I Was Shanghaied – Perhaps LOL

Posted on July 15, 2023 by thewineraconteur

All I know, is we were out having a nice dinner and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child came up.  Here in the States, it is being performed in New York and in California.  Then it was mentioned that it is being performed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  Immediately, I was the only one not feverishly punching away on a cell phone getting information.  It turns out that the last performance was going to be on 2 July 2023 and of course that is a holiday weekend, as 1 July is Canada Day.  I really didn’t think everything would fall into place, but it did.  Though on the drive up, we stopped at a restaurant and they had a red wine, and a white wine.  They did know how to make a Run and Cola.  We arrived late enough to unpack and drink some “house” wine that my Bride had packed, and I have written about too many times, but she is a creature of habit, when she finds something that she loves.    

We were staying at an Airbnb, which brought terror into my heart.  I guess I am old school and I like to stay at a hotel, and I also like to have everything preplanned.  My idea of roughing it, is a Holiday Inn, and here we were staying at someone’s condo, I guess in a building that doesn’t condone such enterprises, with designated parking spots designed for a Mini Cooper, instead of the Mini Van that the four of us were traveling in.  Luggage and all the other stuff that my Bride brought had to be unpacked and three of us had to get out before the vehicle could be parked, with just enough room for the driver to extricate himself. Our ensuite bedroom had a jacuzzi tub, next to an open toilet and there was a shower that we both had to enter sideways in and out of and no hand rails especially stepping out onto wet marble flooring.  A risk manager would have a field day with this, come to think of it, the immortal Willie Gingrich would have thought he died and went to heaven, he would have been able to stop chasing ambulances forever.

The next morning, we had breakfast in the condo, some sort of micro-wave individualized quiche bites and Mimosas.  Me, the fellow that likes to know what is going on and likes to have things planned out, was flying by the seat of his pants.  All I know was that later on in the day we would be using public transportation, which is basically unknown in the Detroit, the “Car Capital of the World.”  In Chicago, we would use the “El” to travel from the airport and get off at the river and walk two blocks to our hotel, and then walk or take cabs, until we left. The three others left in the morning to go shopping with the van, to a mall that was closed by the time we had arrived in Toronto, the night before.  The women came back with new purses, who knew?  My Bride is getting younger every day, as she bought a very trendy robin’s egg leather backpack.  I stayed home and finished the Mimosas and contemplated taking street cars, without really any true map to fall back on.  The magic of Harry Potter was surrounding us. 

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Fine Wine Source Club Selections – July 2023

Posted on July 13, 2023 by thewineraconteur

Is there anything better than stopping off at my local wine shop, The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan?  There may be, but for mere mortals, the options aren’t as easy to achieve.  Some days, I can run in and run out, and other days, it may be an hour interlude of pure bliss.  I also know that I will not encounter any of the wines that I can find at gas stations, drug stores, grocery stores, convenience stores, or beer and wine stores.  Each and every bottle of wine has been curated by the owner, and often by his staff as well.  The selection always offers a wine from the Old World and one from the New World.

Representing the Old World is Bodegas Breca Rosé Calatayud DO, Spain 2021.  Bodegas Breca was founded in 2010 by Jorge Ordonez with the aspiration of creating the finest Garnacha (Grenache) wines from Spain. The use clones of the original vines from the Kingdom of Aragon (Garnacha de Aragon). This varietal is perfect for the mountain vineyards, as it is a very late ripening grape and ideal for the meso-climate of mountain vineyards.  Calatayud DO is located in the southwest corner of Aragon, in Northern Spain.  It was the Romans that introduced viticulture to the region.  The area has what is called a Continental Climate and known for hot and dry summers, but is also known for winters of extreme low temperatures and frost that can last for six months. The vineyards are loose, rock soils with limestone, slate and quartz tossed in the mix and some of the vines have now reached the fifty-year mark.  The fruit for this wine is hand-harvested from multiple mountain vineyards and they use the saignée concept; which is the concept of bleeding off, some of the initial juice from the initial crush, leaving the rest of the (red) wine to get concentrated from additional time with the skins.  They use traditional dry farming techniques with a minimum to no human intervention.  The wine has Initial Fermentation with indigenous wild yeast in Stainless-Steel and concrete tanks.  The wine is described as having a pale orange color with notes of yeast, cantaloupe, and florals.  On the palate the wine offers tones of stone fruit, melon, citric acidity, and a short finish with a dash of salt.

For the New World the wine is Criss Cross Petite Sirah Clarksburg 2020 under the umbrella of Vino del Sol.  Vino del Sol’s mission is to be your trusted source for great wine and they were founded in 2004 and they now market wines from Argentina, California, Chile, Japan, and New Zealand.  Vino del Sol’s wineries are all estate-grown, sustainably-farmed and family owned.  Criss Cross is a joint venture between Lange Twine Winery and Vino del Sol.  The winemakers are Karen Birmingham and David Akiyoshi and they like to say “boot prints, not tire tracks.”  The wine has also achieved the Lodi Rules Sustainable Winegrowing Certified Green designation.  Clarksburg AVA extends into three counties (Yolo, Sacramento, and Solano Counties) just east of the San Francisco Bay Area, in the Sacramento Delta waterways.  The terrain is mostly flat with mineral-rich clay and silt soils; and for years it was considered over-fertile and more suited to high yields rather than high-quality, but this old concept is being challenged more and more.  The wine is ninety-nine percent Petite Sirah or Durif and one percent “other varietals.” There was just over one-thousand-eight-hundred cases produced.  The grapes are picked at optimal ripeness, pressed at dryness, and aged in a mix of French and American Oak.  The wine is a deep purple offering notes of black fruit and spices.  On the palate a fruit-forward wine offering tones of blueberry, blackberry, and plum, along with cinnamon, nutmeg, licorice, and olive juice; jammy with full tannins.    

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After Dinner at Bar Pigalle

Posted on July 11, 2023 by thewineraconteur

My Bride and I had a wonderful time at the French Rosé wine tasting at Bar Pigalle.  A rather new establishment, and between the bar and the kitchen, it appears that they are carving out a niche in the Midtown area of Detroit that has been bustling for the last ten years or so, as the district keeps picking up more residents moving in and the independent restaurants are creating a need for even the suburbanites to drive down for dinner.  We had met one of the principals as we first arrived, because as I keep telling you, I am such a shy wall-flower and we were going to go back to the bar and thank him for being such a good host and for the fine evening we had. 

There were still a few bottles and a few tasters milling about at the end of the bar.  He grabbed a fresh glass and poured my Bride a glass of Domaines Ott Chateau de Selle Cotes de Provence Clair de Noirs Rose 2021.  Domaines Ott is famed for their rosé wines in the south of France.  They have three estates: Clos Mireille, Chateau Romassan, and Chateau de Selle (and since renovated de Selle, they created a fourth line “By.Ott”).  The wineries were founded by Marcel Ott in 1896, and Chateau de Selle was added in 1912.  Each of the three estates make two wines, and all are bottled the unique bottles which represent the undulating landscape of Provence.  Chateau de Selle is the most inland of the estates and are planted on terraced slopes of soils that are a mix of gypsum, red clay, sandstone, gravel, and chalk. The wine is a blend of Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, and Mourvedre; and I would venture to say that the wine is fermented and aged in Stainless Steel tanks. A golden-pink colored wine offering subtle notes of citrus, florals, and spice.  On the palate a fresh and crisp mix of citrus flavors ending with a nice lemon edge, well balanced and with a nice medium count finish with a kiss of sweetness and terroir.

I finished the evening having a glass of Domaine Rolet Pere et Fils, Arbois vin Jaune 2014. My Bride is not partial to the white wines of the Jura, so I took advantage of having one without her.  Domaine Rolet was created in 1942, and in two generations they were producing wines of all the appellations of the Jura.  In 2018 the Rolet family handed over the estate to three families who were passionate about wine and the Jura. Arbois was one of the first AOC districts in France, since 1936, the district also created one of the first wine cooperatives; and the region has been recognized since the year 1000. The wines have been written about by Rabelais, as well as Jacques Brel. This wine is pure Savagnin, one of the famed varietals of the Jura. The grapes are manually harvested and sorted at the end of the harvest season. The wine is aged for six years and three months (minimum) in oak barrels.  A “flor” of yeast, or a layer sits on top of the wine as it ages. The wine also naturally oxidizes during the aging process, and the wine is basically untouched during the entire aging period; and the barrels lose some of the wine, and even the bottles represent the lost wine, as the bottles have a smaller amount compared to the average wine bottle.  This soft straw-yellow wine offers notes of cut hay, dried fruit, almonds, and spices.  On the palate a refreshing dry wine with tones of fruit and almonds, saffron and plenty of oak and a nice long finish evoking yeast and almonds.  I enjoy the rich, concentrated taste, especially the nuttiness (for a lack of a better word), but my Bride only enjoys the Cremant wines and the red wines of the Jura, it is that unique. 

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Dinner at Bar Pigalle

Posted on July 9, 2023 by thewineraconteur

After enjoying many wines at the tasting, we had made a reservation for dinner, as we had no idea what to expect from the dinner.  I had originally called to ask if I could get a table in the bar area, and yes, I still make reservations by phone.  I was told that there were no tables in the bar area.  One can dine at the bar, or they have some open booths along the wall that divides the bar from the restaurant. 

When it was time for our reservation, there was still quite a bit of activity in the bar area from the tasting crowd, but we had worked up an appetite.  There were plenty of interesting items, on the menu, but I have to admit, that we both went traditional for us.  My Bride had the Great Lakes Whitefish with crispy skin, Back Fin Crab, Beurre Blanc and Roe.  She had also poured herself a glass of wine from the tasting that she liked and that was Domaine de l’Ile Porquerolles Cotes de Provence 2021.  The Cotes de Provence is the largest appellation of the Provence and produces the majority of the rosé wine. Francois-Joseph Fournier an adventurer of the old school went from France to the New World in search of fame and fortune and ended up finding his island home that he bought for his new wife, the Porquerolles Island in 1912.  The island is 4.3 miles long and 1.9 miles wide and it is here that he planted vines, fruits, and olives.  There are thirty-two hectares of vineyards planted on soil of shale and clay.  The wine is a blend of twenty-six percent Syrah, twenty-five percent Cinsault, twenty-two percent Mourvedre, twenty-one percent Grenache, and six percent Tibouren. A salmon-pink colored wine that offered notes of red currants and florals.  On the palate there was a mix of red fruits, bright acidity, salinity and a finish of fruit and terroir.

I had the Duck Confit with Agrodolce (a Sicilian sweet and sour type of sauce), Grapes and Frisee (from the chicory family).  I also opted to have a red wine with my dinner.  I had Domaine de la Chapelle de Bois Morgon Les Rontay 2020.  Morgon is one of the ten crus in the hills of Beaujolais, and Morgon allows Chardonnay, Aligoté and Melon de Bourgogne in a mix of fifteen percent to the balance of Gamay, this particular wine is pure Gamay.  The soil is granite, schist, and volcanic influences, rich in iron on a mix of sandy to loams to heavier clays.  Domaine de la Chapelle des Bois goes back to at least 1820 and it has been in the family for seven generations.  The fruit is all hand-harvested and then the fruit undergoes vatting for about ten days, where the juice is pumped from the bottom to the top twice a day, and grids are placed over the fruit to weight it down.  The grids are removed before final pressing. The resulting, slightly alcoholic, quite sweet juice, bursting with aromas is called locally “Paradis.” The estate is just over eight hectares and is organic in approach.  The wines of Morgon are denser than the other wines of Beaujolais and tend to get barrel aging.  The wine is ruby-red and offered notes of plums and cherries, and violets.  On the palate this was a medium-bodied wine with tones of cherry and plums, medium acidity, and tannins.  It opened up, more as we sat discussing the tasting and during the dinner and would not be mistaken for a Beaujolais Nouveau.

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More French Rosé Wines at a Tasting

Posted on July 7, 2023 by thewineraconteur

Considering that we were outsiders among the regulars at Bar Pigalle for their casual wine tasting event, we eventually fit in, for sure my Bride did.  I was just holding my own, as I have always drunk at my own pace.  Everyone that was attending the wine tasting was supposed to bring a bottle of French Rosé to share with the crowd.  At first, I thought that there were more tasters than wine, but even as hot and heavy as it started, the event seemed to eventually balance out.  We also reserved a table for when the tasting was scheduled to end, so that we could have dinner. 

Our contribution to the tasting was Chateau Mourgues du Gres “Fleur d’Eglantine” Rosé Costieres de Nimes 2020.  It was funny that there was a wine rep that was asking who brought the wine, as she saw her company’s name on the back label, but she wasn’t aware of the wine in question; which is understandable as they represent a very large range of wines.  I also felt good, that by the end of the evening there were plenty of “thank you” and accolades for this wine among all the wines tasted.  A former agricultural estate of the Ursulines de Beaucaire since the Sixteenth Century.  “Mourgues” is the word for nuns in the Provencal dialect and “Gres” refers to the round rocks that is part of the defining part of the soil of the Costieres de Nimes.  Francois Collard returned to his family estate in 1990, confident of the terroir and the newborn Costieres de Nimes AOP and his first bottling was 1993.  Costieres de Nimes is the southern-most region of the Rhone appellations and the entire region is based on the round rocks. The wine is a blend of sixty percent Grenache Noir, thirty percent Mourvedre and ten percent Syrah.  After the crush, the varietals are blended prior to fermentation.  The wine stays on the fine lees for a month and then is aged for two months in Stainless Steel, and there was no Malolactic Fermentation involved. I would describe it as a rose-petal colored wine with notes of red fruit and florals.  On the palate tones of cherry, strawberry, and raspberry, finishing with subtle spices and terroir.

Another of the wines that we tasted among the twenty-eight that were being poured was Thomas Labaille L’Authentique Sancerre 2021 from the Loire.  Claude Thomas began in the Fifties with a few hectares in the village of Chavignol and created his estate.  In 1994 his daughter and her husband took over the farm and with the addition of his family’s estate in Sury-en-Vaux they now have eleven hectares of sustainable farming.  The land is a limestone pebble soil on clay and they use twenty-five-year-old Pinot Noir vines to make this wine.  The wine is produced from a direct press and is fermented with native yeasts in fiberglass and cement tanks and then is aged in Stainless-Steel tanks for about six months.  There is no Malolactic Fermentation for this wine, and it is filtered, but unfined.  A coppery-pink wine that offers notes of green apple, stone fruit, and some pepper.  On the palate a tangy wine with tones of fresh fruit, zests, and ample citrus with a medium finish of fruit and terroir.  I thought it was refreshing.  

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A Unique French Rosé Wine Tasting

Posted on July 5, 2023 by thewineraconteur

Through social media and assorted wine associates, I found out about a wine tasting at Bar Pigalle in Detroit.  Detroit is undergoing a change, it is being rediscovered and areas that were once elegant and trendy, had become areas that were to be avoided by the time of my student days; as they were where one would go for illicit activities.  The area in the Roaring Twenties was known as Little Paris, and is now called Brush Park in the reawakened Midtown of Detroit.  A beautiful bar has been installed in The Carlton Lofts; an historic building built by the famed architect Louis Kamper.  The uniqueness of the wine tasting, is that the Bar Pigalle offered one end of their bar, and all the wine glasses for the event.  Those that wished to attend, the entrance fee was a bottle of French Rosé of their choice.  My Bride and I brought two bottles, just in case, not knowing what to expect.  I think that I heard that there were twenty-eight entrants and twenty-one bottles of wine.  I will discuss some of the wines that were offered that evening. 

We got there just before the restaurant was opening, as we wanted to make sure that we had parking in their lot across the street.  We may have stuck out a bit, as we were oldsters, instead of hipsters, but I guess our enthusiasm and interest in wines won over, most of the people that we were chatting with, and my Bride was definitely enjoying the moment.  One of the first bottles opened was Mas de Daumas Gassac Rosé Frizant Mousse IGP Pays de l’Herault 2021.  IGP Pays de l’Herault is a department of Languedoc-Rousillon on the southern coast of France and well over a hundred varieties are allowed to be used, and the region is so vast that it encompasses plenty of different terrains.  Mas de Daumas Gassac is well known and is nicknamed “the Lafite of the Languedoc.”   The winery cellars were built in the foundations of an ancient Roman mill.  The wines are vinified in Stainless-Steel and kept naturally cool by two springs running under the cellars, and slows down fermentation.  The first vines were planted in 1972.  The estate is still family owned and operated.  The wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Mourvedre, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon, Petit Manseng, and Muscat; all hand-harvested and grown on white clay soil.  They use free-run juice (saignée) at low temperature, followed by fermentation in the Charmat Method.  A coppery-rose colored wine offering notes of strawberry and violets.  On the palate a charming sparkling wine with tones of watermelon, strawberry, soft mousse and short finish of fruit and terroir.

Another of the wines that we were tasting with the crowd was Domaine du Bagnol Cassis Rosé 2021.  Cassis is a small coastal village in Provence. It is one of the first five AOC regions in France, as it was recognized in May, 1936 for white, rosé, and red wines from area of about two-hundred-hectares.  The Domaine takes its name from a vineyard in the Bagnol district that was recorded in 1430 and in 1867 the first formal trace of the property.  The domaine has twenty-three hectares of vines, including eight in the heart of Cassis and is one of ten oldest in the district.  Jean-Louis Genovesi purchased the estate in 1997 and now they are in the second generation of family, and they began growing organically and became certified in 2014. The grounds are limestone and the wine is a blend of fifty percent Grenache, thirty percent Cinsault and twenty percent Mourvedre.  The fruit is pressed directly and rapidly, under two hours (saignée) to extract as little color as possible and all fermentation and aging, I presume is done in Stainless-Steel.  A pale golden-rose colored wine offering notes of red fruit and florals.  On the palate a refreshing balanced wine with tones of strawberry, cherry, and herbs; with a soft finish of fruit and a slightly salty mineral end to compliment the terroir.

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Father’s Day 2023

Posted on July 3, 2023 by thewineraconteur

I am always looking for new restaurants to try, especially when we are trying to find some place between our house and our son’s house.  I found one place that sounded very interesting and I called to make a reservation, yes, I still like to talk to humans if I can, as I find the modern way to get a reservation so impersonal.  The place informed me, that they would be closed on Father’s Day, because they don’t have enough help, which is the constant refrain that I hear and observe.

There was another place, that I have tried to go to a couple of times before, and this time I was able to achieve my goal.  We went to Benstein Grille, which is off the beaten track for both parties, but still doable.  My Bride asked if we could eat on the patio section, it was not totally outside, but with the garage doors swung up, it was like the outdoors, and I agreed, because there wouldn’t be idling cars to alter the aromas of the food, which is my main reason for dining indoors.  My Bride and I don’t eat as many large meals anymore, so we are starting to get creative.  She ordered the “B.G. Salad” of mixed greens, pecans, dried cherries, carrots, red onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, and house made Cheddar Cheese croutons, and a Garlic Balsamic dressing.  The waitress split the entrée salad in two.  The waitress also split my entrée in two as well; Peppercorn-encrusted Filet Mignon, marinated jumbo shrimp and scallions with Beurre Blanc, buttermilk mashed potatoes, and vegetables.  Our son, his wife and the one grandson that came to celebrate had different dishes and appetizers.

Now, I don’t want you to cringe, though we were having a version of surf and turf, I ordered a white wine, as I could handle white with the filet, and we were sitting almost like outside.  We had a bottle of McManis Family Vineyards Chardonnay River Junction AVA 2021.  McManis Family Vineyards is five generations of farmers and is a family-owned wine producer based in Ripon, near Modesto and founded in 1990.  The estate has thirteen-hundred acres all in the River Junction AVA, one of the smallest AVA designations in California and the designation was awarded in 2001 with only one winery.  They are most famed for their Viognier wines.  The vineyard that the Chardonnay is grown has sandy-loam.  The wine had cold Initial Fermentation in Stainless Steel and filtered prior to oak aging.  About two-thirds of the wine was allowed to go through Malolactic Fermentation for additional complexity and texture.  The wine aged for four months in a mix of French and American Oak.  A nice golden-straw color that offered notes of pear, melon, and peach.  On the palate a well-balanced wine with tones of stone-fruits, bananas and a touch of vanilla with a finish of fruit and a touch of terroir.

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Two Graduations in One Day

Posted on July 1, 2023 by thewineraconteur

My Bride’s godson graduated from college and we drove out to see the ceremony.  After the ceremony, they announced that we all suffered in sweltering heat in at an arena, because they were concerned that it was safer than to be there, then in a comfortable auditorium.  The stadium had the old-fashioned bleacher benches, and my Bride went to one of the ushers and said, that her husband (me) would not be able to sit like that for hours, so they had me sit in an area on folding chairs and brought me a bottle of water.  I watched with another man and we had a discussion as to whether or not, we would watch student(s) fall over from the direct sun baking on them in their black robes, while they listened to faculty members pontificate on what a great job they were doing.

I am glad to say that no student passed out, and I slowly worked my way out and sat at the “medical tent,” at least there was shade and fans and coolers of water.  I eventually caught up with my Bride and we drove to where the luncheon would be, and we were there first, so I ordered a bottle of wine, which we paid for immediately and figured out what we were going to have for lunch.  The first time, we had eaten at this small pizzeria chain and I was very happy, we split a Caesar Salad, you know who wanted that, and a custom pizza of pepperoni, roasted garlic, caramelized onions, and peppadews.  My Bride went and gave money to the people that were picking up the check for a group of twenty, who we just met that day.  I mean, why should they, have to pay for our meal?  The bottle of wine that I ordered was Bieler Pere & Fils “Sabine” Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence 2022.  In 1992, Philippe Bieler founded Chateau Routas in Coteaux Varois, a small appellation in the middle of Provence. A few years later, two of his children became involved, they had a chance to sell the Chateau and founded Bieler Pere & Fils.  The Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence appellation was originally a VDQS in 1956, as it was unofficially known as Coteaux du Roy Rene (Rene d’Anjou who loved the local wines back in the 15th Century.  The region was granted AOC in 1985.  The wine is a blend of 32% Grenache, 23% Syrah, 17% Cinsault, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Rolle, 5% Grenache Blanc and 3% Counoise.  Each block of grapes or vineyards are fermented separately using different yeasts and different lees treatments.  Each tank of grapes is treated with nitrogen gas, so that there is no air contact with the juice, until it is fully blended and then bottled to maintain the fruit.  A pretty pink/salmon shade that offers notes of peaches, white cherries, raspberries, tea and Provence herbs.  On the palate tones of red fruits, stone fruit, tea, and spices in a brightly acidic wine that finishes with fruit, rose petals and wet stones.

So, after driving an hour to the university, and almost an hour to get to the luncheon, we drove back about half-way to attend a high school graduation party at the parent’s home.  We were so full from the lunch, that we just skipped having another meal, but there was a lot of merriment and glee, and my Bride was perfect going from table to table as is her nature.  As for me, I wasn’t hungry, but I was still outside in the sun, so I looked for something that could keep me cool and comfortable and I saw a bottle of French Blue Cremant de Bordeaux Brut Rosé NV.  The winemaker at French Blue, Stephanie Rivin is attempting to put an American twist on French wines.  Since 1990, Cremant de Bordeaux has been allowed, a Sparkling Wine and this wine is produced “Methode Traditionnelle” and is produced in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine/Bordeaux district.  What also helps is that along the banks of the rivers Garonne and Dordogne are natural caves and grottos with the perfect humidity for the stockage of sparkling wines.  The wine is ninety-nine percent Merlot and one percent Malbec.  The fruit is hand harvest, pressed and undergo the Initial Fermentation.  The Second Fermentation occurs after bottling, and the wine ages for twelve months sur lie and subject to daily “riddling” of a quarter turn, until after a year, the bottle is disgorged and the final dosage is added.  A salmon-colored wine with tiny bubbles offering notes of raspberries, and currants.  On the palate, there was not a lot of mousse, but there was a  touch of vanilla and it was enjoyable on a hot summer day.       

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Black Star Farms Club June 2023 Selections

Posted on June 29, 2023 by thewineraconteur

You know that I go back to drinking wine from my high school days and I graduated from college right about the time of the Judgement of Paris.  Well for all of those early years, California was not on my mind and certainly not Michigan.  We had been traveling to the different parts of wine country in Michigan for the last twenty years or so.  We were staying at the Inn at Bay Harbor and we tried some of the wines from Black Star Farms and decided that we had to go out of our way to drive home, to buy some of the wine that we just had, met a great employee in Chris Lopez and we ended up joining their club.   

Each club shipment has four wines, two different offerings.  The first wine out of the carton is their Black Star Farms Arcturos Sur Lie Chardonnay Michigan 2022, which is what the newsletter describes, but with a different wine in the photo (they may need another proofreader, but I know that it is difficult, as I think of my errors over the years).  Black Star Farms is located on the 45th Parallel that runs through some of the great wine regions of the world, and it also can appreciate the “lake effect” climate.  This wine carries the Michigan AVA, because Black Star Farms has vineyards on both sides of Traverse City; on the Old Mission Peninsula AVA and Leelanau Peninsula AVA.  This wine undergoes all phases of production in Stainless Steel tanks and they age on the lees (Sur Lie) to get more complexity compared to other unoaked Chardonnay wines. They use Stainless Steel to maintain the pure fruit flavors of the grapes, both in aromatics and flavor.  The light-golden-yellow wine offers notes of citrus, apples, and pears, along with hints of florals and honeysuckle.  On the palate, this medium-bodied wine has tones of citrus and white fruits, pineapple and lemon peel; and a bright finish with tinges of flint (terroir).

The second wine in the shipment was Black Star Farms Isidor’s Choice Terrace Red Leelanau Peninsula 2018 and is one of their “limited red wines.”  Isidor’s Choice wines are from a partner-grower vineyard to Black Star Farms.  The Terrace Red features Teroldego and Lagrein grapes originally from Northern Italy and offer a depth of color and a “wild” fruit profile.  Those two grapes are tempered with the addition of Cabernet Franc and Merlot which both soften the wine and add nuance to the blend.  It is described as “wild blueberries that have been dusted with white pepper.”  It is also suggested that this wine will age for a decade or so, and that it should be “opened in advance, to offer broad and complex dark fruit character, plenty of spice” and a wine that craves big food flavors.  

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A Taste of Monterey Club July 2023

Posted on June 27, 2023 by thewineraconteur

A Taste of Monterey club shipment arrived and this was the first wine club we joined back on 10 February 2003, and we discovered them by happenchance as we were killing time, waiting for our lunch reservation at the famous Sardine Factory in Cannery Row.  We also bought a Hirschfeld while we waited for that reservation.  What really got us excited is that for some odd reason, they could ship to Michigan, because at that time we were still a felony state for wine shipments, thankfully our useless governor was sued and lost the case, and it actually became easier for wine drinkers across the country to enjoy wine shipments, though there were and still are, some exemptions.

The first bottle was Silvestri Vineyards Pinot Noir Carmel Valley 2019.  Alan and Sandra Silvestri and family moved from Los Angeles to the Carmel Valley in 1989, where Alan had a career in film music, which he still enjoys.  The area was perfect for wine growing, being only fifteen miles from the Pacific Ocean and enjoying the cooling temperature that the marine influence offers the valley.  The vineyard is on the benchland and hillsides, several hundred feet above sea level.  After harvest, the Pinot Noir is de-stemmed and whole berries are put into fermenters where they cold soak for a day, before yeast is added.  After another day, the wine is “punched down” three times a day for about two weeks.  With the Initial Fermentation and Maceration done, the juice undergoes Malolactic Fermentation for a month, then it is transferred to French Oak barrels, of which almost half are new, and is aged for about one year, before bottling.  They produced nine-hundred-twenty-seven-cases of wine.  The wine is described as offering notes of cherry and raspberry, and spices.  On the palate a continuation of the tones of cherry and raspberry, with some vanilla, a tinge of cola, bright acidity, and soft tannins.

The second wine in the carton is Big Sur Vineyards BSV Red Monterey 2021.  Big Sur Vineyards began as an olive grove and they also made artisan soaps, on the edge of the Ventana Wilderness.  They began planting Rhone varietals as a hobby to see what would happen, and they eventually began producing their Big Sur Vineyards Red; recently they officially became a Rhone Ranger.  There is little information about the wine.  It is a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Petite Sirah.  Their tasting notes lists “lush ripe fruit and a “satiny” tannin structure.  Plum, red currant and blueberry merge with a subtle minerality in the wine along with kirsch, springtime floral notes and a hint of mocha.”

The last bottle in the shipment was Mesa Del Dol Syrah Arroyo Seco 2015. Mesa Del Sol Estate Retreat & Winery is located on an upland promontory at the junction of three major watersheds, and has been a favorite place for travelers for over a century.  There is a small stone water house and a portion of one of the cabins that date back to the 1800’s and it is believed to be a stop for the overland conveyance from the Mission San Antonio to the Carmel Valley.  The hot dry air of the Arroyo Seco Highlands became a health center for those suffering from tuberculosis and other similar ailments.  One of the more prominent visitors back then was Teddy Roosevelt.  In 1927, a California Senator Fred Weybret purchased the property for his family and the new main home was built in 1936, and the family resided there until his death in 1945.  The property then was purchased by a noted lettuce baron from Salinas, who named the property Mesa Del Sol, adding more buildings, gardens, and a pool for his family.  In 1998 another Salinas agricultural family purchased the property, they planted the vineyards and a trout pond was reinstalled.  Since the gentleman’s death his widow has continued to restore the fourteen-acre vineyard estate, won awards for the wines, and also has crops of fragrant Provence Lavender that is used in sachets, lotions and oils.  The winery leaves no information about their wines, other than a limited advertising statement referring this as “the Marilyn Monroe of wines; voluptuous and luscious, with nice structure and lots of legs.”  The tasting notes are “lively and elegant on the nose, palate and finish.  Hints of elderberry and currant, lavender, black pepper, and sweet tobacco… soft and lively tannins on the finish.”

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