First Two Courses with Wine at Vertical Detroit

Posted on September 22, 2023 by thewineraconteur

When we got settled at the table at Vertical Detroit, after the initial seven wines at the wine tasting courtesy of the Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan.  The First Course was a Charcuterie and Cheese Board placed strategically among a group of people at our table.  There were about eight different cured meats and cheeses on the board, accompanied with Honeycomb, grapes, Marcona almonds, olives, roasted red peppers, whole grain mustard and a house made Focaccia.

The first wine poured for our meal was Augustine Bordeaux Blanc 2022 made by Chateau Auguste.   Chateau Auguste is a seventy-four-acre Bordeaux estate located in the Right Bank region of Entre-Deux-Mers, which means between two seas; the Garonne and Dordogne Rivers.  A triangular region of sand and gravel atop layers of limestone, originally planted by the Romans.  Chateau Auguste is owned by Vignobles Sullivan and under the guidance of winemaker Damien Landouar.  An organically made wine of ninety-five percent a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon and five percent Muscadelle.  This light straw-colored wine offered notes of white fruits and freshly cut grass.  On the palate there were tones of pears, peaches, and almonds in a well-balanced and very easy drinking wine with a nice medium count finish of crispness and terroir.

The second wine that was poured during the first course was Chateau Auguste Grand Rosé Bordeaux 2022.  Chateau Auguste, besides being proud that they are an organic winery, they are also proud that they produce fine quality wines at an affordable price.  They also enjoy being out among the vines, as they employ a concept called “Genodics” where they play music or various sound waves and frequencies, twice a day, to stimulate the vines.  The wine is a blend of sixty percent Merlot and forty percent Cabernet Sauvignon. A pretty coppery-rose colored wine that offered notes of watermelon and strawberries.  On the palate this wine evoked Provence with its freshness and offered tones of strawberries, raspberries and soft tannins and ended with a charming finish requiring another taste.

The second course of the meal was a delightful Mushroom Risotto with wild mushrooms, caramelized onions, and Parmesan cheese.  Another wine was poured to compliment this dish and we returned to Chateau Gaby for their Chateau Gaby “Silver” Canon-Fronsac 2014.  This wine is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon.  The fruit was hand-harvested on the second week of October and was aged for twenty-four months in all new French Oak.  This dark ruby wine offered notes of black cherry, tobacco, and vanilla bean.  On the palate there were tones of black fruit, spices, and distinct tannins that all blended harmoniously and had a nice medium finish of fruit, terroir and a touch of salt.  Excellent with the Mushroom Risotto.   

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Chateau Gaby Cuvee

Posted on September 20, 2023 by thewineraconteur

There we were finishing off a vertical wine tasting at Vertical Detroit, and my Bride and I were guests courtesy of the Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan.  The first part of the evening was almost done, as we had tasted six wines from 2002 to 2010 from Chateau Gaby Canon-Fronsac, and we were getting ready to sit down for dinner, but I was surprised, as there was one more to totally get us excited, before dinner, as they began pouring Chateau Gaby Cuvee Canon-Fronsac 2007. This wine is from select plots on the estate and has limited production, featuring their older vines grown on the limestone rich hills of the estate.  This vintage has become regarded as a classic, but it started out with very poor weather from June to mid-August, and then followed by a perfect September of hot days and cool evenings. This wine is a blend of eighty percent Merlot, and twenty percent Cabernet Sauvignon. The fruit was hand-harvested on the second week of October and was aged for twenty-four months in all new French Oak.  A deep ruby colored with wine which offered notes of ripe black and red fruits, spices, and some described it as mushrooms or forest undergrowth that adds to the mystique of the wine.  On the palate there were layers of red fruits like strawberry, and black fruit like cherry and plums, with rich tannins and a good decent finish that was evoking dark fruit and terroir.  I was a bad boy and had seconds on this wine, which helped with the final purchase for the evening.

Now some of the “chateaus” of the Bordeaux region are in name only, Chateau Gaby has that grandeur from the road, that one envisions in their mind’s eye of what a chateau should look like.  The estate is an hour drive east from the city of Bordeaux, and the jewel of the Canon-Fronsac appellation.  The 18th Century chateau is nestled on a hilltop overlook the vineyards.  The first vines were planted in the 1600’s, and the estate underwent a restoration in 2006; and is considered one of the finest panoramic views in all of Bordeaux.  At one time the wines of the Dukes of Richelieu. The soils are more sandstone and limestone, instead of clay, and this aids the vines resistance to hotter weather.

After having seven wines under our belts from Chateau Gaby, there were still more wines to be poured and enjoyed all under the fine work of the Directeur General Damien Landouar, the winemaker, and he also has this title for the other wines made under the umbrella of Vignobles Sullivan and their other estate wines.  They list eight collections at the moment, with perhaps more on the horizon, of one read between the lines.  As I was nursing a second tasting of the Cuvee 2007, they had started requesting everyone to sit down for dinner, and I guess the turnout was even better than they had expected, as it may have looked like I was a host, they had to add a table to the long row, and my chair was at the end.  And as anyone there knew, I was hardly the host, but as our hosts and guests of honor were seated in the middle of the long table to regale all the guests.  Not only did I not get great photos of our hosts and honored guests, but I almost didn’t record the fact that I was there, but there was a tell-tale sign amid all the wine and tumult of the evening.

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Fine Wine Source September 2023 Club Selections

Posted on September 17, 2023 by thewineraconteur

I am interrupting the flow of the wine tasting at Vertical Restaurant held by Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan.  I am afraid that by the time the total amount of wines to reviewed is done, the month of September will be over.  It is only fitting that I keep writing about my times at the wine shop, as it is always a wonderful experience.  There is always a flow of people in and out, from vendors to customers and plenty of smiles and often the chance to taste some wines.  Sometimes impromptu tastings are done with strangers, but by the time the tasting is over, everyone is having a good time and has found a new friend in the bargain. 

The first selection for the wine club represents the Old World and is Nicole Chanrion Domaine de la Voute des Crozes Cote-de-Brouilly 2021.  Nicole Chanrion began her career in the 1970’s following the six generations that preceded her.  Back then, even her mother thought that she should be in the labs and out of the cellars, but Nicole wanted to be a vigneronne.  She began helping her father, but eventually took over the business in 1988.  She works the entire 6.5 hectares herself, on the tractor, pruning, the winemaking and finally to the bottling.  In 2000, she became the president of the Cote-de-Brouilly appellation.  Cote-de-Brouilly is one of the ten cru appellations of Beaujolais, and it is surrounded by the much larger Brouilly appellation, and the Cote is considered much more concentrated and elegant, with floral characters compared to the more earthy Brouilly.  The appellation only applies to red wines, however the law allows for a small amount of white grape varieties to be added to the Gamay grape varietal; they may use Chardonnay, Aligote or Melon de Bourgogne.  It is one of the smallest areas of the Beaujolais crus, hillside with a terroir of ancient volcanic schist of diorite, a mottled blue stone, hence the soil is thin and stony and well drained. Mont Brouilly is named for a Roman lieutenant who planted vines on the hill side, some two-thousand-years ago.  The wine is pure Gamay from fifty-year old vines, with some white juice added, as tradition continues.  The wine is also traditionally hand-harvested, whole cluster fermentation and aged in large oak foudres for about nine months and bottled unfiltered.  The wine is a garnet color and offers notes of raspberry and strawberry, and florals.  On the palate there are tones of red fruit, light tinges of spices, warm tannins, and a nice medium finish of fruit and terroir. A full-bodied Beaujolais, far removed from the Nouveau Beaujolais of years past.  

The second wine for the September selection and representing the New World is Barnard Griffin Rob’s Red Blend Washington State 2020.  Rob Griffin has been a winemaker in Washington since 1977.   At 23, with a degree from UC Davis began working in Washington, first at Preston Wine Cellars, then at Hogue Cellars.  In 1983 with his wife Deborah Barnard, they began Barnard Griffin to showcase their style and to feature their signature and Reserve wines.  This wine carries the Washington AVA as the wine features siz vineyards from three AVAs; Lonesome Spring Ranch and Black Rock Vineyard from Yakima Valley, Sagemoor Vineyard, Arete Vineyard, and Gunkel Vineyard from Columbia Valley and Desert Aire Vineyard from Wahluke Slope.  Everyone is hesitant to feature any vintages from 2020, the year of masks and fires; and this wine has no trace of smoke or fire.  The wine is a blend of seventy-one percent Cabernet Sauvignon, and twenty-nine percent of a blend of Syrah, Petite Sirah, and Grenache.  During Initial Fermentation and Maceration, the juice had pump-overs twice daily, aged in oak for sixteen months with a production of just shy of five-thousand cases.  A dark garnet wine that offers tones of blackberry, as well as the earthiness of mushrooms.  On the palate the Cabernet based red blend offers notes of cherry, cranberry, and orange zest; with juicy acidity and a fruit finish.   

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The Final Two of the Chateau Gaby Vertical

Posted on September 14, 2023 by thewineraconteur

The evening was just beginning at Vertical Detroit, with a vertical tasting of Chateau Gaby, hosted by The Fine Wine Source of Livonia, Michigan.  The evening also featured the winemaker Damien Landouar and there was quite a crowd.  Chateau Gaby is an estate located in the Canon-Fronsac appellation on the right bank of Bordeaux, and produces some extremely fine wines and some consider it, a well-kept secret.  The wines for Chateau Gaby and Chateau Gaby Cuvee wines are produced from older vines grown on the limestone rich hills of the estate.  The estate is flanked by the Dordogne River, and the hill estates are likened to the Saint-Emilion appellation.

The penultimate wine of the vertical tasting was Chateau Gaby Canon-Fronsac 2008.  This was from a balanced year for the seasons.  The spring was fairly wet, but still a sunny spring.  The summer was consistently moderate and sunny, and followed by a mild and dry autumn before harvest. The wine is a blend of eighty percent Merlot, ten percent Cabernet Sauvignon, and ten percent Cabernet Franc.  The fruit is hand-harvested in the second week of October.  Then the wine is aged for twenty-four months in French Oak, of which half is new.  A nice ruby color, the wine offered notes of red fruit and truffles.  On the palate the wine offered tones of cherry, and cassis, very fresh with silk tannins.  I think it needs more time in the cellar. 

The last wine from the vertical tasting was Chateau Gaby Canon-Fronsac 2010.  It was one of the best vintages in Bordeaux across the board.  The climate was a perfect blend of precipitation, temperatures, and sun.  As always, this wine was a blend of eighty percent Merlot, ten percent Cabernet Sauvignon, and ten percent Cabernet Franc.  The fruit was hand-harvested on the second week of October and was aged for twenty-four months in French Oak of which half was new.  The wine was a deep ruby color and it offered notes of red fruits and black fruits and spices.  On the palate, the tones of the red and black fruits offered a rich, complexity, followed by full tannins, spices and finishing off with a good medium count of fruit and terroir.  After the vertical tasting we had several discussions and naturally with wine, there is not always a consensus, while they all were well made, I really enjoyed the 2004, 2006, 2007 and the 2010.  There was more to come. 

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Part Two of the Vertical of Chateau Gaby

Posted on September 11, 2023 by thewineraconteur

It was a very stellar occasion that was put on by The Fine Wine Source of Livonia, and Vertical Detroit, their restaurant in Downtown Detroit.  Chateau Gaby was being featured in a major presentation.  Damien Landouar was representing Chateau Gaby as he is the Directeur General and the Winemaker there.  He is from the town of Saintes, just north of Bordeaux.  He has two decades of experience in his career of winemaking. He has a degree in agronomy, and finished post graduate studies of oenology at Vayres Rural Institute.  He also manages three other estates.  Unfortunately, with the crowd, I did not get a good photo from all of the photos I shot, so I found one courtesy of the internet.

The third wine of the vertical of six was Chateau Gaby Canon-Fronsac 2006. The district is known for their soil which is more sandstone and limestone than clay, which allows the vines to have a certain resistance to hotter weather, which has helped during sweltering summers compared to other parts of Bordeaux. This wine is a blend of eighty percent Merlot, ten percent Cabernet Sauvignon, and ten percent Cabernet Franc.  The year began with a wet spring, a very dry and hot summer, with an unusually wet August, but high temperatures and dry in September.   The fruit is hand-harvested, and traditionally in the second week of October.  The wine is aged for twenty-four months in French Oak, of which half is new.  A deep ruby color that offered notes of black cherry, tobacco, and vanilla.  On the palate the tones of the black cherry, tobacco, and vanilla were very evident, with silky tannins, and a good finish of fruit, iron and terroir.

The fourth wine of the vertical series was Chateau Gaby Canon-Fronsac 2007.  Originally the appellation was Cotes de Canon in 1939 and then it simplified to Canon-Fronsac in 1964.  This vintage has become regarded as a classic, but it started out with very poor weather from June to mid-August, and then followed by a perfect September of hot days and cool evenings. The wine is a blend of eighty percent Merlot, ten percent Cabernet Sauvignon, and ten percent Cabernet Franc.  A pretty ruby colored wine that offered intense notes of black cherry, tobacco, vanilla, and enticing whiffs of truffles.  On the palate, the tones of fruit mingled well with elegant tannins with beautiful support of spices and a great finish showcasing terroir.

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A Vertical Tasting at Vertical Detroit

Posted on September 8, 2023 by thewineraconteur

You may have noticed that over the years I have mentioned my local wine shop/club that I visit quite often, well they also own a wine-centric restaurant Vertical Detroit in the historic Ashley Hotel in Downtown Detroit. The restaurant opened in September 2015, but closed during the mandated lockdown period which ruined many establishments.  They reopened and continue with their concept of over two-hundred-fifty different vintages by the bottle and nearly forty-five by the glass.  The word vertical in wine-talk refers to trying the same wine over the course of at least three years, and they even offer several selections of verticals there as well.  My Bride and I were invited to Vertical for a vertical tasting of wines by Chateau Gaby of Canon-Fronsac by Jim Lutfy, his wife Livvie, and their daughter Remy.  The tasting was conducted by the winemaker Damien Landouar

We were going to be tasting a vertical of six wines from Chateau Gaby.  The estate is an hour drive east from the city of Bordeaux, and the jewel of the Canon-Fronsac appellation.  The 18th Century chateau is nestled on a hilltop overlook the vineyards.  The first vines were planted in the 1600’s, and the estate underwent a restoration in 2006; and is considered one of the finest panoramic views in all of Bordeaux.  At one time the wines of the Dukes of Richelieu. The soils are more sandstone and limestone, instead of clay, and this aids the vines resistance to hotter weather. We started with Chateau Gaby Canon Fronsac 2002.  The early fall prior to harvest was a blessing for this wine.  The wine is a blend of eighty percent Merlot, ten percent Cabernet Sauvignon, and ten percent Cabernet Franc. The fruit is harvested by hand, traditionally in the second week of October.  The wine is aged for twenty-four months in French Oak, of which half is new.  A pretty ruby color that offered notes of red fruit, and fresh tobacco.  On the palate the wine offered tones of cherry and cassis, balanced with a medium count offering fruit and terroir. 

The second wine of the vertical tasting was Chateau Gaby Canon Fronsac 2004.  Another vintage where the early fall was a boon for this wine, according to the winemaker.  The wine is a blend of eighty percent Merlot, ten percent Cabernet Sauvignon, and ten percent Cabernet Franc.  Hand-harvested in the second week of October.  The wine is aged for twenty-four months in French Oak, of which half is new.  The wine was a deeper ruby color and offered great notes of black fruits, tobacco, and cedar.  On the palate, the tones of the black fruits were more intense, very well balanced, with a big and creamy feel and good finish of terroir.  I thought I liked the 2002, until I tasted the 2004. 

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Michigan Heroes Museum and Lunch

Posted on September 5, 2023 by thewineraconteur

We both like museums and history, not to mention meals with wine.  We covered all the basics with a trip to Frankenmuth, Michigan.  Now keep your lederhosen on, and we will get back to Frankenmuth soon enough.  I really wanted to see the Michigan Heroes Museum since I first heard about it on the radio.  The museum is not about war, or battles; rather it is unique in that it honors the men and women of Michigan and their individual ordinary lives, caught up in and sometimes ended by the experience of war.  There are over nine-hundred exhibits, most of which rotate, because of the lack of space, starting with the Spanish-American War to the War on Terrorism, and with a side exhibit honoring the Michiganders in the Space Program. It also features more Medals of Honor than any other museum in the United States.  The volunteers that were there were truly dedicated, and one said that during the lockdown in the state, they received massive amounts of material honoring individuals from their families, as people had time to see what were in their attics and basements.  With all of the memorabilia that was displayed in the cases and above the cases, I really could have stayed there all day, if not a couple of days longer.

We went to a wine bar in Frankenmuth called Prost, owned by a couple from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada.  We actually went kind of light for lunch.  We started with a Michigan Whitefish Dip with Riesling, capers, cream cheese and dill with Balsamic Onion Jam, Ciabatta bread and crackers.  My Bride had a Caesar Salad with Ciabatta croutons and grated Parmigiano cheese topped with an Amish Chicken breast.  I had a grilled Avocado topped with Lobster Claw salad on a bed of spring greens tossed with Lemon. We had a charming bottle of wine with lunch, that I could find very little information about.  We had Evolucio Furmint Tokaj, Hungary 2022.  Tokaj is a region that is famous for its dessert wine of the same name.  Tokaj is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it has one of the oldest wine classification systems which started in 1730. The vineyards are a variety of different volcanic soils that retain heat and a remarkable mineral character. The grape Furmint is taken from the word “Froment” for the wheat-gold color of the wine.  Furmint can be produced in a range of wine styles from bone dry to extremely sweet wines.  I couldn’t find any background information on Evolucio.  The wine is a blend of eighty-five percent Furmint and fifteen percent Harlslevelu; between these two grapes, it accounts for ninety percent of the grapes grown in Takaj. Harlslevelu also is susceptible for “noble rot.”  It tends to add spiciness and/or smokiness, some honey pollen and elderflower.  The vines are about fifteen years of age and grow on slopes with no irrigation. The grapes are hand-harvested, destemmed, pressed gently, fermented in Stainless-Steek tanks with no further aging. A pale-gold colored wine with notes of green apple, pear, pineapple, and white florals.  On the palate, the bright acidity blending with tones of apricot,  melon, and minerals while it ends with a decent finish of dryness for all that fruit and some more acidity that calls for another sip.  

And it was a delightful day-trip to Frankenmuth, which is almost like a Bavarian village transposed to Michigan.  The shops on the main drag after going through a gate greeting you all have folksy Germanic feel, and I am sure that the lederhosen come out for the many events that are celebrated in the town.  They are famous for their chicken and butter noodle dinners.  It was also good that it was a day-trip and we used up the day as tourists, because they are also famous for Bronner’s where it is Christmas year-round and the largest Christmas store in the world.  I often think of flying a drone over our house to see if Bronner’s is painted on our rooftop.  There is a huge glockenspiel clock that is an event, all of its own four times a day.  When you enter Frankenmuth, you are greeted with Willkommen and when you leave, it is Auf Wiedersehen.    

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The Statler French American Bistro

Posted on September 3, 2023 by thewineraconteur

I keep having a difficult time typing or saying Statler without Hilton, and not because of the two characters in the private theater box on the Muppets, because for years on Washington Boulevard and Grand Circus Park stood the Statler-Hilton Hotel.  In my youth, that hotel was where the Armenian Youth Federation held a conference, a convention and even an Olympics with all the dances were held, such great memories.  The hotel was torn down, and a much smaller footpad and many less floors, one can find the City Club Apartments.  One can also find the Statler French American Bistro, part of the Joe Vicari Restaurant Group in Michigan and the city of Las Vegas, and if my memory was correct, the restaurant is about the same location as the old Trader Vic’s which was the restaurant in the flagship locations of the old hotel chain.

We were there to have dinner, before going to see Barry Manilow, and we were going with one of my Bride’s best friends, who instigated the entire evening and got sick and was quarantined just a couple of hours, before the night’s festivities were to begin.  Since there was just the two of us, my Bride and I decided to share an order of Seared Foie Gras, with a crispy waffle, Sauternes reduction, and lingonberry jam.  We also were going to share a glass of Sauternes, but our waitress had the bar, divide the wine into two equal servings for us; which were glasses of Chateau Roumieu-Lacoste Sauternes 2019.  The estate is owned by Herve Dubourdieu who also has Chateau Graville-Lacoste and Chateau Ducasse.  The Sauternes estate originates from his mother’s side of the family and dates to1890.  The estate is six hectares of vineyards on shale and limestone on fissure rocks with red iron and gray flint, the vines are at least forty-five years of age.  The wine is made from pure Botrytized Semillon, that is fermented in Stainless-Steel and then aged in Bordelaise Oak, seventy percent new, for eighteen months.  A deep golden colored wine at a young age offered notes of dried fruits, spices, and smoke.  On the palate, a very fresh and dense wine with tones of dried fruits and a nice finish of fruit and a tinge of terroir.

My Bride surprised me and she wanted a Truffle Burger with three cheeses, sautéed mushrooms, and Truffle Aioli with Truffle Fries.  I had the Norwegian Salmon with Lobster, and sauce vin blanc.  We enjoyed a bottle of Domaine de Pallus “Les Pensées de Pallus” Chinon 2016.  Domaine de Pallus has twelve hectares of now biodynamically farmed hillside vineyards dating back to 1889 and still in the same family. The plots for this wine are from shallow mid-slopes planted on sand and fine-grained limestone and since 2013, only the best vines are chosen for this cuvee. The juice undergoes fermentation and maceration in concrete tanks using indigenous yeasts for twenty-one days.  The wine is then aged for twelve months in barrels, followed by an additional six months back in the concrete tanks.  A nice dark ruby color that offered notes of red fruits and florals.  On the palate, a classic interpretation with tones of cherry, currants, raspberry, and strawberry, a little citrus in the background, with bell pepper and bay leaves, good acidity, medium tannins and a nice dry finish.  A perfect wine for food, as it just complimented the fats and richness of the dishes.     

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The Copa at the LCA

Posted on September 1, 2023 by thewineraconteur

The legendary Copacabana (named after a beach in Rio de Janeiro) was at 625 West 51’st for one night was at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.  It may not have had the glamor of the famed one continuous film shot of Goodfellas, but Barry Manilow did his best to bring his famous songs to the arena.  We had a whole evening orchestrated by one of my Bride’s best friends and an hour before she was going to leave her house, she called to tell us, that she had been stricken with the bug, that you have to be tested for, to see if you have it.

Neither my Bride, nor myself had been to the Little Caesars Arena, which is relatively new for Detroit, but then we are not really sports enthusiasts.  We couldn’t find any wine, while we were wandering around the stadium in search for a t-shirt of this event for one of our grandchildren.  I didn’t find any wine beyond what we had at the other stadium, and we weren’t in the mood for bulk wine.  We decided to have Margaritas, another mistake, I am not sure what the “bartender” made, be neither of us could decide what the drink was.  We ended up with a t-shirt and the two “drinks” and discovered that seats that we had paid such a premium for, were way on the side of the stage and in the nose bleed section.  Just after, we had gotten comfortable, an usher scaled up the stairs to where we were, and asked if we would be interested in a complimentary upgrade to floor level seats, we graciously accepted them, and we ended up eye level with the stage and just slightly off from the center.  A perfect location to enjoy the concert, unfortunately I didn’t like any photo I took at the concert, so I am enclosing the upgraded tickets instead, not nearly as exciting, but I hope you can appreciate the effort.

In case, you were concerned, as this article is written out of sequence for the day, we did have a chance to enjoy some real wines at two different venues prior to the concert.  We had arrived downtown early to secure a good parking spot, for a rapid departure after the show, so we had plenty of time to wander about a bit before our dinner reservations, and for me to get my bearings straight about the location of the stadium to my geographic memories of this section of the outskirts of old Downtown Detroit.  Our first stop was The Royce for a couple of glasses of wine to fight off the summer heat.  We had a glass of La Costa Fattoria Sociale Vespaiolo IGT Veneto 2020.  La Costa Fattoria Sociale is in the Breganze region of the Veneto, which is the fourth oldest DOC in this area, dating back to 1969.  The owner of the winery had a son that was diagnosed with a disability, and the winery created a “social farm” that helps refugees, the disabled, the homeless and the unemployed, as well as those who suffer from addictions.  They provide employment, housing, medical and social services, and training.  The winery is organic, self-sustainable, using solar-panels, capturing rainwater for irrigation and sheep to manage vegetation growth.  Vespaiolo is basically only found in the Veneto region of Italy, and is most famous for Breganze Torcolato, a sweet wine from Breganze.  There were no winemaking notes that I could glean from my research.  The wine is a straw-yellow color offering notes of elderberry.  On the palate tones of white currants and quince with bright acidity and freshness and a rather short finish of almonds and terroir.  I think it may have been a bit more interesting with a tin of sardines and some crackers, instead of just being on its own.       

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I Have Finally Seen the Lions at All Three Stadiums

Posted on August 30, 2023 by thewineraconteur

Now purists might argue that the Lions actually played at five stadiums, but I will be ego-centric and only claim the three that were used in my life time, and that is a long enough span of time.  I can go all the way back to when they actually played at Tiger Stadium, and back then, you had to willing to endure the elements, just like the players and when the NFL got their other acronym of “Not For Long.”  They are famed for always having a traditional Thanksgiving Day, and the only team that has never played in a Super Bowl.  In spite of their fame for losing; the Honolulu Blue jerseys have been a mainstay in Detroit, since when they did win before the Super Bowl was created.  All this is because we have season tickets on the fifty-yard line, on the visiting team’s side, and we usually just sell the tickets to friends that are really fans.  This year my Bride decided to not try to look for a purchaser for an exhibition game, so we went to see the arena.

We got downtown early to have lunch and some wine, before the game.  We also got the privilege of paying forty dollars to park our car, where we usually only pay ten dollars.  As I said the Lions are still a major draw.  We went to Basement Burger Bar, and the downtown location is the only one of their three locations that isn’t in a basement.  Their gimmick is that they have a menu where you write all the parameters of your burger on the menu and then bring it to you.  My Bride had a Chicken preparation with Truffle-Oil French Fries and I had a “Wagyu-style” burger with Onion Rings on the side.  Both selections were big, filling and a bit sloppy to eat, but we were adventurous.  We also had Mimosas, which was a bad choice, because they brought us a glass of orange juice neither of us could stand, and with the addition of an airline wine bottle of Barefoot bubbly American Champagne Brut Cuvee California NV.  We even ordered a second split each of the sparkling wine to see if it could mask the taste of orange juice, but to no avail.  Barefoot Cellars has a huge selection of value-driven wines, with their iconic footprint label evoking the concept of bare feet stomping and crushing the grapes.  The winery began in 1986, and they were purchased in 2005 by E & J Gallo, which explains how they can call themselves “American Champagne” from a loophole that was agreed upon, when France sued and won the case that sparkling wine made here could not use “Champagne” except for a few wineries that were grandfathered in.  This wine looked like a pale straw-yellow as I was pouring the second bottle into the Mimosa and is pure Chardonnay and made from the bulk method, also known as the Charmot Method.  There was not much nose being offered, and I didn’t try any, as I didn’t want to drink it from the bottle in the restaurant.  

After our lunch, we walked over to Ford Field, named after the Ford family, of automotive fame, and the owners of this lauded football team.  I actually got to see for myself the wonderful seats that we own with two others.  There are six seats twenty-two rows up with nothing to impede the vision of the entire field.  We also went wandering around the stadium and I had a chance to witness how different brands were selling or not selling, though we didn’t check out any of the restaurants that are in the stadium.  I really didn’t see wine listed at the beverage booths, and my Bride said that she wanted a Bloody Mary, that came out in a plastic replica of a caning jar with all sorts of different garnishes sticking out of the container.  She said it was good, and very spicy, but she ended up throwing away the garnishes.  I asked if they had any wine at this booth and the lady produced an individual serving bottle of Barefoot Chardonnay California NV.  When Barefoot Cellars began, they only produced a Sauvignon Blanc and a Cabernet Sauvignon.  Slowly, they introduced new varieties and in ten years, they had achieved coast-to-coast distribution. After they were purchased by E & J Gallo, they are now considered one of the largest wine brands in the world with annual production averaging around twenty-one-million cases.  Even though I get razzed a bit, when I write about brands like this, I still think that they may be the product that will entice a customer to discover other Chardonnay wine.  The wine had a pale gold color and offered notes of fruit and butter, which is surprising since I am sure that wine is produced in huge Stainless-Steel tanks, unless oak chips are added to the tanks along with the juice.  On the palate, this wine offered tones of apple, peach, and vanilla (once again, it must be oak chips) and a short and sweet finish.   

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