One of my favorite monthly activities is to stop at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan and pick up the wine club selections.  The club selections, just like every other wine in the store has been curated by the owner and his staff.  The club membership also allows me to buy a single bottle of wine at a case discount if that occasion ever occurs.  I also had a chance to try a few new wines that are on the shelf, and I was watching as they were getting ready for a special event at the store, on a day where they are normally closed.  They will be hosting Ann Trimbach who is representing the twentieth generation as the family celebrates their 400^th Anniversary.  So, a little preview of the next couple of articles and eight of the twelve wines being featured have never been in Michigan before.

Looking at the wine club selection representing the Old World is Tenuta Ronci di Nepi Rosso di Ne’ Lazio IGT 2019. The winery was founded by Arturo Improta in the Eighties looking for an uncontaminated nature that was near volcanic lakes, a few kilometers north of Rome.  He planted both native and international varieties on soil made of disintegrated “peperino” stone, a volcanic rock, rich in minerals that would create a distinct terroir to the wines made.  The estate is about thirty hectares on the gentle hills of the Ronci Valley.  The wine is a blend of sixty percent Merlot and forty percent Cabernet Sauvignon and the vineyards are about twenty-five years in age.  The wine is fermented and aged in Stainless-Steel tanks to maintain the freshness of the fruit.  The ruby red wine offered notes of cherry and raspberry and a mix of spices and herbs.  On the palate the red fruits and spices blended with velvety tannins in a well-balanced wine and a smooth finish featuring fruit and terroir.

The wine representing the New World was Adelsheim Vineyards Rosé of Pinot Noir Willamette Valley, Oregon 2023 from their “Artist Series.”  Adelsheim Vineyards is a wine producer in the Willamette Valley and their focus is on single-vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines, but they also feature Syrah, Pinot Blanc and Auxerrois. David and Ginny Adelsheim bought their first plot of land in what would become the Chehalem Mountains AVA in 1971, began planting in 1972 and their first release was in 1978.  Adelsheim Vineyards has 232 acres around the Willamette Valley and all the vineyards are planted on hillsides.  The wine is described as bright pink and offering notes of cherries, strawberries and herbs, while the winemaker described the wine as a glass of tangerine zest and white peach nectar.  On the palate this wine displays tones of fresh cherry and strawberry, in a well-balanced wine that ends with a medium count finish of lively fruit and a dusting of grated nutmeg.