Maker: Cody Kresta, Mattawan, Michigan, USA
Grapes: Marsanne (60%), Roussanne (40%).
Place of origin: Lake Michigan Shore AVA.
Vintage: 2018
ABV: 12% (I think)
Purchased for $23 (Michigan by the Bottle wine club)
Appearance: Gold.
Nose: Dried apricot, canned peach, lychee.
Palate: Full-bodied and dry. Fresh apricot, dried mango.
Finish: Dry and a little chewy.
Parting words: Cody Kresta is a winery I need to drink more from. I think one reason I haven’t is that I get it confused with another winery in the same area with a similar name that I visited once and was unimpressed with.
Syrah is one of the best kept secrets of Southwestern Michigan. If quality Syrah can be produced there, then why not Marsanne and Roussanne, the signature white grape varieties of the Northern Rhone valley? Friends of the Blog Domaine Berrien produce a fine Marsanne and have for years, so it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise for Cody Kresta to produce this blend.
They produce it very well. I haven’t had enough white Rhone wine, so I can’t make an informed comparison, but I can say that this is a good wine on its own terms. It a nice change of pace from the unoaked Chards and semi-dry Rieslings that make up the majority of my white wine consumption. $23 is more than fair, factoring in the rarity of this sort of blend in Michigan. Cody Kresta Marsanne-Roussanne is recommended.
Sipology 