Our Last Night With the Graduates

Posted on June 19, 2025 by thewineraconteur

We finally got together with My Favorite Daughter and her family, and we were going to start by an annual tradition, and bowl a couple of games, but there was major tournament and there were no open lanes for rank amateurs.  We decided to take them to William B’s for dinner.  As usual, when I go with the boys we always discuss the virtues of burgers and their approval for fast food chains.  While their grandfather is a pain in the derriere and only really appreciates a burger in a steakhouse.  The moment came and I could find out, if they were going to continue or be disowned.  The four ordered burgers, while my Bride and I shared a Seafood Tower. 

We went during the Happy Hour at the restaurant and snagged a booth in the bar area, and the kids were all amazed and how and roomy the booths were, with plenty of room for three on each side of the table.  I noticed that they were offering a Prosecco that I have never encountered and that is always worth having a glass, just because, as we used to say.  I tried a glass of Tommaso Gambino Gambino Cuvee Prosecco NV .  Gambino Prosecco was launched in 2015 and is owned by GV Liquid Group, Inc.  A winery based in Sicily, but they also produce a Prosecco from the Treviso and Valdobbiadene regions.  There was not much information to discover, but I will opine that the wine is produce using the bulk Charmat Method and Stainless-Steel tanks.  The wine was very easy to drink and would be great for large parties or for unlimited Mimosas.  A golden colored wine with medium bubbles offering notes of green apples, exotic fruits, citrus fruits, bee’s wax and chalky minerals.  On the palate this medium-bodied wine displayed tones of green apple, passion fruit, banana and some butter and brioche, with high acidity and ending with a medium-count finish of fruit, lemon zest and terroir.

I thought it was time to try another wine that we had when it first came out, and at that time it was known as Diving into Hampton Water.  This evening, we were having Hampton Water Languedoc AOP 2023.  Which is rather famous, as it is a business venture of Jesse Bongiovi, son of rock musician Jon Bon Jovi, and Gerard Bertrand of the Languedoc.  This wine was first released in 2017 and was originally viewed as just another “celebrity status” wine, but it continues to score impressive point scores and accolades.  The wine is a blend of sixty percent Grenache, fifteen percent Cinsault, fifteen percent Mourvèdre and ten percent Syrah.  It is made with the concept of being a party wine, there is no cork, just a glass stopper that is awkward to open the first time around, and the base of the bottle evokes a strawberry.  A salmon-colored wine that offers notes of strawberry, cherry, melon, stone fruits, spices and wet stones.  On the palate this medium-bodied wine displays tones of strawberry, citrus, some vanilla or oak tones from a brief aging period in French Oak, bright acidity and a medium-count finish of fruit and minerality. 

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We Got Our Fix of Foie Gras

Posted on June 16, 2025 by thewineraconteur

The next day after the graduation ceremony, we talked about getting together for dinner, and my Bride thought that it would be an all-day affair, and I said that they were out having a good time, and they would barely meet us for dinner.  So, I suggested that the two of us go to Marche Bacchus, where we had taken two of the earlier graduates out for a private dinner.  I have fallen in love with the shop and the locale, as it is on one of the man-made lakes in North Las Vegas called the Dessert Shores, and the shop is actually a wine store and tasting bar, with a restaurant that is built on the water’s edge.  The first time we were there, there were black swans, later replaced with white swans, and now geese and ducks.  We started off with a classic interpretation of Foie Gras, and we share one plate of this, as it is so rich and not good for us, but once in a while we make exceptions. 


They didn’t have any Sauternes featured so, I tried some two different options.  The first was the RRoyal Tokaji Company Royal Tokaji 5 Puttonyos Aszu Hungary 2017 and is a newcomer to the region.  The winery was founded in 1990 in the village of Mad by the English wine writer Hugh Johnson, along with the English wine trader Ben Hawkins and Anglo-Danish winemaker Peter Vinding-Diers.  The wine is a blend of Furmint, Harslevelu and Muscat and these varietals have been famous for the dessert wine since the classification at the end of the 17th Century.  The vineyards are at the convergence of two rivers, that encourage morning mists and the perfect environment for botrytis to flourish.  The vines are approximately twenty years in age and have such low yield, that during some vintages one vine may only produce one glass of wine.  The Aszu grapes are picked berry by berry and placed in small baskets, where they are crushed and then fermented in large Hungarian Oak barrels with natural yeasts. A 5 Puttonyos basket is about 24kgs of Aszu berries added to each Gonci (136L cask). The wine is aged for twenty-four months in used oak barrels, and then an additional ten months of bottle ageing.   A soft amber colored wine that offers notes of peaches, plums, apricots, freesia and jasmine.  On the palate this full-bodied wine displayed tones of ripe fruit, crisp acidity, well-balanced and ending with a medium-to-long finish of candied fruit, botrytised fruit and a touch of oxidation.  A curiosity about labeling is that wine for the USA still has red borders, while the rest of the world gets a blue border; this is left over from the old Soviet Monimpex days.

I also tried a second wine as a taste pairing with the Foie Gras, Robert Biale Vineyards Petit Sirah Dessert Wine Napa Valley 2921.  Robert Biale Vineyards was founded in 1937 by Pietro Biale and planted with Zinfandel. Aldo Biale took over the estate when his father passed away in 1942 and with strict wartime restrictions he sold the family’s wine at “Gallina Nera” or Black Chicken; loosely adapted from Chianti’s Gallo Nero.  In 1991 Robert Biale took over the estate and changed the name to Robert Biale Vineyards, and yes, they still produce their flagship Gallina Nera.  As well as their extensive Zinfandel portfolio they have since added Petite Sirah, Grenache and Syrah in both Napa Valley and Sonoma County.  The fruit for this wine is from their Obershulte Vineyard in Chiles Valley, Napa Valley and is the thirteenth bottling of this Old-World Port Style red wine.  The fruit is hand-harvested, sorted in the field and then once again in the winery.  The fruit is then destemmed, gently crushed and then fermented in small bins, where they are gently foot-treaded a couple of times a day.  Then high-proof grape brandy is added to stop fermentation to capture the wine’s natural flavor and sweetness. The fruit is then gently pressed and aged for eighteen months in French Oak, of which a third is new; and 173 cases were produced.  This inky-dark purple wine offered notes of dried figs, brambleberry preserves, mocha, cloves and dark chocolate.  On the palate this full-bodied wine displayed tones of medium sweet dark fruits, good acidity and like a vintage Port, instead of a Tawny with a nice long finish of dark fruit and chocolate.  We both enjoyed this wine with the Foie Gras. 

We also teased our cholesterol by splitting an order of a classic interpretation of Escargot.  We had this with Alban Vineyards Viognier Central Coast 2023.  Alban Vineyards has a global recognition for its Rhone inspired wines.  The winery is located in the Edna Valley and they have sixty-six acres around the estate. John Alban bought the land in 1990, as he felt the land resembled the Rhone Valley.  They make two distinct Viognier wine, one aged in Stainless-Steel, while the estate Viognier is barrel fermented with indigenous yeast and bottled unfined and unfiltered.  We had Stainless-Steel fermented wine.  A soft golden-yellow wine that offered notes of white stone fruit, white florals and minerals.  On the palate this medium-bodied wine displayed tones of white stone fruit and apricots in a well-balanced wine that had a medium-count finish of fruit and terroir.   

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Two Graduates in Las Vegas 2025

Posted on June 13, 2025 by thewineraconteur

Out of our eight grandchildren, number sixth and seventh were graduating from High School in Las Vegas.  So, we made a trip to see them graduate.  Our daughter was all excited and she told us, just to meet them before the ceremony at Thomas and Mack, so we punched up the names expecting to see an intersection up in the Summerlin district, instead it was the Thomas & Mack Center, a multi-purpose arena located on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in Paradise, Nevada.  The facility opened in the summer of 1983 with a grand opening including Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin among others.  That day, there were numerous graduation ceremonies being held there.  We had no idea, and got there early, in anticipation of having to reserve eleven seats.

It was a balmy 104 F and not the norm for Detroiters.  We got at the arena right as some of the viewers of the prior ceremony were leaving early to avoid the traffic mess, that is part of the charm of Las Vegas.  My Bride informed me that she needed to avail herself of the facilities.   A policeman we found at the intersecting area of the parking lot and the steps to the arena, told us where to go, when we got to the top of the stairs, thankfully there was also an escalator.  Once we got into the arena, we both took advantage of the facilities, and we tried to get to safe alcove as the crowds from the arena all evacuated at the same time.  My Bride had gone into the arena and selected where she wanted to save seats.  As we were trying to hide in an alcove to avoid the crowds, a woman approached us and told us that we were going to have to go out in the heat.  I said fine, that I wanted to photograph her, get her name and her position; as I told her that if we two seventy-something senior citizens suffered from some ailment of the sun or the heat, I wanted to know who was responsible.  A policemen overhearing the conversation and how self-important this woman was smiled and told her to escort us to a large lobby inside the building; she was not happy at all.  As soon as the gates were opened, it was a mad dash for the arena.  My Bride told me what entrance and seating area, as she ran to reserve eleven seats.  I got there just as she counted eleven seats in and I took the aisle seat.  I stood my ground, in spite of some very belligerent parents, that thought that they should have first rights to the seats, even if they didn’t arrive early.  As our crowd arrived, we had them originally spread out among the eleven seats to lessen arguments about the seating arrangements, until every one of the family finally showed up. She got all of her photos, and she was very happy.

We then were told to meet at a local Brazilian steakhouse, Via Brasil, that my daughter had made reservations at, the two grads were a bit  testy and wanted me to correct the situation, but I told them that they were lucky that they had this reservation, so they finally saw the wisdom of my discussion.  This was very similar to other Brazilian-style steakhouses that we been to, where there was a large salad bar, which could be purchased as a stand-along or as part of the whole package.  The steakhouse portion of the dinner was waiters carrying large skewers of barbequed meats that were sliced off the skewers, and there must have been almost two dozen meat choices.  I thought that it would have been fun to select a Brazilian wine for the dinner, but there were none offered, but I did get a South American choice, as we had Bodega Luigi Bosca Malbec Mendoza, Argentina 2022   Bodega Luigi Bosca is a wine estate in Mendoza, planted primarily to Malbec and other reds.  It was founded in 1901 by Leoncio Arizu and then with the Bosca family at the start of 20th Century.  The winery is located in Lujan de Cuyo, but also has property in Maipu and the Uco Valley.  The Arizu Family still remains the owners of the estate.   This particular wine has fruit harvested from vineyards in Lujan de Cuyo and the Valle de Uco from vines that average about thirty-five years in age.  The fruit is manually harvested, with Initial Fermentation in Stainless-Steel vats, then the wine is aged for twelve months in a mix of French and American Oak barrels, and then gently filtered; followed by six months in the bottle before release.  The wine is a deep purple red and offers notes of black cherry, Balsamic, florals and assorted spices.  On the palate this medium-bodied wine displayed tones of black cherry and red fruits, firm and sweet tannins with a medium-count finish of fruit and terroir.

   

                                                                      

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Dinner For Two at William B’s

Posted on June 9, 2025 by thewineraconteur

Our first night in Las Vegas, and we were on our own, an unusual situation.  For at least the last twenty years or so, we have been staying at The Suncoast in the Summerlin district of Las Vegas, where two of our children and their families live.  When we first started staying there, we were kidded constantly that it was a “senior citizen” casino and that was fine, as it was quiet, uncongested and very easy to maneuver in; and I guess we grown into those demographics.  There was an Italian restaurant there with a piano bar, that we enjoyed, in fact, we had even eaten at the original restaurant before they moved to The Suncoast.  I figured that we were going to walk across the street and eat at Echo & Rig, but my Bride was doing some research and discovered that there was now a new steakhouse in the casino, and the evening that we would be dining there alone, they had a special promotion;  later we found out that we were the first to try this special, as it just started that day.

I don’t think that it would be too much of a stretch to figure out the William B’s was named after William Boyd who took over the reins from his father and became the Chairman Emeritus and co-founder of Boyd Gaming Corporation.  This was one of the first rooms that was remodeled from our last visit, and we only had drinks there the last time.  Now the main floor of the casino, as well as the second floor for banquets, was under renovation, and then afterwards, all the rooms will be renovated as well.  We got to the restaurant early and sat at the bar until the dining room opened.  My Bride wanted to try a Gin and Tonic and maybe it was the hundred-degree weather outside, but she fell in love with the drink.  I tried a glass of Charles Woodson’s Intercept Chardonnay Monterey County 2021 and affiliated with O’Neill Vintners & Distillers.  Intercept Wines was created by Charles Woodson formerly of the NFL, Super Bowl Champion, Pro Football Hall of Famer and the only defensive player to ever win the Heisman Trophy.  He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders and attended spring training in Napa Valley.  After a memorable dinner with Robert Mondavi, he was hooked, and his first wine was a 2005 Merlot.  In 2019, he launched Charles Woodson’s Intercept Wines.  The wine is pure Chardonnay and the fruit comes from the Arroyo Seco appellation along with a small percentage from Paso Robles.  The wine has the Initial Fermentation in Stainless-Steel tanks and then the Malolactic Fermentation and Sur Lie aging is done in French and European Oak for fourteen months.  A golden-yellow wine that offered notes of peaches, apples and white florals.  On the palate this medium-bodied wine displayed tones of peaches, apples, and a touch of lime with bright acidity and ending with a nice medium-count finish of fruit, oak and traces of shortbread.

As I said we were the guinea pigs for their culinary experiment that my Bride found and booked for us.  The dinner was described as William B’s Wagyu Wednesdays featuring a Chef Cut twenty-ounce Wagyu Ribeye, served Chateau-style for Two.  We had a choice of two starters, my Bride had the Caesar Salad with White Anchovies (and it was an excellent dressing), while I had the Heart of Romaine Salad with Pomegranate Seeds and Strawberries served with a Champagne Vinaigrette; later that evening we were introduced to the Chef and he said that they were changing the salad I had to an Iceberg Wedge (and I think that we will have to duplicate this salad at home).  We then had a choice of two sides of six, and we went classic with Steamed Asparagus and Sautéed Mushrooms.  We also had a choice of two desserts of five, and we had Bread Pudding with a Brandy Sauce, and a wedge of Chocolate Cake with Caramel, Ganache and Crème Fraiche. We had a bottle of Lyeth Estate Red Wine Sonoma County 2017.  Lyeth Estate is famed for their Bordeaux-inspired wines and an early adapter and founding member of the Meritage Alliance, which was created in 1988.  The company was founded in 1981 by Chip Lyeth and after his death in an airplane crash, the estate was bought by the Boisset Collection, one of the largest producers in France and this was their first American winery.  The fruit is harvested from the estate and grower vineyards in Sonoma County.  The wine is a blend of seventy-seven percent Cabernet Sauvignon, eleven percent Petite Verdot, ten percent Merlot and two percent Malbec.  The wine was aged for sixteen months in French Oak.  The deep garnet wine offered notes of plums, cherries and lavender.  On the palate this full bodied wine displayed tones of ripe and dried fruits, white pepper, tobacco leaf and some refreshing orange zest and a nice medium to long count finish of fruits and spices.  We had so much food left over, that our waiter got us some utensils, napkins and take-home containers for our refrigerator, that we both had steak topped salads with vegetables the next day for lunch, and we had the chocolate cake for breakfast earlier with coffee.   

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Whatever Shall We Do in Vegas?

Posted on June 6, 2025 by thewineraconteur

I know that this sounds like a silly question, in regards to activities that we could do in Las Vegas, but since we were having our last three grandchildren graduating from High School, originally there was talk of the Las Vegas clan coming here, and we were going to rent out a banquet room at a restaurant and let everyone come and celebrate.  The original plans didn’t happen and we were off to Las Vegas to be with our last two grandsons and watch them flip their tassels from one side of the mortarboard to the other side.  Of course, we booked late, and had to travel in the most uncomfortable seats, especially on the return trip.  If they make the seats any closer, they may as well just remove all of the seats and put handles dangling from the ceiling and we could fly as if we were on a trolley. 

The first day, we weren’t able to see our daughter or her family, because of work schedules, so my Bride contacted our other son’s friend who is a hypnotist and a headliner at one of the casinos in Old Las Vegas, or the downtown area.  He suggested that we meet at Crepe Expectations about ten minutes from the airport, but away from The Strip.  Besides loving the name, the crepes were huge and excellent, my Bride and I had savory morning crepes of eggs and ham, while our friend had a lemon cream filled one, that was like eating a whole pie, wonderful, but overpowering for us, especially so early in the morning, and he insisted that we each try some of his, he claims that is his favorite crepe, and he and his wife and friends will be celebrating his birthday very shortly there as well.

Well, it was a very easy decision to have some classic Mimosa, but their version had more orange juice compared to our version.  The base of this Mimosa was Andre Champagne Cellars Andre Extra Dry California Champagne NV of Modesto, California and is under the Gallo umbrella.  There are perhaps a dozen or so wineries that can legally produce “California Champagne” and they have grandfathered in, after ages of international law wrangling. This wine states the use of the Methode Champenoise technique with a secondary fermentation.  The fruit is sourced from California from assorted grapes, with no indication of aging.  It is priced as a bulk  wine and is one of several wines that are found across the  country used actively in the production of Mimosa and other brunch sparkling wine drinks,  While the wine say that it is Extra Dry, there is some sweetness to it, especially when contrasted to Zero Dosage offerings.  A very pale-yellow wine with some bubbles that offers notes of green apples, pears and some lemon zest.  On the palate this light-bodied wine offers some fruit, decent acidity and ends with a short-count finish of fruit   

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Flyleaf

Posted on June 3, 2025 by thewineraconteur

Some people already think I am strange, and I probably am, but when I read the paper, periodical or social media and see someplace interesting, I file it away under a category that I call “Ideas.”  Now the term “flyleaf” might sound odd, but when I was at Woodrow Wilson Junior High School in Detroit, they had electives, and one of the courses I took was Graphic Arts, where you learned how to print using loose lead and wooden type, similar to what Gutenberg created; we  also learned how to make a book, using saddle stitching, attaching a hardbound cover and using endpapers and flyleaf pages.  A flyleaf is that blank page (leaf) at the beginning of a book.  It is also the name of a unique establishment that was listed in my “Idea” category.

Flyleaf is an independent bookshop, bistro and bar in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan.  A three story structure that one can get noshes, coffee, wine, drinks and curl up with a good book near a fireplace.  Besides a well-curated collection of books, they also had several magnificent books that would make any bibliophile salivate, as they were the epitome of coffee-table books, with wooden clam-shell cases, that only the staff would take off of the shelf for you to admire, and they used white cotton gloves.  The books probably weighed about thirty pounds each, with the finest construction that I have ever saw, and I figured that I was going to forfeit my dictionary floor stand in the library for “Vatican A Private Visit to a Secret World” and she really thought hard and deep about it. At the moment she declined, but I am sure that we will be back there again.  She settled on a tray of spicy Deviled Eggs and a glass of Domaine Pichot Vouvray 2023.  Domaine Pichot has been rooted in the clay-limestone and clay-flint soils of the Loire since 1770.  In 1996, the Domaine put all of their acquisitions and united all the properties.  In 2020, they transitioned to organic and biodynamic agricultural technology.  The Chenin Blanc fruit for this wine came from a ten-hectare vineyard, with vines from twenty-five to sixty years of age.  The fruit was manually and mechanically harvested, pneumatically pressed, and cold settled for forty-eight hours.  The wine was aged for two months, eighty percent in Stainless Steel tanks, and twenty percent in large wooden vats.  A soft golden-yellow wine that offered notes of green apples, pear, melon, citrus and white florals.  On the palate this Semi-Dry wine displayed tones of white and green fruit, with a medium-count finish of fruit and a firm mineral terroir.

The shop was closing early that day, as it was hosting a party, and it was suggested that we go up to the third floor, as it was open and being set up for the party.  There was a full second bar and another fireplace on the patio of the roof.  My Bride kept saying that we have to go there again.  As I nibbled on one of the Deviled Eggs that she ordered, I enjoyed a glass of Joseph Mellot Quincy Les Rouesses 2023. Joseph Mellot is the only winery that owns vines and produces wines from the seven main appellations of the Central Loire region.  The estate was founded in 1513, and Cesar Mellot was King Louis XIV’s counsellor for his wine selection in 1698.  In 1969 Edmond and Joseph Mellot separated and Joseph Mellot takes over the winery and renames it.  The history of the vineyard Quincacius dates back the end of the First Century, and the vines from Quincy are some of the oldest in the region, and that is one of the reasons that Quincy was the first AOC of the Central Loire Region. The terroir of the region allows for quick draining under the topsoil of gravel and sand.  Sauvignon Blanc is the varietal of the region.  This pale yellow wine offered notes of white fruits, citron and lime and florals.  The medium-bodied wine displayed crisp tones of green apples, pears and lime zest, well-balanced and ending with a nice medium-count finish of fruit and minerals. 

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The Ledger

Posted on May 31, 2025 by thewineraconteur

My Bride and I try to take a 5K walk daily, as we get some true time together for talking.  We have a set route that we use in our subdivision and even the neighbors are used to seeing us getting our exercise.  Some days, we like to change the scenery, and we will drive over to a neighboring community, usually one that has a thriving downtown and we can do some “window shopping” as it was called in our day.  We were in Plymouth one Sunday morning, just being carefree, and we were walking by an old bank, that at one time, I thought would be a great location for the store that I worked for, for ages.  My idea didn’t go anywhere, and it became a “Coney Island” a generic sobriquet for casual diners especially in the greater Detroit area specializing in hot dogs and loose burgers.  Someone else had a great vision and it is now an upscale restaurant, that we just never went to try.  As we were walking by, I was surprised to see that they were now doing weekend brunch, as I thought that they only did dinners.  Thankfully, we were dressed much better, than our neighborly stroll, and my Bride wanted to go in and try it out. 

The ambience of the restaurant, as well as the décor was very inviting and comfortable.  I have heard of the private room called Ebenezer for dining and or small parties, but I was not able to view the room, but I did find a photo of the vault room from the restaurant’s website, so I thought I would show you that as well.  Perhaps another time and another story.  

My Bride after looking at the many choices for brunch decided to have Shakshuka, a Tunisian offering of Tomato and Eggplant Stew with Peppers, Onions, Crispy Garbanzo Beans, Paneer, Torn Mint, Poached Eggs and Grilled Pita.   I tried something a bit out of my comfort zone, as I tried the Pastrami Hash with Poached Eggs, Rye Bread Croutons, Gruyere, Fried Sauerkraut and Pickled Mustard Seeds.   And after our brunch we shared an order of Mini-Beignets with Raspberry Sauce and a Cinnamon Dip and coffees.   We also enjoyed our version of Mimosas, by getting a bottle of wine and a small glass of orange juice to split between us.  M. Bonnamy Cremant de Loire Methode Traditionnelle Brut NV was the wine for us to experiment with.  In 1957, around forty winegrowers grouped together created a cooperative, since they all had similar terroir and experience.  The total production area of the cooperative is sixty-one hectares in the Southern part of the Loire on a terroir of tufa limestone and clay.  The average age of the vines are twenty-five years of age.  The wine is a blend of sixty-five percent Chenin Blanc, twenty percent Chardonnay and fifteen percent Cabernet Franc.  The fruit is manually harvested, gentle pressing and low temperature Initial Fermentation in Stainless-Steel, followed by a Second Fermentation in the bottle aging twelve months sur lees before disgorgement (AOC only requires nine months).  A pale yellow wine with fine tiny bubbles offering complex notes of red fruit, white fruit and white florals.  On the palate a medium-bodied wine displaying tones of fresh pear, peaches and some brioche and a medium-count finish of fruit and terroir.

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Clara’s Table at the Dearborn Inn

Posted on May 28, 2025 by thewineraconteur

We actually had our glass of wines in hand as we walked from the Four Vagabonds to Clara’s Table for dinner at the Dearborn Inn.  Clara was Henry Ford’s wife and the restaurant in the newly renovated hotel was named in her honor.  The hotel is now managed by Marriot in their “Autograph Collection” series of hotels, which are historic and not cookie-cutter in design.  It was built by Henry Ford, and Alber Kahn designed the building; as a side note he also designed many of the great buildings in the Detroit area, in the heyday of Detroit.  For the historical purists of Detroit, the magnificent checkerboard black and white marble floor, as well as the exterior façade still beckons the traveler to a more genteel era. 

We were escorted to our table with a great view of the bar, which also has seating.  Clara’s table is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner with down times in between, so plan accordingly.  Since we started with shareables at the Four Vagabonds we just had to order our dinners.  My Bride wanted to try their version of a Caesar Salad, as if anyone would be surprised, and the salad had crisp anchovy, grilled escarole, smoke dressing and Pecorino cheese; she smiled and claimed that her version is much better.  My Bride continued with another white wine, Cave de Lugny Macon-Lugny Les Charmes 2023.  Macon-Lugny is part of the much larger district known as the Maconnais, and the commune of Lugny has become very well known because of the hard work of the cooperative Cave de Lugny.  The Macon-Lugny is only used for white wines that are entirely Chardonnay, they also may use the designation for red and rosé wines made from Pinot Noir and Gamay.  Cave de Lugny is the largest producer of White Burgundy in the world, controlling a third of the production of Southern Burgundy and half the total production of the Maconnais.  Founded in 1926, they are a cooperative of family-owned estate, but not a negocient with over two-hundred-thirty estates.  Cave de Lugny claims that they are the home of the birthplace of Chardonnay, and they boast some well-known lieux-dits (or registered localities) like “Les Charmes,” “Les Beluses” and “La Carte.”  Les Charmes comes from the 105 hectare limestone plateau of the same name and is the flagship of the cooperative.  The vines average over forty years of age, and part of the crop is the “Musque” Chardonnay. The fruit is mechanically harvested, and vinification is done in Stainless-Steel tanks.  This golden-yellow wine offered notes of citrus, honey and acacia flowers.  On the palate this medium-bodied wine offered white fruit, with traces of mushrooms and honey in a velvety-smooth wine that had a nice medium-count finish of fruit and savory spices.

I went with an order of Short Ribs with Venetian Polenta and Roasted Carrots. I had Austin by Austin Hope Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles NV.  The Hope family has been farming in Paso Robles for over thirty years and they planted apples and grapes.  As more and more people recognized the quality of the terroir, the apple orchards disappeared and now they are enjoying mature vines.  Originally they began with Rhone varieties and recently Cabernet Sauvignon.  Hope Family Wines, now have six individual brands: Liberty School, Treana, Quest, Austin Hope, Troublemaker and Austin.  With the Austin brand, they wanted a Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon.  After harvesting, select vineyard lots were fermented individually in Stainless-Steel tanks for about two weeks, with extended macerations and pump overs to enhance the extraction of color and tannin.  Lots aged separately for about eleven months, in a combination of new, and used French Oak barrels.  As a whole the blend is then aged an additional three months in seventy-five percent new and twenty-five percent once-used French Oak.  The deep ruby red wine offered notes of black cherry, burnt sugar and some smokiness.  On the palate, this medium to full-bodied wine displayed tones of black cherry, roasted coffee, vanilla and some cooking spices, with supple tannins, slightly acidic and a medium-count finish of fruit and spice, which work well with food.    

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The Four Vagabonds

Posted on May 25, 2025 by thewineraconteur

We found ourselves at the historic Dearborn Inn, which just recently reopened after about a two-year renovation.  Some say that it is the first airport hotel in America, as right across the street Henry Ford had a private airport and airline for the business.  We got there early for a dinner reservation, so we wandered around a bit and ended up at The Four Vagabonds, which in the last version of the hotel was kind of an afterthought bar, as it was in a walkway to the convention center of the hotel.  It is still a bit of a breezeway, but much more elegant and even with a private dining room adjacent.  Especially for the Detroit historians and others, the Vagabonds were Henry Ford, John Burroughs, Thomas Edison and Harvey Firestone; a nickname they bestowed upon themselves for their getaways and to get away from their businesses.

You may have noticed that we occasionally will just belly-up to the bar for a drink or two, and if there is something to nosh-on, all the better.  We got a charcuterie board and some Smoked Trout Rillettes.  I selected two different white wines for us, the first was Mary Taylor Wine “Jean Marc Barthez” Bordeaux Blanc 2023.  Mary Taylor Wine represents the two decades of working in the European wine industry.  She prefers the European system of “place name” or appellation and tries to offer the terroir of the region.  Jean Marc Barthez, besides being her winemaker for this region, is also the president of a small cooperative winery in the village of Monsegur in the Entre-Deaux-Mers subregion with their alluvial sand and clay-limestone soils.  The wine is ninety-five percent Sauvignon Blanc and five percent Semillon; and the age of the vines are thirty years of age.  The wine undergoes fermentation and aging in Stainless-Steel tanks.  A rather soft-golden yellow wine that offered notes of melons, white fruits, citrus and white florals.  On the palate this medium-bodied wine was well balanced and displayed notes of green apples, pink grapefruit, citrus zest and a nice medium-count finish of fruit and terroir. 

The other white wine that I selected, I knew would bring a smile to her face as she enjoyed a wine tasting at the winery, and we really don’t encounter the wines that often.  We had the St. Supery Estate Vineyards and Winery Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley 2023, which is one of their estate wines.  Robert Skalli arrived in Napa Valley from Corsica, when his grandparents founded Terra Vecchi.  In 1982, he purchased the Dollarhide estate, a 1500 acre cattle ranch in Napa Valley, and he also purchased 56 acres in Rutherford where the winery is built, and the first vintage was in 1989.  All the wines produced are from their own estate vineyards and are sustainably farmed.  The Skalli family sold their Napa Valley holdings to fashion giant Chanel in 2015.  The fruit for this wine was harvested over a month, to take advantage of the mild weather, with seventy-two percent coming from the Dollarhide Estate Vineyard and twenty-eight percent from the Rutherford Estate Vineyard.  Fermentation and aging were done at cool temperatures in Stainless-Steel tanks to maintain the crispness and delicate acidity.  A soft golden-yellow wine that offered notes of grapefruit, lime zest, gooseberry and fennel.  On the  palate this medium-bodied wine displayed crisp tones of grapefruit, lime, lemon, and a touch of anise with refreshing acidity and ending with a nice medium to long count finish of fruit, capers and a saline vibrancy; for a young wine it showed great complexity.

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Chicane

Posted on May 22, 2025 by thewineraconteur

We were recently invited by some friends to go to a new restaurant, Chicane in the Old Village in Plymouth, Michigan.  They did a magnificent job renovating a restaurant that I haven’t been to, for at least thirty years ago and created a dinner club with music and dancing on certain nights.  A “chicane” is a serpentine curve, usually added by design, demanding skill and precision to navigate as racers gather speed and propel forward through the faster course that lies ahead. 

We started off with Artichoke Fritto Misto with Lemon Thyme Aioli and Salsa Verde and a classic interpretation of Shrimp Cocktail.  We started with The Furst Crémant D’Alsace NV which is produced by Cave Vinicole de Kietzenheim-Kaysersberg.  Cave Vinicole de Kietzenheim-Kaysersberg is a cooperative of one-hundred-thirty landowners in the villages of Ammerschwihr, Kientzheim, Kaysersbert and Sigolsheim and covers one-hundred-seventy hectares of vineyards.  This cooperative is part of a much larger cooperative of successive merger and is now called Bestheim.  Crémant D’Alsace is an appellation created in 1976 covering the sparkling (Methode Traditionelle) white and rosé wines of the Alsace region.  The wines must spend a minimum of nine months maturing on their lees, before disgorgement and the dosage; all vital and required steps to comply with the appellation.  The Furst is produced in concert with the Dopff au Moulin Estate with seventy hectares of vineyards, and currently in the thirteenth generation of wine makers.  The Estate is located in the historic Riquwhir at an altitude of 300 meters in the foothills of the Vosges Mountains.  The Estate is also credited with the creation of Crémant D’Alsace and the creation of the distinctive tall, slender Alsatian wine bottle.  This wine is a blend of fifty percent Pinot Blanc and fifty percent Pinot Auxerrois.  The golden-yellow wine with small to medium size bubbles offered cidery aromas notes.  On the palate there were tones of apple, pear, and lemon zest which complimented a delicate mousse, and ending with a savory finish.

The service was exceptional, but thankfully not hovering over us, as the other couple had cocktails and we enjoyed Domaine Cherrier et Fils Sancerre 2023 from the Loire.   The Cherrier family has been a trusted name in Sancerre since the late 1800s.  Domaine Cherrier was founded in 1930, and since then there has been four generations tending to the Sauvignon Blanc vineyards of limestone and calcareous clay soils.  The estate was founded by Maurice, and his son took over in the Sixties and expanded the estate to about thirty-five acres; his sons and now their children have continued and now use sustainable farming techniques and organic farming procedures.  A pale-yellow wine that offered notes of pineapple, apricots and peaches and chalky terroir.  On the palate this medium bodied wine displayed tones of exotic and white orchard fruit like green apples, white flowers and a nice medium-to-long count finish of fruit and terroir. 

For our entrees, the other couple both had Hoisin Glazed Berkshire Pork Chop with a Cucumber and Radish Salad with Citrus and Ginger Goat Cheese, my Bride had the Braised Lamb Risotto with Peas, Mint Pesto, Parmesan, Crispy Shallot and Crispy Mushroom and I had the Scallops with Leek and Asparagus Risotto, Preserve Lemon, Pickled Fresno and Crispy Leeks.  I took the bullet, because the others wanted a red wine, so I chose the Celani Family Vineyards “Robusto” Proprietary Red Wine Napa Valley 2020. This is truly a Proprietary Red Blend, as there is no information even on the trade notes, but the winery grows Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc and they are partial to new French Oak.   Though in talks with Tom at a couple of tastings, he told me that this vintage was pure Merlot.  This was now the second 2020 Napa Valley wine that I have had, and I still could not detect any traces of smoke damage. This deep garnet wine offered notes of black plums, black cherries, and blackberries, along with notes of vanilla, tobacco, and chocolate.  On the palate, this is a rather full-bodied wine for being affordable and the tones of the dark fruits, and traces of licorice, and orange peel; blended well with the softer tannins offering a fruit-forward, but not jammy wine that was easy to drink with the food, and ending with a good medium-count finish of fruit and spices and graphite (terroir).

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