Some Future Wines

Posted on October 13, 2017 by thewineraconteur

The last day that my Sister-in-Law was in town we were going to go out for brunch, but there was about an hour or more wait, so she wanted to go see the wine shop that I had taken her husband to, when he was in town. So, we went to Elie Wine Company which was only about a ten-minute drive away, as we were going to go there afterwards, so we went before brunch and worked up more of an appetite. We were fortunate that Elie himself was there and he charmed the ladies talking about wines and his shop. While they were being entertained, I got a chance to meander around the shop and salivate about all the items that I would not be getting, but wouldn’t everyone like a vertical of Petrus?


I was looking for something interesting to add to the cellar, as if I have any room for any more, but that is the curse of a wine lover. Domaine Sylvain Langoureau Chassagne-Montrachet “Les Voillenots Dessous” 2015 fit the bill nicely. A nice affordable Red Burgundy. Domaine Sylvain Langoureau is a husband and wife team that are making wines in one of the most famous wine regions in the world and of course the French call them garagiste, but I think Le Pin was also considered that in the beginning. This is a couple who are completely hands on, and all the work is by their own toil and they are working with one of the most finicky grapes and Pinot Noir is the grape of Burgundy for red wines. Les Voillenots is another lieux-dits site or locality that some consider should get official recognition in Chassagne-Montrachet, but the wheels turn very slowly for change in that part of the world.


Elie touted me on another Rosé wine and this was from Spain and from a new region for me as well. The Bodegas Cesar Principe Clarete de Luna 2016 is a very pretty deep pink color in the bottle. I could not find much production notes for this wine, but I must presume that the skins were left after the pressing for a couple of days to get this deep color. The winery has been in production since 1982 in Cigales, which is just north of the Duero in Castilla y Leon and this wine had five thousand cases produced. The wine is eighty percent Tempranillo and then evenly split among Verdejo and Albillo. I am sure that we will try this one soon.
The last wine that piqued my curiosity was from the Jura and it is a Chardonnay, but not made in the traditional way for that area, as the wine is “topped off” instead of allowing the oxidation that the region is known for. It is more reminiscent of a Chablis from what I have heard and read. The Domaine Labet Fleurs Chardonnay 2014 is a blend of grapes grown in their five parcels of land, each with different aged vines. The wine has aged in old oak barrels for about fifteen months before bottling. It is always fun to try some new wines.

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The Wedding Reception

Posted on October 11, 2017 by thewineraconteur

We arrived at the hall, and I looked for our table assignment and then it dawned on me, the theme of the wedding colors – The Detroit Tigers. That is what I get for being a jock, and I am far from one, as the Navy and Orange triggered my brain finally when I saw that we were sitting in Section 104 and at each place setting was a can of Coca Cola, a box of Cracker Jacks and a baseball shaped sign announcing the nuptials. I guess I was the only one that did not put everything in place in my mind, in fact some of the wedding pictures were photographed at Comerica Park and I began by typing Tiger Stadium, eventually I will get with what is going on in the world.


Our “section” was very close to the Bridal table, as the Mother of the Bride and her Sister, are considered to be sisters to my Bride and her sisters. It was quite the family event of the year. I mean my Bride considers the Bride of the moment more as a niece than a cousin and so do her other sisters. After the introductions of the new married couple the room was set up for the buffet dinner and the “sections” were called up for bat to make their plates and dine. It was a nice set up with an assortment of salads and the peppers that one could add to the salad had some great zing to them. There were three different options of meat as well as other sides. I am always concerned with most catering companies, as I feel that they rely more on MSG than on quality cooking, but I did not have any problems, so I was very happy. The only complaint that I heard about was that the Groom and a couple of other guests had certain dietary concerns and the hall messed up, even though it was in the contract, and I thought that was poor service. After the dining was finished and the cake was carved up, it was time for the special dances and then dancing for the guests as well. Each guest was asked to list a special song that they wanted to have played that evening and my Bride and I got a chance to swing to “You Make Me Feel So Young,” one of our theme songs from our wedding.


My one constant that I find about catering halls and companies is that they go out of their way to find the most profitable wines for themselves at the expense of those that try to enjoy wine. The wine selection was Liberty Creek Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay and all were Non-vintage and what I would classify as jug-wine. These are all massed produced California wines and I tried the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Chardonnay and they both were much sweeter than I had expected, but perhaps that is what is wanted by young couples at weddings. I then tried a glass of Riunite Lambrusco NV from my youth that is made in the Emilia-Romagna district of Italy and it was much sweeter than I recalled and it didn’t have the sparkling natural effervescence that I recall back in the day. While we did not drink much wine, others were enjoying it and the wedding was a success, and at the end of the day that is what mattered.

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An Afternoon Wedding

Posted on October 9, 2017 by thewineraconteur

We recently went to an afternoon wedding that we were look forward to, to celebrate the forthcoming nuptials. The event was looked forward to by the families on my Bride’s side and even her Sister from Louisville was coming in and she was going to stay at our house. As is to be expected there was a whirl-wind of activity in the house in preparation for our guest and for the event. The wedding was held at a chapel and it was lovely. The entire bridal party was awash in navy and orange; and I really didn’t give it much thought as navy blue is the latest and greatest color these days for men’s tuxedoes, so I thought they were being avant-garde. It was basically Standing Room Only at the chapel and I had to park a couple of blocks away, because of the crowd. The Bride was lovely and radiant as she emerged from a room upstairs and proceeded to walk down the staircase to meet her Groom. The wedding was a real family affair as her cousin performed the ordained rites as he has done for several others in their families. After the ceremony there was about three hours of lag-time to accommodate the photos that were going to be taken.


Most of my Bride’s immediate family decided to meet at one of her Sister’s home since it was near the chapel and also near where the reception was going to be held. On the way to her Sister’s home we took a side trip and bought some appetizers and foods and wines to keep every entertained until we would all meet up again at the reception. We basically stopped and got finger foods. An assortment of cheeses and crackers, vegetables and some rotisserie roasted chicken. I mean it is always good to nibble especially with some wine, and the time passed quickly as we waited to go out for the dinner.


We picked up four different wines to try for our little impromptu party and I will only discuss two of them. Since we had stopped at a large local independent market my Bride and her Sister bought the best and most interesting wines that they found there. The first was a bottle of Castle Rock Rosé of Pinot Noir 2016 from Mendocino County in California. Castle Rock was founded in 1994, so they are a relatively new winery, but they have facilities in California, Oregon and Washington states. Most of the wines that they make are in large quantities, but not in the jug-wine category. This particular wine had around twelve thousand cases made and for a rather large output the wine was crisp and enjoyable and paired well with the casual foods that we were sharing. The other wine that I will discuss was Santa Carolina Chardonnay Casablanca Estate Reserva 2012 from Chile. Santa Carolina was founded in 1875 and they are now part of the Carolina Wine Brands, probably the largest wine concern in Chile with estimated two-million cases of wine produced each year. Casablanca Valley is a newer wine region in Chile developed in the 1980’s during the revival of the Chilean wine industry and has made its mark in white wines. This wine was produced using both Stainless Steel and older oak barrels. There was a very light oak flavor to the wine and it was very easy to drink. We timed the food and drinks quite well for our little party as everything was consumed and it was time to go to the reception.

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Back for a Meeting

Posted on October 7, 2017 by thewineraconteur

I had actually missed three meetings of my dinner club, though I did continue getting my duties performed for the group, both prior and after each meeting. I truly enjoy the comradery of the group, but prior commitments precluded my attendance. I finally made it to another meeting without missing a beat. The meeting was held at the Masters Restaurant in Warren and we have had plenty of meetings there in the past, and the odds are that we will again in the future, even above the grumblings of some of the members who have even longer commutes than I do, and it was quite onerous, in that it took me almost three hours, because of the inability of people that drive that probably should not have licenses.


After getting to the restaurant and taking care of my initial duties for the club, it was time for me to greet the fellows and even welcome a member that had been gone for several years who had returned. The restaurant is under new ownership and I could not really detect any changes, we even had the same waitress that has put up with in the past dozen meetings or so. The new owners also decided against changing the kitschy décor which is all golf memorabilia, since the restaurant in structure is a copy of the famed club house that is seen yearly during the famed golf tournament known as the Masters. Our hosts that evening had ordered a couple of hot appetizers that were served in chaffing dishes in the back of our room and it was just a help yourself set-up. It was while I was studying the menu that I noticed slight changes in the new ownership. The first entrée that was offered was Atlantic Salmon which was broiled and served with a baked potato, no change there. The next two offerings were different. There was “Hawaiian Chicken” with a teriyaki sauce over rice pilaf and Tenderloin Beef Tips in a teriyaki sauce served over rice pilaf. The use of teriyaki sauce was new, as I had anticipated more of a Hellenic slant to the food from the new owners. I had ordered the beef dish and I found that the sauce was much saltier than I am used to, since most of the time I encounter tenderloin tips done in a Zip sauce, which is all the rage in the Metropolitan Detroit area, and if you have never encountered a Zip sauce it is basically drawn butter with garlic and a few other spices.


As has been the latest custom these days, since the guests purchase their own drinks, I was going to partner with another member and buy a bottle, but the wines sold by the bottle were just as pedestrian as the wines sold by the glass, so I opted to have a cocktail earlier and then a glass of wine with my meal. The most interesting red wine that I found was Wolf Blass “Blass” Black Cassis Cabernet Sauvignon Langhorne Creek 2015. Langhorne Creek is a designated wine area within the much larger Fleurieu region of South Australia. This was wine made with twenty percent of the wine aged in oak and I must presume the balance was aged in Stainless Steel. Wolf Blass was founded in 1966 and now does about five-million cases of wine a year from just about all parts of Australia. They were bought by Treasury Wine Estates which also bought Penfolds. It was a decent glass of wine from a restaurant that is not wine focused as I am sure that they pour more cocktails and beer compared to wine. I shall look forward to the next meeting, as it is a new venue for us.

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A Night in Traverse City

Posted on October 5, 2017 by thewineraconteur

Every now and then I am the omniscient writer of these pages, as I get the information second hand, but I still try to show how wine adds or betters the moment. My Bride had to go to Traverse City where we had just been to in the last month or so for a day conference. It is a long drive, about four hours at least, but she was lucky and hitched a ride with a couple of others that were going to the conference, as I opted not to go for one night. If the conference had been for a couple of days, I think that I would have gone as then there would have been some free time and we could have done some additional winery visits.
The conference was at the historic and towering Park Hotel in the downtown area of Traverse City, actually when you are in the city, you can’t miss it, as it is the tallest structure there. She has stayed there often and enjoys the quaintness of this older style hotel and I unfortunately have never had the pleasure. This last trip for my Bride was not pleasure as the shower was not working and when she complained the staff was not able to correct the issue, needless to say, she was not a happy camper over the accommodations.

The evening dinner was a version of Surf and Turf and knowing my Bride, I am sure that she attempted to swap her filet for another piece of salmon. After the dinner, her and a couple of friends were going to play Euchre, which is a card game that is very popular in Michigan and in Ontario, but they could not find a fourth. The three of them decided to walk around the downtown area and quench their thirst away from hotel.


During the dinner portion of the evening there was an open bar for the conference attendees, but my Bride went for a white wine. She did send me a photo of the wines being offered and they are the usual suspects that one finds at group outings. There was Canyon Road White Zinfandel, Pinot Grigio and Merlot all of the 2016 vintage. I have written a couple of times about these popular priced wines. She tried one of the two wines from another winery and one that I had not had before at an event like this and she said the Chardonnay was decent. They were offering two wines from Redwood Creek, the Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon, and they were both of 2016 vintage as well. The label kind of reminded me of a cigar wrapper and all of these wines carried the California AVA and were bulk made and priced that way as well. She did not try the Cabernet Sauvignon, as she was happy with the Chardonnay. Redwood Creek was owned by the Frei Vineyards, but is now part of the Gallo Group with their own distinct name. I shall look for this label at the next time that I am at a function, though I was surprised that the hotel was not serving wines from the Traverse City area.

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A Prayer

Posted on October 3, 2017 by thewineraconteur

This morning as I got out of bed and went to turn on my computer, I also turned on my cell phone and got a test message that no parent wants to see. I had planned on an easy day of catch-up on a day off and I read “…I’m praying your kids and their families are all safe in Las Vegas with this shooting that went on…” So, I immediately went to my newspaper as I usually do in my morning routine, but instead of going straight to the paper I started to read the headline blurbs to see what I had missed from the night before. A horrible incident had occurred and I thought about my two children and my five grandchildren that live out there.


My first thoughts as I was reading, is that my children do not work at Mandalay Bay, but I have taken the families to the Shark Reef there and we have eaten at a couple of restaurants there with them. I also thought that, because it was an out-door concert, perhaps they might have gone just for fun and an outing, but I also know that they are not country music fans, but you never know. I thought of how my Bride and I have dined at Alain Ducosse’s Mix and at Charlie Palmer’s Aureole. I was devouring the news and hoped that there would not be a problem. I called and left messages and also left text messages and just let the minutes tick by. It is hard to concentrate or to even enjoy simple pleasures until I knew the truth. My son works at one of the shops at the Forum Shops at Caesar’s Palace which is quite away from the incident, but my son-in-law works at one of the restaurants one property removed. My son was fortunate in that his area was not in lock-down mode, and my son-in-law was off that day, otherwise he would have been suffering under a lock down mode, and as I write this he would still be under that situation; I say this because my daughter told me that one of her cousins had just left three minutes prior to the problem and another cousin was still sequestered one of the casinos.


I am just devastated by the news and I think that I have been enjoying Las Vegas since the early ‘70’s and I have thankfully never encountered such an event. I still lament that Vegas is no longer the Vegas of my youth and yearn for when it was a “family” owned city that would have never tolerated all the garbage that now proliferates on The Strip. I came to write this article, not that I would mention food or wine per se, but to allow it to be cathartic for the emotions that I dealt with this morning. My little blog is my safe haven from the craziness that seems to be the norm in today’s world and I am not looking forward to the potential politicizing that will occur from all avenues and agendas. Las Vegas used to be glamorous, now it is just as grungy as the rest of the world. I pray for the souls of the innocents that died and I also pray for all of those that have been shot or injured and for all of their families.

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Opening and Closing

Posted on October 1, 2017 by thewineraconteur

The city of Plymouth, Michigan was celebrating their 150’th Anniversary so off to celebrate. A young lady that is an alumna of my old Woodrow Wilson Junior High School in Detroit was one of the featured artist entered into a special art exhibit at The Joanne Winkleman Hulce Center for the Arts and the theme was “Small Town Living in Plymouth.” The exhibit featured art, photography and mixed media compositions all capturing many of the landmarks of the city. My friend entered a piece of pointillism featuring the fountain in the center of the town. Pointillism may have been mocked in the early days of the Impressionist movement during the early days of Georges Seurat, but no longer. My Bride and I both got to the exhibit after the grand opening that evening, because we were both coming from different engagements. We took in all of the art and I introduced my Bride to the artist, as this was the first exhibition of her work that I had the chance to attend, but hopefully not the last.


As the exhibit was winding down we decided to go into Plymouth to have a bite to eat, at least I was hungry, my Bride had already dined elsewhere, but we wanted to stop at the famous Box Bar which was downtown and in the last days of existence as they had been bought and the future cuisine is left to be seen. The Box Bar had been there longer than I have been around and they were famous for their burgers, but the menu was much more extensive than what one would expect from a bar. They had a spectacular selection of beers way back before craft beers were in vogue and the selection was always international in scope. It was rather sad to see all of the unique beer steins and other memorabilia that had been on display on the walls had almost all disappeared by the regulars who were buying keepsakes of this popular watering hole. My Bride even took a couple of pictures and sent them to Ms. Yoga as this was one of her haunts back in the day. As for the dinner selection, it had to be a Cheeseburger with Fried Onion Rings, just for old times’ sake.


I also forgot to mention that we had a devil of a time getting into the city as the whole downtown area had been converted into a carnival with a mid-way and all the purveyors of what purports to be carnival food. We ended up parking about seven blocks away and we had worked up a thirst in the heat of the Summer evening. My Bride went with a “frou-frou” cocktail, but I went with a chilled wine. Even though I knew that I was going to get a Cheeseburger, I ordered a white wine. Actually, it was a new wine for me and one that would not be expected in a bar setting. The Sandford Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills 2014 was just a smooth and relaxing choice, as it was not too oaky, but very easy to drink after the heat. Sandford Winery and Vineyards was a pioneer in the Santa Ynez Valley, which is part of the much larger Santa Barbara County back in 1971 and their wines are estate grown either from their Sandford and Benedict vineyards or from their La Rinconda Ranch. They are now part of the Terlato Family Winery who have been in the wine business for around seventy years. The Santa Ynez AVA was granted in 1977 and the Santa Rita Hills AVA was granted in 2001 and then formally changed to Sta. Rita Hills in 2006 to allay protests from the large Chilean wine producer Vina Santa Rita. It was a full evening and the fountain would have been seen from the Box Bar if the carnival rides had not disturbed the normal vista of the city.

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Monterey Shipment

Posted on September 29, 2017 by thewineraconteur

I recently received three new wines from my wine club A Taste of Monterey and I am looking forward to trying them. In fact, I think they may be part of the wines that we have this Thanksgiving, because heaven knows that sometimes I am impatient and other times I can cellar forever. We went with the club membership that comes four times a year, as they offer finer collectable wines instead of the two wines a month that are more popular priced.


The first wine was from a winery that hasn’t disappointed me yet. The Wrath Grenache Alta Loma Vineyard 2014. Wrath is a small site-driven winery of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah, Grenache and Sauvignon Blanc either grown on their estate in Santa Lucia Highlands or from nearby select vineyards, as in this case, as Alta Loma Vineyards which is just south of the AVA and the wine carries a Monterey AVA. There were sixty-nine cases of this wine produced and the aging potential is suggested for six to seven years.


The next wine is a new winery for me and I look forward to trying it out. The Alexander Smith Santa Lucia Highlands Chardonnay 2015. This wine is entirely made from Old Dijon clone Chardonnay grapes and grown on their estate. There were three-hundred cases of this wine made and the aging potential is suggested for five to six years.


The last wine that was in the carton is another old friend of mine. The Pelerin Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir 2013. This wine is un-racked and is a blend of fruit harvested from the following Santa Lucia Highlands vineyards; Tondre, Fairview, Rosella’s and Sierra Mar. All the fruit was hand-picked and aged for over fourteen months in French Oak with a production of four-hundred-thirty-two cases and an aging potential suggested of five to six years.

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Savoring Summer

Posted on September 27, 2017 by thewineraconteur

As the summer season slowly turns over to autumn I guess everyone likes to extend the moment when possible. This happened very recently when everyone was called for an impromptu get-together at one of the houses. This sister has an inground pool and they wanted to use it once more before they would have to winterize it. That is the problem with a pool in Michigan, the season is a bit shorter compared to other states. My Bride was all for it, and as for me, my physique looks better in clothes than in a swim suit.


There was a whole group and my Bride went and got some of the typical foods for a barbecue. She also brought some sides as well, and so did the sister that was furnishing her house for the day, and the other sisters also brought some dishes as well. There was not a shortage of food, from the time the first game of cribbage with cheese, crackers, vegetables, dip and potato chips; but is it just me or has chip dip seemed to disappear from the horizon? There were several different types of salads and of course the entrée dishes. There was chicken, hamburgers and hot dogs and brats. Afterwards there was cake and pie and cheesecake, just like an organized picnic, in a much more hospitable situation.


Since I looked at this as a potential last hurrah of summer, there were a couple of wines that I wanted to try and this was the right type of day to try them. The first was Chateau Thivin Beaujolais Villages Rosé 2016. Chateau Thivin has been around for about six-hundred years and is in the heart of Brouilly in the Beaujolais region. This wine naturally is made from Gamay Noir a Jus Blanc and after the grapes are macerated the juice is left with the skins for a natural coloring and this fruit is from vines averaging fifty years in age. After the one day, the juice is fermented in Stainless Steel to maintain the fruit. It may have been the best Rosé I have had all year and my only complaint is why I didn’t learn of this wine sooner. The other wine that I wanted to try was a wine that we had just recently purchased at the winery and I was curious if it was the setting that made the wine so good, or if I really did enjoy it, as much as I had earlier. The Boathouse Vineyards Merlot 2012 from the Leelanau Peninsula was still absolutely right on. As much as I enjoyed the ambience of the winery and a chance meeting with the owner, the second time tasting this wine was still perfect. This wine almost single-handedly made me change my position that red wine is second to white wine in the Leelanau Peninsula. That is not to say that I have not enjoyed other reds, but here was a wine that I thought could easily compete with a Merlot wine from other parts of the country, it was that finely crafted. It is quite a gamble for a new winemaker to take twenty-one acres of land and devote all but one percent to vinifera, and of that property half is devoted to Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. The eighteen months in French Oak really allowed all the love in the growing to become apparent and we were both happy with the finished product. Here is hoping that we have a long “Indian Summer” here in Michigan before the weather changes for the next season.

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Compari’s

Posted on September 25, 2017 by thewineraconteur

Compari’s on the Park is one of three restaurants in a row, right on the main drag in downtown Plymouth and they are all owned by the same man. We just decided to go have a quick dinner and to walk around the area afterwards. When my children were young, the only really fast food that I approved of was pizza, and who doesn’t like pizza? There was an excellent carry-out pizzeria near me at that time and it was called Paisano’s, not only did they make great pizza, but their barbequed ribs were awesome. Later on, Paisano’s opened up a sit-down restaurant and they even had a comedy club in the lower level. Why pray tell am I rambling? The original owner of Paisano’s now owns the three restaurants in Plymouth, including the one we were sitting in. Compari’s is the more casual of the three eateries, not in attire because very few people dress for dinner anymore, but in the menu offerings.


I wanted a pizza and every once in a while, I have to cave in to my desires. We were lucky, because we got to the restaurant just before the crowds. It seems that everyone wanted pizza or pasta that evening. My Bride went with a Caesar Salad with Salmon, and that is her choice, but I can never understand it, because truthfully, she makes the best Caesar Salad and she makes Salmon that is wonderful, and this from a guy that never had Salmon, until she made it for me one night when we were dating. As for me, I had the pizza and when I go out, I like to have something that we usually don’t make at home. With all due humility, I never order pasta with a Bolognese sauce, because I feel that my recipe can’t be beaten. I had the Compari’s Special with Italian Sausage, Pepperoni, Ham, Bacon, Green Peppers, Mushrooms and Onions or what we used to call the “Super” back in the day. It was an excellent pizza and I am sure that it is made with the same ingredients and the same dough, but maybe it was the anticipation of opening up that box after driving home that made the pizza so much more memorable, or maybe I was just being nostalgic. Either way, I would have it again, of course the next time I will mention to add the anchovies, which I can’t believe I forgot to mention.


The other great thing that made the pizza more enjoyable was having some wine with it, years back when we would enjoy a carry-out, I usually didn’t have wine with it, but at a sit-down establishment, it is so proper. My Bride had Caposaldo Pinot Grigio 2016 with the Delle Venezie IGT designation. Since the Veneto area is famed for Valpolicella, Amarone, Soave and Prosecco, all other wines get the IGT rating. Caposaldo is known for their hand harvesting of fruit and aging wines according to the best for the fruit, as this wine is aged in Stainless Steel. I went with a bit more powerful of a wine to go with my pizza, but I did not go with an Italian wine, since there was so much meat on the pizza I went with Diseno Old Vine Malbec 2015 from Mendoza, Argentina. I am sure that most wineries can claim “old vines” as Malbec is the king of wines in that region and they have been growing them for some time. Diseno is probably an easy wine to find as it is part of the large Constellation Brands. It worked for me, and it was just a nice quiet evening out.

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