The next three wines that Korbin Ming poured from his Korbin Kameron wines were varietal grapes usually thought of as blending grapes, while we were at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan.  These three grapes are now being seen more and more as producing wines by themselves, instead of just being part of the famous Bordeaux red blend.

The first wine that we had was Korbin Kameron Cabernet Franc Estate Grown Moon Mountain District 2021 from Moonridge Vineyards.  The Moonridge Vineyards is above the fog line at over eighteen hundred feet in elevation which allows this varietal to enjoy optimal ripening.  The evening also allows cool breezes preserving crucial acidity and the fine nuances that this grape is appreciated for. This wine was aged for twenty-two months in French Oak, of which sixty percent was new.   There were twenty-eight cases produced.   This deep garnet colored wine offered notes of black fruits with traces of green bell pepper, cigar, leather, sous-bois and minerals.  On the palate, this was a nice, elegant wine with tones of black fruits and licorice blended nicely with the silky tannins, well balanced and ended with a nice medium count finish of fruit and terroir.

The next wine that we had was Korbin Kameron Malbec Estate Grown Moon Mountain District 2021.  While one of the forgotten blending grapes of Bordeaux, because of its fame in Cahoors and Argentina, it seems to thrive on the high altitudes of the Moon Mountain District.  The wine was aged for about twenty months in French Oak, with a mix of new and once used barrels; and twenty-eight cases were produced.  A very deep inky-black-purple colored wine that one would think could easily stain teeth, offered notes of blackberries, dates, plums, chocolate and sous-bois.  On the palate this was a “California” style wine where the tones of the dark fruits, meshed with big tannins to produce an incredible and enjoyable wine with a long count finish of fruit and terroir.

The last of the three special varietal offerings was the Korbin Kameron Petit Verdot Estate Grown Moon Mountain District 2019.  Petit Verdot has only in the past ten to twenty years seems to have gathered a following, as traditionally it was usually used in less than ten percent for blending, because it can be quite a bold varietal, though it seems to being grown more and more.  This wine was aged for about twenty months in a mix of new and used French Oak and there were fifty cases produced.  This was a deep purple wine that offered notes of dark fruits, lilac, violets, smoke and herbs.  On the palate there were tones of cherry, plum, mocha, sage, vanilla blending well with bold tannins and a strong medium count finish of fruit and terroir.