Fine Wine Source Club – January 2025

Posted on January 21, 2025 by thewineraconteur

I figure that I will break up the current narrative to mention that I have stopped at my local wine shop The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan to pick up the monthly club offerings.  The club selections as well as all the wines offered there have been curated by the owner and staff, and they never go after popular brands like you can find at the local grocery store, drug store or even nowadays the gas station,

The first wine offered always represents the Old World and this selection is Azienda Agricola Lombardo “Confino” Toscana IGT Rosso 2020.  The winery was established by Antonio Lombardo who left Sicily to be in Montepulciano in Tuscany.  He began with a trucking company and in 1972 he planted his first vineyard.  He started with sixteen hectares and now has a total of thirty-five hectares.  His son, Giacinto took over the winery after his father’s demise and has continued to upgrade and improve upon what they have created.  The winery is basically planted in Sangiovese (Prugnolo Gentile) with vineyards in Caggiole, Confino, S. Polo and Graciano, where the winery is based.  Confino and Graciano vineyards are rich in clay soil producing powerful and tannic wines, while Caggiole is sandstone (Tufo) for making elegant and non-tannic wines.  Confino is Italian for border and this vineyard is in the north-east corner of Montepulciano.  The wine is a ruby colored wine offering notes of blackberries, cherries, cassis, violets, herbs and spices.  On the palate this medium-bodied wine offers tones of dark fruit, smooth and plush tannins that linger into a medium-count finish of fruit and terroir.    

The New World is represented by The Paring Pinot Noir Santa Barbara 2022.   The Paring was created in 2006 as a way to explore and experiment making wines without rules.  The fruit for this wine comes from vineyard blocks that are either too young or don’t fit into the vintage style of JONATA and The Hilt wines.  The winery uses fruit harvested from the Santa Barbara region: Santa Ynez Valley, Sta. Rita Hills and Santa Maria Valley.   The wine is aged in French Oak, of which thirty-five percent is new, and the balance is neutral, for eleven months.   The wine is described as having notes of blackberries, plums, red fruit and rosemary.  On the palate the wine has spicy red cherry, oak, and fine tannins with a lingering savory texture.

While I was picking up the club selections, I was also poured a quick tasting of eight wines, which I will eventually get to, but for the moment I will mention my thoughts on Bella Union Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2022.  Far Niente Wine Estates owes its history of dedication and passion starting with John Benson in 1880 who founded the estate and to Gil Nickel who brought the estate to the modern era.  Not only with an exceptional winery in Rutherford, but also with a small winery on Bell Oaks Lane when they purchased a sixty-acre vineyard for Bella Union, as the original name of the lane was Bella Union Roadway.  Bella Union Winery in Rutherford opened in 2024 with its current legacy going back to 1979.  The vineyard is located on well-drained loam, and the vines range from twenty to thirty years of age.  This wine is a blend of ninety-four percent Cabernet Sauvignon, two percent Merlot, two percent Cabernet Franc, 1.5% Malbec and .5% Petit Verdot.  Initial Fermentation was done with ninety-seven percent in Stainless-Steel and three percent concrete vats, with about nineteen days of skin contact.   The wine was aged for seventeen months in French Oak, half new and half neutral.  A deep dark garnet colored wine that offers notes of black cherry, cassis, cedar and herbs and spices.  On the palate there were tones of black cherry, ripe plums, dark chocolate and vanilla blending perfectly with firm tannins and ending with a nice medium to long count finish of fruit and tannins.  This wine is still “grippy” and needs some years to mellow out.     

Posted in Wine | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Christmas with The Wine Raconteur Jr. 2024 Part Two

Posted on January 18, 2025 by thewineraconteur

While my Bride was getting the main course prepared, she also had made her Caesar Salad, and vegetables.  The main course of the meal, she started preparing the night before, as she was making two different types of Ribs in Molé, a dark and a red sauce; according to our participants, the red sauce was the hit.

 The dinner was a night to enjoy wines from the Sixties.  The Wine Raconteur Jr. was excited as he brought a bottle of Marchesi Villadoria Barola DOCG 1964 from the Cascine Rivette e Marena Vineyard in the Piedmont.  It began with Daniele Lanzavecchia (Sr.) who began a vine plant nursery with the dream of eventually making wine.  He then had a son, who shared his passion and in 1959, the Villadoria Estate was established in the Serralunga hills; and now the third generation is assisting.  Besides growing Nebbiolo for Barolo, they also grow Merlot and Muscat, as well as having a hazelnut grove.  Serralunga is one of the eleven best known towns producing Barolo and known for their famed terroir of limestone and sandstone soil.  The fruit is hand-harvested, destemmed and crushed gently, and Initial Fermentation occurs in Stainless-Steel tanks on the skins for about twenty-eight days,  and Malolactic Fermentation follows.   The wine is aged for a total of five years, the first twenty months in Slavonian Oak; followed by time in concrete and steel tanks to tamper the strong tannins of the Nebbiolo grape.  The bottle came with a candle mounted on it, to allow for decanting illumination, but directly in line with the candle was the old Italian Export label that is no longer used,  and the bottle had a wax closure over the bottle, try as I could, even with my Durand, the cork crumbled and I used a funnel and coffee filter to drain and decant the wine before dinner.   For a sixty-year-old wine the color was still a deep garnet with no foxing or browning.  The wine was still offering notes of cherries, roses, tobacco, truffles, old leather and tar.  On the palate the tones of cherries and tannins were finally tamed and tempered with secondary notes of truffles and licorice and ending with a finish of subtle fruit and terroir.       

While we continued with the dinner choices, we enjoyed a second bottle of wine, this time from Familia Fernandez de Manzanos 1961.  Bodegas Manzanos is a large wine producer in Spain, founded in 1890 and is now run by the fifth generation of the Fernandez de Manzanos family.  They are in the top three of Navarra and the top five in Rioja for production and they own ten wineries.  The original winery for the family is in the Rioja Alta zone back in 1890.  A cache of bottles was discovered in the cellar of the winery by Victor Manzanos.  After trying a bottle of wine, the decision was made to rebottle, recork and relabel the wine.  After spending three years in French Oak, this wine was bottled in the mid-Sixties and has been untouched since then, until two years ago.  Familia Fernandez de Manzanos “Manzanos Red Wine 1961 Spain” was the relabeled wine that was reissued.  The designation of Rioja was not as well known internationally, and it was not always indicated on the labels of wines from the region.  The wine is a blend of Tempranillo and Grenache (Garnacha) and was considered a Vino Tinto at the time.  The fruit was hand-harvested (automated wasn’t available then).  The wine on the first time was aged for three years in French Oak.  This wine was originally listed as a lighter wine at the time, and perhaps that is why it was left to age longer and then forgotten, as it was stored in a hillside cellar. There was six-hundred bottles of the original cache, every bottle was opened and four-hundred bottles were selected. The four-hundred bottles were emptied into vat and re-blended together, prior to re-bottling and re-labeling.  The wine was a deep garnet with notes of dark fruit, cigar box and spices.   On the palate there were tones of dark cherry, plums, licorice, soft tannins with secondary tones of coffee, vanilla and balsamic tastes.  The wine had a medium-count finish fruit with a touch of terroir.  It was definitely a Rioja, even without being identified as one, and a very interesting wine to chew on and I needed to use one word, it would be elegant and at sixty-three, it held its own.

For dessert we had several choices of pastries and cookies and coffee.  Then we had Korbin Kameron Late Harvest “Sweet Isla” Moon Mountain District 2018 from Moonridge Vineyards in Sonoma County and it is Estate Grown.  I was able to get in touch with Korbin Ming and he was able to give me some information. The wine is late harvested Sauvignon Blanc with an addition of fifteen percent Botrytised Semillon. One week cold soak and fermented on the skins for an additional two weeks to pick up extra color and flavors, called phenolics, which was a really long and cool fermentation for intense aromatics. The wine was aged for eight months in neutral oak. .  A beautiful wine that was just magnificent and reminded me of a French Sauternes with a nose of honeysuckle, a silky texture offering notes of sweet lemons, apricots and marmalade with a nice long count in the finish.  If I must say, we had a wonderful dinner until the next time we get together   

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Christmas With The Wine Raconteur Jr. 2024 – Part One

Posted on January 15, 2025 by thewineraconteur

I have an appreciation for nom de plumes, and so does The Wine Raconteur Jr., as he gave himself that sobriquet years ago, when he asked me, if he could try guest writing a couple of articles.  I met him when I was posting a job notice at his university, and we have been together ever since.  We attended his wedding, and numerous other events over the years and his children, we consider as our own, and I am sure that they considered me a “crazy uncle” with the nice aunt. 

He is a much busier man, than I am, so I reached out for potential dinner dates, as well as whose house.  I mean his children can’t really disappear at our house as readily as they can at their own home, but they wanted to come here.  We started off with appetizers of cheese, crackers, vegetables, and shrimp; though I think the stuffed peppadews were the big hit.  I also scored some “brownie points” as I asked if it was alright for his children to have a  glass of bubbly, since they are nearing the age of majority and under the watchful eye of their parents; and they were appreciative of the offer.  We started the meal off with a bottle of Albert Bichot Crémant de Bourgogne Brut Rosé NV.  Domaine Albert Bichot is a major family-owned and run negociant house and estate owner in Burgundy, that began in 1831 and is now based in Beaune.  Their focus is Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines and in their more southern holdings they also produce some Gamay in Beaujolais.  Alberic Bichot took over the reins in 1996 and is the sixth generation of family to run the holdings.  They own more than one hundred hectares of sustainably farmed vineyards divided among six estates, and the majority are run organically.  The wine is eighty percent Pinot Noir from the Cote Chalonnaise, ten percent, and more Chardonnay from Auxerrois and less than ten percent Gamay from the Maconnais.  Each grape variety is vinified separately to enhance the qualities of the varietal.  The base wine is thermoregulated in Stainless Steel vats, then blended and aged for at least twelve months on laths, with three additional months after disgorgement before it is released.  A nice coppery-salmon wine with fine even bubbles and offered notes of currants, raspberry, strawberry, and a touch of lemon citrus.  On the palate a bright, fresh wine that showed tones of the red berries, and ended with a nice dry finish. 

We then moved into the dining room for the next courses.  My Bride made her version of Coquilles St. Jacques al crème de Xeres, which is a fancy way of saying Sea Scallops sautéed with  mushrooms and garlic, pan sauced with Sherry and cream and served with Armenian Rice Pilaf.  We paired this course with Chateau d’Yquem “Y” Ygrec Bordeaux 2021, from one of the most legendary wineries in the world (if I may say) and it was stunning; I will offer some background notes, because if you are like me, it is not a wine that one encounters that often.  It was originally made at the end of the harvest with the last bunches of grapes since 1959 and in 1966 the selection of the grapes changed and the wine is basically Sauvignon Blanc picked at the beginning of the harvest and a small amount of Semillon with Botrytis and in 2004 the brand was to be produced every vintage.  They now have a state-of-the-art vat room just to make this wine and the aging on the lees take place in the barrels, one-third of which are new and the lees are regularly stirred for ten months. This is a white wine that is considered by many to cellar for twenty years, and while I do like to get multiple bottles of wine, this one bottle was my self-imposed allotment.  A pale yellow wine with notes of pears, oranges, lime blossoms, vanilla, and almonds.  On the palate rich tones of white fruits, with traces of pear and lime, refreshing acidity, and a very long finish of saline, almonds, and terroir. I thought the 2017 vintage was awesome, this may be the freshest and liveliest white wine that I have ever tasted, and all my Bride said later, was who can we share this with?  Oh, by the way, if you are curious the “Y” is pronounced “ee-grek” in French.

Posted in Dining, Wine | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Wine Delivery to The Caller

Posted on January 12, 2025 by thewineraconteur

We were going to meet The Caller, as they live in a remote area, and they asked us to get them some wine.  Which was opportune, as we could get together to see them for the Christmas season, as they will begone for the next couple of months on one of their vagabond vacations.  When one doesn’t have children or grandchildren it is easier to get away.  My Bride would be lost.

We always try to meet somewhere midpoint between our two homes, so we agreed on the Ciao Amici in Brighton, Michigan for lunch.  It was just the three of us, as his wife had made a quick trip to see some friends, before their extended road trip.  The Caller started lunch off with one of his exotic cocktails, that he is very partial too, and my Bride decided that she wanted a Negroni.  I, in keeping with the theme of my articles had a split of Da Luca Prosecco DOC NV.   Prosecco is a sparkling wine produced from nine provinces of the Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia regions.  Prosecco wine is made from the Glera grape, but when it comes from the Prosecco DOC region, the grape is called Prosecco; and sparkling wines from outside of the region still use the name Glera.  It is one of the sparkling wines that is often referred to as “a poor man’s Champagne.” It is made using a low-pressure carbonation process, known as the Charmat Method, the Marinotti Method or the tank method; the bubbles tend to be bigger, lighter and less persistent.   This pale straw-yellow wine offers notes of peaches, apricots, and white flowers.   On the palate the wine offers tones of stone fruits, yellow apples and lemon candy in an off-dry style with crispness, bright acidity and a medium-count finish of pineapple.

After our drinks, we started looking at the lunch menu, but ended up ordering from the dinner menu, I guess we are just anarchists at heart.  The Caller had his Sausage Rustica, Italian sausage pan seared with sautéed banana peppers and onions.  My Bride had the Butternut Ravioli stuffed with Butternut Squash puree, walnuts and mushrooms in a creamy Marsala-sage sauce.  I had the Shrimp Luca, lightly breaded jumbo shrimp that was flash fried with fresh vegetables and polenta, finished with a lemon-garlic-cream sauce.  We shared a bottle of M. Chapoutier Belleruche Cotes-du-Rhone Blanc 2022.  The Chapoutier family has been in the Rhone since 1808 and have transitioned from just a grower to a Bwinemaker and a negociant, and a genuine force in the area and France; not to mention that they have holdings now in three other countries beyond France.  They have also included Braille embossing on their labels for some time now, since their estate in Hermitage was originally owned by the creator of the modern version of Braille.  The Belleruche label is their popular priced wine and readily available at many restaurants.  The wine is a blend of White Grenache, Roussanne, Viognier, Clairette and Bourboulenc grown on vineyards of stony marls and clay-limestone hills.  The fruit is mechanically harvested at night, light maceration, with fermentation at cool-controlled Stainless-Steel tanks, and five months on the lees.  A soft golden-yellow colored wine that offers notes of apricots, fennel and irises.  On the palate there were tones of citrus, pears and dried fruits, fresh and balanced with a medium finish with a trace of anise.

We were getting ready to enjoy some dessert, and while The Caller and my Bride were deciding, I was going to just have a glass of dessert wine, and maybe as I am getting older, I am enjoying my after dinner wines more and more.  I was going to have a glass of Warre’s Otima 10 Tawny Porto NV, and our waiter suggested that I get some Vanilla Bean ice cream, and he would drizzle some of the Tawny on the ice cream as well.  The other two’s ears perked up, and they wanted to try this as well.  Warre’s is one of Portugal’s most famous Port houses and it began in 1670.  William Warre became a partner in 1729 and then it was known as Clark, Thorton and Warre.   The house stayed exclusively in the Warren family until 1905, when Andrew James Symington was admitted as a partner of Warre and Co.  Warre’s is managed by the 13th generation of the Symington family, who also own the Dow’s and Graham’s Port houses.  The Otima 10 and Otima 20 Year Old Tawny was developed about twenty-five years ago aimed at a younger demographic group, than what is usually associated with Port drinkers.    While there are over eighty sanctioned grapes allowed in the production of Port, most have been forgotten, lost, and intermingled over the centuries.  The five main grapes used are: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinto Barroca, Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo), and Tinto Cao; and some other relatively common varieties are Sousao, Tinta Amarela and Mourisco Tinto.   Port wines are what is known as fortified wines, and is achieved by adding high proof grape spirit during the fermentation process as the spirit kills of the yeast before all the sugars have fermented, then it is aged in barrel, where the coloring comes from.  The wine is a golden red color and offers notes of golden raisins, figs, dried fruits and butterscotch.  On the palate there are tones of dried apricots, orange marmalade blending perfectly with raisins, figs, butterscotch and caramelized sugar with enough acidity to keep the wine fresh and not cloying, and the finish is a nice long count of dried fruit and barrel aging.  

Posted in Dining, Wine | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Kamper’s

Posted on January 9, 2025 by thewineraconteur

My Bride and I are still tourists in Detroit, even though I was born in the borough of Delray, then Southwest Detroit and went to school and college there, while my Bride had her first real job in downtown.  During the holiday season we went to see the pop-up retail establishments in Campus Martius and Kennedy Square; not to mention the ice-skating rink.  Campus Martius was adjacent to the Old City Hall, and after they tore down that building, they developed a huge underground parking structure with a big concrete topping and a fountain that was eventually removed.  The grounds were named Kennedy Square, many years after John F. Kennedy spoke during the Labor Day festivities while campaigning in 1960.

We decided to go to the Book Tower as my Bride had a thirst for a Spanish Coffee.  It was about an eight block walk and I still enjoy the architecture of Detroit,  The Book Tower was built by the Book brothers, who at the time were the wealthiest two men in Detroit and they had a desire to make Washington Boulevard competition to Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue.  They built the Book Cadillac  Hotel, and the Book Tower and both became instant Detroit Landmarks with their Roman-influenced designs and embellishments.  Both buildings along with others were designed by the architect Louis Kamper and they were built during the heyday of Detroit, before the Great Depression.  We decided to go to Kamper’s, which is the city’s largest rooftop bar and lounge and evokes a Basque tapas establishment.  It is on the 14th floor, but we had to get permission to go there, and security had to make sure that there was a table for us, then they contacted us on our phone that we could go up the elevator, the funny thing is that there was no 14th floor, but security tapped the controls in the elevator and then we were taken to our table.  The view was wonderful, as I saw structures for the first time, not from the street. 

Alas, my Bride was disappointed again, first we tried on the main floor at Le Supreme for a Spanish Coffee (who didn’t have whipped cream or Crème Fraiche) and Kamper’s didn’t have coffee.  You would have been proud of us, as we were able to find an alternative, while admiring the scenery, as we stepped out onto the rooftop to be tourists.   While my Bride decided on having one of her backup drinks of a Negroni, I opted to maintain the theme of the room and had Bodegas Agro de Bazan Granbazan Etiqueta Verde Albarino Salnés Valley Rias Baixas 2023.  Bodegas Granbazan is considered a crown jewel of the region with its pronounced French chateau influence.  Albarino has been praised in the area since the days of the Galician kingdom.  The wine is pure Albarino from vines that are over thirty-five years of age, grown on high granite soils on the banks of an estuary with strong Atlantic influence.  The fruit is destemmed and undergoes cold maceration for six to eight hours, with controlled fermentation in Stainless Steel tanks.  The wine rests on fine lees without batonage, and then bottled four to five months after fermentation is complete.  A bright yellow wine offering notes of stone fruit, tropical fruits and white florals.  On the palate there were notes of white stone fruit, mandarin, touches of marzipan with refreshing acidity and a good medium count finish of salty air (salinity). Afterwards, when we arrived on the main floor, we found out that the Rotunda Bar could make a Spanish Coffee, and another trip and adventure.

Posted in Wine | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Last Three Wines from the Korbin Kameron Tasting

Posted on January 6, 2025 by thewineraconteur

This last sponsored tasting for the year at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan featured Korbin Ming who also brought a library wine from Moonridge Vineyards to taste alongside his current offering, plus a dessert wine.  It couldn’t get any better eleven days before Christmas.

We had been tasting wines from there estate vineyard on Moon Mountain District which is on the Sonoma County side; the western slopes of the Mayacamas mountains between the Sugarloaf Ridge and Carneros.   We started off with Korbin Kameron Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder Napa 2018; and Mount Veeder is located on the eastern slopes of the Mayacamas mountains.  This reserve wine was aged for eighteen months in entirely new French Oak barrels and about sixty cases were produced.  A deep, dark garnet colored wine that offered notes of blackberries, raspberries, cassis, cedar and traces of nutmeg.  On the palate this was a big chewy wine offering tones of blackberries, black cherries, vanilla, oak, black pepper blending with big tannins, great acidity and a long-count finish of concentrated fruit and terroir.   

We then followed the 2018 vintage, with the Korbin Kameron Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder Napa 2019.  This wine was aged for eighteen months in French Oak, of which seventy-five percent was new, and they produced fifty cases.   I have to admit, that couldn’t really discern any great differences between the two vintages.  A deep, dark garnet-colored wine that offered notes of black fruit, cassis, cedar and sous-bois.  On the palate this was also a big chewy wine offering tones of blackberries, black cherries, currants, vanilla, oak and black pepper blending with big tannins, great acidity and a long-count of concentrated fruit and terroir. 

The tasting was completed with Korbin Kameron “Sweet Isla” Late Harvest Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc Moon Mountain District 2018.  . The wine is late harvested Sauvingnon Blanc with an addition of fifteen percent Botrytised Semillon. One week of cold soaking and fermented on the skins for an additional two weeks to pick up extra color and flavors, called phenolics, which was a really long and cool fermentation for intense aromatics. The wine was aged for eight months in neutral oak. .  A beautiful wine that was just magnificent and reminded me of a French Sauternes with a nose of honeysuckle, a silky texture offering notes of sweet lemons, apricots and marmalade with a nice long count in the finish.

Posted in Wine | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Three Single Varietals from Korbin Kameron

Posted on January 3, 2025 by thewineraconteur

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. 

Posted in Wine | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Korbin Ming Pours More Korbin Kameron Wines

Posted on December 31, 2024 by thewineraconteur

It was quite an event at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan; as Korbin Ming, the General Manager of Moonridge Vineyards and Korbin Kameron was pouring eleven of his family’s wines that day.

The rest of the tasting featured red wines and we began with Korbin Kameron Merlot Moon Mountain District, Sonoma County 2019.  When Mitchell Ming began planting the estate, all five red Bordeaux varieties, as well as Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc were selected, after initial soil analysis.  Phil Coturri, the Vineyard Manager has been there since the beginning, and it has been said that no one has more experience farming mountain vineyards in Sonoma with thirty-five years pioneering organic and biodynamic winegrowing in California.  This wine was aged for eighteen months in French Oak, of which fifty percent was new; with eighty cases produced. A nice deep garnet color wine that offered notes of cherries, dark berries, alluring scents of cinnamon and cloves.  On the palate tones of black cherries, cola, and spices, blended with mellow tannins and a nice medium count finish.

Korbin Kameron Cabernet Sauvignon Moon Mountain District, Sonoma County 2019 was the first of the Cabs that we tried.  Over the years, I have had the good fortune to try the Cabernet Sauvignon wines going back to 2006 and considering that the vineyard was planted in 2000, that was definitely one of the earliest issued wines.  Moon Mountain District AVA is a sub-appellation of Sonoma County, just north of the city of Sonoma and on the eastern edge of Sonoma County and is the western slopes of Mayacamas mountains between Sugarloaf Ridge and Carneros; while Mount Veeder AVA encompasses the eastern slopes.  Fermentation and Aging is done in French Oak, of which fifty percent is new, and the barrel time is eighteen months.  With a production of six-hundred-twenty-cases produced.  A deep garnet colored wine that offers notes of black fruit, figs, cassis, lavender, and some molasses.  On the palate black cherry and blackberries, cocoa, espresso and traces of leather, mingling with tight tannins, and ending with a nice finish of fruit and terroir.

The next wine that we had was Korbin Kameron Proprietary Red Wine Estate Blend Cuvee Kristin Moon Mountain District AVA Sonoma County 2019.   This blended Cuvee is named after Korbin’s sister, who is the Director of Design at the winery.   The wine is a classic Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec.  It is blended and aged for eighteen months in French Oak of which seventy-five percent is new.    There was one-hundred-fifty-five cases produced.  This deep garnet/purple wine offered notes of black and red fruits, rhubarb, figs and rose petals.  On the palate blueberries and black cherries lead with secondary flavors of cola, pink peppercorn and a nice medium count finish of fruit and terroir.

Posted in Wine | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Korbin Ming Hosts Korbin Kameron Wines

Posted on December 28, 2024 by thewineraconteur

Korbin Ming hosted another wine tasting at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan.  I have been watching the reconstruction of the winery after the Tubbs Fire in 2018, in which they lost buildings, homes and part of the vineyard.  The winery is named after Mitchell Ming’s twin sons Korbin and Kameron, and it high above Sonoma Valley on Mount Veeder, on a 186 acre property where they grow several diverse varietals.  Moonridge Vineyard is a family endeavor, and a home above the clouds at times.   The estate was planted in 2000, and it sits on the ridge of Mount Veeder on Mayacamas Mountain Range and straddles the Napa/Sonoma County line at 2,300 feet in elevation.  The majority of the estate is in Sonoma County and they can look out and see Santa Rosa, Sonoma Mountain and on a clear day the Pacific Ocean.  Then if you turn around you are looking at Oakville and Rutherford, below the fog line.  That is the beauty of a mountain winery and one of the added benefits is a couple of hours of extra sunlight for the vines.   Korbin is the General Manager, Viticulturist and Winemaker with degrees from Boston University and UC Davis. 

 We started off the tasting with Korbin Kameron Sauvignon Blanc Moon Mountain District, Sonoma County 2021. Moon Mountain District AVA which is a sub-appellation of the Sonoma County AVA.  Moon Mountain is for the western slopes of the Mayacamas mountai ns between Sugarloaf Ridge and Carneros; while Mount Veeder AVA encompasses the eastern slopes.  The AVA is named after Moon Mountain Road which runs through the area and means “valley of the moon” in the local Native American dialect.  The AVA was granted in 2013, because of the region’s iron-rich volcanic soils, quite distinctive from the sedimentary soils of the surrounding area.  Initial Fermentation is in Stainless Steel followed by Malolactic Fermentation in French Oak barrels, eighty percent neutral and twenty percent new, for four months.  With two hundred twenty cases of wine produced.  A pale straw-colored wine offering notes of lemongrass, guava, and lime.  On the palate there were strong tones of yuzu, grapefruit, and honeydew with bright acidity and a medium finish.

Beside bringing the filets, we brought some wine, as if you might be surprised.  We started off with Korbin Kameron Semillon Moon Mountain District 2022. For years, I would hear how some of the famed Medoc houses made a barrel or two of white wine for their own consumption.  I also heard how some of the great houses of Sauternes would make a barrel or two of dry white wine for their own personal consumption as well. I guess that I would lump this wine with those, as there was only one barrel made, or to make it easier to understand, there were twenty-five cases produced.  The wine is organically made, using indigenous yeasts, it started in Stainless Steel and finished in new French Oak.  A very yellow/golden colored wine which at the age of six, was still showing youthful appeal of citrus and white florals.  On the palate there was still fresh citrus, and ripe pear mingling together and ending with a nice long finish of fruit and a touch of terroir.

Posted in Wine | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fine Wine Source Club-December 2024 Selections

Posted on December 25, 2024 by thewineraconteur

The month of December always catches me way behind with articles, as there is always more events and tastings to attend and report on.  I always like to write across the entire spectrum of wines that I encounter.  I always look for the next affordable wine, as writing only about the top wines is amply covered by others. 

At my local wine shop The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan; every wine is curated by the owner and his staff, and that includes the Wine Club selections, which I think they view as a “loss leader” to get the people into the shop.  The first wine representing the Old World is A La Volée Brut Crémant de Limoux Brut Nature Zero Dosage 2018.  Crémant de Limoux is an appellation created in 1990 to raise awareness of this wine from the higher and cooler region of the Languedoc-Roussillon.  Originally noted for the Mauzac grape or locally known as Blanquette de Limoux, but the new appellation allows for the use of Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay.  This wine is from a partnership with Pierre Calzergues and the Bouché Family and established in 2021.  The fruit is sourced from limestone and clay soils in the upper Aude Valley in Limoux.  The wine is a blend of half Chardonnay and half Chenin Blanc, and the fruit is hand-harvested, using small crates (to prevent premature damage to the grapes), destemmed and gently crushed.  The wine is made using the Champenoise Method. Initial Fermentation is in Stainless Steel for six weeks, and then bottled and aged for eighteen months.  The Secondary Fermentation occurs during disgorgement, with no additional sugar, just additional white wine to top off the bottle.   The light-gold colored wine is described as offering notes of buttered popcorn, melon and apples.  On the palate it is noted for having tones of candied fruit, toasted bread, crisp, well-balanced and a touch of bitters in the finish.    

The wine representing the New World is Farmstrong Vineyards Field Red California 2017.  Farmstrong Vineyards was founded in 2014, and the fruit is sourced from independent family-owned vineyards that practice sustainable farming.  They use lightweight glass, taint-free corks and no capsules.   There are three different wineries used; Hawkeye Ranch Vineyard in Mendocino, which for over eighty years has been growing “old vine” Carignane on gravelly loam on the bench of the Russian River with chunks of quartz in the soil as well.  KenMar Vineyard is located on the upper bench of Mendocino’s Redwood Valley, and they have over fifty-year-old Zinfandel vines.   The Syrah grapes are from Ledgewood Vineyard in the Suisun Valley AVA in Solano County.  The wine is a blend of fifty-three percent Zinfandel, twenty-eight percent Carignane and nineteen percent Syrah.  The fruits were both destemmed and whole cluster crushing using native yeasts for Initial Fermentation in Stainless Steel, then undergoing native Secondary Fermentation.  Then the different juices were blended and aged in French Oak, nine percent once used and the balance neutral for ten months.  There were fifteen barrels produced or three-hundred-seventy-five cases.  The wine is described as having notes of black fruit, pencil shavings, grilled bread and traces of white pepper.  On the palate there are tones of black plums, cranberry, and cherry blended with mellow tannins.

The was a surprise tasting offered to me, and I couldn’t say no to the request, and totally a unique moment.  I was poured a glass of Chateau Lynch-Moussas Pauillac 1981.  a Fifth Growth from the famed Classification of the Medoc of 1855.  Chateau Lynch-Moussas was once part of the large estate of Comte Lynch (and a former hunting lodge) that was divided in two in 1824, the other part became Lynch-Bages.  The chateau was founded in the 18th Century by a member of the Lynch family.  The “Moussas” name dates back to the 16th Century The property was purchased in 1919 by the Casteja family, who at the time also owned Duhart-Milon, and a member of the family has been in charge of the property since, though it is now part of the Borie-Manoux portfolio.  The estate is about fifty-five hectares of vines planted on silica and gravel over limestone; and planted around seventy-five percent Cabernet Sauvignon and twenty-five percent Merlot.  The wine is aged for about eighteen-months in oak, of which about half is new.  At an age of forty-three this wine still had a nice garnet color and still some notes of dark fruit.  On the palate it was a very mature wine with tones of charring, very mellow, and a blending of the tannins, fruit, and the acidity all becoming one.  A totally unexpected pleasure and we were saluting a customer that was glad to find his “vintage year” and it sounded like he was going to save the wines to celebrate his fiftieth birthday. 

Posted in Wine | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment