanced wine displays tones of red and dark fruits, and black currant jam blending with silky tannins and ending with a medium-count finish of dark fruit, hazelnuts and tobacco.

It was truly a pleasure to get my sea legs again, and the owner showed me some of the special orders he fulfilled for clients including Domaine de la Romanée La Tache 1986, Chateau Mouton Rothschild Pauillac 2000, and Chateau Latour Pauillac 1986.  There was also an eye-catching display of Harlan Estate Napa Valley Red Wine 2018 in a three-pack wooden box set, as well as individualized wooden boxed magnums.  In fact, right after I took the photo, a customer grabbed a couple of the magnums for his collection.    

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“A Good Year,” Samples and Cairanne

Posted on January 16, 2026 by thewineraconteur

An afternoon of serendipitous intersections of a wine-themed film, and a couple of appetizer samples, and a sample bottle of wine for a lazy day.

One of my many mutual wine bloggers on Instagram mentioned a little-known wine-themed romantic comedy set at a chateau in Provence, that we were able to find at a local library; and the funny thing is that The Wine Raconteur, Jr. had just suggested that I should periodically do a movie and wine article.  The movie is a Ridley Scott film “A Good Year” with Russell Crowe, Marion Cotillard and Albert Finney. It turns out Max Skinner learns that his Uncle Henry died intestate and he is the closest relative, and he goes to his uncle’s chateau in Provence, coupled with his childhood memories. There is also a story of two wine brands that are never fully fleshed out or explained.  We will watch it a couple more times, it was that pleasurable.

Now on to the subject of samples, some wine bloggers seem to have a propensity to obtain samples, I an rather laid-back on the subject, though it is flattering.  I have a separate heading for “Samples” on my blog, that I direct firms to read, before we have too many discussions.  Last month, one winery decided against sending me some samples and another winery that I have written about in the past asked for permission and sent me another bottle.  As in the past, this winery sends me a bottle of wine and some wine crackers, this time the package came during my medical problems, so we just left the shipping unopened and stored it in the garage, which at this time of the year is like putting it in the refrigerator.  I am not sure if the importer, warehouse agency sent me the wrong stuff or not, as I was expecting a bottle from the Loire Valley, instead I received a store brand wine from Cairanne (Rhone Valley) and some delightful Trader Joe’s Phyllo Crisps topped with dried cranberries, pumpkins and sunflower seeds and oats.  There was also a tub of Trader Joe’s Olive Tapenade, so my Bride and I had a picnic while we watched the movie.

So, onto the bottle of wine that was sent to me, which was Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Cairanne Lot #147 2022.  The first Trader Joe’s store was opened in 1967 by founder Joe Coulombe in Pasadena, California.  In 1979, it was purchased by the co-founder of Aldi, Theo Albrecht. Trader Joe’s is the exclusive retailer of Charles Shaw (aka “Two Buck Chuck”).  It has been said that Trader Joe’s was built first on wine, and then on food.  The company omits names of wineries off their labels, and many wines are from Bronco Wine, the company behind Charles Shaw.  Cairanne is an appellation that originally was classified as Cotes du Rhone Villages Cairanne but was elevated to Cru status in 2016.  The soil of Cairanne is basically of limestone and alluvial soils, as well as areas of red, iron-rich earth over sandstone bedrocks.  The wine is eighty percent Grenache and twenty percent Mourvèdre.  This deep dark-red wine offered notes of black fruit, spices and a soupcon of orange peel.  On the palate, this medium-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of blackberry, cassis and currants along with some cinnamon and pepper blended with fine tannins and ending with a medium-count silky finish of fruit, spices and a touch of chocolate.  

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The Last Christmas Dinner of 2025

Posted on January 13, 2026 by thewineraconteur

We were trying to get everything together, before my procedure, and our one son and his wife wanted to see us, since we missed the big family get-together, unfortunately their children had to work that evening.

We started the morning off, with a leisurely breakfast of poached eggs and bacon, probably my favorite simple breakfast of all.  We were going to have Mimosas, since we were going to be fancy and my Bride surprised me with something new.  My Bride is an avid Costco USA member and shopper, and she enjoys the opportunity to buy some items in bulk, which creates logistics problems at home, but that is another story.  She also likes to try some of their singular items as well.  Kirkland Signature is their house brand and they offer a range of wines and spirits with that label.   There are also unproven rumors that these products are made by famous houses.  She bought a bottle of Kirkland Signature Mimosa by Julio Cabrera Italy NV.  This is a premixed drink of half Glera grape Sparkling wine (Charmat Method) and half Sicilian Blonde Oranges with no pulp, under the guidance of bartender Julio Cabrera.  I must admit that it was perhaps the best tasting orange juice I have ever had, but I didn’t think of it as a Mimosa. Perhaps in the future using it as the base juice with a bottle of Sparkling Wine.

For dinner that evening my Bride started with her now de riguer Charcuterie boards, followed by a Caesar Salad.  Then we had a tenderloin with Armenian Pilaf and Broccoli. I opened up a bottle of Bibi Graetz Testamatta Rosso Toscana IGT 2020 made by the artist and winemaker.  This was the wine that got people to stand up and take notice of Bibi Graetz’s work and he named it after the sobriquet that was given to him in this youth, which is “Crazy Head.”  A pure Sangiovese wine, a Super Tuscan displaying old vines from soils rich in stones and plenty of minerality.  According to Bibi Graetz the entire growing season was perfect and peak of quality since his first vintage.  It took almost three weeks of hand-harvesting, some parcels required eight times to pick the grapes at the perfect point of ripening.  The fruit was selected from the best five vineyards of the winery in different areas of Tuscany; Lamole Vineyard at 600 meters altitude, Montefili Vineyard at 400 meters altitude and both in the heart of Chianti Classico, Vincigliata Vineyard at 280 meters altitude in Firenze, Londa Vineyard north of Firenze towards the Rufina valley, and Siena Vineyard pressed.  The Initial Fermentations are conducted using natural and indigenous yeasts, in open top barriques for the smaller parcels of vineyards, and the larger vineyards were in barrels or Stainless-Steel with six manual punch-downs and pump overs each day. After about ten days of maceration, the different parcels are moved into old barriques and barrels for twenty months.  A nice garnet-ruby red wine that offered notes of black cherries, red berries, anise, sous bois, and vanilla.  On the palate a medium-bodied wine featuring cherries and strawberries, and plums balanced with velvety tannins and great mineral terroir.

After dinner we exchanged gifts, and my son said that he went to The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan and they pretended that they didn’t know who I was, but just handed him a bottle and said this is the wine that they had been waiting to get and they said that I had no knowledge of this wine. The bottle was Remirez de Ganuza Rioja Blanco Reserva 2022.  Remirez de Ganuza was founded by former wine-broker Fernando Remirez de Ganuza in 1989 when he acquired some plots in Rioja Alavesa and by today, he now has eighty hectares in six different locations in Rioja; the average age of the vines is sixty years. The Blanco Reserva was first produced in 2009 and is a blend of Viura, Malvasia, Garnacha Blanca and small amounts of other white grapes.  The fruit is manually harvested, manually sorted, and kept cool and only free-running juice is used for this wine.  It ferments in new French Oak barrels, where it remains on its lees for about twelve months.  The wine is now sold in a quota system to enable a somewhat equitable distribution. I had to get some outside tasting notes, as I haven’t tried the wine yet.  It is described as an intense yellow hue that offers notes of white fruits, jasmine, brioche, almonds, spices and lemon curd and lime.  On the palate this full-bodied, well-balanced wine displays tones of pears, peaches, spices in a complex blend of mouthwatering freshness, bright acidity, creaminess and minerality ending with a long-count fruit, vanilla, pepper and terroir.

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Christmas Dinner With TWR, Jr. – Part Two

Posted on January 10, 2026 by thewineraconteur

We always have a wonderful time with The Wine Raconteur, Jr. and his Bride and family.  We were also glad that we didn’t have to postpone this dinner, because it was before my operation and I presumed that my diet afterwards would not be of the caliber of this evening.

The Wine Raconteur, Jr., really enjoys his time at the stove or the grill and he was doing a great job.  For the sides he prepared Broccoli and “Smashed Potatoes.”  The entrée was a Flank Steak perfectly cooked and then sliced at an angle and I immediately thought of London Broil.  I jokingly apologized to them, that I only had a “Second Label” but that it seems to always get more press than the “First Label.”  I brought a bottle of Chateau Palmer “Alter Ego de Chateau Palmer” Margaux 1999, which originally was known as “La Reserve du General.”  Chateau Palmer is ranked as a Third Growth from the 1855 Classification of the Medoc, and I have to admit that I have a soft spot for Margaux wines as they have always been the most accessible and affordable over the years to me. Chateau Palmer was once part of the d’Issan estate and was bought by Major-General Charles Palmer of the British Army in 1814; since 1938 the Sichel and Mahler-Besse families have been major shareholders. The vineyards cover fifty-five hectares in the Cantenac commune on thin Gironde gravel on the edge of the estuary.  “Alter Ego” was introduced in 1998 with the intent of making a more approachable, earlier drinking wine.  This wine is a blend of seventy-seven percent Merlot and twenty-three percent Cabernet Sauvignon.  Initial Fermentation occurs in Stainless-Steel vats and different plots are vinified separately to assist in blending; and then aged in French Oak for twelve months. We brought plenty of items to their house for the dinner, I wish that I had packed The Durand, the cork broke and I had to bore a hole in the cork, filter the wine through a coffee filter in a funnel and pour into a decanter, one can see all the sediment that had caked on the back side of the bottle while in the cellar.  The deep blackish-red-purple wine offered notes of black cherry, plums and prunes along with some spices and herbs.  On the palate this full-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of dark fruits, with fresh acidity blending with drying tannins with traces of chocolate and ending with a long-count finish of plums, prunes and spices.

The Wine Raconteur, Jr. goes out of his way to try to find some unique wines, and this first wine came with a suggestion that I should write a series of articles about wine and cinema.  He gave me an autographed bottle of San Joaquin Wine Company Chazz Cabernet Sauvignon California 2021.  In case you don’t recognize Chazz as being the author and actor Chazz Palminteri who also dabbles in restaurants, cigars and now wine.  He is famous for films such as “A Bronx Takle,” “Bullets Over Broadway,” and “Usual Suspects.” This wine is dedicated to his Grandfather Calogero and all the hard-working people who came to America looking for a dream.  The wine is made by San Joaquin Wine Company of Madera and the Schafer Family Ranch.  They make their own wines and offer custom wine services for businesses, including wine and wine-based beverages.  The San Joaquin Wine Company is a California Certified Sustainable Winery.  The wine is aged for one year in oak barrels.  I haven’t tried the wine, but I did find some tasting notes.  It is a deep red to purple colored wine that offers notes of cassis, black cherry, plum along with traces of green bell pepper, vanilla, cedar, tobacco and mocha. On the palate the wine displays tones of blackberry, cassis and dark plum, along with eucalyptus, mint, black pepper, graphite, toast, espresso and dark chocolate.‍

The Wine Raconteur, Jr. also surprised me with a gift from a family trip to Japan, as he is always searching for a wine that will test my research abilities and for finding something totally unique.  This wine is Chateau Lumiere “Histoire” Red Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan 2020.  Furiya Winery was established by Tokugi Furiya, a local lord and the current president’s great-great grandfather in 1885 as an industry to compensate for the changes in the silk industry production. The winery has sixteen hectares of vineyards along with long-standing contracts with other local vineyards.  The main property is located off an alluvial fan with decomposed granite rocks. In 1992 the winery was renamed Lumiere (the light).  Chateau Lumiere and Histoire are often vinified in the classic Bordeaux style, using French Oak for aging.  This wine is a blend of Cabernet Franc and Black Queen.  The Black Queen is a hybrid grape, a cross between the Baily and Golden Queen grapes, developed by Zenbei Kawakami in Japan.  It was developed for hot climates, dry summers and mild winters for both table and wine usage.  The grapes are hand-harvested, and hand sorted and then destemmed and then aged for twenty-nine months.  The wine is deep ruby colored and offers notes of sour plums, strawberry and cassis, along with scents of roses and potpourri, mint and licorice.  On the palate this wine is elegant and medium-light bodied with tart fruits, the acidity of pomegranates blending with smooth tannins ending with a medium-count finish of tart fruit, pine, pepper and minerality.  It has been mentioned that even though the wine is made to emulate Bordeaux, it tends to remind one of the finesses of Burgundy; an interesting wine to look forward to, as well as the proper meal to pair with it.    

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Christmas Dinner With TWR, Jr. – Part One

Posted on January 7, 2026 by thewineraconteur

Just so that I can keep some of my narratives in sequence, we had a couple of dinners scheduled, before the side trip to the emergency room and before we knew that I was going to have another procedure.

The Wine Raconteur Jr and I go back many years ago, we met, when I was on a campus posted an employment flyer and he responded as I was in the process of getting the notice on the wall.  We have since become family, as my Bride and I have watched him ascent into the business arena.  There was a brief debate about whose house for this Christmas dinner, but I think their new kitchen won the moment.  Of course, my Bride insisted that we bring the appetizers, especially since she took her charcuterie class and our “catering” business now has plenty of chochkas that are “necessary” for the appearance of a great board.  We also brought the wine.  We began with Chateau La Gabarre Bordeaux Rosé 2020 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 are 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 raspberry and strawberry.  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.

Our real surprise for appetizers was just revealed, when my Bride brought out this new titanium pan that she bought initially for searing Foie Gras.  I mean this could be a dangerous precedent, as a local chef did us a favor and butchered for us, six perfect medallions, eight bigger medallions and all the scraps and he put them into individual freezer packs; for us, this could be a year’s worth of pampering.  My Bride later told me that it was much easier than she had anticipated, and I think The Wine Raconteur, Jr. was also acting as her Sous-chef for firsthand experience and knowledge.  She also brought with us the proper accoutrements for plating.  The four adults were pleased, the two teenagers tried the dish, and gave the balance to their parents, who did not have a problem with the leftovers.

Fear not, while my Bride was searing the Foie Gras, I was getting the right beverage.  I found this bottle of Chateau Peillon-Claveries Dubourg Sauternes 2010 and frankly, I don’t remember where or when I secured this bottle, but the color of the wine in the bottle was deep gold and that secured my selection.  I could find very little about the estate, even though they are esteemed for having a rich heritage and admired for their craftmanship.  They only make one wine and only for approved vintages, otherwise they sell the wine to blenders for secondary market brands. The wine is a blend of hand-picked Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle; which are left on the vines until they reach that perfect ripeness and affected by the “Noble Rot” (Botrytis Cinerea).  This natural phenomenon concentrates the sugars and the flavors of the grapes and is what makes Sauternes wines international favorites.  This deep golden colored wine offered notes of honey, acacia, honeysuckle and beeswax.  On the palate the medium-bodied, well-balanced viscous wine displayed tones of honeyed apricots and peaches, creamy sweetness with a burst of natural acidity and ending with a long-count finish of honey, orange crème and toasted almonds. As a side note, the teenagers, while they didn’t respond well to the Foie Gras, they did enjoy the wine.     

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