We were walking up and down the downtown of Holland, Michigan, there was me tagging along with my Bride and Ms. Yoga.  We even did the Farmer’s Market and thankfully, we came in Ms. Yoga’s rental car, so there wasn’t enough room, or we would have had a produce vehicle on the way back home, but we still bought enough there.  Then they had to shop the apparel stores, which is kind of a given.  They don’t have to worry about me, as there were only two men’s stores and one was a chain that I wouldn’t even venture into, and the other was an outfitter.  Trust me, my wardrobe doesn’t suffer, only the budget does when I shop.

The three of us walked into a shop, and I knew that I would probably be getting a video call or two, to help in the decision making.  I asked some of the help, for somewhere I could go and take care of my parched throat, shopping is such an arid endeavor.  They pointed right across the street to Waverly Stone Gastropub and I was off like a Mad Hatter.  I walked into the establishment and commandeered a table window side to see how many bags were being carried, and then I looked at the menu and the wine list, and I knew that I could weather the storm quite easily from my little command post.

I started off by ordering a plate of their Smoked Whitefish Spread with Capers, Parmesan, Peppers, Celery and Crackers, after all Michigan is the Whitefish Capital of the World (I think).  So, I had a chance to nosh, and watch for the shoppers and I started off with a glass of Paul Mas Domaine Astruc “dA” Viognier IGP Pays d‘Oc, France 2019.  Domaines Paul Mas covers about six-hundred-hectares in the heart of the Languedoc.  The estate was acquired in 2002 and is located at the foot of the Pyrenees about 200-300 meters about sea level.  The Malras location is in Limoux sur le Geu and housed and ultra-modern winery and facility.  Domaine Astruc is eighty-hectares in AOP Limoux, AOP Malepere and IGP Pays d’Oc depending on the wine being made.  The wine had a pretty yellow color and offered classic notes of stone-fruit and citrus.  On the palate some pineapple and passion-fruit and a short finish of limestone and chalk.  A light and easy wine to enjoy.  The ladies finally finished and my Bride ordered the Lucien Crochet Sancerre 2020, which was a given.  Lucien’s grandfathers Andre Crochet and Lucien Picard were winegrowers in the 1950’s and Lucien Crochet merged the two estates together.  Twenty-six of their thirty-five hectares are planted with Sauvignon Blanc on calcareous clay over Kimmeridgian subsoil.  The fruit is fed into pneumatic presses and Cold Fermentation for thirty days in Stainless Steel, and then matured on the lees for ten months.   A pale-yellow wine with notes of white fruits.  On the palate tones of peach and pear, in a nice balanced wine with a medium count of terroir in the finish.  We also ordered some more of the Whitefish Spread and some IPA Beer Cheese and some great jumbo Bauhaus Pretzels with a side of Whole Grain Mustard.  Ms. Yoga stayed true to form and had a glass of Stoller Family Estate Chardonnay Dundee Hills 2021.  Stoller Family Estate is the largest contiguous vineyard in Oregon’s Dundee Hills in the Willamette Valley and spans four hundred acres with two-hundred-twenty-five-acres dedicated to vines at higher elevations.  The Chardonnay juice after maceration and fermentation, which is done in a mix of Stainless Steel, Concrete and Neutral Oak for about four months, and then the three juices are blended together in Stainless Steel and aged for an additional three months.  A pretty yellowish-golden color, the wine offers notes of lemon tarts and wet slate. On the palate tones of persimmons and starfruit, very crisp and finishing off with a nice touch of terroir.  We were on a roll.