Most of the wine tastings that I attend, I must admit, are at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan.  The Fine Wine Source was hosting a wine tasting at his church as a fund raiser with tables and tables of food.  My Bride and I had a great time.  The event was held at Our Lady of Redemption Melkite Catholic Church.

We started our tasting at the Ixsir Winery table. The first time I tried the wines of Ixsir Winery, the hosting was by Etienne Debbanne, the Co-founder and Chairman of Ixsir Winery at my local wine shop The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan.  Ixsir Winery is considered to have the finest terroirs in Lebanon from Batroun to Jezzine, and it is a mountain wine that culminates at 1,800 meters and is the highest mountain winery in the Northern Hemisphere.  The grounds are clay and limestone soil, old, respected lands only recently discovered and utilized again.  The total area of the estate is one hundred-twenty-hectares, and the winery also has contracts with other immediate vineyards, which they oversee all aspects of the land and pay them to allow Ixsir total control of the vines for their vision and products.

The first wine that we tried was Ixsir Winery Altitudes White Batroun, Lebanon 2024.   The wine is a blend of forty percent Obaideh, forty percent Muscat and twenty percent Viognier and the fruit is from the Bekkaa Valley.  The wine was aged for three months in Stainless Steel.  Obaideh is a Lebanese grape that has been used in blends, now being done as a varietal and traditionally used in the production of Arak, the famed Anise liqueur of Lebanon.  Obaideh is high in sugar, low acidity with a creamy texture with notes of honey and lemons.  A straw yellow colored wine that offered notes of white florals and grapefruit.  On the palate this light-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of fruit and florals with some nice acidity and ended with a medium-count finish of fruit, spice and minerality.  A very easy wine by itself or with food. 

We then went and tried Ixsir Winery Grand Reserve Batroun, Lebanon 2024.  This wine is grown at 1,800 meters above sea level and is one of the highest wineries in the Northern Hemisphere.  The estate is planted on lime marl, clay-limestone and clay-calcareous soils.  The wine is a blend of sixty percent Viognier, and the balance is Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.  The wine is aged for twelve months in French Oak barrels.  A soft golden colored wine that offered notes of stone fruit, honeysuckle, citrus and oak.  On the palate this medium-to-full-bodied, well- balanced wine displayed tones of pears and peaches, citrus with a silky texture and ending with a medium-count finish of fruit, white pepper and terroir.