My local wine club, the Fine Wine Source just released the wines for November, and I am making sure that I write about them in a timely matter.  Having a wine shop in Livonia, I guess was a brave gesture, because the shop is in a small strip center, and the City of Livonia has no downtown, it is an example of a city that converted from a classic Michigan township of thirty-six square to a city, basically overnight, because they wanted a horse racing track, and the laws of Michigan require a race track to be in a city.  The track is gone, but the city is still going strong, but because it was a township with farms, it never developed a downtown like other cities.  I do believe it is the only major city in the state that still has a viable and working farm, it is a turkey farm that has been in business since 1948 and they will clean and dress four-thousand turkeys for this Thanksgiving.  Of course, as always, I have wandered a bit, but I do enjoy visiting my local wine shop, and as they always say “Support your local businesses.”

There are always two wines each month, an Old World and a New World wine.  The Old-World selection is Chateau Ducasse Graves Red Bordeaux 2016.  Chateau Ducasse is an estate bottled red wine from Chateau Beauregard Ducasse in the village of Mazeres in Graves.  Graves is the oldest and most historic commune in the Medoc, going back to the days of the Romans, the gravel (graves) soil was useless for the farmer, but ideal for the vineyard, as it made the vines struggle which causes the rich complex flavors that the world has come to appreciate from this area.  Siblings Marie-Laure and Jacques Perromat are the sixth generation at Chateau Beauregard, whose family goes back to 1850.  This twenty-seven-acre estate is predominately planted with Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc as they produce three labels of white wine from the grounds.  They also produce two red wines; Chateau Ducasse and Chateau Beauregard-Ducasse.  The wine is a blend of fifty percent Merlot, forty percent Cabernet Sauvignon and ten percent Cabernet Franc.  The 2016 vintage has been described as a “classic Graves wine.”  The wine is a medium to full bodied Red Bordeaux offering dark fruits and firm tannins.  Easily a wine that will merit five years in the cellar. 

The New World Wine is Cambria Estate Vineyard and Winery Pinot Noir Clone 4 Santa Maria Valley 2014.  Barbara Banke along with her spouse Jess Jackson acquired the original Tepusquet vineyard in 1986, and then with their daughters Kate Jackson and Julia Jackson have kept the family business going, nurturing cool-climate varietals ever since.  The estate cover fourteen-hundred-acres of undulating topography and an assortment of soil types.  Four-hundred-eighty-three-acres are planted with different clones of Pinot Noir.  Santa Maria Valley is located in the northernmost part of Santa Barbara County and it was the first Sub-AVA in the county and awarded the status in 1981. This wine is described as have a nose offering dark fruit, cocoa and spice, while delivering velvety tannins, juicy acids and a savory finish with terroir.  It has been described also of offering flavors of ripe Cranberries and Rhubarb and is suggested as a perfect wine for Turkey, Salmon, Tuna or Swordfish.