Manzanos 1955

Posted on August 18, 2023 by thewineraconteur

Imagine my delight when I was in my local wine shop, the Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan, and it was the first time, that I ever had a wine, one year younger than myself.  I have had a few wines that were older, the majority have been younger.  A very unique situation and most enjoyable.  I had a chance to try Familia Fernandez de Manzanos “Manzanos Red Wine 1955 Spain.”

Bodegas Manzanos is a large wine producer in Spain, founded in 1890 and is now run by the fifth generation of the Fernandez de Manzanos family.  They are in the top three of Navarra and the top five in Rioja for production and they own ten wineries.  The original winery for the family is in the Rioja Alta zone back in 1890.  The newest generation has been going through all the facilities on all the properties.  Around 2020 they discovered a cache of bottles under canvases, forgotten and untouched since they bottled the wine 1961 Vino Tinto, so probably 1964/5.  They originally must have thought that the wine could use some additional maturation time in the bottle, and it was forgotten about in a hillside cellar.  Each bottle was opened and tasted to determine if it was still good.  Then the bottles were emptied into a Stainless-Steel vat.  The decision was made to rebottle, recork, and relabel the wine.  That wine was labeled Familia Fernandez de Manzanos “Manzanos Red Wine 1961 Spain” as the designation of Rioja was not internationally known as it is today. 

History sometimes has a way of repeating itself.  A hidden cellar was discovered with three hundred some bottles of a 1955 vintage.  They contacted the Rioja Association who oversaw that each bottle was opened using inert gas and checked to have no flaws, poured into a Stainless-Steel vat.  Then new bottles, new labels and they ended up with about one-hundred pristine bottles of Familia Fernandez de Manzanos “Manzanos Red Wine 1955 Spain.” Some background on the wine.  This wine is a blend of Tempranillo and Garnacha (Grenache) from vineyards of predominantly alluvial and clay-ferrous soils.  The fruit was harvested in the manner of the mid-Twentieth Century tradition of hand-picking in small baskets.  The aging was done in old oak barrels.  This wine offers a window into how Rioja wines were from that era.  I was fortunate to have been invited to taste the wine from a couple of sample bottles that were offered and of course, the Fine Wine Source bought the entire shipment.  The wine still had a nice garnet color with bright highlights to it, in the glass and it offered notes of dried fruits, spices, cocoa and an unmatchable nose of tradition and age.  On the palate there were tones of dried fruit, totally different from fruit-bombs that are the rage these days, and blended in with layers of sous bois (a descriptor that I seldom use, but for this wine, I guess it is imperative, and it is used to convey a wet forest floor – earthiness – an ethereal term) and old tobacco.  This was not a spring chicken, and I had the good fortune to be at the store on another visit, and I believe the entire lot of the ’61 is gone, and there is one bottle left of the ’55.      

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Another Fine Meal at Walloon Lake Inn

Posted on August 16, 2023 by thewineraconteur

I have to admit that I always accuse my Bride of being repetitious in her selections, but I totally agreed that we had to have dinner while we were up north at the Walloon Lake Inn.  It began as a quaint country inn on the shores of Walloon Lake, back in 1891.  Originally called Fern Cottage, it was a haven for the travelers, who enjoyed northern Michigan by carriage, train, or steamboat. In 1981, it became the Walloon Lake Inn, as a “bed and breakfast” and a restaurant.  In 2014, there was a total renovation and it became the current Walloon Lake Inn. 

We ended up being seated at the same table, overlooking the water, as well as all the diners out on the patio.  My Bride started off with her usual, but it was not the same; she had a Caesar Salad with Romaine lettuce, croutons, but with Heirloom cherry tomatoes, a Parmesan crisp and Caesar Salad.  I had Scallops and Pork Belly with Mexican street corn and Hazelnut Molé. For her entrée she surprised me and had the Seafood Risotto with Scallops, Shrimp, a Vegetable Risotto with an herbed butter wine sauce.  I had the Braised Short Ribs with Whipped potatoes, roasted Brussels Sprouts and Butternut squash, Fennel and Carrot slaw, and a house made demi-glace.  She really doesn’t give me too much grief about having Braised Short Ribs, because after she made them a couple of times, she decided that it was better for the restaurants to go through all the effort, instead of her.  We shared a Crème Brulee with Cappuccinos afterwards.

Walloon Lake Inn

I was studying the wine carte, trying to find something that I thought would work for both of us, and she kind of hinted that she wouldn’t mind a red.  I went with a bottle of Stephane Aviron Julienas Vielle Vignes 2017 imported by Frederick Wildman and Sons, Ltd.  Stephane Aviron has adopted an almost radical return to tradition in Beaujolais; insisting on sustainable viticulture, old vines minimum of forty years, and classic Burgundian techniques.  He wants his Cru Beaujolais to emulate a fine Burgundy.  He has shifted away from recent Beaujolais practices.  Julienas is one of the Cru Beaujolais districts and are on the northern part of the region.  They have historically been regarded as being heavier and more full-bodied, but also have the potential of being the most short-lived of the Cru designations.  They have had vineyards there for more than two-thousand years and the village is named after Julius Caesar.  It can be found that Beaujolais allows a small portion of white wines to be blended with the Gamay grape, but this wine is pure Gamay.  The fruit is harvested from two areas of Julienas “Vayolette” and “La Prat” and these parcels have soil that this is a mixture of granite with clay and limestone.  The grapes are vinified separately until the final blending and bottling.  Whole bunches are fermented and then macerated in temperature controlled Stainless Steel for about nine days.  The wine is aged for twelve months in large, neutral oak foudres of fifty hectoliters.  We had such a good time, that I forgot to take a photo of the wine in the glass. The wine had a nice red color and offered notes of cherry, strawberry, and herbs.  On the palate the wine offered tones of ripe fruit, soft tannins, and a nice finish with some terroir.  It was definitely not the run of the mill Beaujolais and I think it had the perfect amount of bottle age. 

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Walloon Lake Winery

Posted on August 14, 2023 by thewineraconteur

Through social media, I ended up meeting the winemaker Matt Killman, who is a fan of Cold-hardy grapes, and is at Walloon Lake Winery.  My Bride and I had just left one winery, on our way to this winery and then we had dinner reservations.  A piece of cake, as they say, as every destination was not far from each other.  The best laid plans… as the old saying goes.  We were driving along part of the route of the Michigan AVA called the Tip of the Mitt.  You may not be aware, but Michiganders can identify the lower peninsula by showing the back side of their hand, and if you think of a mitten on that hand, you see where the reference to the top of the mitt(en) comes from.  We have driven this route often, but this time when we got to Charlevoix there was a massive traffic jam, as they were having their Venetian Festival.  As I had promised to meet Matt, we doubled back and drove around the lake or inlet.  A beautiful drive, but very time consuming.

In 1954, Bob and Dorothy Dennis and their newborn son Tim, began the Dennis Farms, a small dairy operation on forty acres.  In 2012 Tim was thinking about retiring and was researching Cold-hardy grapes and Dennis Farms Vineyard began.  They had their own greenhouse that was built earlier and from there, they started planting in 2013; Marquette, Frontenac, Petite Pearl and Sabrevois for red wines and Frontenac Gris, Frontenac Blanc, and La Crescent for white wines.  They also use locally grown grapes from the area.  In 2014, they began building a tasting room, using lumber from their own property as well as stones found on the grounds as well. In 2018, they built their own crush-pad and Walloon Lake Winery was coming to fruition.  They are part of the fourteen wineries that make up the Petoskey Wine Region.  They are also part of the large Tip of the Mitt AVA, which is the latest federally recognized designation in Michigan in 2016 and encompasses 6 counties in the northern Lower Peninsula.

The drive getting there, because of the unexpected detour and the demands for our dinner reservations created a very abbreviated tasting, and I still apologize for it.  I did have a chance to try three wines.  The first wine was Walloon Lake Winery Sunshine Daydream Tip of the Mitt 2021.  A dry blend of Frontenac Blanc and Frontenac Gris fermented on the skins and aged on spent yeast cells.  Frontenac Blanc is a genetic variant of the red Frontenac grape and was released in 2012.  Frontenac Gris is a pink-berried mutation of Frontenac and was released in 2003.  The wine was produced using a “low intervention style.”  This coppery-rose colored wine offered notes of tropical fruits and bit of foxiness.  On the palate tones of citrus and tropical fruits with an acidity and a short finish “dryness” which I how I would term it.  The second wine was Walloon Lake Winery Rosie Rosé Tip of the Mitt 2020.  This wine is a dry Marquette rosé wine and named after the winery’s mascot Rosie, a Mini-Aussie.   Marquette is a cousin of Frontenac and a grandson of Pinot Noir and is a French-American hybrid introduced in 2006.  This pink-hued wine offered notes of tropical fruit and florals.  On the palate there were notes of cherry, black fruit, tropical fruit, and a tinge of pepper.  The last wine that I tried as my Bride had by then started paging me and honking from the parking lot was Walloon Lake Winery North Arm Noir Michigan 2021.  This was a dry Marquette wine that was ruby-red in color and offered notes of dark fruits, tobacco, and pepper.  On the palate this wine had tones of cherry, currants, and pepper with suggestions of oak.  We will have to try to get back there and try the wines in a more leisurely pace.             

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More Wines at Bos Wine

Posted on August 12, 2023 by thewineraconteur

One of the best pleasures is when I get a chance to be with the winemaker, as my Bride and I had the chance, at Bos Wine in Elk Rapids, Michigan.  I had the pleasure of meeting David Bos; a couple of times and my Bride met him once at another tasting.  The problem was, is that David is a great raconteur and a proud steward of the lands.  He was so captivating that I literally forgot to take notes, it was the perfect one on one with the wines.  And if you are in the area, you must stop by at his tasting room, and even if David is not there, his staff is completely capable and knowledgeable and will make you totally comfortable.  Also, when you are there, you have to try his Charcuterie Board, one of the best that we have had and well worth the price.  There were crackers, cheeses, olives, two types of peppers, ham and salumi; the salumi is made locally for him and they use his wine in the production.

We continued our tasting with Wishflower Michigan 2021, a blending of Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Riesling; co-fermented with fruits harvested from Leelanau Peninsula and Old Mission Peninsula.  The Pinot Gris is from Brigadoon Vineyard on Leelanau Peninsula, while the Pinot Blanc and Riesling are from Ten Hands Vineyard on Old Mission Peninsula.   A very pretty yellow wine that offered notes of white fruits and white florals.  On the palate high acidity perks up the taste buds with tones of green apples, lemon, and ginger and with a touch of tartness with a nice finish.  Then we had a chance to try two different Riesling wines and both from Old Mission Peninsula.  The Bos Wine Riesling Old Mission Peninsula 2021 featured fruit harvested from two different vineyards that David consults for and were vinified together as one.  This was a straw-yellow colored wine that offered notes of citrus, and white florals.  On the palate this wine had good acidity, and offered tones of nectarines, balance, and a touch of spice.  The “All that is Gold” Riesling Old Mission Peninsula 2021 also is made from fruit harvested from Ten Hands Vineyard.  The fruit was allowed to ripen a bit longer, and the wine also enjoyed extended lees contact.  The pale-golden-yellow wine offered noted of citrus and honeysuckle.  On the palate a richer texture and body with tones of apples and a tinge of orange and some terroir. 

Then we enjoyed a couple of reds, and David has said that he enjoys getting people that are hesitant about trying red wines from Michigan, and these are his first two Michigan reds, as I have also had some of his reds from California.  The first was Bos Wine Blaufrankisch Old Mission Peninsula 2021.  Blaufrankisch, also known as Lemberger and Kekrankos is grown widely in Austria and Hungary, as well as some of the Eastern European countries; it is also found in the Mid-west of America and the Finger Lakes of New York state.  This fruit is from Vineyard 15 on the north-end of Old Mission Peninsula and is owned by Vinnie Johnson who was on the Detroit Pistons basketball team and his number was “15.” One third of the fruit was whole-cluster crushed, and the balance was destemmed, but not crushed, as the berries were allowed to break down naturally during punch-downs.  The wine was pressed and aged for fifteen months in used oak barrels.  A bright garnet colored wine that offered notes of black cherries and spice.  On the palate, good medium bodied wine with structure showing tones of fresh fruit, and some pepper.  The last red wine and wine of the tasting was Bos Wine “Interlochen” Michigan 2022.  This wine is a blend of Marquette, Blaufrankisch and Pinot Noir.  Marquette is crossed hybrid in 1989 from the University of Minnesota and introduced in 2006.  It is a “cold-hardy” grape developed for the northern states.  This garnet-colored wine offered notes of black fruit, leather, and spices.  On the palate a well-balanced easy drinking wine that offered tones of cherries, currants, blackberries, and pepper.  It was sad to finish the session, but we were on the road again.  The wines can’t taste themselves.         

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David Bos and Bos Wine

Posted on August 10, 2023 by thewineraconteur

My Bride and I were in Elk Rapids, Michigan and having a tasting with David Bos, winemaker of Bos Wine.  I first met David at, of all places The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan and then my Bride and I met him at a “Farmers Market” behind Frame Restaurant in Hazel Park, and that is another series of stories that I haven’t gotten to.  We first met in 2019 and in the ominous year of 2020 my Bride and I were in Louisville, Kentucky having dinner because such niceties disappeared in Michigan and we had as our opening bottle, the Bos Wine Ode to Fume Napa Valley 2015 with their tagline of “Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs” by William Shakespeare and an homage to Pouilly-Fume of the Loire.  David Box who started in Michigan went to California and has now returned to Michigan.  He attended Hope College with dual majors of Religion and English, discovered some quality wines and took off to California without a job, but with determination.  He started with a job at Grgich Hills and eventually became their vineyard manager.  He arrived there at the most opportune time, as they were converting to biodynamic farming and there are over three-hundred-fifty-acres to work.  He said that he considers himself to be a farmer, who makes wine.  The winery began in 2010, in Calistoga, but when he found this building in Elk Rapids, he knew that his boutique wine label had finally found a permanent home, with a garden and a red barn in the back.

By the time my Bride got out of the car into their garden out back, as we entered into the home base and tasting room, she was already in love.  She hadn’t tried a wine yet that day, but she was a happy camper, I tend to notice things like that about her.  We went in and then were immediately walked back out to the garden to enjoy the first glass of wine, as we waited for David to get there.  We were enjoying Bos Wine Methode Agricole Michigan 2020 is made with Valvin Muscat and is a “Pet-Nat” type of wine.  Methode Agricole is a farming method that minimizes risk to the environment without sacrificing economic production.  Pet-Nat is short for Petillant Naturel “naturally bubbling” and is respected as authentic craftsmanship of small quantities of wine.   The wine uses natural yeasts and does not undergo a second fermentation (like Champagne) and some refer to it as Zero Dosage, because there is not added sugar.   There is less bubbles and pressure and the bottle uses a cap closure like a bottle of beer, so make sure that you have a “church key.”  I liked the wine, as it is not bone-dry as most sparkling wines seem to be aiming for.  The wine has a bit of a funky nose, the best that I can describe it (you know me with descriptors) and the wine is a bit cloudy or hazy, a by-product of the production method.  A very easy drinking wine that brings some of that magical brioche taste at a moderate price, and it is a fun wine for groups.

David Bos and the wine industry go back a long way. The longtime specialist vineyard consultant and Michigan native is finally realizing a dream of opening a winery with his wife, Jackie in his home state. They bought a 10-acre farm between Traverse City and Elk Rapids where they live with their two children and plan to grow grapes organically. Meanwhile, they’re buying Michigan grapes from vineyards Bos consults with, and making their wine at a custom crush facility in the area. Our first official wine for tasting in the tasting room, along with David was Bos Wine Chardonnay Old Mission Peninsula 2020 and the fruit was from Ten Hands Vineyard.  I didn’t ask, as we were so busy chatting and letting my Bride get enthused, but I will venture to say that this wine went through Fermentation and a short aging period in Stainless-Steel.  The soft golden-yellow colored wine offered notes of apples and white florals.  On the palate this was crisp and had balanced acidity while offering tones of green apples and a medium finish that offered some “wet stone” terroir.

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Frankie Valli at Interlochen “Oh What a Night”

Posted on August 8, 2023 by thewineraconteur

During the sister’s getaway up in the wine country of Michigan, we had a chance to buy tickets to see Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons at Interlochen, at the main Kresge Stage.  Four of us went, and the others went out for dinner that night. I might add that this was the real deal, we didn’t go see a production of “The Jersey Boys.”  Francesco Stephen Castelluccio or Frankie Valli is the front man for the Four Seasons since 1960.  Though almost at the beginning of the show, he paid homage to the most famous Jersey Boy, and that is Francis Albert, when he sang Cole Porter’s “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.”  At 89 years of age, he entertained and sang for two hours straight.  He had a full band behind him, and he allowed almost every one of the musicians there moment in the spotlight.  The audience from the youngsters to the oldsters that predate my Bride and me, were swaying and singing to more songs that they made famous.

We were all having a wonderful time at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, its official name of the twelve-hundred-acre campus on two lakes near the community of Interlochen.  It is a non-profit corporation which operates arts education institutions and performance venues.  It was established in 1928 by Joseph E. Maddy.  We have been to two of the theatres there, once to see a student production of The Music Man, and now for this concert.  The assortment of productions that one can see at Interlochen rival almost any other fine arts center around.  One would also be amazed to see the names of graduates in an assortment of the arts. 

Of course, I have to mention that I went and bought some drink tokens to take back to the seats, and the beer tent and also the wine tent were doing a good business.  I noticed that Black Star Farms of Old Mission Peninsula and Leelanau Peninsula was a major contributor and advertiser for the school.   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.  My Bride and I had a glass of Black Star Farms Arcturos Pinot Gris Michigan 2021.  The wine carried a Michigan AVA, because eighty-two percent of the fruit was from Old Mission Peninsula and eighteen percent was from Leelanau Peninsula. The soft straw-yellow colored wine offered notes of citrus and white florals.  On the palate there were tones of citrus, and melon, with balance acidity and a medium count finish of fruit and some terroir.  The wine, if I had to choose, leaned a bit more Alsatian compared to Northern Italy.  The wine was fruit forward, but was still on the dry side.         

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A Concert at Boathouse Vineyards

Posted on August 6, 2023 by thewineraconteur

After we left Boathouse Vineyards, we went back to our cabin for dinner and to see the other sisters that didn’t come with us.  The enthusiasm for the winery was tremendous, and since they were having an outdoor concert the next night, everyone wanted to go there.  Those that had already been there wanted to go back, and those that hadn’t were looking forward to some wine and music.  When we got there, the owner and the staff recognized some of us, and they offered me a table on the verandah overlooking the grounds, the outdoor music stage and the piers that allowed boaters a chance to moor.  Nobody immediately took a photo of the table that we sat down at, but they all froze for a minute, as the name on the reservation that was on the table was the maiden name for all of the sisters. 

Getting back to the wines, since that is the underlying theme of all of my articles since May 2012.   Dave Albert also wanted to show me his newest wines, and his new label design.  He had been using French Road Cellars, a third-party custom-crusher in Michigan, that assists wineries, especially in the early years.  Dave told me that he finally spent the money and was going to do all his winemaking on premises going forward.  This was the reason for the new label design, and we had a chance to try his new wines:  Boathouse Vineyards Rosé Leelanau Peninsula 2022 and Boathouse Vineyards Pinot Blanc Leelanau Peninsula 2022.  The Rosé was made from Cabernet Franc and they used both whole cluster and direct pressing and the juice was left on the skins long enough to get the right hue, as per the winemaker.  Then the wine was aged in Stainless Steel to maintain the fresh fruit, and the total time from harvest to bottling was about eight months, with no chemical enhancements added (sugar, acid, or color).  The coppery-pink colored wine offered notes of strawberry and pepper.  On the palate there were tones of strawberries, pepper, and soft tannins balanced and crisp with a short finish of fruit.  The Pinot Blanc and the Rosé both came from the Amore Vineyard.  From harvest to bottling this wine was finished in about nine months.  The grapes were whole clustered pressed and the wine was fermented in Stainless Steel barrels and a Stainless Steel “egg” and it received regular batonnage, which is the stirring of the lees and any expired yeast cells creating a more “creamy” wine.  The wine was a soft-straw-yellow color and offered notes of stone fruits and tropical fruits.  On the palate a very refreshing “creamy” wine that had tones of tropical fruits, high acidity, and a nice crisp finish.    

And the concert was excellent, a young man who graduated from Hillsdale College and he said that he performs about two-hundred-fifty-shows a year as a singer, keyboard, two styles of guitar playing and the harmonica.  He performed both his own works, as well as others like Chapin, Joel, and John.  He performed for about three hours without a break.  We were up on the verandah and the others grabbed some Adirondack chairs and a large umbrella and were right across from the stage.  There were people sitting on their boats, who came and bought some bottles of wine and watched from the water.  Others sat out on chairs and I was observing that there was a definite mix of generations enjoying the evening.  As for our group, we were noshing on some cheese and crackers from the winery’s deli.  If you want to know, at our table the Pinot Blanc was two-to-one against the Rose.  Down in the grassy section the Pinot Noir was the big hit.  The sisters all had a great time, and that was what it was all about.    

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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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