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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Finishing the Day at Arta’s

Posted on August 28, 2023 by thewineraconteur

It was a great day; we were having Italian drinks at the bar.  Arta’s Italian is out in Brighton, an Italian restaurant located in a medical enclave outside of the downtown area.  Since our friend had never been there, I am sure that is probably true for a sizable amount of the locals, but people that enjoy dining out, eventually find out about a new venue.  I don’t have a problem telling people about a restaurant that we enjoy, even if it means that it will be harder to get a last minute reservation down the road.

Curwood

We started off by sharing a couple of appetizers.  We had the Carpaccio di Filetto, choice tenderloing, thinly sliced, topped with grain mustard, baby arugula and shave Parmigiano-Reggiano.  We also shared Capesante Proscuitto or seard sea scallops wrapped in Prosuitto de Parma on a bed of arugula and polenta with a roasted red pepper coulis.  The ladies had Fruti di Mare Misto, a medley of grilled salmon, scallops and shrimp with herbed garlic lemon butter, with grilled asparagus and mushroom rice pilaf.  While I had the Ravioli alla Aragosta or Zebra-striped lobster stuffed ravioli with a seafood saffron cream.  The hardest thing with the meal was selecting a wine, and everyone reading this, will say, a piece of cake, just get a white wine.  Which was the plan, but you realize that my Bride wanted the same wine, that we had the last time we were here,  and I told her, that I have to switch things up.  Our waitress was a trainee, and the wine arrived a little late, and I forgot to take a photo of the bottle, cork and glass of wine, but it is good that I take the empty home as a muse, until a write the story.  We had a bottle of Simone Capecci “Ciprea” Offida Pecorino DOCG Marche 2021, and the winery was formerly known as Poderi Capecci San Savino and that they are all organic.  The town of Offida is located in the Marche region of central Italy, and received classification in 2001 and then DOCG status in 2011. The white wines must either be Offida Passerina or Offida Pecorino and Pecorino only has official status in Offida.  Pecorino means “little sheep” and the grape even though indigenous was rescued from obscurity (in the 1980’s), as it was being replaced by Trebbiano, but it thrives in higher altitudes with plenty of sun and cool breezes.  The vineyard is twenty-sis years with clay and silty soil.  Hand-harvested grapes in bunches, with a short maceration and fermentation in concrete tanks in September, and then aged on the dregs until Spring for bottling.  A nice straw-yellow with distinct green tints with notes of yellow fruit, sage, pepper, and like a touch of peat.  On the palate the wine is very crisp with fresh acidity, refreshing salinity and a nice medium count finish of terroir and spice.

The ladies had Cappuccinos and shared some assorted gelato and sorbet offerings.  I really didn’t want the evening to end, so I had a glass of Blandy’s Madeira Rainwater Medium Dry NV.  Blandy’s Madeira was founded by John Blandy in 1811, is well-known and one of the original houses of the Maderia wine trade, and is still the only family to own and operated their original wine company. With interest waning in Madeira wines, all the houses united under the Madeira Wine Association in 1925, with the Blandy family heading the group.  The Association merged with the Symington family of Port producers and it became the Madeira Wine Company in 1989.  The Blandy family headed the association and was able to stay in business while many individual Madeira companies ceased to exist. Madeira lacked the popularity it once had so in order to expand the global market, the Blandy’s offered the Symington family (Port producers since the 19th Century) a partnership in the newly named Madeira Wine Company in 1989.  Blandy’s is famed for their vintage Madeiras that have been capable of aging for 150 years.  The wine is made using Tinta Negra Mole, which accounts for at least seventy percent of production on the island.  It is popular because it is disease resistance and prolific yields.   Since 1983, Madeira wines must be at least eighty-five percent of this varietal, and this wine is pure.  It is felt to be a cross of Grenache and Pinot Noir.  Rainwater Madeira is a lighter, dryer style and one still hears of bottles still being opened from the 19’th Century.  There are romantic stories of how the wine evolved, but from a technical and logical view, the wines are on such steep slopes, there is no irrigation, so the vines survive on the rain waters.  The rules for Rainwater is rather easy going, so the few houses that produce it, have their own procedure, but Blandy’s has a tradition.  The grapes are tank fermented in Stainless Steel, and the fermentation is stopped after four days by the addition of neutral grape spirit.  All the wines are then heated for months, sometimes years in a process known as “estufagem” – designed to mimic the original barrel storage under the hot roofs of Madeira houses in American Oaks casks for three months.  After the warm environment, the wines are moved to a cooler environment, for three years with scheduled racking, the wines become oxidized, which creates the characteristic flavors of the island wines and then fined before bottling.  The wine is a garnet color with some brown hues from the oxidation and offers notes of Crème Brulee, almonds and a touch of orange zest.  On the palate it was just fresh, bright and an appealing ‘nuttiness” especially in the long finish accompanied by a salty tang.  I think I get tongue-tied trying to verbalize this wine, even still after all of these years, but I still continue the sensation.

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Curwood Castle and a Great Aperitif

Posted on August 26, 2023 by thewineraconteur

I am still a tourist in the state of Michigan and I have lived here forever.  By good fortune, I chanced upon an article about Curwood Castle in Owosso, Michigan.  James Oliver Curwood (12 June 1878 – 13 August 1927) who was in his day one of leading American action-adventure writer and conservationist.  Though he lived in Michigan, his stories were set in the Hudson Bay, the Yukon or Alaska, and he immortalized and romanticized the Royal Mounted Police with their red jackets and campaign hats.  At least one-hundred-eighty motion pictures have been based on or inspired by his novels and short stories, from the silents to modern day talkies.  At the time of his death, he was the highest paid (per word) author in the world.

He built Curwood Castle as a place to greet guests and as a writing studio, only a couple of blocks from his family home.  After his death, the castle was bequeathed to the city of Owosso and it was used in many different ways over the years.  The castle is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is now used as a museum and operated by volunteers.   His typewriter and desk are there in one of the turrets, overlooking the Shiawassee River and there is a complete collection of his published books, and they even sell the duplicates that they acquire.  There are three floors to see and there is a wealth of information on his life and family, his career, and even the building and history of the castle itself.  We went to see the castle and we had invited one of my Bride’s friends and a fellow co-worker.  If you will beg me a little silly indulgence, I kept wanting to type “Kerwood” instead of Curwood, but you have to be of my era and the use of the “Way-back Machine” to remember the “Kerwood Derby” as opposed to Durwood Kirby.         

After the tour of the castle, we also toured an art gallery that was on the same street on the other side from where we had parked the car.  I have been in the process of getting my Bride to slow down and relax a bit, and talked her into taking the country byways to get to our restaurant for the evening.  It was a quick jaunt by freeway, but a much longer, but leisurely way, the way we went.  We didn’t have time, but as we drove past downtown Owosso, I realized that I would like to return at some time to actually walk around there, as it appeared to be still viable and would be a good walking tour.

We eventually got to the restaurant Arta’s Italian in Brighton, Michigan, one of our favorite haunts these days.  My Bride’s girlfriend who lives in Brighton never ate there, so it was our job to introduce her.  We got there a little early, the restaurant wasn’t open yet, but the bar was.  The ladies had Negroni’s and I spotted something very interesting on one of the shelves on the back of the bar.  I had a glass of wine that is both enjoyed as an aperitif or as a dessert wine.  I was enjoying a glass of Cantina Buglioni “Il Narcicista” Recioto della Valpolicella Classico 2019.  Cantina Buglioni is an Italian estate in the Veneto, and was founded in 1993 with three hectares, today it has one-hundred-fourteen hectares of vineyards.  They produce all the classic wines associated with Valpolicella along with several Spumante Brut wines, a Bianco delle Venezie and a Grappa di Recioto della Valpolicella on their gravel-rich alluvial soils.  Recioto della Valpolicella Classico is a sweet version of the famed Amarone della Valpolicella.  The technique to produce the Amarone and the Recioto is take whole bunches of the grapes and then keep them in drying rooms, for about three months, with warm temperatures and low humidity, which concentrates the natural sugars and aromatics in their wines. The wine is a blend of sixty percent Corvina, Twenty percent Corvinone, ten percent Rondinella and ten percent Croatina, all grown from their Sant’Ambrogio Vineyard with fifteen-year-old vines).  With hand-harvesting at the end of September, Initial Fermentation occurring in February (after the drying period), maceration occurring for about twenty days with skin contact, then Malolactic Fermentation.  The wine is aged for twelve months in the Slavonian Oak, then an additional six months in Stainless-Steel tanks, and then an additional six months in the bottle maturing, before being released.  A dark ruby-red colored wine that offered notes of black cherries, plums and raisins stewed in alcohol, with secondary notes of cocoa, vanilla, and tobacco.  On the palate, a velvety and round blend of black fruits, jam, figs, licorice, dry tannins, and a trace of hazelnuts.  It was a perfect way to start the dinner off.     

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Two Wonderful Reds

Posted on August 24, 2023 by thewineraconteur

The joys of a quality wine shop like the Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan is enjoying the wines that are offered to you.  Some days it will be whites and rosés, sometimes sparkling wines, and other times it will be reds.  And I will say always, that there is a great chance of trying varietals and districts that you have never encountered.  It will always make you smarter for the future, when you are in a restaurant, because you can make wine assessments much easier, with the more knowledge that you have.

I had a chance to taste Daou Vineyards “Soul of a Lion” Cabernet Sauvignon Adelaida District/Paso Robles 2020, which is the Tenth Anniversary of this wine.  Daou Vineyards is famed for their Cabernet Sauvignon, and their Bordeaux-style blends; as well as Rhone styles and Burgundian style wines.  Their wine portfolio is divided into four tiers at different price points.  The top-level is their Estate Collection, which made from estate-grown fruit and “Soul of a Lion” is their flagship wine.  The estate was established in 2007 by brothers George and Daniel Daou, who previously had a successful IT business.  The initial purchase was for part of the Hoffman Mountain Ranch, and in 2012 they purchased the balance of the estate and now have two-hundred-twelve-acres of vineyards.  The Hoffman Ranch was the first modern commercial winery in Paso Robles after Prohibition.  It was established by Stanley Hoffman with the help of winemaker Andre Tchelischeff.  The “Soul of a Lion” was named for their father with the intention of making the finest Cabernet Sauvignon from DAOU Mountain. The wine is a blend of eighty-one percent Cabernet Sauvignon, thirteen percent Cabernet Franc and six percent Petit Verdot.  The wine was aged for twenty-two months in new French Oak.  A very deep purple wine with garnet reflections and offered notes of black fruit, tobacco, leather, florals, and a whiff of dark chocolate.  On the palate, this was a big wine offering great tones of black cherry, currants, cassis with secondary tones of figs, truffles, baking spices, ripe tannins, and limestone. With a nice long count for a finish evoking more black fruit, espresso, pepper, and terroir.  This wine could easily accept ten to twenty years in the cellar.

The wine to follow was also a show-stopper.  We enjoyed Dominus Estate Christian Moueix Napa Valley 2019 as I was curious to see how a new vintage would taste like.  Dominus is Latin for “Lord of the Estate.”  I am sure that Christian Moueix knew that he would be pressed to live up to that title.  Christian Moueix comes from a famed wine family from Bordeaux, France and among the many wineries that they own is Chateau Petrus (which alas I have never had) and Chateau Trotanoy both from the Commune of Pomerol.  He acquired the old Napanook Vineyard in Napa Valley and has made it his own.  The estate is based around the Napanook Vineyard which was originally planted in 1838 by George Yount.  Originally the estate was one-hundred-twenty-four-acres and ten more acres have been added over the years.  The estate is organic and they use dry-farming techniques, first used at Chateau Petrus, on a gravely-clay-soil with gentle sloping for natural drainage. Some of the common procedures that they use for each vintage are cluster sorting by hand, optical sorting of berries, gentle pump-overs to delicately extract aromas, color and tannins, and hand-racking barrel to barrel every three months.  The wine is a blend of ninety percent Cabernet Sauvignon, four percent Cabernet Franc, and six percent Petit Verdot.  The wine is oak, of which forty percent is new for about twenty months.  A deep ruby-red offering notes of black fruits, tobacco, jasmine, and spices. On the palate tones of black cherry and cassis are first, followed by currants, licorice and silk tannins and then ends with a long count finish of plums and graphite.  Definitely a good ten years in the cellar to make this wine truly memorable, even though most will enjoy it young.   

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Two From Emile Beyer

Posted on August 22, 2023 by thewineraconteur

One of the joys of going into my local wine shop, the Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan, is that I never know what will occur.  If they are really busy, I know that I can always come back, rather than disturbing a private wine tasting session.  Even though the customer had basically made his choices, and they were great, the shop introduced us both to a couple of wines from Emile Beyer from Alsace.  Alsace, while now in France, has had a long and checkered history belonging both to the early French and early German territories. It is the only French region to grow significant amounts of Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and Pinot Gris.  The fourteen generations of the Beyer family date back to 1580. 

Today, Christian Beyer and his wife, represent the Fourteenth generation of the Beyer family in Eguisheim.  He is the current steward of the land that has been written about in documents going all the way back to Old French and Old German. Beyer makes three levels of wine: the “Tradition” line are wines meant to be consumed young, showing the true varietal character of the grapes of Alsace, “Eguisheim” which is a series of varietal wines produced from estate fruit and older vines, and “Terroir” wines those grown in single vineyard sites and Grand Cru rated vineyards.  The first wine that we tried was Emile Beyer Les Traditions Pinot Blanc Alsace 2021.  The winery is in the process of conversion to total sustainable practices.  The soil is clay and limestone.  The wine is a blend of seventy percent Auxerrois and thirty percent Pinot Blanc, with vines from ten to twenty-five years of age, coming from both estate and purchased grapes.  The harvested grapes are pressed slowly and gently, and the juice is allowed to settle, before a cool and long fermentation in Stainless-Steel tanks; the aging continues in the tank on the lees for several month.  A pale straw-yellow colored wine offering notes of fresh apples and white florals.  On the palate there were tones of fresh fruit with creaminess, wonderful acidity, bright and crisp, with dry finish beckoning for another taste.  It could easily be my favorite white of the year, for a go-to wine in the cellar, so refreshing and definitely food friendly.

We then enjoyed Emile Beyer Eguisheim Pinot Noir Alsace 2020.  Christian Beyer joined the family business after studying oenology in Burgundy and work professionally at Chateau Rieussec in Sauternes and Schloss Johannisberg in the Rheingau.  The “Eguisheim” collection was certified as organic in 2014.  The fruit is from estate vineyards, where the vines are forty-years or older and from limestone and marl grounds.  The wine is pure Pinot Noir and the fruit is manually harvested, and the grapes are gently pressed and undergo a long, cool fermentation in a tank.  Aging is done in a combination of one- and two-year-old barrels, and a neutral tank for almost a year.  The wine is a black-cherry color with bright garnet reflections and offers notes of first of vanilla and spices, and then red fruits; a nose that needs a few minutes to open up.  On the palate great tones of black cherry, layered in wood, with silky tannins and a medium count finish.   

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Fine Wine Source – August 2023 Club Selections

Posted on August 20, 2023 by thewineraconteur

It feels like ages since, I walked into the Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan, after all of our side adventures, but it was time to get the club selections.  I am a firm believer in the selections that I get, they are some of the best values out in the market, as they have all been curated by the owner and his staff.  I am positive that he doesn’t even carry ten percent of what is available in the state, because, if it doesn’t get passed his cultivated palate, he will not suggest it to his client. 

The first wine of the monthly selection represents the Old World and this time it is Jean Sambardier Beaujolais Blanc 2019.  From almost the first century, grape vines have been growing in the region and from the Ninth to the Fourteenth Century the house of Beaujeu held sway separating the Maconnais from the Lyonnais.  After the fall, the monks returned as the stewards of the land.  The Sambardier family has been in the heart of Beaujolais since 1850 in Denice, south of Burgundy.  They have thirty-four hectares including Grand Cru designations, divided into fifty separate vineyard sites. Brothers Fred and Damien Sambardier are the current generation and they prefer the traditional methods without the enhancement of additional chemicals. While the region is famed for the Gamay, estates are allowed to grow fifteen percent white grapes, and here it is Chardonnay.  This wine is grown at a site known as “La Cote” on a south slope from Denice.  The soil is stony with marl further down.  The fruit is allowed to enjoy “over-maturity” and hand-harvested.  The wine undergoes cold Initial Fermentation and then is aged on fine lees, for about five months in Stainless-Steel vats and less than seven-hundred cases are produced. The wine is described as offering notes of white fruits, tropical fruits, white florals, and almonds.  On the palate there are tones of pear, tropical fruit, vanilla with balance and roundness.

The New World this month is represented by Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards “Queen of Hearts” Pinot Noir Santa Barbara 2019.  Louis Lucas, a third-generation grape grower, and Superior Court Judge Royce Lewellen met in 1975.  Louis was a well-respected grower who had been supplying premium wine grapes for reputable Napa and Sonoma wineries for decades. Royce Lewellen was a passionate wine enthusiast with a vision for the future of the Santa Barbara County wine industry. Over the next twenty-five years, the Lucas and Lewellen families would grow in a deep friendship that would serve as the foundation for Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards, a Solvang, California based winery with four hundred estate acres situated among three of Santa Barbara County’s separate and distinct climate zones, three major wine labels, two popular tasting rooms in downtown Solvang, and a state-of-the-art winery.  The fruit was harvested from two of their estate vineyards: Goodchild and Los Alamos.  Some of the vines are around forty-years of age, brought over from Europe and are planted both on hilltops to clay and gravel river beds.  The fruit is hand-harvested.  The tasting reviews mention the wine offers notes of strawberry, raspberry, and cola aromas.  The palate is described as tones of bold ripe strawberry, lively acidity and silky tannins.      

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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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