The Final Reds from the Ixsir Winery Tasting

Posted on December 22, 2024 by thewineraconteur

We were down to last of the wines from Ixsir Winery at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan.  Our guest host was Kelleen Hubbs, the Vice President of Sales for North America for Ixsir Winery.  The new addition for the store is greatly appreciated as there is a large counter for holding glasses and the wines, and we no longer all have to huddle around one of the barrel tables, though that still has some definite nostalgia for some of the veteran customers of the shop.

The penultimate wine of the tasting was Ixsir Winery Grande Reserve Rouge Batroun, Lebanon 2014.  The Batroun Mountain region is in norther Lebanon and vineyards are spread among the various towns in the mountains overlooking the coastal city of Batroun.  Batroun is one of the oldest cities in the world, going back to the Phoenicians, dating back to the 14th Century BC.  Over the years it was important to the Romans, a Crusader Citadel, and an administrative site for the Ottoman Empire.  It is home to a small group of wineries, and the area is also a tourist destination.  The fruit for this wine is Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon and is from five distinct plots that all have clay and limestone soils: Bechouat, Kab Elias, Deir Ahmar, and Jezzine.  The wine has been aged in French Oak barrels, of which sixty percent is new, and forty percent was used once.  A deep garnet colored wine that offers notes of black cherries, red fruits, sous bois, smoky oak, and traces of leather.  On the palate beautiful tones of black cherry and oak blending harmoniously with tight tannins and a medium-count finish of fruit and terroir.          

The last wine of the tasting was Ixsir Winery “El Ixsir” Rouge Batroun, Lebanon 2016 and some critics have awarded this wine as the best of Batroun.  This wine is a blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot; and was planted in a mix of ferric clay and limestone in the Ainata, Yamoune, and Hadath Baalbek plots.  The wine was aged in French Oak for twenty-four months, of which half were new, and half were used once.  A deep garnet colored wine that offered notes of red and black fruits, toasted oak, and a trace of eucalyptus.  On the palate black cherries and blackberries, cinnamon, vanilla, and cedar blend well with tight tannins, finishing with a long-count of fruit and terroir.  I think that the wine is still tight and could use a few more years in the cellar, which is very impressive for an eight-year old.   

In between tastings and discussions, I had mentioned to Kelleen Hubbs that we have at home a special three pack of EL Ixsir Cuvee X’eme Anniversaire Red Non-Vintage.  It was number sixteen of an issue of one-thousand, and the box held three bottles of this special edition wine as well as a beautiful “coffee-table” book The Wines of Ixsir.  Ixsir Winery was founded in 2009 in the northern part of Lebanon in Batroun which is a coastal area.  They are a mountain winery, and one of the highest in elevation for the Northern Hemisphere.  The name Ixsir derives from the Arabic word “Iksir” the original Arabic word for “elixir.” History has recorded that man has searched for the perfect elixir for eternal youth and for love.  The winery is very progressive and has been named one of the greenest buildings in the world.  The winery owns one hundred-twenty hectares in the Batroun with several different vineyards capitalizing on the terroir.  The winery grows Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Tempranillo, Caladoc, Cinsault, Merlot, Obeidy, Viognier, Muscat, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Semillon.  Quite impressive for a young company, as far as I am concerned.  The EL Ixsir Cuvee X’eme Anniversaire Red Non-Vintage is a special bottling of three very recent vintages of their EL, which is their top cuvee and a blend of fifty-five percent Syrah, thirty-five percent Cabernet Sauvignon and ten percent Merlot.  Each of the wines had aged for twenty-four months and then had been blended and aged in French Oak, of which half were new barrels. The concept of having the three bottles in the case was that the first bottle should be tasted in five years, and then at least ten years for the second bottle and the last should be held even longer.  As a reference point, this wine was issued 30 April 2019 and the Wine Advocate awarded it a score of 93 Points and a suggest “Drink Date” of 2022-2040.  When we tasted the wine, we were told that the 2014 vintage which was the real powerhouse of EL was leading this wine and it was big and inky and really overpowering; it was way too young and feisty to be properly enjoyed and there was real merit in cellaring this wine.  So, this is a gift that will be giving joy in the years to come.  We have cheated and had the first wine in 2022, and it was still too feisty, so I can wait for the next bottle to be opened.

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Two More Wines from Ixsir Winery

Posted on December 19, 2024 by thewineraconteur

As I was enjoying a wine tasting of Ixsir Winery offerings at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan; the tasting was hosted by Kelleen Hubbs I also remember the last tasting hosted by  Etienne Debbanne of Ixsir Winery.  Etienne Debbanne is the Co-founder and Chairman of Ixsir Winery.  He holds a master’s degree in agriculture from Reading University of the United Kingdom.  He has a passion for wine and his native home of Lebanon, and he co-founded the winery with a group of friends.  He is also a well-known business figure in the Middle East and one of the administrators of the Debbane-Saikali Group which is a majority shareholder in several companies and corporations.  The best part is that he was a charming, urbane gentleman who enjoyed talking about his wines, and he remembered plenty of past customers that came to taste his wines on a prior occasion, that unfortunately my Bride and I missed, but we made it a point to attend that tasting.

After having the white wines, we then had the Ixsir Winery Grande Reserve Rosé Lebanon 2023.  Ixsir Winery was founded in 2009 in the northern part of Lebanon in Batroun which is a coastal area.  They are a mountain winery, and one of the highest in elevation for the Northern Hemisphere.  The name Ixsir derives from the Arabic word “Iksir” the original Arabic word for “elixir.” History has recorded that man has searched for the perfect elixir for eternal youth and for love.  The winery is very progressive and has been named one of the greenest buildings in the world.  The winery owns one-hundred-twenty hectares in the Batroun with several different vineyards capitalizing on the terroir.  The winery grows Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Tempranillo, Caladoc, Cinsault, Merlot, Obeidy, Viognier, Muscat, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Semillon.  Quite impressive for a young company, as far as I am concerned.  The fruit for this wine comes from three diverse plots in Lebanon: Halwa, Jezzine, and Kfifane and each plot offered clay and limestone soils. This wine was forty percent Mourvèdre, forty percent Cinsault and twenty percent Syrah.  This was done in Stainless Steel for both fermentation and aging to maintain the fresh fruit of the wine.  A coppery-colored wine that offered a floral nose with subtle notes of red berries.  On the palate there were rich tones of red berries, bright and firm acidity and a nice lingering finish of citrus and terroir, very refreshing for a lighter wine.

We then had our first red wine of the tasting Ixsir Winery Altitudes Rouge Lebanon 2019.  The wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Caladoc and Tempranillo.  I will mention Caladoc, first produced in 1958 and is a cross between Malbec and Grenache.  It is not sanctioned in the AOC regions of France, but it is being used for blending in several areas quite successfully, for the richness of color and with flavors and nose of wild berries, balsamic and eucalyptus.  The fruit was harvested from several plots: Kfifane, Ibeil, Basbina, Jezzine and Bechouat and all on clay and limestone soils.  This wine was aged in French Oak for six months, with fifteen percent new.  The deep rich garnet-colored wine offered notes of mulberries and black fruits and a noticeable trave of oak.  On the palate great tones of black fruits and currants, well balanced with a  medium count silky finish.  It was a very easy drinking wine.

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Kelleen Hubbs and Ixsir Winery

Posted on December 16, 2024 by thewineraconteur

I recently did a wine tasting at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan featuring wines from Ixsir Winery.  The winery was founded in 2009 in the northern part of Lebanon in Batroun which is a coastal area.   They are a mountain winery, and one of the highest in elevation for the Northern Hemisphere.  The name Ixsir derives from the Arabic word “Iksir” the original Arabic word for “elixir.” History has recorded that man has searched for the perfect elixir for eternal youth and for love.  The winery is very progressive and has been named one of the greenest buildings in the world.  The winery owns one hundred-twenty hectares in the Batroun with several different vineyards capitalizing on the terroir.   Our host for the tasting was Kelleen Hubbs who is Vice President of Commercial Sales, North America for Ixsir Winery.  She is a Grand Regent and Board of Governor’s Member of the Commandries de Bordeaux, Inc, an International Sommelier and an Attorney at Law. 

We started with Ixsir Winery “EL Ixsir” White Lebanon 2018.   The fruit for this wine comes from two plots Niha and Kab Elias with lime marl, clay and limestone soils. This wine is a blend of seventy percent Viognier and thirty percent Chardonnay and was aged on the lees for twelve months in French Oak, of which a third were new.  This was an elegant deep golden colored wine that offered notes of white florals, with tropical fruits along with citrus and saffron.  A full bodied dry white, first offering tones of Chardonnay’s white fruits and spices, and then opening up with the passion fruit, peaches, crisp acidity of the Viognier and a nice long finish of terroir. A wine that would hold its own with opening courses or pairing with dinner as a stand-alone.  It offered depth and complexity, that one expects from a good white, and I have been finding that Viognier is great for cellaring as this five-year-old was totally fresh.

We then had Ixsir Winery Altitudes White Lebanon 2019.  The wine is a blend of Obaideh, Muscat and Viognier and 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.  The fruit for this wine comes from two plots; one in Batroun and the other in Kab Elias (with both plots featuring clay and limestone soils.    A soft golden-yellow wine that offered notes of yellow plums and apricots, white florals, orange blossoms.  On the palate the Muscat grape begins with the introduction of the fruit, but then slides into the Viognier with the rich white florals, grapefruit citrus tang with spices and then the creaminess and exotic sweetness from the Obaideh.  A very fresh wine, that would be perfect to start off a meal or just nibbling on mezza.

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Celani Family Estates Cabs

Posted on December 13, 2024 by thewineraconteur

The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan has slowly been breaking in the new addition, as well as taking advantage of a big counter area for organized tastings.  We were now breaking in the Cabernet Sauvignon wines from Celani Family Vineyards and we had Tom Celani as well, a celebrity in his own right in the Detroit area.   We started with the Celani Family Vineyards “The Family” Napa Valley 2021, and over the years we have tasted several vintages of this wine.  It is crafted from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from the Coombsville and Oak Knoll regions of Napa Valley and aged 20 months in new French oak barrels.  Last year, we had the good fortune to try this wine fresh from bottling and my initial notes were that the terroir immediately announced this dark garnet wine which offered notes of black and red fruits, violets, and terroir.  On the palate the wine was big and powerful with tones of black cherries, cassis, and then secondary tones of tobacco, almonds, cardamom, and licorice and then finally ending with more terroir and fruit.   Now a year later this dark garnet colored wine offered intertwining notes of ripe blackberries, cassis, graphite, licorice and terroir, followed by layers of tobacco, spices and violets.  A year later, on the palate, the wine was blending the black and purple fruits with velvety tannins, perfectly balanced, touched by oak and a nice medium to long count finish of fruit and terroir.   

We then had for the first time the Celani Family Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder 2021, and this was only the second vintage for this wine; and The Fine Wine Source is the only location outside of the winery to have this wine on the shelves.  The fruit is from the Lynne’s Vineyard,  and the Napa side of Mount Veeder is known for its rugged East facing mountain terrain and the fruit gets concentrated.  This pure Cabernet Sauvignon wine was aged for twenty months in French Oak, of which seventy-five percent was new.  The dark garnet wine immediately offered notes red and purple fruits, with black cherry, blackberry, and plums and then secondary notes of currants, raspberry, tea, chocolate, violets and crushed rock terroir.  On the palate the tones of cherry, and raspberries led the way, and already lushly blending with velvety tannins, well-balanced with a nice long finish of fruit and terroir.

We then finished the tasting with the flagship wine, the Celani Family Winery “Ardore” Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2021.   The “Ardore” also evokes Tom Celani’s passion for a great cigar, as the label reminds one immediately of a cigar wrapper.  The wine is made from a careful selection of ten barrels of Cabernet Sauvignon from the most exceptional vineyard sites in the Coombsville AVA.  The wine is aged for twenty-two months in French Oak of which eighty-five percent is new, and the wine is never fined, nor filtered.  This deep garnet wine offered great notes of blackberries, black currants, Crème de cassis, tea, and followed by tobacco, chocolate, and minerals.  On the palate, powerful tones of rich concentrated fruit and velvety tannins with an ending that had a very long count of lush fruit and terroir.

Then just to further tempt us a we were doing the tasting, there were three bottles of Celani Family Winery in large sizes, of which only five bottles were produced, and now they were the last of the offerings, while two were colored and etched bottles representing another charity event that is underwritten by Tom Celani.  There was a Double-Magnum of the Celani Family Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2015 which is three liters.  Then an Imperial or a Methuselah of the Celani Family Winery Tenacious Napa Valley Red Wine 2019 which is six liters.   The last of the big bottles was a Salmanazar of the Celani Family Winery Tenacious Napa Valley Red Wine 2019, which is nine liters or the equivalent of one case of wine. 

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The Fine Wine Source and a Visit by Tom Celani

Posted on December 10, 2024 by thewineraconteur

I was invited to The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan as Tom Celani, the owner of Celani Family Vineyards would be hosting and pouring his wines, and autographing the bottles as well.   Since my earliest days as a clothier, I had stopped listening to music on the radio and listened to the top news radio station in the Detroit area, so that I, as a clothier, could speak rather intelligently with the customers, a trait that has been lost, I have noticed among the clerks that I now encounter.  I lead in with this introduction, because for years I had heard Tom Celani and all the philanthropic work he has done in the Detroit area, long before he had a winery.  Tom Celani is lauded in the Detroit area for his largesse for charitable organizations that he helps in a grand manner.  Tom was in town to maintain his support for “Hunger Free in the D” and the two charities that he rewards for their continued service.  He and his father ended up creating one of the largest Miller distribution companies in the United States along with other beers and wines.  Tom Celani fell in love with wines, first as a drinker and a collector and finally acquiring a Tuscan-style estate with seventeen acres of grapes and one-hundred-twenty olive trees in the foothills of the Vaca Mountain range in Napa Valley.  As the proprietor of the Celani Family Vineyards he has chosen to bottle wine without costs becoming a consideration, to him wine is about quality and not quantity.  In fact, he was joking that he is not sure if the winery will ever truly show a profit, because of his concern about getting the best wine each and every time.

Tom is very partial to Burgundian white wines and that is the goal of his winemaker Mark Herold.  The tasting began with Celani Family Vineyards Chardonnay Napa Valley 2022 from the Oak Knoll District.  The Chardonnay comes from estate grown Wente 2A clone grapes and was whole cluster pressed and fermented on its lees for ten months using forty percent new French Oak and sixty percent in self-stirring egg-shaped concrete fermenters. To maintain the natural acidity of the Chardonnay, malolactic fermentation was inhibited.  The wine was a nice soft golden color and offered notes of Meyer Lemon, apple, pear, tropical flowers and brioche and some soft notes of spices and jasmine.  On the palate there were tones of fruit and floral flavors with crisp acidity, balanced and with a very decent length finish of oak and roasted nuts.  This Chardonnay was big and impressive and they feel that it will cellar for about ten years. 

We then started with some red wines with Tom Celani and the first wine, I have probably introduced to more people than any other wine.  I am talking about Celani Family Vineyards Robusto Proprietary Red Wine Napa Valley 2020.  This is truly a Proprietary Red Blend, as there is no information even on the trade notes, but the winery grows Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc and they are partial to new French Oak.   Though in talks with Tom at a couple of tastings, he told me that this vintage was pure Merlot.  This was the first 2020 Napa Valley wine that I have had, and I could not detect any traces of smoke damage. This deep garnet wine offered notes of black plums, black cherries, and blackberries, along with notes of vanilla, tobacco, and chocolate.  On the palate, this is a rather full-bodied wine for being affordable and the tones of the dark fruits, and traces of licorice, and orange peel; blended well with the softer tannins offering a fruit-forward, but not jammy wine that was easy to drink with the food, and ending with a good medium-count finish of fruit and spices and graphite (terroir).  We then had the Celani Family Vineyards Tenacious Napa Valley Red Wine 2021.  I had tasted and wrote about the Tenacious 2012 and the 2016 and we may have a bottle or two left of them in the cellar.  When I first had the wine, I was told that it was created in the image of Le Pin and Chateau Petrus, and quite a lofty goal.  The wine is a blend of seventy-three percent Merlot and twenty-seven percent Cabernet Franc.  The wine is aged in new French Oak for twenty-two months and has become their affordable signature wine.  This had a big nose of black fruit and raspberries, and currants, followed by wildflowers, tobacco, and graphite. On the palate it was dominated originally by the black cherry and finishing with some rich terroir and some great acidity for cellaring; truly evoking the Right Bank.  If I was crazy about the pure Merlot, the addition of the Cabernet Franc put it over the edge.

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Thanksgiving 2024

Posted on December 7, 2024 by thewineraconteur

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year” as I kind of sing this to myself.  My Bride makes the holiday season special and simple.  The day before Thanksgiving is her completion date: she has all the Christmas presents bought, wrapped and sorted by family,  all the Christmas cards and her annual newsletter has been printed and inserted into the cards and posted as well, some were received the day after Thanksgiving (in Canada with their postal strike, the cards may arrive by Spring), the house is cleaned and ready, not to mention that the menu has been decided and she has even prepped some of the dishes.  This system was the best, back in the day, when we worked, as everything was paid by Christmas, and we could make plans to get away in January or February for a well deserved vacation. 

We started the day bright and early, I just assist the Maestro.  She actually got up and checked on how thawed the turkey was a four in the morning, and she was not thrilled and started last minute soaking of the bird, and by ten it was stuffed, sewn-up, prepped and placed in a roaster bag, and into the roaster that was set up in the library, away from the morning madness.  All the other side dishes she was preparing, as well as prepping appetizers and munchies before the dinner.  She made so many dishes, that she forgot to even bring out the Deviled Eggs that she had made, just prior to starting the turkey, so we had Deviled Eggs that we discovered with turkey leftovers and sides (though I am getting ahead of myself).  We started off with a couple of “go-to” white wines for my Bride, which made it easy for her to stay calm.  I selected the first red wine to serve with the buffet spread from the Old World.   Domaine Lafage Bastide Miraflores Vielles Vignes Cotes du Roussillon 2015.  Domaine Lafage is a major estate in the Roussillon in all shades and hues and from dry to elegant dessert wines like their Muscat de Rivesaltes.  They own about one-hundred-sixty hectares with vines that are hitting the century mark, hence “Vielles Vignes.” The Bastide Miraflors is a custom cuvee and is a blend of seventy percent Syrah and thirty percent Old Vine Grenache.  After six weeks of maceration the Grenache is aged for twelve months in concrete and the Syrah is aged in French Oak.  This is a deep purple wine has a heady 14.5% Proof and I usually don’t quote ratings, but for a very affordable wine Robert Parker gave this wine 94 Points.  This deep purple wine offered notes of red and black fruits, spices and minerals.  On the palate tones of raspberry, and blueberry, blended with anise and thyme, refreshing acidity, firm tannins, and a nice medium count finish of fruit, pepper and terroir.  I have been drinking this wine over the years, and still have seen it become a very age-worthy surprise and addition to the cellar.  Of course, I guess I didn’t buy enough, but there is still a couple of bottles left.

The other main dish of the day was a Pork Tenderloin that she marinated and broiled.  There were so many sides beginning with Armenian Pilaf and going to more traditional dishes like Stuffing and Casseroles.  There were plenty of pies that others had baked, and my Bride also had a traditional “Sander’s Bumpy Cake” decorated with all of the November birthday recipients.  There was almost panic in Michigan when it was announced that the company that had made this cake was another casualty and was going out of business, but this cake was rescued by another firm (if you want more about this cake just do an internet search, suffice it to say that it is a favored dessert in the State and beyond.  I went into the cellar and grabbed another interesting wine, one of our favorite domestic wineries, as I opened a Korbin Kameron Merlot Sonoma Valley 2011; it is an Estate Grown wine and Merlots have been one of my favorites since I was a teenager.  This wine preceded the Moon Mountain District AVA which was awarded in 2013, so it is still basically a new designation from Sonoma County.  This wine was aged for eighteen months in French Oak, of which half was new, and they produced three-hundred-fifty cases of this wine.  In 2020 I had the good fortune to try four vintages of the Korbin Kameron Merlot of 2007, 2009 2011 and 2015.  I was enraptured by the 2007, which we bought, but everyone else was in love with the 2015.  I think the extra couple of years in the bottle really changed my mind, but then I am very partial to older reds.  The 2011 was now showing me the virtues of good breeding that a Merlot needs.  This deep ruby red wine offered notes of red fruits, spices and sous-bois.  On the palate there were rich tones of red and black cherry, baking spices, perfect acidity, charming silky tannins and a beautiful long count finish of fruit and terroir.  We sent everyone home with leftovers and there was still plenty left for us, I guess twenty-two for dinner, will make us rethink the menu for the future, but then again it may not.

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After Dinner at The Earle

Posted on December 4, 2024 by thewineraconteur

There were five of us having dinner at The Earle in Ann Arbor, all five I guess are “foodies,” but only four of us are really in to wine, the fifth will enjoy a glass of what we were having, but not to our extent.  He also thought that we were all high-maintenance about the way we would ask questions about the dishes, not to mention the one person that had to keep requesting to have bottles of wine accompany the dessert choices.  The dessert of choice was as there were five orders of coffee and three orders of Chocolate Chambord Mousse made with whipped egg whites folded into melted chocolate, raspberry juice, Chambord, and whipped cream, finished with shaved Callebaut Belgian chocolate and a raspberry.  The Caller’s wife asked me to select a Port wine to go with the dessert she was sharing with The Caller.  I went with a fine safe selection of Fonseca 20-Year-Old Tawny Port NV from Fonseca Guimaraens.  Fonseca is a well-regarded Port house with three vineyard estates in the Douro region and the make the gamut of Port offerings from Reserve Ruby to Vintage Ports. Fonseca was founded in1815 by the Fonseca and Monteiro families, with the Guimaraens family taking over in the second half of the 19th Century.  In 1949, the company was bought by Taylor, Fladgate & Yeatman, which had loaned Fonseca considerable sums since the outbreak of war in 1939.  Despite the change of ownership, the house is run as a separate entity and the Guimaraens family still have key positions to this day.  There are roughly eighty grape varietals sanctioned in the production of Port, and some are truly lost both in name and in the vineyards over the centuries.  After twenty years, the wine has lost its deep red color and developed the “tawny” amber color, and the wine offers notes of ripe mature fruit, butterscotch, caramel, roasted nuts, and orange rind.  On the palate there are tones of rich, complex mellow fruit blended with toffee, caramel, butterscotch, and spiced oranges, with oak tones, ending with a long-count finish of fruit and roasted almonds.

The Caller had a glass of Chateau Guiraud Petit Guiraud Sauternes 2017, the second label of Chateau Guiraud and is made from younger vines.  The estate has eighty-five hectares planted with Semillon and Sauvignon with vines that average about thirty-five years of age on a soil of sandy and clay gravels, over red clay, limestone, and fossilized oyster beds; perfectly conducive for the spread of Botrytis Cinerea, or the Noble Rot that has made Sauterne wines immortal.  The estate was originally the Noble House of Bayle and bought by Pierre Guiraud in 1766, and stayed in the family until the 1980’s when it was bought by a group of like-minded friends.  The wine is a blend of sixty-five percent Semillon and thirty-five percent Sauvignon Blanc.  Only grapes that have been affected by the Noble Rot are picked by hand and fermented plot by plot in new oak barrels.  My notes for the Premier Cru is that once the level of sweetness is achieved it is aged for about twenty-four months in oak, before bottling (thought I am sure that the Petit Guiraud has a shorter maturation time).  This youthful wine had a beautiful pale golden color and offered notes of peaches, tropical fruits, white florals, and nuts.  On the palate there were tones of white peaches, honey-imbued fruits, fine acidity and a nice medium count finish of the honeyed-fruit and terroir.

I had a glass if Gould Campbell Vintage Port 1994 and to be truthful, I was not aware of this Port House, but my curiosity was piqued, and I didn’t know if I would ever encounter it again.  Gould Campbell was founded in 1797 when Garret Gould left Ireland and established the firm of Messrs. Gould Brothers & Co. in both Lisbon and Oporto.  Later he formed a partnership with Merchants and Bankers with James Campbell.  In 1970, the firm was acquired by the Symington family who have been Port producers since 1882, while still retaining its private family business.  The grapes are drawn from the Alto Douro area, known for their complexity and depth.  While the wines are made in modern temperature-controlled fermentation tanks, a significant proportion of their Ports are still made in small estates around Pinhao, using the ancient method of treading the grapes by foot in stone tanks called Lagares. Symington Family Estates owns several major Port houses, including Dow’s, Warre’s, Graham’s and Altano.  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.  The deep black ruby colored wine offered notes of ripe fruit, violets and lavender, chocolate and minerality.  On the palate a big wine with tones of red fruits, oranges, with noticeable acidity and a very pronounced mineral finish.  I am still mentally debating with myself about this wine, as it was not what I was expecting from a vintage port, but then I am not that knowledgeable about the different houses.  The Fonseca was the unanimous choice of the three dessert wines, as we all tasted each other’s wines. 

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A Reunion at The Earle

Posted on December 1, 2024 by thewineraconteur

It was like a working dinner, there was my Bride, and The Caller, and one of her key contacts, as my Bride’s division only had one client, and that client probably kept about seventy employees for the company she worked for, very busy.  The last time we had dinner with her old client, we had mentioned The Earle, and he didn’t know the restaurant, and he is a “foodie.”  He made the arrangements and the reservation and we all met there.  Actually, my Bride and I got there early, and even though it was a bit damp and chilly, we went walking in the downtown area of Ann Arbor, even stopped at a fine clothier that specializes in Italian men’s wear, and I found a new Blazer, and then when we got back to the restaurant The Caller and his wife, were just arriving, so I dropped off his package of wines that he asked me to get for him, which worked out well.  Then the client arrived, as we were already seated in the French Room, that my Bride maneuvered us into; our favorite room as the room is surrounded by endless amounts of empty French wine bottles of First Growths, Premier Crus, and a smattering of other Old World and New World selections that everyone could envy.  The wine list arrives in a huge looseleaf binder, and I would venture to say that it has to be one of the largest wine cartes in the state, with plenty of wines beyond our price points, like a Chateau Petrus 1964. 

We just ordered some appetizers to share while we were all catching up with events.  A classic presentation of Roasted Garlic with crostini and accompaniments, and an order of Mushroom Caps stuffed with sausage, garlic and sweet peppers, baked with Parmesan cheese.  I also had to quiz everyone about what they were going to order, so that I could attempt to make an educated guess about wines.  The first wine that we had was from a region in France, that I had never had, until a couple of days before this outing, and that will be in a future article, as I have future articles stacking up, a great way to go through life.  Getting back to reality, I chose for the group a bottle of Philippe Portier Quincy 2022, a Sauvignon Blanc listed with White Burgundies (?) and the district is pronounced as “can-see” and not like a television coroner.  Philippe Portier came from a family of four generations that he says started as peasants, and in 1985 took over the family business and created his own vineyard in Quincy.  Today he has over twenty hectares of Quincy vines and has also created an estate in Reuilly with Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.   Quincy received AOC status in 1936 just prior to the approval of Sancerre, and is technically not in the Loire Valley, as it is east of the Loire Valley and is on the left bank of the Cher River (a tributary of the Loire).  The soil is sand and gravel over clay and limestone.  The wine is achieved using pneumatic pressing at a slow speed, and Fermentation and maturation at cold controlled temperatures on fine lees.  A pale golden colored wine that offers notes of bright citrus (mainly grapefruit), cut grass, and limes.  On the palate a full-bodied crisp wine with zesty acidity stressing grapefruit, limes, and a nice medium count finish of fruit and minerality.

For the dinner entrée choices it was quite diverse: Coquilles St. Jacques al crème de Xeres, but now listed as Sea Scallops sautéed with mushrooms and garlic, pan sauced with Sherry and cream with a Ruby wild-rice blend,  Veal Scallopini, lightly breaded and sautéed with garlic and mushrooms and deglazed with Marsala, finished with cream and served with Orzo, Stuffed Acorn Squash with roasted vegetables, sage, and honey, then tossed with quinoa and couscous, served with Brussel Sprouts sautéed with honey, lime, and pistachios, and Mezzogiorno, Liguini tossed with crumbled garlic sausage, Capicola, sliced hot peppers, olive oil, and Romano cheese.  I opted for something different in a red, we had Domaine des Amadieu Cairanne Cuvee Vielles Vignes 2014.  Domaine des Amadieu was founded in 1992 by a local family and owner of vines in the commune. The winery took over a building that was owned by the family Amadieu.  Cairanne was elevated to cru status in 2016, and prior it was classified as Cotes du Rhone Villages Cairanne.  It is basically alluvial soils of limestone with red, iron-rich earth over sandstone bedrocks. The domain has eight parcels in the district and the majority of the vines are over fitty years.  It is a blend of fifty percent Grenache, twenty percent Syrah, twenty percent Mourvèdre  and ten percent Carignan. The estate is certified organic and biodynamic farming. The fruit is hand-harvested and destemmed, and each varietal is vinified separately, with Fermentation on skins for three weeks in Stainless-Steel vats and then transferred to French Oak barrels of eighteen months; with no fining and light filtering.  A deep purpe colored wine that offered notes of red and black fruits, old leather, and baking spices.  On the palate this medium-bodied wine offered notes of cherry, blackberry, cassis, cacao, and licorice with soft medium tannins and acidity, a nice “chewy” wine with a medium-count finish of terroir. 

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“There Is Nothing Like a Dame”

Posted on November 28, 2024 by thewineraconteur

While I will always connotate this classic tune with Ray Walston, it was the second song sung by Bernadette Peters, and the moment of the show finally arrived.  We were at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor, Michigan and were we surprised when we finally found our seats.  First there was a snafu, because about a month ago, when we bought our tickets at the theater,  the tickets that we were issued, weren’t accepted by the admission takers, and we had to be issued new tickets with the proper QR code, and I was afraid that we had lost our seats, but the seats were still ours.  The surprise came from the fact that we had purchased two on the aisle in Row B, and we were expecting people in front of us, from the original schematic drawing of the auditorium seats; there was no Row A, so the only impediment in our view were some low-profile speakers at the edge of stage. While my Bride was enjoying the seats, I was in heaven.

Bernadette Peters, born Bernadette Lazzara was born in Queens, New York City.  She is a critically acclaimed entertainer with seven Tony nominations, with two wins, along with Drama Desk Awards, Grammy Awards, and has even performed with the Muppets on television.  She is probably most associated with composer Stephen Sondheim with starring roles in his stage musicals including “Song and Dance,” “Sunday in the Park with George,” “Annie Get Your Gun,” and “Gypsy.”  On the big screen she is known for Silent Movie, The Jerk, Pennies from Heaven, and Annie.  She performed for over ninety minutes straight with no intermission, just singing, no choreographed numbers, accompanied by her arranger on a Steinway grand, a classic bass fiddle, and a percussionist (who for you baby boomers, like us was Cubby from the original Walt Disney Mouseketeers).  Before the concert, we ended up having a nice conversation with two of her lighting crew, and I related how I had seen her when she opened for Rich Little, and they told us that they began their association with her, just a little later from that point.  We had wished that we might have gotten an invitation to go back stage with that story, but it didn’t happen.  We really enjoyed the show and I had to keep thanking my Bride for such a great gift, a totally wonderful evening. 



The theater appeared to be fully packed, even the balcony was full, and I noticed that they even had “stack chairs” lined up in the area between the front seats and the loge, as I wandered back to get some “refreshments” before the show started.  After all this is a wine blog, even though sometimes people think that I have forgotten that fact.  It is because I get chastised about some of the wines that I write about, but for those that understand, I write about what is available at the moment, as I am a realist.  We had Aural Kutral Sauvignon Blanc Maule Valley, Chile 2023 .  Aura Kutral is a wine group made up of two wineries in the Limari and Maule Valleys. The Aura winery owns over fourteen million liters of product stored during the fermentation process.  The Maule Valley is the largest wine-producing area in the country, as well as one of the oldest, and originally has been associated with bulk wine production; and it is slowly changing that perception. The sub-region of Villa Alegre where the winery is, gets extensive sunlight exposure and they are on volcanic soils with a sandy-loam texture.  After mechanical harvesting, the wine begins Initial Fermentation using dry yeast.  The wine stays in Stainless-Steel vats for about three months on its lees.  This pale-yellow wine offered notes of citrus, green apples and cut grass.  On the palate, a crisp light-bodied wine featuring grapefruit and ending with a short-count finish of fruit.    

  

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Almost Show Time

Posted on November 25, 2024 by thewineraconteur

We were finally on our way to see Bernadette Peters and her one woman show at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor.  I think we were both looking forward to seeing the show, perhaps me, a bit more, but my Bride does enjoy theatrical performances, and I think that I truly do as well.  In elementary school we were taught to project our voice using our diaphragm, and we I hear singers that have weak voices, I get disappointed.  An entertainer needs to be able to “work” the room, and to project.    I had seen her years ago, before she became famous, and I was impressed, and I was sure that she still had that quality.   My generation may be the last to have seen all-around entertainers, because I did get to see the last of the vaudeville stars, the dinner club stars, and the elites of show business who enjoyed years, no decades of rave reviews.

We started our evening off at Taste Kitchen, which is conveniently only several doors down on the same side of the block of the theater.  My Bride immediately got excited, because she saw the man who she claims makes the best Spanish Coffee drinks ever.  They also seated us in the adjacent room, that I thought was only used for parties, and we had a wonderful table for people watching as they strolled by, and many paused to peruse the menu that was posted as well.  My Bride was very pleased as she started off with Butternut Squash Soup with fried carrots, coconut milk, apple, red curry, and ginger.  While I had the Tuna Carpaccio with paté, chives, truffle oil, wasabi-soy aioli, and crostini.  For her entrée, my Bride had the Seared Diver Scallops with shitake, apple, fennel, arugula, miso-butternut squash purée, and coconut curry.  While I had the Sakura Pork Loin with Brussels sprouts, carrots, daikon, butternut squash polenta, and demi-glace.  We also had a bottle of Ottella Le Creete Lugana DOC 2022 from Azienda Agricola Otella.  Lugana is a white wine specific region that straddles Lombardy and Veneto but is considered part of Lombardy.  There are a couple of different designations for Lugano, but it seems that the wine has to be ninety percent of a locally known varietal known as Turbiana.  I have seen this wine listed as being Verdicchio, and I have seen it listed as Trebbiano di Lugano.  I have also seen where some that study the grapes scientifically have crossed off the possibility of Verdicchio, so I will call it Turbiana.  The Montresor family has been running Ottella for four generation, and it has been attested that the Montresor family was the only ones to produce Lugana in the province of Verona in 1905.  In 1964 the family began delineating the lands and they began working to get a DOC designation.  This wine is pure Turbiana (Trebbiano di Lugana) and from the vineyard owned by Le Creete, twelve hectares on the southern end of Lake Garda on limestone and clay soils.  The fruit is hand-harvested using small crates.  The majority of the fruit is pressed whole cluster and a small amount with light destemming.  Slow fermentation and then aging for about eight months on fine lees in Stainless-Steel tanks.  A soft yellow-golden wine that offers notes of pineapple, guava, lemons, and white florals.  On the palate tart tones of passion fruit, pineapple, lemon zest in a crisp, well-balanced wine that ends  with a good medium count of fruit and chalk (limestone).  

As the countdown for the show was getting closer, we decided to share a Coconut Rice Pudding with coconut-orange cake, toasted coconut, coconut sorbet, and pineapple-rum caramel.  It may sound excessively sweet, but it was actually very subtle and delightful.  She told the waiter that she wanted to make sure that the beverage manager made her Spanish Coffee, while I just had a coffee…and a glass of Vin de Liqueur by R. Navarre Pineau des Charentes Cuvee de Renclos Rosé NV.  Vin de Liqueur, also known in France as Mistelle, is a term for an alcoholic beverage produced by adding a high proof spirit, in this case Cognac, to an unfermented or slightly fermented fruit juice. It is made by adding the last year’s Cognac to fresh grape must of the current vintage, and last year’s Cognac must still be in a barrel.  Red and Rosé Pineau need only spend eight months in oak barrels and leave the winery after twelve months.  The Navarre estate, which is located entirely within the Grande Champagne district of Cognac was founded in 1811, and they are family owned.  They have eleven hectares, and one hectare is reserved exclusively for the production of Pineau des Charentes.  They have a 10hl Copper still to produce this special wine.  The AVA was established in 1945.  The grapes grown on the estate and used for this wine are: Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Ugni Blanc, Colombard, Folle Blanche, Jurancon Blanc, and Montils (aka Aucarot and Chalosse).  The amber colored wine offers notes of red cherries, apricots, and nuts.  On the palate there were tones of red fruits, toasted and honeyed nuts, and ending with a nice medium count finish of marzipan, spices, and terroir. 

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