Two Old World Distinctive Whites

Posted on July 22, 2022 by thewineraconteur

I stopped at my local wine shop, The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan, to pick up a case of my Bride’s latest go-to wines.  I may be a blogger, but she is the darling of the shop and they are always checking on how she is doing.  They were able to ably assist in her desire for more wine, and offered a couple of wines for me to taste as well, and of course to relay the results to my Bride.

We started with a taste of Bodegas Gerardo Mendez Albarino DO Ferreiro Rias Baixas subzone Val do Salnes 2020.  The DO wine zone in the Galicia region of Spain was awarded in 1988, and the predominate grape is Albarino.  There are five distinct Subzones and Val do Salnes is considered one of the most important of the subzones and it is known as being the coolest and wettest of the zones off the coastline and a granite soil.  The DO rules state that the wine must be seventy percent Albarino, but this particular wine is pure Albarino.  Bodegas Gerardo Mendez has vineyards dating back to 1850 and now they are completely modernized. This straw-colored wine offered big floral notes.  On the palate a very crisp wine with tones of floral and mouth-watering acidity with a decent finish of minerals, a wine that a lot of people refer to as green and flinty.

We followed that wine with Domaine Huet L’Echansonne or just Domaine Huet is the leading producer in the Vouvray region of the Loire Valley.  They are known for their assorted Chenin Blanc wines, both for their richness and concentration of flavor, but also for their ability to age for a long time.  The thirty-five-hectare estate has three main south-facing vineyards on a plateau above the river and smaller plots as well.  Domaine Huet Cuvée Constance Vouvray 2016 and it is a tribute to Madame Constance Huet and only uses the late and concentrated grapes from the three main vineyards. This wine is only produced in small quantity and only in years when the high standards for this wine are met.  “Constance” was the result of an accident. In 1989, during the final harvesting of the berries, the grape juice was so exceptional, that the fermentation lasted for months. After consultations, it was decided to blend only these long-fermented juices together and Cuvée Constance was born. Grapes are pressed and fermentation using only natural yeasts with half in demi-muids (600-liter capacity oak barrels typically used in the Rhone Valley) and half in traditional vats for six months and a production of five-hundred cases.  My first thoughts were that this pinkish-gold wine was honey, but then it revealed ripe pears and sweet spices with a delicious and long finish, and yes, I nursed this tasting for all it was worth.

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Café Santé

Posted on July 20, 2022 by thewineraconteur

Before we left Boyne Mountain, which is in Boyne Falls, which is near Boyne Highlands, we went to Boyne City.  We were touted to try this bistro, just off of the water.  There are not that many places that I can think of, at least around here that mention Pimm’s Cup and Absinthe, so it was worth the trip, especially since we were in the Boynes.  We had a chance to leave the board meeting early, as the guest speaker following the last breakfast had cancelled, so we finished packing; had some more goodbyes, loaded up the car and decided to have an interesting lunch, before driving home. 

I had thought that we could start with a country style Pâté with all the accoutrements, but that idea was vetoed as being too heavy for the long drive home, my Bride can be so thoughtful and realistic, while I guess I just stay a hedonist.  My Bride wanted to be healthy, so she ordered and now don’t be surprised, the Lemon Fried Whitefish Caesar Salad (but they were able to bake the Whitefish in Lemon (so she was thrilled)). She is always trying other dressings, especially when they are house-made, and this salad came with Parmigiano-Reggiano.  The other bonus was that the Whitefish came from John Cross Fisheries that is quite famed for the region (and also makes great Smoked Whitefish that can be bought at their shop).  My Bride had enjoyed Domaine de la Ferrandiere Sauvignon Blanc Pays d’Oc IGP 2020.  The estate is located between Corbieres and Minervois in the ancient wetlands of the Languedoc. This area was drained under the command of Louis XIV at the end of the 17th Century.  For over a century the property was owned by the Gau family and they sold the estate to Domaines Paul Mas in 2013.  They specialize in single varietal wines from their seventy hectares of vines. I couldn’t find any production notes, but I will presume that the wine was produced in Stainless Steel vats, but I did find a curious fact that the vineyards are flooded for forty days after each winter, in an attempt to regulate the natural salinity of the soil.  This technique allows the vines to be grown on ancestral rootstock, as opposed to American rootstalk, as the vineyard was protected from phylloxera.  The Pays d’Oc IGP basically is the entire region of the Languedoc that are not made to the strict rules of the AOC level appellations.   The wine was a pretty almost golden color with notes of green apple and white fruits.  On the palate, soft fruit with high acidity that lingered into the finish, making it a very easy wine to drink, and beckoning for another sip.

I went with their Fish & Chips, which were Lemon breaded Great Lakes Whitefish, with Belgian Frites, accompanied by Sauce Remoulade and Rouille.  It was a fun version of a Friday Lenten dish, especially with the two sauces.  Well, it finally happened, I can understand when I go reminiscing about wines in my youth, but I just had a wine within the month that is under the radar.  I had a glass of Domaine de la Range Chardonnay Val de Loire 2020 and I cannot find it.  Oh well, the Val de Loire IGP was created in 2009 and is allowed in fourteen Departments of the Loire Valley.  It was a nice golden color with floral and citrus notes.  On the palate, it was a Chardonnay, better than some industrial bulk wines, but with Fish and Chips it worked. 

    

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Another Farewell

Posted on July 18, 2022 by thewineraconteur

We were enjoying our time at Boyne Mountain, my Bride was delivering her last reports at the board meeting and introducing her replacement. I was there for the fun, as always, since I have been able to attend as her guest.  The resort is a four-season resort, and there is always stuff to do.  Of course, I try to keep up with my writings and correspondence, but it is all fun.  The hardest part is at my age, trying not to overeat.  At breakfast, there was buffet tables with fresh fruit, pastries, oatmeal, scrambled eggs, assorted meats and vegetables; and if that was not enough there was also a station to have an omelet or Eggs Benedicts made.  For lunch, this time it was a buffet with a Tex-Mex influence and it wasn’t even Taco Tuesday, but the spread was elaborate.  I was happy with the Guacamole (which was decent for gringos) and the Beef or Chicken Fajitas. 

That evening of the board meeting, we had a barbecue with the featured items being New York Strip Steaks and Salmon.  Once again, it was a buffet set up, so nobody went hungry especially after the earlier two meals.   The buffet was in an adjacent building and then we all gathered outside to dine.  And my Bride did a great job of holding it all together, because after dinner, they made a special announcement to thank her for the last twenty-four years of service.  They even had a special cake and the next morning, we were making sure that especially the members that had children attending, should take some more of the cake home.  Some did the Ziplines, and I quietly side stepped away and let my Bride enjoy her last night with her Euchre buddies, as she had over the years made the one night into quite a get-together for those that enjoy the game. 

While the food was in the adjacent building, the bartenders were out in the sun with the rest of us.  I even had them make an impromptu Margarita, which was pretty decent, for being done on the cuff.  That evening the wines being offered were from the William Hill Estate Winery.  The winery was founded in 1976 by William Hill on a two-hundred-acre parcel at the foot of Atlas Peak on the Silverado Bench.  The wines being poured were the William Hill Estate Winery Merlot Central Coast 2018 and the William Hill Estate Winery Central Coast Chardonnay 2019.  The Central Coast stretches from San Francisco to Santa Barbara and includes San Francisco Bay, Monterey County, San Benito County, San Luis Obispo County and Santa Barbara County.  These wines are made for quick consumption and not for cellaring.  The wines were poured in plastic glasses, which are not the best for writing about wines, but ideal for quaffing.  The Chardonnay was a pretty gold color offering notes of citrus, melons and spices.  On the palate stone fruits in a well-balanced wine that offered a bit of creamy texture.  The Merlot had a deep color with notes of cherry and plums.  On the palate, there was a bit more plum in a very soft textured and easy to drink wine.  

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A Return to Boyne Mountain

Posted on July 16, 2022 by thewineraconteur

As my Bride was getting ready to turn over the reins to retire, we still had one more business trip to attend at Boyne Mountain.  Boyne Mountain is a ski resort in the winter, and they offer other activities in the summer months; for those of you who know, that is Non-Construction and Construction.  According to her HR department, she has to lease a vehicle, and it was the first time, we had to drive in a foreign car.  I had always stressed that because she was dealing with municipalities that may have been hurt over the years by the cyclical trends of the automotive industry, that she should always drive an American car, like a Ford or a Chevy (and never anything flashy).  There was only one cigar lighter slot, so we had to use it for cell phones for navigation, and the car refrigerator that we travel with, had to use ice packs.  I had to drive, because the driver’s seat had no up or down adjustments, and she couldn’t see the road, and leave it to me to complain that there was no armrest for the driver, as I had to use her purse as an arm rest.  Then when we got to our room, you had to place one of those computer coded door keys into a slot next to the first light switch, which enabled the air conditioner to be set.  The room was a sauna, maybe great to go with the hot tub spa, in the main room, but not conducive for enjoyment.  We survived. 

The first night was a cocktail reception, with lots of appetizers and finger foods.  There were three different tables to visit and try.  Try as I might, I just have always felt awkward with carrying plates of food, whether an affair of this nature, or a buffet offering at a wedding.  When I was young, I think that I was embarrassed because of my appetite, and the amount of food to keep hollow legs nourished.  I continued this attitude with me to this day.  I guess I just like a sit-down dinner.  The good news is that a few of our usual group were going to go to a pub, after the reception and I was game, and so was my Bride, 

It turns out that there was about twelve or fourteen of us, that decided to go out and have some more nourishment, so maybe it isn’t just me.  We ended up at a pub on the grounds of the resort, and I am sure that during the ski season, this pub probably really rocks.  It was classic bar food, a little on the salty side (to make you drink more) and the vegetarians in the group were able to get a few choices.  My Bride went with their version of a Caesar Salad with a slice of Salmon.  I went with a classic: a Cheeseburger with Sweet-Potato Fries (for my Bride).  Now some of you, may shake your head, but we enjoyed a white wine, as it was still very hot and sunny even into the evening.  We enjoyed Le Coeur de la Reine Touraine Sauvignon 2020, by Domaine Jacky Marteau of the Loire Valley.  The estate is in its fourth generation of family winemakers and is twenty-nine hectares of which twenty hectares of Sauvignon Blanc and four-and-a-half hectares of Gamay all on clay-silica based soil.  Touraine is in the very heart of the Loire Valley, the city of Tours is half way between Sancerre and Nantes.  Touraine is a regional appellation of about five-thousand hectares and almost sixty percent is white, but it also produces red, rosé and sparkling (in all three colors).  They use pneumatic pressing and cold fermentation for seven days in Stainless Steel.  The wine is a light yellow with notes of notes of citrus and a touch of cassis.  On the palate, tones of citrus and bit of spice, with some great acidity that ends with a nice medium count finish accenting spice and terroir. 

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Walloon Lake Inn

Posted on July 14, 2022 by thewineraconteur

We were on our last business trip and we were going to the northern part of the lower peninsula, and we were going a day early to have some “us” time as well, so that we could be refreshed for the board meeting.  We also took a slight right turn and went back to Mackinaw City, where my Bride saw a piece of lawn art and she had been thinking about it since she saw it, on our last trip.  I was not thinking of lawn art, but I always like to ask and research an area to find someplace, hopefully new to us and worth our effort.  We went to the Walloon Lake Inn for dinner on our first night up and it was an excellent excursion.  The building itself was built in 1891as the Fern Cottage an inn on the lake for travelers.  It was renamed the Walloon Lake Inn in 1981 and totally renovated in 1981. 

We were seated at a table overlooking the Walloon Lake and you really couldn’t have asked for a better table.  I even have to mention that one of the walls in the Men’s Room kind of made me homesick for my cellar; I later found out that the Lady’s Room did not have such décor.  We started off with two appetizers.  My Bride had the Ahi Tuna Tartar with Organic Mixed Baby Greens, Mango, Avocado, Pickled Red Onion, Peanuts, Cracker Ring, Honey Lime Vinaigrette and Blood Orange Aioli.  I had the Gnocchi with Wild Mushrooms, Roasted Garlic and Sherry Cream.  We started off with a bottle of Marc Bredif Vouvray Classic 2020 one of the many labels that are part of Domaine de Ladoucette. The original estate dates back to 1787, when the Comte Lafond bought the estate from the illegitimate daughter of Louis XV and, to this day, the estate is owned by his descendants.  Marc Bredif created sparkling Vouvray in the early Twentieth Century.  The cellar goes back to the Tenth Century with vintages back to 1874.  Baron de Ladoucette purchased Marc Bredif in 1980.  The wines are now made at the Chateau du Nozet of Ladoucette.  The “Classic” means the traditional interpretation of Chenin Blanc Vouvray.  The soils are mostly chalk clay, but some are flint clay, and most of the vines are twenty-five to thirty years of age.  The grapes are hand-picked, and undergo pneumatic pressing, and only the free running juice is used for this wine and the juice is left to clarify for almost two days.  Two months of temperature-controlled fermentation, followed by nine months on the lees in Stainless Steel vats.  The pale-yellow wine offers notes of peach and pear, along with citrus.  On the palate, the tones of pineapple and citrus, some lemon zest in a big full wine with a nice medium count finish of exotic fruits and terroir.

My Bride had the Seafood Risotto which was a Vegetable Risotto with Scallops, Shrimp in an Herb-Butter Wine Sauce.  I enjoyed a Citrus and Chile Braised Short Ribs with Whipped Potatoes, Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Baby Carrots in a reduction sauce of including Cilantro-Parsley Chimichurri.  Afterwards, we shared a Lemon Tart with Toasted Merengue and Raspberry Coulis.  While my Bride continued with the Marc Bredif, I went with the Gibb Dusty Red Napa Valley 2019. This is a third generation of a wine growing family that started in the 1950’s along with walnuts and dates.  In 2000 they began experimenting with winemaking and in 2013 they introduced Gibbs, with some vines that go back sixty years. The wine is a blend of forty-eight percent Cabernet Sauvignon, twenty-two percent Merlot, thirteen percent Malbec, ten percent Petit Verdot and seven percent Cabernet Franc.  Each varietal was individually fermented and then blended prior to bottling.  The wine was aged for twenty-two months in French Oak and only eight-hundred-twenty-four-cases were produced.  This was a very pretty deep Bordeaux style wine with notes of cherries and spices.  On the palate there was a comingling of black and red cherries, very velvety with a nice finish of spices.  A real pretty wine with food, that wasn’t the typical California, in your face blend, but more Continental and plusher. 

        

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A Great Dinner to Finish What van Gogh Started

Posted on July 12, 2022 by thewineraconteur

It was a such a pleasant day that we had with our son and his wife, first the Immersive van Gogh exhibit, then off to a street side wine bar at The Royce and finally dinner at Vertical Detroit.  Vertical Detroit opened in 2015.  It is located in a rehabbed former residential hotel, in the perfect part of the new Downtown Detroit, where everything is happening.  They were also the first high-end, wine-centric restaurant and wine bar in the city.

We started off by insisting that they had to have the Grapes as an appetizer, I know it sounds odd, but Grapes rolled in Brie, coated with grated Pistachio and drizzled with a Gastrique; we had to have a couple orders of it.  We also shared the Smoked Trout Toast with Radishes, Pickled Onions, Mustard Seeds and Dill. The women then had Pork Belly with Black Bean Puree, Pineapple Salsa and Micro Cilantro; Vertical Caesar with Romaine, Focaccia Crouton, Parmesan and Scallops and an order of Wild Mushroom Risotto with Caramelized Onion, Parmesan and Chives.  The wine was Domaine Daulny Sancerre Le Clos de Chaudenay 2020 and Etienne Daulny owns fifteen hectares of vines divided into about fifty different plots within Sancerre and none of these wines see Malolactic fermentation.  Les Clos de Chaudenay is a single vineyard cuvee of Sauvignon Blanc, right next to the winery.  Most of the aging occurs in Stainless Steel, but about twenty percent is aged in well used six-hundred-liter “puncheons” and then the wines are blended at the end.  A nice straw-colored wine that had notes of grapefruit, lemon and herbs.  On the palate, tones of a classic Sancerre, a bit racy, well balanced with a nice long crisp finish with terroir.   

The men’s choices were a bit heavier with our son having a Double Bone Pork Chop with Grits, Greens and Red Eye Gravy.  I had an order of Soy Glazed Beef Short Ribs with Sticky Rice, Charred Broccolini and an Herb Salad.  A red wine was called for and Domaine Monthelie-Douhairet Porcheret Monthelie “Clos du Meix Garnier” Monopole 2017 from the Cote de Beaune region of Burgundy.  The Domaine was created over three hundred years ago, and they still use the original vaulted cellars.  The estate covers thirteen hectares of vineyards in Monthelie, Pommard, Volnay and Meursault.  Monthelie is a subregion that has its own appellation since 1937 and there are fifteen Premier Cru climats in the area, and a village of only two-hundred count population. The Meix is an early Middle Ages collection of buildings from a large-scale farming operation.  It is their Monopoly of this vineyard of 1.36 hectares with vines that average about sixty years. The fruit is hand-harvested in small crates to avoid compressing the crops and all the grapes are de-stemmed.  The wines are aged for eighteen months in classic Burgundian barrels and ten percent are always new to the mix.  The wine is a beautiful ruby red with notes of red and black cherries.  On the palate, the tones of cherries are blended with herbs and spices and finished off with a nice long count of terroir.  A delightful wine and a wonderful meal, until the next time we get there.        

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Immersive Van Gogh and Wines

Posted on July 10, 2022 by thewineraconteur

Believe it or not, there was actually an Immersive Van Gogh exhibit that finally appeared in Detroit.  It began with teasers on social media sites, then they began selling tickets to the exhibit without telling anyone where it would be staged, then finally they announced a venue and then we bought tickets.  It appeared and then it disappeared just like everything else in 2020, and was there even a 2020 or was it cancelled by the science that was talked about, but never revealed.  Even Van Gogh himself would have had to die, because he wouldn’t have been able to wear the mask that our harridan demanded.  Then gradually there were teasers again that the exhibit was going to be running again, but the next venue fell through and even the newspapers (yes, I am old enough that I still admit to reading the paper) were questioning if it was truly legit. Yes, it happened, and we received our tickets that we had paid for, over a year ago and to make it up to us, we are supposed to be issued tickets to their next Immersive Klimt.  The venue was at the old Harmonie Club, classic beaux-arts designed building that somehow survived the wrecking ball in Detroit, as it was built in 1895 and when I was in high school the area was known as Harmonie Park. I guess it is hard to express the exhibit, it was kind of fun and different as you seemed to be in several different paintings, and your vertigo at times was even challenged as the paintings rolled up and down the walls while you were surrounded by different parts of the art.

After the exhibit, we were going to go to another gem that had been restored in Detroit, called Cliff Bells which was famous from probably the Forties on, until it lost its luster like most of Downtown Detroit and by the time, I was in high school it catered to working girls and their clients.  Alas, we were too early, so we walked around the corner and went to The Royce, a wine bar that we had been to a little while ago.  It was a pleasant day and we sat out on the sidewalk patio to have some wine. My Bride enjoyed a glass of Azienda Agricol Benito Ferrara Terra D’Uva Greco di Tufo DOCG 2020.  Benito Ferrara began in the early 1900’s and they now have eight hectares of vineyards.  Terra D’Uva translates to Land of the grapes.  Greco di Tufo DOCG was granted in 2003 and is the most famed white wine of the Campania region.  Tufo not only refers to the village, but also describes the limestone tufa. The grape varietal is also known as Greco, very predominate in Campania, as is believed to have been introduced to the region by one of the ancient tribal groups of Greece from Thessaly.  This particular wine is pure Greco di Tufo, but the classification only requires eighty-five percent. After harvest the grapes are soft pressed, the wine matures in Stainless Steel for about six months on the lees.  The soft golden hued wine offered notes of lemons, pears and almonds.  A very crisp wine with tones of pears and a nice lingering finish of terroir.   

I decided to have a glass of Paltrinieri Radice Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC Emilia-Romagna Vino Frizzante Secco 2020.  The winery was begun in 1926 and there are seventeen hectares of vineyards in Cristo di Sorbara, in the province of Modena.  Lambrusco di Sorbara is regarded as the finest of the various specified Lambrusco clones and is planted on sandy, alluvial soil. The DOC rules for this wine allows for sixty percent Lambrusco di Sorbara, but this wine is pure.  The regulations also allow for either Traditional Method or Charmat Method and this wine is Traditional.  While the winery refers to this wine as a light ruby red, I would call it more of a salmon-orange in color, and the glass didn’t allow the fine bubbles to appear.  The wine offered notes of grapefruit, strawberry, yeast and violets.  On the palate, tones of pomegranate, a light mousse feel, very dry and with good acidity.       

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She Did It

Posted on July 8, 2022 by thewineraconteur

No, she didn’t divorce me, but she is retiring, at least that is what her company has now decided.  For the longest time, she thought that no one was remembering that she was actually going to retire, as she was a fixture there.  They were making plans for the monthly meeting with the Account Execs across the state and she was going to turn over the reins to her heir apparent.  She was a bit frazzled, as she was told that where she thought that they would have the lunch afterwards, could not handle the group, but she blamed it on the problem that all the restaurants are having trouble getting help.  Then she was told that another place had been found, so she relaxed a little bit, and then when she was told to invite me and our son and family here in town, she was elated that they remembered that she was retiring and they were giving her a party.

The party was at a restaurant called Mex, not far from her office and it was going to be a Taco Party.  I decided to get there early, to see if I could be of any assistance, or if I was just going to be considered a hindrance to the planners.  When people starting saying “where is she?” I joked that she is probably checking her emails and messages, before she came to the party; and I was right.  There were some elaborate posters made, including one that had candy bars as part of the good luck message, and there was a carry-out pizza box that had dollar bills fanned out and the edges rolled like a crust, with a generous number of quarters representing pepperoni.  The box was evening lined with scratch-off instant lottery tickets (I guess as insulation to keep the pizza warm). There were her Account Execs, other members of the team that get a lot of the grunt work done, plenty of former coworkers from across the state came to celebrate as well as some of our family.  Her client and his staff, also made a great showing to wish her off, even though they knew that they would see her about a week later at the Board Meeting.  She was on the verge of crying several times, because of all the attention that she was receiving.

I also figured that I would show up early and have something cold, because everyone else would be still on the clock and the company has a zero-tolerance for drinking during business hours, but I don’t count, plus I thought it would make for a great article and another wine memory.  Normally with Mexican food I would have a Margarita, but this place is more Mexican food for Americans, so I had a glass of Chasing Venus Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough, New Zealand 2021 by the Matchbook Wine Company.  Matchbook Wine Company is a five-generation family-owned winery in Northern California’s Dunnigan Hills. Sauvignon Blanc is basically the wine of Marlborough and hence New Zealand, as eighty percent of Marlborough is Sauvignon Blanc and it is very successful; the wine is noted for its relative lack of subtlety, its intense flavors of green pepper and gooseberry, and a character that has been famously described as “cat’s pee on a gooseberry bush.”  The soft golden colored wine offered the classic notes of grapefruit, gooseberry and herbs: on the palate tones of citrus with bright acidity and a short finish of citrus.  

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N’awleans in Marquette

Posted on July 6, 2022 by thewineraconteur

On one of my first trips to Marquette with my Bride, while she was working and I was practicing for retirement, I discovered by accident Lagniappe, a Cajun-Creole restaurant.  It is just me, always asking about restaurants and this restaurant opened in 2006.  It has been a few years since we have been to New Orleans, but she still has apron and her recipes from a culinary class that she attended one year. She tried to meet one of her contacts for dinner, as this would be her last professional tour of the Upper Peninsula and they declined, but we still went.  Lagniappe loosely translates to a small requested gift from a merchant after a purchase, and first recorded for the world by Mark Twain in Life on the Mississippi in 1883.

My Bride can only find the restaurant by the “alley” entrance off of a municipal parking lot and when we went in, I was admiring some of the ceiling tiles over the bar area, that were decorated with some of the watering holes in The French Quarter and we had only visited a couple that were depicted.  My Bride had the Atchafalaya Jambalaya; the famous one dish meal of chicken, ham, Andouille sausage, vegetables, seasonings and rice.  I went for something a bit more exotic that I can’t readily find around home and that is Crawfish Etouffee; a spicy dish of crawfish tail meat smothered in a roux-based sauce of minced caramelized vegetables with seasonings over rice. We enjoyed Clos du Bois Chardonnay California 2019.  Clos du Bois was originally a producer in Sonoma County founded in 1974 by Frank Woods and he started with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.  He was also the first to introduce a Bordeaux-style red in Sonoma. One of the first to promote sustainable and green vineyard practices, including solar panels.  Frank Woods sold the winery in 1988 and it eventually became part of Constellation Brands Inc.  They in turn just sold this winery and some other wineries to Gallo in 2021.  This is a good basic wine that is produced in bulk found in plenty of restaurants, grocery stores and wine shops.  This is their basic and classic Chardonnay that I am sure is done in Stainless Steel with the addition of wood chips.  This wine is always safe to order as it offers a soft gold color with notes of apple, pear and toasted oak.  On the palate there is citrus, white fruits, butter and oak with a short finish of fruit.

As we were getting ready to go back to the hotel, we ended up meeting her contact person at another place that she was excited to have me visit.  We ended up at the Courtyards and it was an eclectic mix of food and drinks and there was a food truck parked in a bay of the Courtyards offering Cajun-Creole food.  My Bride discovered the Courtyards on her last trip, which was without me, but she called me to tell me about it, and the group that she was with. We didn’t have any food, as we were stuffed from our meal, but there was always room for something liquid.  We had a couple of splits of Cantine Vedova “Casa Farive” Prosecco DOC Extra Dry NV.  The Vedova family is one of the largest and well-known wineries in Valdobbiadene.  They began in the 1950’s.  The Casa Farive brand covers all the different parameters found in the production of Prosecco from the Charmat Method and they also produce some vintage wines as well.  This wine was a light straw color with notes of white fruit and florals.  On the palate some citrus and some apple in a dry wine with a finish of fruit afterwards.  This was just a nice drinking wine with friends and the perfect way to end the trip.   

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Zephyr Wine Bar and Tap Room

Posted on July 4, 2022 by thewineraconteur

While we up in Marquette, we tried to make the most of it, even to a wine bar.  I wish we had more wine bars back home.  It is fun to go to places that are not cookie-cutter chains that blur one’s memory of one city with another.  “Given my druthers” I would prefer the quirkiness and charm of a community instead of a McDonalds; otherwise, why bother going some place new?  That is even true with retail establishments, I have always enjoyed going into a real store and hopefully encounter real professionals and hopefully not little “Mr. Dress-ups” by virtue of family or marriage, but people that really have heart in the business.

We found this wine bar that had both indoor and outdoor sitting and it was pure enjoyment.  Zephyr Wine Bar and Tap Room is actually owned by a wine retail establishment in Marquette and now they also have a weekend restaurant called the Cellar Restaurant that offers a four-course, prix fixe menu that changes weekly to feature seasonal foods and “highlight whatever our chefs are excited about.” They offer wine pairings by their in-house sommeliers or from the extensive wine list that we encountered when we sat down to enjoy the ambience of the wine bar.

We decided to enjoy Domaine Lupin Roussette de Savoie Frangy 2018, because during the lost year of 2020 we discovered a bottle of from this region that had been lost or misplaced and by the time we discovered it, it had passed its prime and only the sink could enjoy it.  Bruno Lupin is considered by some to be the “rockstar” of Savoie.  His grandfather started the business, and Bruno after his studies made a side trip and became the winemaker for a large cooperative, but eventually he decided to return home and go for quality over quantity.  Frangy is one of four named Crus in Savoie and considered the best of the four.  The wines from Frangy are made using the Roussette grape or Altesse, as opposed to the Jacquere grape used in the other three, and those wines are considered more quaffable. While most of Savoie has limestone soil, Frangy is distinct, because it is more remote and has a mixture of glacial molasse with a covering of limestone and clay.  Roussette or Altesse is now considered an indigenous grape of the region and is also known as Anet, Fusette, Prin Blanc and Marestel.  Some of the vines are seventy years in age, grown organically with a hands-off with minimal intervention outlook.  The crops are hand-harvested and only indigenous yeasts are used.  After initial fermentation, only a partial Malolactic fermentation is allowed.  A pretty golden color the wine offers notes of florals and almonds.  On the palate, a unique blend of pear, honey, bergamot and almonds with a good mixture of acidity and a wonderful finish of terroir.  A very distinctive and interesting wine that is not often seen.        

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