Sandhill Crane Vintner's Select Riesling 2006

It has been awhile since my last post due to navigating through some personal upheavals in my life that abruptly happened in June. But don't fear--I've been saving my tasting notes for when I finally had the energy to blog again. That time has come so I thought I'd start off with a return to my Michigan roots.

Sandhill Crane Vintner's Select Riesling 2006
Country of origin: USA
Region: Michigan
Appellation: Southeast Michigan
Stats: 12% ABV, 1dry
Cost: no longer in stock

Appearance: Clear with almost no color but the very slightest yellow.
Aroma: Sharp bite to the nose, light fruit--pineapple/citrus, strawberry and some floral notes
Taste: Bold pineapple flavors that were much more aggressive than the nose would suggest. Lightly sweet tasting finish, but nicely balanced with the acidic tartness.

Sandhill Crane Vineyards is a winery that was founded just 5 years ago outside of Jackson, Michigan. I've been a fan of Holly's wines for some time and have really enjoyed seeing her skills and wines grow over the years. This 2006 Riesling has won several awards, including a Silver Medal at the 2008 Great Lakes Wine Judging. Memory is beginning to fail, but I believe that these grapes came from the western MI lakeshore area. Too bad that the wine is no longer available, as I would highly recommend this for a light summer sipper or possibly paired with a chicken stir fry.

Salute,
a Wine Student

Long Island Tasting Trip

This past weekend, I got to take a tasting trip through the wineries on Long Island's North Fork. OK, the real reason I was there was because my wife was riding her bike in the 100-mile Montauk Century Ride, but what else was I going to do while she rode her bike for 7-8 hours?

I started the day on Saturday at Laurel Lake Vineyards mainly because I got up to the North Fork at around 10:30 AM, which was about 30 minutes before most wineries opened. Laurel Lake was the first winery that I came to that was open! However, the early bird does get the worm, because Laurel Lake was a gem. An interesting contrast because it is one of the oldest vineyards, but the winery had been started in 1999. A nice sized smaller winery that is an up and coming establishment. $4 to taste 4 wines. The winemaker's wife was manning the tasting bar--very nice and friendly and told me lots about the winery. Turned out she and her husband were from Chile (which was cool since I had just purchased some Chilean grapes this spring!). I tried the 2006 unoaked chardonnay (very nice and light) and then turned to the reds--2004 merlot (smooth), 2003 cab franc (spicy and peppery), and 2005 syrah (bold). All the reds were very good and I ended up purchasing the 2003 Cab Franc ($20) and 2004 Merlot ($18). This was the first time that I tried the sip and spit method of wine tasting since I was by myself and driving--a fairly good success with only 1 minor spill.

After Laurel Lake, I headed east to Pellegrini Vineyards. Again, another gem with a very nice tasting room staff. Larger place with 23,000 gal production. Although they had plenty of space for weddings and events, the tasting room had a nice and cozy feel. The girl I spoke with was young, but was very friendly and really knew the winery and the wines. She took the time to talk with me before I started tasting to get a feel for my wine tastes to make some recommendations on what to taste (nice touch). A little pricier with $4 for 3 tastes, but I managed to taste several of the reserve wines as well. Tasted a very nice rose made from cab fsauv grapes, along with a flight of very good merlots and a bourdeaux blend. Liked them so much I bought 3 wines--2007 East End Select Rose ($15), the 2001 Merlot ($20), and the 2004 Cabernet Franc ($20).

I finished my Saturday tasting at Macari Vineyards. Large family farm with 120 acres of grapes that sold grapes for years before opening the winery. Large tasting room, but I managed to score being served by the tasting room manager who was extremely friendly and told me a lot about the winery and the wines. Expensive to taste, though--$8 for 4 wines in a pre-selected wine flight. They had two main flights to choose from, but after I said that I really was looking to explore merlot, a special reserve red flight was brought out because they just happened to have a bottle of the expensive anchor wine open from the previous day. Overall--very good reds. I purchased a 2003 Merlot ($13) and their Sette--a blend of merlot, cab franc, malbec, and petite verdot ($15).

At that point I had to break away and go meet my wife at the bike ride end in Montauk. So glad I got to experience the wonderful summer traffic stall through the Hamptons. Nice place, but I sure wouldn't want to sit in that traffic again (coming and going)!

On Sunday, we had to drive through the North Fork again to get to the ferry, so I forced my wife to join me in tasting a few more wineries. We started at Bedell Cellars. Much fancier than any of the other places and expensive $8-12 for different flights of 4 wines. We tasted the $8 flight and sampled a chardonnay, a chardonnay/viogner blend, a rose, and a merlot. The tasting room staff was pleasant, but didn't talk with us a whole lot. Were more concerned about some smell coming from the wine fridge that I couldn't sense. My wife did like the 2007 First Crush White (chardonnay/viogner blend), so I bought a bottle for her ($18).

On the way east, we stopped in at Osprey's Dominion, which was a mistake. Cheaper tasting ($5/5 wines), but frankly not very good. Plus, the server refused to smile or engage us in conversation at all. So we drained the wine and left without purchasing anything.

Our last stop was at Corey Creek Vineyards, a sister winery of Bedell Cellars. In fact, we tasted a couple of the Bedell Wines that we did not taste at Bedell. A very good gewurztraminer and a wonderful unoaked chardonnay. They had a folk music guitar duo playing on their patio that overlooked the vineyard, so we purchased a couple glasses of wine and enjoyed the music and the view. Stayed so long, we missed our reserved ferry time and had to go on stand-by for the next one!

Overall I was impressed with the quality of the Long Island Wineries. I really enjoyed the merlots and cabernet francs that I tasted. I'm looking forward to writing reviews of the wines that I purchased!

Salute,
a Wine Student

Russell Orchards Winery Visit

My wife and I spent Memorial Day on Crane Beach. Gorgeous weather for a day at the beach--sunshine and hot! After getting our fill of surf and sand, we headed for home but made a quick stop at Russell Orchards to check out their fruit wines. From the size of the sign advertising their wine, I suspected that wine was not the primary focus of the place, and I was correct. If ice cream, baked goods, cold cider, or local produce is your object, Russell Orchards is the place. The tasting room, produce stand, ice cream counter, cider fridge, and bakery are all housed in their big old barn. It took a little bit of snooping around to locate the winetasting counter in the back corner of the barn. I was immediately turned off by tasting from small plastic cups instead of a normal glass (it's a pet peeve of mine). The tasting counter is also very small (less than 6 feet long). The poor gal behind it was trying to serve as many people as possible, but not physically possible to get more than 4-5 folks squeezed in.

Russell Orchards produces only fruit wines and cider and most everything that was open that day was sweet to some degree. Their Baldwin apple was pleasant--crisp, fruity, and the only dry wine available to taste. I was eager to try their blueberry (off dry), but couldn't get past the funky taste (like old leather soaked in medicine). Ditto for the black currant. I ended the tasting with their rhubarb wine--very interesting. Their rhubarb is completely colorless (looked like a bottle of vodka) and tastes only slightly of rhubarb. I'm guessing that they don't use much rhubarb in their recipe, but was surprised by the good body and mouthfeel of such a light version.

My recommendation--not a destination in and of itself, but a fun stop after a warm day at the beach. Go when it's less crowded for a more pleasant experience. Judging from the size of the parking lot, that may not be very common.

Salute,
a Wine Student.

Keuka Overlook Cellars Mulberry

I' was in the mood for having a little nightcap before bedtime this past week, so I opened a bottle of a dessert wine that I picked up during my last winetasting trip to the Finger Lakes region in New York.

Keuka Overlook Cellars Mulberry
Country of origin: USA
Region: New York
Appellation: Finger Lakes Region, Keuka Lake
Stats: 13% ABV, 11% residual sugar, 375 mL
Cost: $12 at the winery

Appearance: Ruby red with hints of orange
Aroma: Mulberries, I guess (it's been a while since I tasted or smelled a mulberry). Dark fruity nose with notes of citrus and cocoa.
Taste: Fruit forward. Not overly sweet considering the 11% residual sugar. It has an interesting smokey, funky aftertaste that got to me after awhile (didn't finish the bottle).

Keuka Overlook is a winery/bed & breakfast with a gorgeous overlook of Keuka Lake (now if I can only figure out where they got the name). The winery is located in the old red barn across the street from the B&B with the very cramped tasting room in the basement. I was intrigued with the mulberry wine because I used to pick mulberries as a kid. Mulberry pie is one of my favorite pies, so I had to try it. I'm not a huge fan of sweet dessert wines, but this was pretty nicely balanced. It's the aftertaste that is a little odd...

Salute,
a Wine Student

p.s. Sorry folks, no label picture. I apparently washed out the bottle and removed the label before I could remember to take a picture.

Fenn Valley Vineyard Capriccio NV

My darling wife made a big batch of spaghetti and meatballs for supper last night, so I descended into the cellar to select a wine to pair with the meal. After some head scratching, I spied my bottle of Fenn Valley Vineyard's Capriccio from Michigan. Yes, you read correctly, this wine was grown and produced in western Michigan along the shores of Lake Michigan.

Fenn Valley Vineyard Capriccio NV
Country of origin: USA
Region: Michigan
Appellation: Lake Michigan Shore (Southwest corner of the state)
Stats: 12.5% ABV
Cost: $12 at the winery (Michigan wineries can ship!)

Appearance: Deep purple red with nice legs, baby!
Aroma: Black cherries and hints of vanilla with a slightly tart finish.
Taste: Initial cherry with a tart raspberry finish. Good body and lingering finish. Soft and smooth tannins. This wine behaves like a good everyday Chianti. Good by itself, but even better with a tomato-based dish (such as sphagetti and meatballs).

Didn't think a good red table wine could be made from grapes grown in the cold climate of Michigan? Well, you obviously haven't read my blog in its entirety! You also need to go sample some Michigan wines. While white wines such as reisling and Gewurztraminer are definitely the stars, Michigan red wines are beginning to get notice beyond the wineries and the state as growing and vinification techniques are improving. I think we can all appreciate that Michigan's climate isn't well suited to grape varietals that require long hang times and hot temperatures to mature. Old Man Winter takes care of that! But a focus on cold-hardy varietals and hybrids is improving the outlook of red wine in Michigan. And Doug Welsh, the winemaker at Fenn Valley, is a pioneer in the Michigan winemaking world. Fenn Valley was actually the first Michigan winery I ever visited in 2001 after a few years of turning up my nose at them--yes, I was a CA wine snob when I first moved to Michigan! I credit Doug with opening my eyes to Michigan's possibilities thanks to his wines (I finally had the pleasure of meeting Doug at the 2007 Wineries Unlimited convention). If your driving north on I-196 along the shore of Lake Michigan, pull off to visit Sagatuck and then drive over the Fennville for a tasting tour of Fenn Valley Vineyards! You won't be disappointed.

Salute,
a Wine Student

2005 Can Blau Montsant

Grab your suitcases and find the nearest Concord jet, we're heading east--way, way, all the way across "the pond" to Spain! I did mention this was a blog on Random Wine Trails, didn't I? I was in the mood for a dark, hearty red a couple of days ago and chose the Can Blau 2005 from my cellar to while away the evening.

Cellars Can Blau, 2005 Can Blau Montsant
Country of origin: Spain
Region: Priorato
Appellation: D.O. Montsant
Stats: A blend of syrah, garnacha (grenache), and carinena (carignan).
Cost: $19.99 (label still on bottle).

Appearance: Lovely deep, dark purple-red.
Aroma: Initial burst of bright cherries, blackberries, and plum followed by a vanilla and coconut finish.
Taste: Smooth and fruity initial burst. Good mid-palette with a lingering finish. Some minerality in the end. Soft tannins that made this wine a pleasure to drink.

The D. O. Montsant appellation (Denominations of Origin) has only been recognized since 2002, but has experienced tremendous growth with the original 28 wineries blossoming to more than 40. It is located in northeastern Spain, in the Catalonia province to the east of the city of Tarragona. An inland area, the climate is Mediterranean, but Montsant is surrounded by mountain ranges which also give it a bit of continental flavor that results in large day-night temperature variations. During the dry season, the humidity from the ocean brings much needed rain. The area is very hilly with three main soil types. The syrah in this wine was planted in chalky soils, the carinena in sandy clay, and the garnacha on llicorella slate.

For those that really pay attention to these kind of things, Robert Parker gave this wine 90 points.


Salute,
a Wine Student

Wine Country Farms 2001 Late Harvest Műller-Thurgau

Well, I've been bouncing around the wine country lately. South America, Virginia, France, California, and Michigan... Well, let's head back to the West Coast but aim a little higher to the north and land in Yamhill Country, Oregon. Back in 2003, my wife and I took a little trip to Portland, the Oregon coast, Crater Lake, and of course the Willamette Valley wine country to celebrate our second wedding anniversary. What a fun trip--one highlight was taking an early morning hot air balloon ride across the Willamette Valley and then enjoying a champagne brunch!

But I digress, so back to the wine. This week, I've been enjoying a desert wine that we picked up on our Oregon trip as an after dinner aperitif, Wine Country Farms 2001 Late Harvest Műller-Thurgau. I really don't remember why we stopped at Wine Country Farms. I vaguely remember reading a review in Wine Spectator magazine, but I could be wrong. Perhaps we just read about it in the Yamhill County wine map brochure and were intrigued by the boast of "Voted Best Inn in Oregon's Wine Country", or it may have just been on the way to another winery and we pulled in. At the time, it was more of a B&B overlooking a vineyard that just happened to have a winery tasting room. The views across the vineyard and the valley were tremendous. This particular wine was produced and bottled for WCF by Eola Hills Wine Cellars in Rickreall, OR (near Salem), but WCF seems to have hired their own winemaker in 2006, so look for interesting things to come.

Wine Country Farms 2001 Late Harvest Műller-Thurgau
Country of origin: USA
Appellation: Williamette Valley, Oregon
Sub-appellation: Yamhill County
Cost: unsure, but the 2002 presently sells for $14 at the winery
Stats: 8% ABV, very sweet
Appearance: Dark golden yellow
Aroma: Apricots, strawberries, honey, and leechee fruit (I think). Smells almost like a mead
Taste: Apricots and raisins with a honey-sweet finish. Possibly a bit oxidized with the raisin taste, but still a good pre-bedtime finish.

Műller-Thurgau was a grape we first encountered on this trip to Oregon and have not run across since. This is a varietal created less than 125 years ago as a cross between reisling and Madeleine Royale and has been widely planted in Germany and makes up a large part of inexpensive sweet German wines like Piesporter. It was also heavily planted in the Oregon area, probably because it is an early-ripening grape suited for a slightly colder climate. M-T is known for producing fruity, but low acid wines, and most that we tasted on this trip were nice easy-drinking dry or off-dry sippers that would work well on the patio during the summer. Unfortunately, this grape has fallen out of favor because althought the vines are extremely productive, they produce mostly less interesting, flabby wines. That all being said, I wonder how the varietal would do being grown in the East or other more cold-climate states?

Salute,
a Wine Student