Durfort-Vivens and Trinite Estate

Posted on October 29, 2024 by thewineraconteur

The afternoon session with Stanislas (Stan) O’Byrne was coming to an end at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan.  He was showing some of the wines from his company Jubilee Wine Selections, that he introduced to the owner of the shop at last year’s En Premiere in Bordeaux.

The last of the French wines that we were tasting was Chateau Durfort-Vivens Margaux 2016, a Deuxiemes Crus (Second Growths) from the 1855 Classification of the Medoc.  The estate was one that was visited by Ambassador Thomas Jefferson, before he became the President of the United States who rated the chateau just under Lafite, Latour, and Margaux. Similar to many other estates after the French Revolution, the chateau had many different owners until it was purchased by the Lurton family in 1937, who also at the time had a stake in Chateau Margaux.  In 1962, Lucien Lurton bought the estate and in 1992, his son Gonzague took over, who revamped the cellars and converted the estate to organics and biodynamics.  They now have a range of wooden and concrete vats sized to specific vineyard parcels.  The estate is fifty-five-hectares of vineyards planted on deep gravel soils over a sand and clay base.  This wine is a blend of ninety-four percent Cabernet Sauvignon and six percent Merlot.  It was aged for eighteen months in French Oak, of which sixty percent was new.  A deep ruby-purple wine that offers notes of plums, blueberries, violets, lavender, and cedar.  On the palate there were tones of plums, cassis, black cherry, tinges of cinnamon and vanilla, with a nice long count of fruit and terroir.          

We then went and discovered Trinite Estate “Amaino” Sonoma County 2016, a California venture from Claire and Gonzague Lurton, which began in 2012.  They found a ten-hectare vineyard in the heart of Sonoma County, in Chalk Hill, at the intersection of three appellations: Russian River, Knight’s Valley, and Alexander Valley.  They had to basically start from scratch as there were no winemaking facilities on the estate, and the vineyard had to be partially replanted.  Amaino, refers to the volcanic stone or volcanic ash found in the soils in the foothills of Mount St. Helena, derived from the Pomo language of a local native American tribe.  The wine is a blend of sixty-three percent Merlot, twenty-nine percent Cabernet Sauvignon, and eight percent Petite Sirah.  A deep garnet colored wine that offered notes of cassis, black cherry, graphite, and minerals.  On the palate black cherry, plums, chocolate, almonds, black pepper, and pencil shavings, blending with good acidity, firm tannins, and a good medium count finish of fruit and terroir. 

The final wine of the set was Trinite Estate “Acaibo” Sonoma County 2016, a project that had G&C Lurton emigrate to California with their children for three years.  The “Acaibo” project, was Gonzague and Claire’s desire to create a great California terroir wine.  The soil is clay loam, on compacted volcanic ashes, since they are on the base of Mount St. Helena.  They also had to learn and to adjust to the different climate in Sonoma County compared to Bordeaux.  “Acaibo” is a created word combining California and France; in the native American Pomo language ACA refers to fish and water, and IBO means three and refers to the Lurton’s Bordeaux roots, the Bordeaux arms are three intertwined crescent moons, their three children, their three Classified Growths and the three Bordeaux varieties chosen for the blend.  The wine is a blend of seventy-two percent Cabernet Sauvignon, eighteen percent Cabernet Franc and ten percent Merlot.  All vinification methods are the same as practiced in Bordeaux and the wine is aged for sixteen months in French Oak, of which eighty percent is new.  A very deep garnet colored wine that offered notes of black fruits, florals, cinnamon, licorice, and minerals.  On the palate, a medium to full bodied wine that offered red and black fruits, harmoniously blended with chewy tannins, tinged with vanilla, cinnamon, espresso; and ending with a long count finish of fruit, and a saline terroir that calls for another taste.  Not that I am such a mavin, but in a blind tasting, I might think this wine was Bordelais.

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Three More Reds from Jubilee Wine Selections

Posted on October 26, 2024 by thewineraconteur

It was a wonderful afternoon of tasting wines at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan.  The new addition was just officially opened for business and Stanislas O’Byrne the founder of Jubilee Wine Selections was pouring some of his wine offerings.  This group of three were from Pessac-Leognan, Pauillac, and Margaux.  Some days, being a wine blogger is very tough.

We started this set with Famille Lurton Chateau Bouscaut Rouge Grand Cru Classe de Graves Pessac-Leognan 2020.  The estate is known as a Grand Cru Classé de Graves for both their white and their red wines.  The vineyard dates to the 1600s, while the estate was originally known as Haut Truchon, but by 1881it had become Chateau Bouscaut.  The chateau was burned to the ground in 1962, the cellars were unharmed, and the chateau was rebuilt according to its original architectural plans. In 1979, Lucien Lurton purchased the estate and then added an additional nine-hectares that was Chateau Lamothe-Bouscaut.  The vines on average are thirty-five-years of age and planted on clay on limestone soil.  The vinification process begins in Stainless Steel and Concrete tanks, and then aged for eighteen months in French Oak, of which forty percent is new.   The wine is a blend of sixty-one percent Merlot, thirty-three percent Cabernet Sauvignon and six percent Malbec.  The wine was a deep ruby/purple color and offered notes of black fruits, mocha, and cedar.  On the palate this medium-bodied silky wine offered tones of black cherries, and berries, plums, with good secondary tones of licorice; blended with good acidity, firm tannins and then ending with a nice long-count finish of spices and a salty-mineral terroir finish.

We then had Chateau Haut-Bages Liberal Pauillac 2021, which is a Cinquieme Grand Cru Classe in 1855 (a Fifth Growth).  The property is adjacent to Chateau Latour and the other half is behind Chateau Pichon Baron, with a third plot adjacent to Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste; and Haut-Bages refers to the upper part of the “Bages,” a large plateau between Pauillac and Saint-Julien.  The “Liberal” is an homage to the Liberal family that ran the property in the 18th Century.  For years the property was owned by the Cruse family and the wine was produced at Chateau Pontet-Canet.  The property was sold to the Taillan Group, headed by Jacques Merlaut, and his granddaughter Claire Villars-Lurton has owned and managed the estate since 2000, along with her husband under the G&C Lurton group.  The estate is thirty hectares and is certified organic and biodynamic in 2019, and is planted on deep gravel over a limestone base. The wine is ninety percent Cabernet Sauvignon and ten percent Merlot.  The fruit is hand-harvested and then vinification begins using Stainless-Steel tanks and concrete vats.  The wine is aged in French Oak, of which forty percent is new, but since 2018, twenty percent of the vintage is placed in amphorae and is all aged for sixteen months.  The deep, dark ruby colored wine offers notes of currants, cassis, black cherry.  On the palate, this elegant full-bodied wine offered tones of dark fruits, good acidity, fine tannins and ended with a long-count finish of dark fruit, and a desire for a second taste. Probably a good four to seven years, to achieve the start of its sweet spot, so a very good investment for the cellar.

The last wine of this group was Chateau Ferriere Margaux 2019, a Troisiemes Grand Cru Classe of 1855 (a Third Growth).  The estate is eighteen hectares, almost entirely within the village of Margaux itself, and one of the smallest of the classed growths.  The estate was founded by Gabriel Ferriere, a member of the court of King Louis XV and a wine broker.  The Ferriere family owned the property until 1914, after which it changed hands a number of times; and for several years the wine was vinified at Chateau Lascombes.  In 1988, it was bought by the Villars family and is now under the guidance of Clair Villars Lurton and G&C Lurton group.  The estate is planted on soils of gravel deposits above limestone marl.  The estate is now certified organic and biodynamic since 2019.  This wine is a blend of seventy-five percent Cabernet Sauvignon, twenty-five percent Merlot, and five percent Petit Verdot. After initial vinification, the wine is aged for eighteen months in French Oak, of which forty percent is new, but twenty percent of the wine is aged in amphorae for the same period.  The dark ruby wine offers notes of cassis and licorice.  On the palate this full-bodied wine showed great tones of dark fruits, blended seamlessly with tinges of licorice, toasted oak, firm tannins, great acidity and a nice long-count finish of dark fruit and terroir. 

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First Three Reds from Jubilee Wine Selections

Posted on October 23, 2024 by thewineraconteur

There is hardly anything more relaxing than having an afternoon wine tasting, unless you are like me and trying to be unobtrusive and taking photos.  We were being regaled with anecdotes and photos while Stanislas (Stan) O’Byrne of Jubilee Wine Selections was pouring wines and christening the new wine counter and wine annex at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan and we all were having a great time.

The first red was Thierry Lurton Chateau de Camarsac Bordeaux Superior 2021.  The estate has over seven-hundred years of history located in the Entre-Deux-Mares region close to Bordeaux and Saint-Emilion, with parts of the chateau built in the 14th Century and during permittable weather, one can go on the roof and get a sweeping panoramic view of the vineyards and landscape of the district.  Solange and Thierry Lurton have been there since 2007.  They even offer a workshop where one can assemble a personalized wine as they teach the art of wine-blending and one can create a personalized souvenir bottle.  The wine is a blend of seventy percent Merlot and thirty percent Cabernet Sauvignon planted on clay and clay-gravel soils.  The wine is vinified and aged at average temperatures in oak vats to promote aromatic potential and for the extraction of color.  The deep red-purple wine offers notes of red currants and raspberry, along with baking spices.  On the palate the medium-bodied wine offered raspberry and red currant tones, well balanced with good acidity and firm tannins.

We then had Chateau de Villegeorge Haut-Medoc 2018 by Marie-Laure Lurton.  Marie-Laure Lurton is a Medoc based wine company founded in 1992 with two properties: Chateau La Tour de Bassan in Margaux and Chateau de Villegeorge in the Haut-Medoc.  The two properties were originally under the ownership of her father, Lucien Lurton; when he purchased the properties in the early 1970s from the Clauzel family.  Chateau de Villegeorge dates back to the 18th Century and has been respected for ages and was awarded Cru Bourgeois Exceptional Growth status in 1932 and 1966; the status was original created in 1932, and then re-confirmed in 1966.  Located in Avensan, the estate consists of twelve hectares planted on deep gravel and is sixty-three percent Cabernet Sauvignon and thirty-seven percent Merlot.  The fruit is mechanically harvested, with cold pre-fermentation, then traditional vinification and maceration for forty days, followed with maturing for nine months in oak barrels.  A deep ruby-red wine that offered notes of black cherries, currants, and chocolate.  On the palate this medium-bodied wine offered tones of dark fruit, with good acidity, well balanced with secondary tones of pepper and a nice medium count finish of more fruit; a nice “chewy” wine.

The third wine that we had was Chateau La Tour de Bessan Margaux 2020 by Marie-Laure Lurton.  Chateau La Tour de Bessan goes back to the construction of a 13th Century fortified tower in Soussans.  Marie-Laure Lurton took control of this estate in 1992 from her father Lucien Lurton and is thirty-five hectares and earned its Cru Bourgeois classification in 2003.  The blocks of plots are spread over three communes within the Margaux zone of Soussans, Arsac and Cantenac on Pyrenean gravel soils with varying quantities of clay in each location.  The wine is a blend of sixty-one percent Merlot, thirty-three percent Cabernet Sauvignon, and six percent Petit Verdot.  The wine is aged in French Oak barrels for twelve months.  The deep ruby-red wine offered notes of red fruits, tobacco, mocha, and spices.  On the palate this medium-bodied wine showed tones of cherries, strawberries, almonds blended with good acidity, firm tannins, and a nice medium count finish of fruit and terroir.  A solid value and introduction to Margaux wines.  

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Jubilee Wine Selections

Posted on October 20, 2024 by thewineraconteur

It was the first dedicated wine tasting in the new annex room at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan.  The tasting was on Saturday, and the city gave permission to use the new room the day before.  Stanislas (Stan) O’Byrne is the owner and founder of Jubilee Wine and he and the owner of the shop met the year before at En Premiere.

The first wine was Vignoble Ollivier-Cottenceau Muscadet Sevre et Maine Sur Lie 2022.  This domaine is located on the hills between the Sevre and Maine Rivers, with twenty-two hectares of vineyards with south-west exposure on sandy, gravely granite soil.  This is a family estate that has been handed down since the 17th Century, and the prized grape of the region is the Melon de Bourgogne (Melon) or simply known as by the appellation of Muscadet of the western Loire Valley.  Planted in 1709 after a severe winter; it had been expelled from the Burgundy region for being of little interest there, was a cold-resistant answer to the Loire region.  The finest winemakers avail themselves to having extended lees contact during maturation (sur lie).  The estate uses mechanical harvesting, with pressing within twelve to twenty-four hours after harvest.  Fermentation occurs during the first seventeen days and then aged in the same Stainless-Steel vats with batonnage while still on the lees, and the wine is bottled and released in April following the harvest.  The wine is a pale yellow-gold and offers notes of green apples, citrus, iodine, and minerals.  On the palate there are tones green apples, lemons, and limes, with high acidity and tinged with maritime salt, and ending with a medium count finish of fruit, terroir, and iodine.  A very easy drinking wine.

We then had Thierry Lurton Chateau de Camarsac Bordeaux Blanc 2021.  The estate has over seven-hundred years of history located in the Entre-Deux-Mares region close to Bordeaux and Saint-Emilion, with parts of the chateau built in the 14th Century and during permittable weather, one can go on the roof and get a sweeping panoramic view of the vineyards and landscape of the district.  Solange and Thierry Lurton have been there since 2007.  They even offer a workshop where one can assemble a personalized wine as they teach the art of wine-blending and one can create a personalized souvenir bottle.  The estate has clay-gravel soils that is used for growing Semillon, and clay-limestone soil that they grow the other white varieties on.  The Blanc is a blend of forty-five percent Semillon, forty percent Sauvignon Blanc, ten percent Sauvignon Gris, and five percent Muscadelle.  The different grapes harvested, crushed, fermented, and matured separately with some in Stainless Steel and some in oak, until blending. The wine is a pale gold in color and offers notes of citrus fruits, exotic fruits, and white florals.  On the palate a medium-bodied wine with tones of grapefruit, pineapples, good acidity, and a medium count finish of fruit and minerals.  

The final white wine of the tasting was Famille Lurton Chateau Bouscaut Pessac-Leognan 2020, and the estate is known as a Grand Cru Classé de Graves for both their white and their red wines.  The vineyard dates to the 1600s, while the estate was originally known as Haut Truchon, but by 1881it had become Chateau Bouscaut.  The chateau was burned to the ground in 1962, the cellars were unharmed, and the chateau was rebuilt according to its original architectural plans. In 1979, Lucien Lurton purchased the estate and then added an additional nine-hectares that was Chateau Lamothe-Bouscaut.  The wine is a blend of seventy percent Sauvignon Blanc and thirty percent Semillon and these grapes are grown on soils of clay on limestone gravel.  The wine is a light greenish-yellow and offered notes of tropical fruits, honey, herbs, and oak.  On the palate a dry nice medium-bodied wine with creamy tones of pears, passionfruit, and currants with good acidity and a good medium count finish of passionfruit and terroir.     

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Fine Wine Source Club Selections – October 2024

Posted on October 17, 2024 by thewineraconteur

We had a busy day this morning, even finished all of the Christmas shopping and then we stopped to pick up our wine club selections from The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan; plus, we wanted to be nosy and check out the addition to the store.  One of the key lessons that I learned years ago, is that if you moved your initial location, even by a block, you end up losing customers. I know it sounds crazy, but it was an axiom that I heard constantly for all the years I was in business.  They were able to acquire the store adjacent to them and expand with an internal arch from store to store, and still maintain the original address.  More selling space and even a dedicated tasting area and counter, instead of everyone huddled around a barrel. 

The first wine representing the Old World is Bodegas Nexus & Frontaura Camino Owner’s Special Selection Ribera del Duero 2019.  Nexus & Frontaura was established in 1840 by the Gonzalez family, when the first vineyards were planted in the Toro region.  Bodegas Frontaura and Nexus Bodegas produce wines from the prestigious appellations in Castilla y Leon: Toro, Ribera del Duero, and Rueda.  Camino Pardo Alvarez is from the original Gonzalez family, a union of a Castilian father and an Asturian mother.  Sine 1999, she has been active in production, viticulture, and enology, and in the international marketing of the wines.  Bodegas Nexus was established in 2000.  In 2004 she became the General Manager of Marques de Valdelecasas, Bodegas Frontaura and Nexus.  Ribera del Duero rose from basic obscurity in the 1980’s to one of the most important wine regions.  For red wines Tempranillo is the main varietal, though some blending is allowed.  The region uses the same aging rules as found in Rioja. The vineyards are planted on sandy-clay and loam soils.   The vineyard is sixty-five-hectares, forty in full production and twenty-five with new, and young vines.   This wine is made exclusively from Tempranillo grapes, aged for three months in French Oak.  The wine offers notes of blackberries and other dark fruits, with hints of chocolate, oakiness, smoke, and sous-bois.  On the palate this medium-bodied wine offers tones of blackberry, plum, prune, blended with soft tannins, good acidity, and a juicy finish with some terroir.

The wine representing the New World is Tomé “Red Stake” Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2020.  Robert Tomé is the founder and CEO of Tomebrands. Robert was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; his father was an immigrant from Friuli Venezia Giulia home of some of his favorite vineyards, and his mother is a third-generation Canadian of Scottish descent, from where he learned to love golf. His earliest memories of wine are the wines made in his family’s garage by his father and uncles.  Years later he found himself working at a golf club, where he developed a passion for the game, as well as the hospitality industry, where he eventually received a full scholarship and then a degree in hospitality and tourism.  By the nineties he was working full time in the wine industry, and in 2004 he launched his own wine importing agency in Canada.  In 2017, he sold his interest in the agency and fulfilled his dream and created Tomé Group of Brands, making wines from Washington State and in Italy.  The fruit came from the Frenchman Hills of Columbia Valley and was a smaller crop of smaller berries which boded well for the vintage. They began with whole berry fermentation, with manual batonnage about three times a day; and the Initial Fermentation lasted for fourteen days for maximum extraction. The wine was then gently pressed and then aged on the lees for twenty-four months in French Oak, of which twenty-five percent was new; nine-thousand bottles were produced.  The wine is described as having note of black cherry, cassis, and new leather.  On the palate, the wine is described as having tones of dark cherry, blackberry, dark currants, and baking spices; “an elegant Old World style with a nod the New World.  For you non-golfers, a “Red Stake” refers to the stake on a golf course that delineates a water hazard.    

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Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical and Greenfield Village

Posted on October 14, 2024 by thewineraconteur

My Bride and I like to visit museums, I know for a fact that I just can lose myself wandering around and some times we even rack up some points on her “fit-bit watch.” There was and is a unique museum that I have wanted to visit for ages, and recently I heard that the people that own the building, want to tear everything down and rebuild, with no concern for the museum.  I am talking about Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum, which is one man’s interest and collection of all types of mechanical amusements, and they all work. In 1932 Sam Yagoda and his wife, opened their first family friendly drug store and in 1937 bought a larger store, and still in business and run by there son Marvin.  The museum outgrew the store and is now housed in a 5,000 square foot building with vintage coin-operated machines, from the earliest to brand new incarnations.  Everywhere you look there is chachkas, on the ceilings, the walls, in nooks, even a child size carousel.  The big draw is that they cater birthday parties for children, and the parents probably have as much fun as we did.  You can even take selfies, in the original setting with a photo booth.  And did I mention that admission is free, and they are open every day.  After so much entertainment, I wanted a hot Pastrami on Twice-baked Corn Rye and a Selzer.  So, you will get a photo of the ongepatchkit instead.

Another day, we went to Greenfield Village to take our daily walk.  Greenfield Village is part of “The Henry Ford” which when I was a kid there was Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford Museum, which is now the Museum of American Innovation. The two of them on together must be among the top ten museums and tourist destinations in the country.  When I was a kid, we would ride our bikes from Detroit to the grounds and tour one of the two museums each trip.  It got to the point where I could have become a docent there. Now my Bride and I have year-round passes and we probably get there at least once a month for a date.  I mean there is eighty acres of a grand outdoor museum, with a steam-engine train ride around the circumference, a steamboat on their own lake, and even rides on Model T cars, that zip around the streets.  Henry Ford bought historic buildings of all types, had them meticulously taken apart and rebuilt on the streets of his village.  Thomas Edison’s Menlo Park laboratory and grounds from New Jersey, along with his laboratory from Fort Myers, Florida.  The Wright Brothers Bicycle Shop, the homes of writers, poets, musicians, schools, machine shops, and artisan shops; there is even a working farm.   

Since the weather was great, we wanted to walk outside, as the Village is suspended during the winter months.  They are still adding to the collection of structures, as a few years ago they added the outdoor Detroit Central Market, and then they recently added a new restaurant adjacent to the market called Stand 44, where the celebrated local huckster Mary Judge sold her goods.  My Bride had the Grilled Chicken Salad with Romaine lettuce, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, garbanzo beans, pickled red onion, Kalamata olives, and a creamy Asiago dressing. I had a Shaved Roast Beef, Jack horseradish cheese, arugula, roasted red peppers, horseradish sauce on an onion roll. Everything in the restaurant was recyclable.  We also had cans of wine, which I think was my first ever and both made by Leelanau Cellars in Michigan.  My Bride had the Leelanau Cellars Summer Sunset Rose Bubbly MI NV “this semi-sweet Rosé seamlessly merges strawberry, melon and rose flavors for an airy taste of summer in a bright fizzy finish.”  While I had the Leelanau Cellars Great Lakes Red Bubbly MI NV “the concord grape you grew up with in its pure, rich flavor blended into a sweet, vibrant and juicy red wine all wrapped up in a delightfully carbonated bubbly drink.”  These wines are made for quaffing, and I couldn’t finish my selection.  I hope that the next time I encounter a can of wine, it will be more craft-like and less like soda-pop. 

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An Auslese and Two from Sauternes

Posted on October 11, 2024 by thewineraconteur

I was very surprised and elated after tasting six dry wines at my local wine shop The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan when they poured three famed after dinner wines. One German and two from France.  I have to admit that as I am maturing, I am appreciating after dinner wines, especially when they are not cloying.

The German wine was Weingut Carl Ehrhard Rudesheimer Berg Rottland Riesling Auslese 2017 from the Rheingau. The Rheingau was first settled by Celts, followed by the Romans in the First Century.  Rudesheim is a town on the northern banks of the Rhine River and there are seven vineyards rated by the VDP as Grosse Lage (First Growths) and the best are west of the town with on the steep slopes with southern exposure and Berg Rottland is one of them.  Here is one of the steepest slopes and the soil is slate, quartzite, gravel, and scattered loess.  Weingut Carl Ehrhard is an historic family estate and winery founded in 1815 and is now organic and biodynamic.  All fruit is hand-harvested, Initial Fermentation occurs spontaneously from indigenous yeasts in large neutral oak barrels.  The juice remains in the barrels on their lees for over a year, and they like to release the wine seventeen months after harvest with no fining or filtering.  The wine had a nice golden color and offered notes of ripe peaches and apricots, white florals, and honey.  On the palate a rich full-bodied wine that had tones of ripe fruit, a touch of citrus with balanced acidity and a long finish of honey and terroir.   

I then had a wine, that I have never had before, in fact, I wasn’t even aware of it.  I guess I live a sheltered life.  I had a chance to try Chateau de Fargues Sauternes 2006 from Chateau d’Yquem and I heard it referred to as “d’Yquem Jr.”  Chateau de Fargues has been with the Lur Saluces since 1472 and today they only produce one wine, a classic interpretation of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc from its vineyards around the village of Fargues at the center of the appellation. Originally, they produced both red and white wines at the twenty-five-hectare estate, but in 1928, they replanted for only white on clay-gravel soils over a layer of clay and hardpan soil.  The first vintage was produced in 1943, and released in 1964.  The fruit is hand-harvested and sorted to separate the “noble rot” from the “gray rot” and each day’s selection is pressed and fermented in oak barrels, with about thirty percent new).  Racking takes place four times a year and the wine is tasted to see if they have a vintage year, and if so, the wine continues aging in oak for thirty months, with an additional six in the bottle.  There were no vintages for 1972, 1974, 1992, and 2012.  While Chateau d’Yquem was the only and still only Grand Premiere Cru, Chateau de Fargues was absent from the 1855 classification for Sauternes and Barsac, since they only started producing in 1943.  While the Lur Saluces family had the chateau for three-hundred-years before they bought Chateau d’Yquem, and then recently sold it in 1999, the two estates were always under the same strict quality standards hence the “d’Yquem Jr.” This beautiful amber colored wine offered notes of sweet tropical fruits, florals, jasmine, saffron, and some “sous-bois.”  On the palate a full-bodied wine with layers of candied fruits, quince, figs, saffron, and honey, beautiful acidity and a nice long finish caramel and terroir.

Then we had Chateau d’Yquem Sauternes 2021 and I have never had a young wine from them before, so I was intrigued.  The winery is the only Premiere Grand Cru of Sauternes and has maintained that status ever since.  The estate was owned by the Kind of England in the Middle Ages and has produced late-harvest wines since the late 1500s.  The Lur Saluces family had ownership from 1785 until 1999, when it was sold to LVMH.  The one-hundred-three-hectare estate is located on the highest hill in Sauternes, planted on coarse gravel over a clay subsoil, which encourages “noble rot.” The wine is seventy-five percent Semillon and twenty-five percent Sauvignon Blanc. The fruit is hand-harvested and it takes about 6 weeks and multiple passes to get each berry at optimum level, and each basket is only an hour away from the winery and each day’s harvest is in a separate new oak barrel to undergo Initial Fermentation and maturation.  After eight months the wine in each barrel is tasted to determine if it will continue in the process, those that make the cut are aged for an additional twenty months, with each barrel getting topped off every two weeks, and racked fifteen times to remove heavy lees, the lighter lees are removed during fining.  Nine times in the last century, the entire year is sold anonymously in bulk, if the wine doesn’t achieve the expectation. This new vintage was the color of honey and offered notes of pineapple, pear, and tangerine, along with florals, cedar, and almonds.  On the palate there were tones of fresh ripe fruit, candied lemon and candied orange and a nice long finish of honey and terroir.  I was interested in trying to decide what flavors would develop and acquire complexity as the wine ages and deepens in color; only time will tell.  

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An Alba, an Amarone and a SEGC

Posted on October 8, 2024 by thewineraconteur

It was a great day when I stopped by The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan as there were some wonderful wines being poured.  It is now the only way to shop for wines and the selection is always great, because they curate their wines, before they ever get on the shelves.  And I have to say that I have a fondness for Italian wines, and Saint-Emilion was one of my first go-to wines as a kid.

The first wine of this set was Azienda Agricola Commendatore G.B. Burlotto Dolcetto D’Alba DOC 2022.  G.B. Burlotto is a small estate in the Piedmontese village of Verduno; known for their wines of Nebbiolo variety and a major owner of the Monvigliero Cru, considered by many to be the greatest of all Barolo wines.  The estate was founded in 1850, one of the first to win medals, pioneered the selling of Barolo wines in the bottle and he was awarded the title of Commendatore.  Giovanni Batista Burlotto passed away in 1927, and it wasn’t until his great-great-grandson Fabio Alessandria, as the winemaker brought back their fame.  The Dolcetto variety is considered the third popular red in Italy after Nebbiolo and Barbera.  The grape produces low acidic wines that are to be enjoyed in their youth.  Dolcetto D’Alba is one of seven Dolcetto-focused DOC wines in Piedmont, and was granted status in 1974 and the vineyards overlap Barolo and Barbaresco on slopes with sandy, calcareous, and tufa-rich soils where Dolcetto thrives.  The winery is very traditional with grapes crushed by foot, and very long maceration periods. The fruit is hand-harvested and transported in small boxes; the bunches are only partially de-stemmed, and during maceration pumping over and punching down are done daily.  After Malolactic fermentation, the wine ages for nine months in Stainless-Steel tanks.  The ruby-red wine offered notes of blueberries, cherries, lavender, mint, and other spices.  On the palate this medium-bodied wine offered tones of blueberries, plums, and spices blended with low acidity and ripe tannins, and a medium count finish of fruit and almonds.

We then went with Villa Ca’Vendri Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG 2020 made by Ville di Antane.  Ville di Antane has twenty hectares in the Antane district of Valpolicella.  The wine is a blend of forty percent Corvina Veronese, thirty percent Corvinone and thirty percent Rondinella.  The fruit is hand-harvested in small boxes where they dry for a period of about four months. The Apassimento Method is unique for Amarone wines and results in very concentrated, “raisiny” full-bodied wines with low acidity.  The wine has a slow Initial Fermentation and Malolactic Fermentation before being aged in small barrels for about eighteen months.  A deep ruby-red colored wine that offered notes of dark cherries, plums, figs, and hints of chocolate, tobacco, and spices.  On the palate a full-bodied wine with tones of blackberries, currants, vanilla, licorice, balanced acidity, smooth tannins and a medium-count finish of fruit and terroir.

The last of the red wines was Chateau La Confession Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2016 part of Jean-Philippe Janouiex Domaines.  The family business was created by Joseph Janouiex of a Bordeaux winemaking dynasty in 1898.  Jean-Philippe created his own branch of the business in 1994 with wineries in Saint-Georges-Saint-Emilion, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, Pomerol and Bordeaux Superieur.  Chateau La Confession is a seven and a half hectares estate on a clay-limestone soil with forty-year-old vines.  The wine is a blend of seventy-two percent Merlot, and twenty-eight percent Cabernet Franc.  The fruit was loaded into small open wooden vats without crushing, with punching of the vats every three hours, then every eight hours, and finally once a day, until the Initial Fermentation had taken place during the maceration for about thirty days.  Malolactic Fermentation took place in half new barrels and half in old barrels, with maturing on the lees for six months.  The wine had a deep reddish-purple color and offered notes of black fruit, violets, oak, spices, cigar box, smoke, and sous-bois.  On the palate a lush full-bodied wine with tones of plums, cherries, blackberries, blending with polished tannins with traces of pepper, eucalyptus, and ending with a medium count finish of nuts and terroir.  A delightful wine that still should get some cellar time.           

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Lignier-Michelot and Clos du Val

Posted on October 5, 2024 by thewineraconteur

In case you think that I didn’t have any wine tastings while I was celebrating turning seventy, I did, and will take three articles for the nine wines that I had at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan.

The first wine that I had was Domaine Lignier-Michelot Bourgogne Blanc Cuvee Axelle 2022. The Lignier family has cultivated vines in Morey-Saint-Denis since the early Twentieth Century, including Premier Cru and Grand Cru vineyards. They sold their fruit to negociants unti 1992, when they began bottling some of their own wines. The domaine has over eight hectares of vines in their holdings with several plots older than fifty years. Virgile Lignier represents the third generation of his family and took over since the 2000 vintage. No pesticides or herbicides are used and low yields are maintained through vigilant green pruning. This cuvee is based on Chardonnay, and the only white wine produced by the estate and named after his daughter; on a half-hectare plot on clay soil. Grapes are completely destemmed and undergo a five-day cold maceration, followed by naturally occurring fermentation.  It is aged for twelve months with light stirrings, and using thirty percent new French Oak barrels. A very pale golden color wine that offered notes of white fruits, tropical fruits, citrus, and vanilla.  On the palate there were tones of melon, peach, pineapple, lemon, and oak with balanced acidity, and a nice medium finish of fruit, honey, and flint (terroir).

We then had Domaine Lignier-Michelot Bourgogne Rouge 2021. The Lignier family has cultivated vines in Morey-Saint-Denis since the early 20th Century, including Premier Cru and Grand Cru vineyards.  They sold their fruit to negociants until 1992, when they began bottling some of their own wines.  The domaine has over eight hectares of vines in their holdings with several plots older than fifty years.  Virgile Lignier represents the third generation of his family and took over since the 2000 vintage.  No pesticides or herbicides are used and low yields are maintained through vigilant green pruning.  This wine is from a plot that is just over one hectare of Pinot Noir planted in the 1960’s on deep clay, just outside the limits of their Chambolle-Musigny Village appellation and their Morey-Saint-Denis appellation.  They use organic methods, but have not been certified. The fruit is a mix of destemmed and twenty-five percent whole cluster that undergo cold maceration for five days, followed by indigenous yeast fermentation.  The wine is aged for twelve months, with about thirty percent new French Oak and finished unfiltered.  A dark cherry-red wine that offers notes of red and black fruits, cassis, violets, cedar, and sous-bois.  On the palate a medium-bodied wine that had tones of cherries, strawberries, but blended with more earthy tones of mushrooms, old leather, pepper, and a medium finish of terroir.  

We then followed with Clos du Val Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2022.  Clos du Val is a family-owned estate located in the Stags Leap District AVA, established in 1972 by John Goelet and was one of the wineries that participated in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.  He also has vineyards in Yountville and Carneros, while his Goelet Wine Estates owns the Taltarni and Clover Hill wineries in Australia, and Domaine de Nizas in Languedoc.  The winery is now into its third generation in the family.  A unique personality of his vineyards is that they are not tilled, but have permanent grass planted in the mid-rows.  In 2012, they upgraded their facilities and made changes to their practices to make a more “New World” fruit-forward wine style of wine.  They also began harvesting later, reducing yields, and relying on estate-grown fruit, which reduced their production of Cabernet Sauvignon by almost half.  The wine is a blend of seventy-seven percent Cabernet Sauvignon, twelve percent Merlot, five percent Malbec, four percent Cabernet Franc, and two percent Petit Verdot.  The wine is aged for twelve months, and using thirty percent new French Oak.  The wine is a deep purple-red and offered notes of blackberry, plum, violets, and vanilla spices.  On the palate rich tones of cherry, blackberries and blueberries, cassis, almonds, dark chocolate mixing with good acidity, supple tannins, and a good medium count finish of fruit and spices.     

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My Seventieth Birthday

Posted on October 2, 2024 by thewineraconteur

As I have been told over the years “It is better to be seen, than viewed.”  I heartily agree and though the brain may not agree, the body does feel the years at times.  There is not much that I can do about it, other than extend the revelry longer every year and look forward to the next one.  I am still trying to enjoy every day and have a good time.  We have one son that has lived here, his entire life along with his family, though he is talking more and more about warm weather.  Another son and his family have just moved back to the area, and that leaves my Favorite Daughter, who would move back, I think, predicated on colleges for her sons.  The joys of fatherhood.  And lest you think it was just me, the party was still designed to celebrate the September celebrants.

My Bride was getting the whole house ready for the party, of course we did have to replace the chairs in the breakfast nook, and she overdid the seats, I am not sure if First Class on Trans-Atlantic flights are this wide.  Oh well, we have the living room and the family room for spreads of munchies and it keeps everyone from trying to squeeze into the nook.  We had gone to a local cheese purveyor and she got a little carried away, but it was all good, but she did corner the market on the chocolate-cheese; she doesn’t like fudge, but she adores the cheese and to me, they taste so similar.  She also had several other munchies to enjoy as well.  We began with one of her favorite whites before dinner, Vite Colte Villata Roero Arneis DOCG 2022; which is owned by Terre da Vino in the heart of the Piedmont.  Depending on the market this wine can be found either as Vite Colte or as Terre da Vino.  Roero DOCG is a small district in the hills of the Piedmont, known for its refreshing whites made from Arneis, and for their bold red reds made from Nebbiolo. The district is named after the Roero family, who were powerful bankers in the Middle Ages.  The classic Roero Bianco must be at least ninety-five percent Arneis, the other five percent can be any other local white varietal.  They tend to grow the vines on the northern slopes of the hills, while Nebbiolo grows on the southern side on loose soils with a strong presence of silica.  For a while, the grape almost became extinct, as all the interest was in the red wines.  The grape can be difficult to grow and was often grown alongside the Nebbiolo, because its fruit was sweeter and the birds would feed on the white grapes and leave the red grapes alone.  Traditionally a dash of Arneis was added to the Nebbiolo to soften the tannins, similar to how Viognier is used in parts of the Rhone. This wine was made from hand harvested grapes and it undergoes cold maceration and spends ten days on the lees in Stainless Steel.  The wine is a pretty straw color, and the nose offered pears, lime zest, and white florals.  The wine on the palate is very crisp and fresh with the notes of white fruit, a burst of tangerine and a tinge of hazelnut with a touch of minerals, peaches, and honey in the finish.

The main course of the dinner, besides the cakes and desserts was Lamb sautéed with Mushrooms and Armenian Pilaf.  I went into the cellar and did a very substantial raid, for the occasion and chose a wine that I have never had, so it was my first.  I opened and decanted Chateau Cheval Blanc 1’er Grand Cru Classé Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 1992.  Vines have been recorded as planted since the 14th Century, but really took place in the 19th Century when core plots were added from purchases from the nearby Figeac estate, and eventually with replanting plans the wine is known for being about half Merlot and half Cabernet Franc.  The estate began after gaining its first medal at the 1862 Universal Exhibition in London, and that was just the start, and thus paved the way for the chateau to be built.  The estate is in the northwest sector of the region, bordering Pomerol and had thirty-nine hectares, divided into forty-five plots; of which fifty-two percent is Cabernet Franc, forty-three percent Merlot and five percent Cabernet Sauvignon.  The plantings are based on the patchwork of soils (about half and half) of either clay or gravel over sedimentary rock. In the first classification of Saint-Emilion in 1955, it was awarded the highest possible rating – Premier Grand Cru Classé A.  After 166 years of continuous family ownership, Bernard Arnault (LVMH) and the late Baron Albert Frere jointly purchased the estate.  In 2022, the estate famously withdrew from the listing; though it is still regarded as one of the greatest wines of the Bordeaux region.  After a small harvest in 1991, the 1992 harvest was considered quite generous.  It was the first year for the winery employed small crates for the manual harvesting and sorting of the fruit.  The wine was aged from sixteen to eighteen months in new French Oak.  I used my Durant to uncork the wine, and the cork was in very good condition, and decanting the wine for its age was necessary as I could visually see sediment in the bottle.  The wine had a beautiful deep ruby color with no evidence of foxing or browning.  The nose offered mild notes of dark fruits, florals, espresso, and tobacco.  On the palate the fruit and tannins had merged, and there was a muted taste and finish, and in hind-sight, I probably should have opened the wine five years earlier, and the fruits would have been lusher.  I still savored it, knowing that it will probably be the last and only wine from this estate that I will ever encounter.          

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