Some Reds at Boathouse Vineyards

Posted on August 4, 2023 by thewineraconteur

The sisters that made this tasting trip to Boathouse Vineyards up on Leelanau Peninsula were having a grand time.  They were doing their own tastings, as I am sure that my tasting sessions are not as fun, as just tasting the wine.  After all, I photograph and take some notes and tend to ask a lot of questions.  Of course, some of the sisters went sightseeing and shopping, but the ones here really had a good time.

My Bride and I were ready to taste some red wines, and she was totally ready.  We started with Boathouse Vineyards “Overboard” Leelanau Peninsula 2021.  This was a blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Regent and was aged for three months in French Oak barrels.  A nice deep ruby-red color wine that offered notes of blackberries.  On the palate this was a medium-bodied wine that showed tones of blackberries with a decent finish, this was a nice dry wine that would be easy to understand and to enjoy by people just starting out, or who don’t want a big tannin dry wine.  The other blended wine that we tried and it is one of their best sellers, year after year, is their signature “Boathouse Red” Leelanau Peninsula 2019.  This is their proprietary red wine, which is another way of saying it is a red blend and harvested for fourteen months in French Oak barrels.  A nice garnet red wine that offered notes of red fruits.  This was a bigger wine that offered tones of blackberry and raspberry and a nice medium finish.

Then we did two classic Vinifera red wines, which years ago, would never have been thought of in Michigan, but it has been done.   We did the Boathouse Vineyards Merlot Leelanau Peninsula 2018.  Merlot is one of the classic reds that grows very well in cool climates and can truly appreciate the climate afforded by being along the bay.  Their Merlot is made from four different clones and grown on their Amore Road Vineyard.  This wine is aged for twenty-four months in French Oak barrels.  A soft garnet red wine that offered notes of blackberry.  On the palate there were tones of blackberry and some spice, along with soft tannins that did not overpower the fruit and a medium count finish offering more of the dry fruit flavor.  We then had their Cabernet Franc Leelanau Peninsula 2019 and this is the wine that beckoned my Bride like a Siren’s calling ever since we had finished the bottles of the 2012 vintage.  This wine is also made from four different clones and the fruit is hand-harvested.  The wine is aged for twenty-four months in French Oak barrels.  A dark ruby-red wine and this wine offered notes of black fruits.  On the palate this wine offered notes of black cherry, and blackberry, some spice, and very harmonious with the oak and tannins and a good medium count finish of fruit and a tinge of terroir.  My Bride and I both agreed that it was not as big as the ’12, it was still worthy of our return visit.         

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Some of Us Went to Boathouse Vineyards

Posted on August 2, 2023 by thewineraconteur

My Bride wanted to make sure that some if not all her sisters had a chance to visit Boathouse Vineyards up in the Leelanau Peninsula.  We had found it during a trip up north in 2017.   This is a winery that can be visited by car or boat, as the tasting room is located on the waterway connecting North Lake Leelanau with South Lake Leelanau. Michigan is the pleasure boat capital of the country with all of its coastal areas and marinas and Boathouse Vineyards has capitalized on this. If you haven’t discovered it by now, I guess I am rather gregarious and when I am at a winery, I like to take notes and my Bride and I were handed over (for the second time) to none other than Dave Albert, an ex-auto guy (go figure in Michigan) who decided to be in the wine business. What a pleasure it was to talk with him again, his passion for what he is attempting is marvelous; and he even remembered us.

Boathouse Vineyards was started from scratch, where the tasting room and grounds, there actually was a boathouse.  In 2009, they began building the winery and planting fifteen acres of grapevines, just four miles from the tasting room.  They now have a twenty-five-acre vineyard which is ninety-nine percent Vinifera.  The vineyard is on sandy loam with a high North and South slope with excellent drainage and is located on the famed 45th Parallel.  The original planting was Riesling (four clones), Pinot Gris (two clones) and Regent and Auxerrois.  They then followed this with Merlot (four clones), Cabernet Franc (four clones), Pinot Noir (five clones), Syrah, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, and Muscat.     

We started the tastings with a couple of white wines, and it was a job keeping my Bride controlled, because she had been looking forward to this return trip for some time.  Of course, we started with the Boathouse Vineyards Pinot Grigio Leelanau Peninsula 2021.  A wine that is made using Stainless Steel for Initial Fermentation and aging to maintain the fruit flavor that is inherent in the grapes.  A nice soft-straw-yellow color that offered notes citrus and a distinct touch of grapefruit.  On the palate there was more of an Alpine feel as it was very dry with tones of peach, pineapple, and pear, balanced acidity and a nice finish of fruit and terroir.  The other white that we had was the Boathouse Vineyards “Seas the Day” Leelanau Peninsula 2020.  This wine was also made using Stainless Steel to maintain the fruit flavors.  A softly sweet blend of Pinot Blanc, Auxerrois, Muscat and Chardonnay.  This wine had a soft golden-yellow color and offered notes of citrus, and white florals.  On the palate this wine had tones of honeydew melon, pear, and peach and a soft finish, perfect for a summer day.   

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A Stop at Grand Traverse Distillery

Posted on July 31, 2023 by thewineraconteur

The five sisters all wanted to go shopping in Traverse City, some had never been there, and none of them truly needed a reason to go shopping.  Now my Bride really enjoys shopping and she was leading the way, especially to some of her favorite haunts.   One of the sisters insisted that she had to go to the Grand Traverse Distillery to get a certain beverage that isn’t sold, but at the Traverse City location, at least that is what her one son said, so she was on a mission. 

While she was on a mission to get that purchase and whatever else might please her fancy, I wandered over to the other side, and they were offering tastes and sales from a couple of local wineries as well.  The young man that was helping me, decided that perhaps, I could help him, in his pursuit of knowledge about wines, as he was observing me taking photos and writing my cryptic notes in my spidery long hand.  The first wine that I tried was from a winery that my Bride and I had visited before, and I tried the Brengman Brothers Riesling Kabinett Crain Hill Vineyard Leelanau Peninsula 2021.  Two brothers Ed and Robert Brengman began their dream of being winemakers in 2003 with the purchase of Crain Hill Vineyard.  They now make besides wine; vermouth, brandy and have started a distillery as well.  The Riesling Kabinett is a medium-dry wine, I opined that Kabinett has no real status in America, as compared to Germany and Austria, but it was an excellent marketing choice.  There were no production notes offered by the winery, so I will just describe the wine.  The wine is a soft-yellow colored wine offered notes of citrus, white florals, and some candle wax.  On the palette there were tones of lemons and limes with some good acidity and a finish of more fruit.  A very easy drinking wine that would be a crowd pleaser. 

I then tried three wines from Shady Lane Cellars on Leelanau Peninsula, a small, but industrious winery that produces about seven-thousand bottles of wine each year.  We have been to the winery in previous trips to the region.  The wines I tried were the Coop de Blanc Estate Leelanau Peninsula 2017, the Semi-Dry Riesling Estate Leelanau Peninsula 2019, and the Cabernet Franc Estate Leelanau Peninsula 2018.  The estate vineyard was first planted in 1989 and their tasting room opened in 1999 and they are one of the original twelve vineyards on the Leelanau Peninsula.  Richard Fortune was originally from Indianapolis, Indiana, but his family had been visiting the region for about fifty years.  He built a home and started a vineyard named Hennessey Harbor Vineyards and in 2013 he became the owner of Shady Lane Cellars.  Shady Lane Cellars now owns just over sixty acres in two distinct vineyards.  The Coop de Blanc is pure Vignoles and the first grape of the harvest.  Vignoles is a cold-hardy hybrid bred by J. Ravat in the 1930’s in France, and is basically grown in the northern and midwestern state of America.  The parents are thought to be either Pinot Noir or Chardonnay, but it is no longer sanctioned in France, but has found a home here.  A pretty golden colored wine that offers notes of tropical fruits, white florals and ginger.  On the palate there were tones of pineapple, tangerines, a touch of honey and a tinge of ginger.  It has nice acidity, refreshing and bit sweeter than I usually drink, but I found it enjoyable, and I think that I would enjoy it with some fried chicken.  I then had the Semi-Dry Riesling made from four different clones and fermented in small batches and aged in Stainless Steel for a bit.  The straw-yellow colored wine offered notes of citrus and orange blossoms.  On the palette there were tones of green apples and citrus with some bright acidity and crispness.  The Cabernet Franc had Initial Fermentation for nineteen days in open-top bins with four different strains of yeast.  The Malolactic Fermentation began after the wine was placed in French Oak barrels and were aged for eighteen months.  A nice garnet red wine that offered notes of dark fruits, pomegranate, and violets.  A pretty wine that offered tones of dark cherries, and baking spices with fine tannins and balance acidity.  An enjoyable wine.       

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We All Went to Black Star Farms

Posted on July 29, 2023 by thewineraconteur

Since we were on Old Mission Peninsula and we had a crowd, and we struck out once at a winery, I thought that Black Star Farms was a crowd pleaser. Black Star Farms is rather unique in that it has vineyards and tasting room facilities on both peninsulas, so that they are kind of surrounding Traverse City which is kind of the focal point for all of the wineries in the area.  In 1998 Black Star Farms purchased Sport Valley Farm which was a one-hundred-twenty-acre equestrian facility, and the stylized black star was part of the architectural décor in the main house.  In their Twentieth year, they were honored to receive the 19’th Annual Canberra International Riesling Challenge (CIRC) -Best Wine of the 2018 Challenge and only the second time an American wine came out on top.  There were 567 Rieslings from six countries (Australian, New Zealand, USA, Germany, France and the Czech Republic).  The Black Star Farms Arcturos Dry Riesling 2017 scored 98 points, in addition to taking home Best Dry Riesling and Best American Riesling.  In fact, all six of the Riesling wines that Black Star Farms submitted took home medals, showing a consistency across vintages and styles.  The fruit is sourced from both of the proprietor’s vineyards and from local grower partners in both the Old Mission Peninsula and Leelanau Peninsula.  The winery has three series; the premium Arcturos, A Capella and the Leorie Vineyard labels for sparkling and fruit wines.

Some of the sisters were asking about a white wine they might enjoy, other than a Chardonnay, so I suggested a Gewurztraminer.  That was not one of the wines being offered that day, but after talking with them, they opened a bottle for the sisters to try; the wine was technically sold out and they only had a couple of bottles left.  They all tried a Black Star Farms Arcturos Gewurztraminer Leelanau Peninsula 2020.  I have always had a soft spot for this varietal, as I enjoy its natural spiciness.  The fruit was cloned from the winery’s initial planting of this varietal from their Manigold Vineyard on Old Mission Peninsula and then the new plantings were done on the vineyards in the Leelanau Peninsula.  It is very safe to say that this wine had Initial Fermentation and a short aging period all in Stainless Steel, as the flavors are crisp and bright.  A very soft straw-yellow colored wine that offered notes of citrus and white florals.  On the palate tones of apple and tangerines and the inherent spices of the grape with a short finish offering more fruit to enjoy.

While we were there, my Bride and I shared a tasting of four of the twenty-four wines offered.  We selected the Black Star Farms Arcturos Dry Riesling Michigan 2021, the Nouveau Marquette Michigan 2022, the Arcturos Cabernet Franc Michigan 2019, and the Sirius Red Dessert Wine NV. The Dry Riesling which is one of their most popular varietals that they produce under several different labels and harvests.  The wine carries a Michigan AVA as the fruit comes from the two different peninsulas.  Another wine that is entirely done with Stainless Steel.  The soft golden-yellow wine offered notes of pears and honeysuckle.  On the palate one could discern tones of peach, honey dew melons and apple with good acidity and a short finish that also featured some terroir.   The Nouveau Marquette is wine that features an inherent spiciness.  The Marquette grape was created in 1989 and introduced in 2006, by the University of Minnesota, a cold-hardy hybrid.  The grape is a cousin of Frontenac and a grandson of Pinot Noir.  While this grape can be mellowed by barrel aging, or the modern oak-chipping, this wine is another Stainless-Steel aged wine as the wine showed fresh fruit and vibrancy.  A nice ruby red colored wine that offered notes of cherries, currants, blackberries, a touch of leather, and black pepper.  On the palate the tones of black fruits, and the distinctive black pepper, made this youthful wine very easy to drink, but I think it would have been great tasting it with a Brie.  The Arcturos Cabernet Franc is an example of a red varietal that has become quite a cult grape in Michigan, and the fruit for this wine was fifty-nine percent Leelanau Peninsula and forty-one percent Old Mission Point Peninsula.  The wine is ninety-five percent Cabernet Franc and five percent Merlot.  It was aged for about two years in a mix of American and French Oak barrels, with fifteen percent new.  A dark garnet colored wine offering notes of black fruit and herbs.  On the palate tones of blackberry and plums.  I thought that this wine was a bit soft, but perhaps some more time in the bottle and cellar, may allow it to mellow and mature a bit more. The Sirius Red Dessert Wine is their latest dessert wine offering and is made using the Regent grape.  The Regent was developed in Germany in 1967 and is a hybrid with lineage of Chambourcin, Silvaner and Muller-Thurgau.  It is highly resistant to mildew diseases, has an abundance of tannins and is another cold-hardy hybrid.  The wine is made akin to a Ruby Port, and was fortified by an in-house distilled grape brandy and then aged for one year in neutral French Oak barrels.  A dark intense red wine with that offers notes of black fruit and berries and spices.  On the palate there is nice tones of dark fruit and a tinge of mocha and a sweet warm alcohol finish. 

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Shot Down Twice

Posted on July 27, 2023 by thewineraconteur

While we were enjoying the “Sister’s Getaway.” I was planning on visiting some wineries while we were up in the Traverse City region.  Normally, when my Bride and I are on holidays, we tend to eat out for every meal, and there is emphasis on wine and then some sight-seeing and shopping tossed into the mix.  For this experimental trip, wine was not paramount, so I tried to pick and choose some wineries, both for myself and for the group.

The very first winery that we were going to go see was Chateau Chantel on Old Mission Peninsula.  The selling point for going here first, was that to me, it may be the most beautiful grounds, as one could enjoy a glass of wine and look at both bays.  The winery began with the Begin family, Robert, Nadine, and daughter Marie-Chantal in 1983 when they purchased sixty-acres of cherry orchards and cleared the land and began planting Begin Orchards and pursued purchasing more property as well.  Their formal plans were for a European-styled Chateau, winery, a B&B, and a hospitality room for retreats and events.  Chateau Chantal was incorporated in 1991 and all the additional structures were completed in 1993.  The winery is self-sufficient, as you drive up the circular path you can see not only fields of vines, but if you look carefully, tucked in the background are solar panels.  Alas, when we got there, the everything was dark and quiet, evidently a vehicle hit a panel or panels and the entire winery was shut down.  I guess that they had an event planned for some of a tasting event and pizza pairing, for the day, and they were issuing refunds to some of the people.  We could not enjoy a glass of wine and bask in the sun and admire the vista.  This was the first time, I had ever encountered a winery shut down, as the tasting room is the life blood of the business.

Two days later, some of us went on another winery trip for tastings on the Leelanau Peninsula and I was excited as we passed a small hand-painted sign that said “the best Cabernet Franc wines up ahead.” Nathaniel Rose works with individual vineyards to create small-batch, handcrafted red and white wines with no chemical manipulation.  Small basket presses, continuous racking, no fining, or filtering creating wines that are all basically cuvée works of art.  He makes “Left Bank” wines, “Rhone” wines, a Port, an old-world style Pet-Nat, an old-world Port and a Beerenauslese.  I was really geeked up to try these wines.  We got to the winery and there was just a little “closed, please call again” sign in the window.  I was crestfallen, and so were the others that came along to try some wines and to find out that we had encountered two closed wineries.  As I was telling this tale to others winemakers, they basically said that Nathaniel Rose was totally into the concept of winemaking, but not in the business side at all.  I know that eventually I will get back to each of these wineries in the future, I just couldn’t believe the luck I had in one week.     

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A Family Get-together in Wine Country

Posted on July 25, 2023 by thewineraconteur

My Bride was one of the conspirators behind the first “Sister’s Vacation” with spouses.  They found a large cabin to rent at a year-round resort complex very close to Leelanau and Old Mission Peninsulas, one of the major wine centers of Michigan, which was fine for me.  Of course, the logistics for packing for five days with my Bride was monumental, we actually only needed a suit case each, plus one garment bag.  That was the easy part, as well a case of wine.  Then we had an electric refrigerator house, and two coolers for all the food, as breakfasts and dinners were being prepared in-house for everyone.  Lunches were out and about, depending on where we went each day.  We also took pots and pans, griddles, a coffee maker, cutlery, etc., etc., etc., we left the sink in our kitchen. 

Even loading up the car, went quite smooth, just making sure that the rear-view mirror wouldn’t be blocked.  Though I was still grumbling about all of the stuff we had packed, and I was told, that she just wanted to make sure that she would have everything necessary, because she didn’t know how much stuff would be furnished for us.  The cabin was on the grounds of this resort, but it was owned by an avid skier, and I am sure it was used quite a bit during the winter months by the owner.  The cabin besides having furnished bedrooms, had a washer and dryer, a game room with “Foos-ball” and a “shuffleboard” along with sofas and a couple of televisions on the main floor.  The kitchen had basic utensils, small appliances, and thankfully wine glasses, because we only packed emergency plastic glasses.  We made great time traveling, as we were going north, while most of the traffic was going south.  We ended up getting to the resort about three hours early and of course the leasing agency, did not have the cabin ready for immediate occupancy.

We ended up having lunch at The Thistle, a tavern on the grounds of the resort.  Over the years, my Bride and I have been here several times and The Thistle is one of her favorites.  She wanted some light, until she could start make dinner.  She was extremely happy that they had Whitefish Pate, with crisp capers, crostini, and flatbread crackers.  She also wanted a Negroni, as that is her current cocktail of choice.  I surprised myself and had something healthy.  I went with a Shrimp and Avocado Salad of arugula, tomato medley, pickled onions, fresh roasted corn, and a lemon-tarragon vinaigrette.  I had a glass of Fleurs de Prairie Languedoc Rosé 2022 by Les Grands de France under the umbrella of Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits.  Fleurs de Prairie is sourced from selected vineyards throughout the Languedoc and some of the vines are over fifty years old.  The wine is a blend of forty-three percent Grenache Noir, forty percent Syrah, nine percent Carignan, and three percent Mourvedre.  The grapes are harvested in August and September and direct pressed for a light, fresh style. Grapes are fermented in Stainless Steel tank and fermented separately by varietal. The wine is a pale salmon color and offered notes of strawberry, peaches, white florals and a touch of lemon.  On the palate tones of papaya, guava, and banana with bright acidity and a short finish of fruit.   

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A Unique Find and a Chapter is Almost Finished

Posted on July 23, 2023 by thewineraconteur

My Bride’s tour of duty as the executor of her mother’s estate is almost completed.  She did it without renumeration, as it was all in the family.  Trust me, if you ever, unfortunately are in this situation, take some form of renumeration, it was like a full-time job for periods of time.  We were going through the final harrowing period of waiting for the house to be sold, after all the furniture removal, along with the removal of a woman’s life. 

My wife was in continuous contact with the real estate agent, and he mentioned that there were still a few things that were still in the house.  We couldn’t believe it.  After getting everything divided up, as well as possible, getting the house completely refinished, which is a shame that their mother could never lived in the finished project and that was her first and only home, and it was brand new when it was bought.  With every room getting an overhaul of paint, new flooring and whatever else was needed, I couldn’t believe that anything was missed.  I mean it is a slow project to get everything to merge everything she brought here, with what we already have.  My Bride also took all the photos to digitalize them and make a complete history for everyone that wants a copy, including second and third cousins, as she was the surviving matriarch of a very large family. 

My Bride can home from the last trip to the house with a small step ladder that was constantly being used and three full bottles.  There was a fifth of Canadian Club and a fifth of Crown Royal, both symbolizing the cottage that the family had on Lake Huron in Ontario, Canada and was visited by all the extended family for decades.  The other was really a curio, that my Bride doesn’t recall, but it made sense that she probably brought a bottle home, because both of her parents were avid hockey fans, but her parents really didn’t drink wine and only a couple of sisters really do.  I am looking at a bottle of Detroit Red Wings “Red” Merlot North Coast 2007; cellared and bottled by Wine World Estates of St. Helena. Wine World Estates had its origins when Jacob and Frederick Beringer purchased property in St. Helena, California in 1875.  And they were known even back then as a producer of premium table wines.  They survived Prohibition by producing “communion wines.”  They were the first to open their doors to the public in 1934, and they were named an Historical Landmark by the state of California in 1967.  In 1971 they were purchased by Nestle and a side company was created Wine World Estates and they were purchasing, leasing, and developing acreage in northern California, and were able to control the costs distinction.  I have to surmise that they must have had a division that could produce small runs of wines for different entities.  The Detroit Red Wings utilizing the team colors had a “Red” and a “White” wine; Merlot, and a Chardonnay, that they began selling at the Olympia Club and in the Executive Suites at Joe Louis Arena.  The labels uniquely mimic the base color of the home jersey of the Red Wings and their famed “winged-wheel.”  The wine has been described as having “aromas and flavors of raspberry and blackberry.  Expressions of coffee and cocoa frame the mid-palate, while a supporting spiciness balances out the soft-velvety finish.”

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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Posted on July 21, 2023 by thewineraconteur

This whole trip to Toronto was done in record time, so that we could see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child before it stops being performed.  As luck has it, we were able to get tickets for the final performance, at the beautiful Ed Mirvish Theatre, which was entirely done in Harry Potter themes.  A crazy morning, we finished packing, left the condo according to their instructions, we went to a restaurant for breakfast, and found that the most accommodating parking was at the garage that was part of the Eaton Centre.  The ladies were excited, but I was the most successful; I found an Italian Sport Coat (my shoulders were too large for Harry Rosen, but Saks was up to the challenge), since my retirement and the nonsense of a few years ago, I gained a little weight LOL, but it is slowly coming off, just like it slowly was added.  My Bride found the garment, I might add. 

We got to the theatre which was across the street from shopping about an hour early and it was already getting mobbed, but we couldn’t get in for about a half hour.  I did find out that I could get some wine, and all I could think of, was they were losing money, by not letting meander the lobbies drinking wine.  It was rather thrilling to see all the children, and some adults dressed like they were wizards at Hogwarts.  Some had complete outfits with wands, others had school ties or school scarves.  There were more people in costume, compared to when we went to the two parks in Orlando for our anniversary a few years back, and no, my Bride didn’t even bring her wand.  My Bride was going to take a photo of me in “The Mirror of Erised” and at the last minute, her sister who was one of the co-conspirators of this trip jumped in, as well. Now, without further ado, I will mention the play.  We all had some problems keeping up with the plot, as the enunciations of the actors was not as crisp as it could be, and they were not speaking from their diaphragms, as I was taught way back before mini-microphones.  Most of the cast were close enough in appearance to the characters that we have learned to love over the decade of films, with one glaring difference.  The staging was spectacular, the scene and property changes were choreographed perfectly, and the human transfigurations of the characters from one to another using “Polyjuice Potion” onstage was awesome.  Also, the “Patronus Charm” and the “Dementors” floating from the stage to above the audience was spellbinding.  As you may have noticed, since I know all the terms, I have become a fan.  We have the entire collection of hardbound books, and when I mentioned that I saw the book for the play, someone immediately went and purchased two copies.           

I did mention that my throat was getting parched when we arrived at the theatre and while they were searching for mythical candies found only at Hogwarts, I passed on the Butterbeer from Hogsmeade.  I decided that I needed a beverage more local in nature and I made my Bride happy as I purchased Hillebrand Trius Pinot Grigio Ontario VQA 2022.  It began as a small winery in the Niagara Peninsula called Newark, which was bought by Joe Pohorly and renamed Hillebrand Estate Winery in 1979.  In 1983, they were the first Ontario winery to successfully make Icewine.  In 1989, they launched Trius Red and two years later it won “best red wine in the world” at the International Wine and Spirits competition in London, England. In 1994 Hillebrand was sold to Andres, and is now owned by Andrew Peller Limited of Ontario and British Columbia.  In 2012 Trius Winery was founded, and as a side note we have been there a couple of times and we even had dinner at their restaurant.  The wine we had was from their Trius Everyday Collection and hence the Ontario VQA.  A very pale straw-yellow colored wine that offers notes of green apples, pears, honeydew, and a spritz of citrus. A very fresh and fruity, unoaked wine, that probably had very little aging time in Stainless Steel after Initial Fermentation.  A couple of glasses of this wine was perfect while enjoying the play.  You will be glad to know that my American patois was back, by the time we hit the border, and I think the border agent was just laughing as he saw some old timers waving play bills and books about Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.     

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Café Boulud in Toronto

Posted on July 19, 2023 by thewineraconteur

As I said one of the joys of finding a fine dinner experience in Toronto, which should have been easy, was difficult, because it was Canada Day.  My brain decided that the best chance of finding a nice dinner was at a hotel, because they have to feed their guests.  I found Café Boulud was at the Four Seasons Hotel.  I didn’t look any farther, since we have had the Chef’s Tasting at Daniel, and the stellar burger that is an homage to America at Bistro Boulud.  We were led to believe that we could do the Chef’s Tasting, while her sister and her husband could order off the menu.  Our waiter was totally against that idea, and had a very condescending attitude to us, as we all placed our food order.  My Bride and I shared an appetizer of Rougie Foie Gras Torchon, with rhubarb and strawberry, pistachio and house made Brioche.  We also shared a glass of Chateau Suduiraut Castelnau de Suduiraut Sauternes 2006, which is the second label for Chateau Suduirant.  Chateau Suduiraut is a Premier Cru from the 1855 Classification of Sauternes and Barsac. The estate has over ninety hectares of vines on gravelly, sandy soil on the banks of the Gironde and borders Chateau d’Yquem.  In 1992 the estate was acquired by the investment firm AXA Millesimes in 1992.  The fruit is harvested in passes, to get the optimum levels of botrytis grapes (Noble Rot which creates deeper depths of sugar).  The Premier Cru wines are aged for twenty-four months, the second label for fifteen months in twenty-three percent new barrels.  The wine is a blend of ninety-six percent Semillon and four percent Sauvignon Blanc.  The wine was a very pretty deep golden color and offered notes of candied fruit, florals and honeysuckle.  On the palate tones of yellow fruit and quince, and spices perfectly balanced of sweetness and acidity with a medium count of fruit and terroir.     

While the other couple shared a Rotisserie Chicken for two, with confit potatoes, zucchini, and wild mushroom risotto.  My Bride had Nova Scotia Lobster tail, with asparagus, Chanterelle mushrooms, frisee salad, and a Lobster Cognac sauce. After the appetizer I showed our waiter of my articles about our trip to Daniel and his autograph; his attitude changed immediately, and the next thing I knew, was that the General Manager came over to apologize about the misunderstanding about the Chef’s Tasting.  As a consolation he sent over a plate of Octopus that was one of the courses and it was large enough that the four of us could try it; I thought that was very generous and considerate.  Since the other couple wanted red wine, I ordered a glass of Domaine Louis Moreau Petit Chablis 2021 for my Bride.  Domaine Louis Moreau produces Chardonnay wines from four different levels of appellations in Chablis. The Moreau family has been in Chablis since 1814 and Louis represents the sixth generation.  This vineyard was planted in 1987 and is four hectares of vines.  The Petit Chablis vines are harvested in the second half of harvest for the domaine.  Initial Fermentation is for about eighteen days with natural yeasts, and Malolactic Fermentation is for a couple of months in Stainless Steel vats.  Then a light filtration, and then the wine is aged for an additional four months on the lees with several stages of racking.  It takes about ten months total, before the Petite Chablis is ready to be released.  The wine was a deep yellow and offered very aromatic notes of white fruits and citrus and white florals.  On the palate there were tones of fresh apple and citrus combined, good acidity and roundness with a nice finish of terroir.

I had the Rack of Lamb from Alberta, with spring peas, Morel mushroom fricassee, confit potatoes, and pressed Lamb shoulder; as a side note my Bride thought that I had chosen the better of the two entrées.  I tried to find a wine that I thought would work both with my choice and the chicken dishes and we got a bottle of Vina Bujanda Rioja Reserva 2016.  Familia Martinez Bujanda is a group of five wineries that own their own vineyards in different parts of Spain.  Joaquin Martinez Bujanda founded the original winery in Alava in 1889.  In 2009 Vina Bujanda was created to bottle the entire production for the vineyards in Rioja.  The wine is pure Tempranillo and the fruit is a blend of harvests from Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa. The wine is aged for twenty-four months in seventy percent American Oak and thirty percent French Oak barrels. The wine was so deep in color it appeared to be black and offered notes of black fruit, chocolate, leather, graphite, and pepper.  On the palate rich tones of black cherry, currants, pepper, and moderate tannins with a long medium count finish of fruit and terroir.     

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A Day Enjoying “Justin’s Barbecue”

Posted on July 17, 2023 by thewineraconteur

While we were enjoying a day in Toronto, and it was on Canada Day, we had to find ways to be entertained.  When I was a kid, I could speak Canadian fluently as my father was born in Hamilton, Ontario; named after George Hamilton and not a hip-hop musical. Also, as a kid, I would remember that on holidays and Sundays, Canada completely closed down, just like in the States.  Between the time we arranged this trip to us being in Canada, a major forest fire broke out in a couple of provinces, and the smoke was even devasting in Detroit as well in New York and the New England states.  So, we got a chance to wander around downtown Toronto in the haze and sometimes the CNN Tower was difficult to see.  In case you were concerned Justin Trudeau seem untroubled with the trees burning, as he was in Alberta away from the problem.  You may remember Justin as the little boy of Pierre and Margaret Trudeau.

We took a trolley and a transfer and walked the edges of Chinatown and Little Japan (I couldn’t tell you which was which) and we went to the Art Gallery of Ontario, or as it is called AGO.  We started in the lower-level concourse and admired the magnificent ship models, from there we went to the European galleries to the large Cassatt-McNichol collection.  We also saw a large collection of Indigenous art and perhaps the largest collection of Henry Moore art under one roof.  My Bride and I also showed her sister and her husband, one of the side benefits of going to a museum.  We went to the AGO Espresso Bar, and had some munchies.  While they enjoyed cups of espresso and tea, I decided on having something more flavorful and when in Rome… I had a glass of The Organized Crime Pinot Gris Niagara Peninsula VQA 2021.  “Sometime in the early-to-mid 1900s there were two quarreling Mennonite congregations who disagreed about the acquisition of a pipe organ.  The feud resulted on one congregation breaking into the other church, and then tossing it down an embankment… hence the Organized Crime Winery name.”  This small boutique winery, second-generation and family-owned is located on the Beamsville Bench of the Niagara Peninsula.  Edward Zaski and Ania de Duleba are the winegrowers, assisted by their Consultant Winemaker Greg Yemen.  The fruit for this wine was allowed to macerate for twenty-four hours of skin contact.  I will venture to say that this wine had fermentation and probably a short aging period all-in Stainless-Steel tanks to maintain the freshness of the fruit.  The light straw-colored wine offered a nose of pear, nectarine, and cantaloupe.  On the palate a very crisp and balanced taste with tones of pear and cantaloupe and a short finish of light citrus.  It was perfect and I felt comfortable to brave the heat and haze, especially since the women didn’t find anything that they had to have in the museum shop.

It was my job, to find a restaurant in Toronto, which seemed like a snap, until you realize that it was Canada Day.  Fast food, pubs and bar food was plenty, but the fine dining establishments were all closed so that the help could be with the family.  I put on my thinking cap and decided that major hotels had to have restaurants open for their guests, so I chose the Four Seasons Hotel as our destination.  According to our navigators, it was almost an even time lapse for trolley/bus or by foot from the museum to the restaurant, after almost an hour we made it to our destination, and I am glad that we do our daily 5K walks, though I still grumbled (it is a common feature).  I will reveal the restaurant in the next article, but the restaurant had a street-level bar that we gladly availed ourselves of.  They brought us out ice water, and a small dish of olives and Wasabi-spiced nuts and Marcona almonds.  My Bride and I had a glass of Mas Carlot Generations Blanc Costieres de Nimes 2021.  The original area was controlled by the Romans, and there are remains of that era. The buildings of Mas Carlot were originally built in the 17th Century and updated in the 19th Century. They are in the seventh generation as stewards of the land.  The current family has restored the grounds and buildings to their original appearance.  The Mas Carlot stretches across sixty-five-hectares and the vines are 70 meters above sea level. The vineyards were redone twenty-years ago, and the estate is now officially certified as organic.  The wine is a blend of fifty percent Roussanne, forty percent Marsanne and ten percent Viognier.  The wine had initial skin maceration and then fermentation and aging were done in concrete vats.  The soft yellow wine offered tones of apricots, peaches, and honeysuckle.  On the palate there were strong tones of apricots and peaches, the fruit was a bit jammy for me, but in good balance and acidity with a decent finish of fruit. Dinner time was approaching.  

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