Maker: Laurentide Winery, Lake Leelanau, Michigan, USA
Grape: Pinot Gris/Grigio
Place of origin: Leelanau Peninsula AVA, Michigan, USA
Style: Semi-dry Gris.
ABV:
Purchased for $20
Thanks to the Laurentide and the retailer who helped me get a replacement for my original tainted bottle.
Appearance: Pale gold with tiny stationary bubbles.
Nose: Mozzarella cheese, toasted pizza crust.
Palate: Medium dry, full bodied. Underripe peach, minerals, oregano, candied lemon peel.
Finish: Clean, slightly tart, then dry
Parting words: After meeting Laurentide co-owner Bill Braymer and his charming daughter Calla at the opening of Michigan by the Bottle Tasting Room, Auburn Hills, I got excited about opening the one bottle of Laurentide wine I had in my cellar, a bottle of the 2013 Pinot Gris. The moment I uncorked it, I realized there was something wrong. One sip confirmed it. Taint. Luckily I was able to get a replacement from the winery along with an assurance that future vintages will use screw caps.
This one was flawless. No, I wasn’t eating pizza when I took these notes, but I felt like I could have been. Mozzarella, pizza crust and oregano sound weird in a wine, I know, but they were all delicate and delicious in this one. There’s enough sweetness and acid to balance those slightly funky pizza notes and create a harmonious beverage.
Nothing not to love about this wine or the Braymers for that matter. Bill impressed me at that tasting room opening. I remember him taking a sip of another winemaker’s product after a few glasses and saying something like, “Something not right about this one. Picked too soon, maybe? No excuse for that in 2012!” A winemaker who can’t shut the critical winemaking part of his brain off even at an event like that is somebody whose wine I want to drink. 2013 Laurentide Pinot Gris is recommended.
Sipology 