Tag: Michigan Wine

Dablon Winery’s 2018 Malbec: A Michigan Gem

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Maker: Dablon Winery & Vineyards, Baroda, Michigan, USA.

Grape: Malbec (at least 85%)

Place of origin: Dablon Estate, Lake Michigan Shore AVA, Michigan, USA

Vintage: 2018

ABV: 11.7%

Purchased for $30 with wine club discount. Originally $38.

Appearance: Brick red.

Nose: Blackberry jam, black currant.

Palate: Dry, but fruity. Mixed berry pie, cherries, fruit punch, French oak.

Finish: Tannic, but then tart with a splash of fruit.

Parting words: Malbec is Merlot and Cabernet Franc’s spicy cousin who moved to South America a while back. It’s grown in Michigan more frequently than it was when I first started exploring the wine, but it’s still not as common as its cousins here. Most of it is in the Lake Michigan Shore appellation, but Verterra in Leelanau also grows some. Judging by this post on their website, they may not be growing it for much longer, though.

Vintage matters a lot in a place like Michigan, with big temperature swings throughout and across the years. It’s a tribute to the skill of winemaker Rudy Shaefer and his crew that Dablon continues to deliver consistently high quality wines, even in less than stellar vintages with grapes that are not commonly grown in the area.

This wine is a great example of that. It Malbec’s classic rusticity, but balanced with fruit and acid. The combination makes it a great table wine. Liz and I had some a couple nights ago with grilled ribeye topped with homemade chimichurri. Dablon’s 2018 Malbec is recommended!

Exploring Michigan’s Unique Kerner Wine by Left Foot Charley

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Maker: Left Foot Charley, Traverse City, Michigan, USA

Place of origin: Island View Orchard, Old Mission Peninsula AVA, Traverse City, Michigan, USA.

Grape: Kerner (at least 85%).

Vintage: 2020.

ABV: 13.3%

Purchased for $25 (Michigan by the Bottle, Auburn Hills, Michigan)

Appearance: Light gold.

Nose: Canned pear, thyme, golden apple.

Palate: Green apples, gravel, touch of leather.

Finish: Medium tart. pear, white pepper.

Parting words: Kerner is a grape that is not widely grown outside of Germany and Northern Italy. It is a newer vinifera variety, first released to the grape-growing public in 1969, the result of a cross between Trollinger (a red wine grape) and Riesling, both of which are pretty old varieties.

Anyhow, I like this grape a lot, especially in this dry style. Kerner isn’t as complex as a top tier Riesling, but it’s aromatic enough and easier to grow than its parent. I could see it doing well in white blends as well, but it’s already well-balanced on its own.

Anyway, I hope we see more Michigan Kerner in the future. Left Foot Charley’s is recommended.

Gill’s Pier Semi Dry Riesling, 2013

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Maker: Gill’s Pier, Traverse City, Michigan, USA

Grape: Riesling (at least 85%)

Place of origin: Gill’s Pier estate, Leelanau Peninsula AVA.

Style: Semi-dry (verging on semi-sweet) Riesling.

ABV: 10%

Purchased for $18 (Michigan by the Bottle, 2015)

Appearance: Bright gold.

Nose: Apricot, lemon thyme, honey

Palate: Tart and medium bodied. Orange blossom honey, lemonheads.

Finish: Tart and clingy, with some lees influence.

Parting words: It’s the end of an era. This is officially the last bottle of wine from Gill’s Pier that I have in my cellar. Appropriately enough, 2013 was also the final GP vintage. I grew to love this little winery after discovering it through friends-of-the-blog Michigan by the Bottle. Gill’s Pier was one of the featured wineries at the Royal Oak location and I was a frequent buyer. It’s hard to say what I liked about them so much. I think it may have been that they were reasonably priced and well made with good terroir characteristics. The estate been an alpaca farm for over a decade now. I hope the alpacas have been enjoying it.

Anyway, this bottle once again proves that Michigan wines can stand the test of time. This was an $18 (around $24 in today’s money) Riesling from a small producer that is still tart and tasty ten years later. And in a screw-top, no less!

This is also our final entry in the wayyy too long 2012 Project series of reviews of ten year old and older Michigan wine. Almost all of them held up very well. Buying from a quality producer helps a lot, of course, but I think the acid in cool-climate wine like the ones produced in Michigan helps with age-worthiness. While I wouldn’t recommend cellaring White Heron for ten years, fine Michigan wines like the ones reviewed here on Sipology Blog will usually be suitable for the cellar, even if you didn’t pay top dollar for them!

Anyhow, 2013 Gill’s Pier Semi-dry Riesling is recommended!

Nathaniel Rose Syrah La Blonde, 2013

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Maker: Nathaniel Rose, Suttons Bay, Michigan, USA

Style: Blend of Syrah (94%) and Viognier (4%).

Place of origin: Chris Glenn Vineyard, Lake Michigan Shore AVA, Michigan, USA

Vintage: 2013

ABV: 12.8%

Sample bottle provided by winemaker Nathaniel Rose, via Marshall Wehr.

Appearance: Dark red.

Nose: Leather, wild raspberry, purple mulberry, blackberry, tarragon.

Palate: Raspberry, mace, tangerine.

Finish: Tart, but with grip.

Parting words: This is the final bottle from Nathaniel Rose that will make an appearance in our 2012 project on aged Michigan wines from the 2012 and 2013 vintages. Thanks again to Nathaniel for the bottle.

Blending Syrah and Viognier may seem strange at first, but it’s actually been done in the Northern Rhone valley for quite some time. It stabilizes the color of the wine through the magic of chemistry, and it has an impact on the taste and smell of it too, of course. Nobody online seems to agree on that impact, though. Based on this wine, I would say it adds an aromatic fruitiness that balances out the classic robust spice of Syrah.

I would not put this on a level with Nathaniel’s other reds, like the Left and Right Bank blends, or his double barrel Syrah. It’s not as complex as those. Nevertheless, it’s a very good wine, and worth seeking out. It’s held up very well, too. Nathaniel Rose Syrah LaBlonde 2013 is recommended!

2013 Cadia: Gill’s Pier

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Maker: Left Foot Charley, Traverse City, Michigan, USA.

Grower: Gill’s Pier, Northport, Michigan, USA

Grapes: 53% Merlot, 47% Cabernet Franc. Field blend.

Place of origin: Gill’s Pier estate, Leelanau Peninsula AVA, Northport, Michigan, USA.

Vintage: 2013 (final year for Gill’s Pier)

ABV: 12.5%

Purchased for $33 (Holiday Market)

Appearance: Dark purple.

Nose: Blackberry, blueberry, amaretto, tiny bit of oak.

Palate: Medium bodied. Dry with fruit jam. with some tannic grip on the back end.

Finish: Light, drying. Acid and oak.

Parting words: My first review of 2013 Gill’s Pier Cadia was a video review back in April of 2020. I liked it then and I like it now even more! Bottle aging has mellowed the tannins even further, allowing the fruit to become even more prominent, and the wine even more balanced. There were clear changes to the wine over three years, despite it being under a screw cap. This puts to rest any doubt in my mind as to whether screw top wine ages in the bottle or not. It clearly does.

Sadly, Gill’s Pier is now an alpaca and yak (!) farm, but I do still have a couple more bottles from them to taste as a part of the 2012 Project. I had planned for the project to wrap up around now, but 2023 was a very busy year for a variety of reasons, so I’m behind. Never fear, though, we will finish the project in 2024!

Left Foot Charley’s 2013 Gill’s Pier Cadia is recommended.

Dablon Estate Red, 2017

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Dablon Estate Red Blend 2017

Maker: Dablon Winery & Vineyards, Baroda, Michigan, USA.

Grapes: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 10% Malbec, 5% Petit Verdot (per winemaker Rudy Shafer).

Place of origin: Dablon estate, Lake Michigan Shore AVA, Michigan, USA.

Vinatge: 2017

ABV: 13.1%

Price: $50 (2018 vintage website price)

Appearance: Dark ruby.

Nose: Cherry Jam, blueberry, sweet roasted red pepper.

Palate: Dry, reticent. White mulberry, mace, leather.

Finish: Jammy, but with grip.

Parting words: I have a good number of wines in my cellar currently, and I don’t always remember where or when I got them. Cellar tracker is helpful in this regard, but I don’t always check it before I pop a cork. I remember seeing it on a rack in one of the long term areas of my cellar and thinking, “This blend looks like it would hit the spot! I wonder why it was here?” As soon as I took a sip of it, I realized why it was there.

Although this wine is perfectly suitable for drinking any day of the week, Estate Red is not your average weeknight blend. It’s a fine, age-worthy Bordeaux style blend. It was very good at six years old, but I found myself wishing it had stayed in that place in my cellar a little longer to develop even more complexity and depth. Oh well, live and learn!

Even at a mere (!) six years old, this is a very good wine that is worth seeking out. 2017 was an excellent vintage, but so was 2020. When that one comes out, or if you manage to fine a 2017 on the shelf, I recommend that you buy it!

Nathaniel Rose Left Bank, 2012

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Maker: Nathaniel Rose, Suttons Bay, Michigan, USA.

Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon (85%), Merlot (12%), Cabernet Franc (3%).

Place of Origin: Abigail’s Vineyard, Domaine Berrien Estate, Lake Michigan Shore AVA, Berrien Springs, Michigan, USA.

Vintage: 2012

ABV: 13.6%

Purchased for $120 with trade discount from winery. Original price $150.

Notes: 20 months in French oak. 82 cases produced.

Reviewed as a part of The 2012 project.

Appearance: Brick red.

Nose: Fruit of the forest pie, clove, oak.

Palate: Dry, chewy, and a little tart. Blueberry, wild blackberry, leather.

Finish: Tart, but with a tannic backbone.

Parting words: This was the wine that this whole 2012 Project was all about. OK, that’s a slight exaggeration, but it’s not too far from the truth. It’s the bottle I’ve looked forward to opening the most, and it did not disappoint.

Abigail’s vineyard is named for Abigail Fricke, mother to Katie Mauer, co-founder (with husband Wally) of Domain Berrien. As long-time readers will know, Domaine Berrien is known one of the premier producers of red wine in the state of Michigan. A big part of their success is their vineyards. Those vineyards attracted the attention of young, ambitious winemaker Nathaniel Rose, who was able to get access to them to make his Right Bank and Left Bank blends. My review of the Right Bank (also a part of the 2012 project) is here.

Allow me to briefly quote myself , from this post from 2018:

“Rose is rightfully very proud of [Left and Right Bank], especially the Left Bank. He loves to tell the story of the tasting he attended with several sommeliers (including  Master somm Brett Davis), winemakers, writers and other experts in which his 2012 Left Bank Blend went up against a group of Second Growth Bordeaux and cult California Cabs, including Cardinale (~$270), Ridge Monte Bello (~$250), and Jos. Phelps Insignia (~$190), all of the 2012 vintage. Left Bank won. None of the experts could pick Left Bank out of the lineup blind and tasters could not tell the difference between it and the 2012 Cardinale Cab at all. In fact, they believed they had mistakenly been poured the same wine twice.”

The last time I talked to him, Nathaniel said that he considers this vintage of Left Bank to be the best wine he ever made. I’ll say that it’s the best Michigan Bordeaux-style red blend I’ve ever had (and I’ve had a lot of very good ones) and in the short list of best red wines I’ve ever tasted. It’s elegant, sophisticated, excellent with food, and never overly boozy or over oaked. It’s proof that with the right vintage, vineyard, and winemaker, Michigan wines can stand alongside any comparable wines on the planet.

It’s also proof that a well-made Michigan wine can grow with age. I’ve had wines (yes, even some from The Great Lakes State) that fell apart after five or more years in the bottle. The 2012 Left Bank still has everything in the right place, and I think it could taste as good for at least five more years in the right cellar.

$120 is close to twice my upper limit for wine under normal circumstances, but I didn’t regret what I spent for one second that this wine touched my lips. Everyone else I served it to loved it just as much as I did too. Nathaniel Rose Left Bank 2012 is highly recommended.

Nathaniel Rose Pinot Noir, 2013

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Maker: Nathaniel Rose, Suttons Bay, Michigan, USA

Grape: Pinot Noir.

Places of origin: Katherine & Martha’s Vineyard (58%), Hill Road Vineyard (42%), Lake Michigan Shore AVA, Michigan, USA.

Vintage: 2013

ABV: 12.3%

Bottle provided for review by Nathaniel Rose, via Marshall Wehr. Big thanks to them!

Appearance: Dark red.

Nose: Blackberry jam, stewed mushrooms, blueberry juice, allspice.

Palate: Medium bodied. Fruit of the Forest pie, clove.

Finish: Tart, but with grip.

Parting words: When it comes to Michigan Pinot, or other cool climate Pinots, one usually gets a light to medium bodied, pale (that’s not a bad thing!), high-acid, easy drinking wine. This is especially the case with the ones from Northern Michigan. Chateau Chantal’s Pinot Noir is a good example of the style. Even in Southwest Michigan, though, 2013 was a cool vintage that turned out a lot of high-acid wines.

That high acidity ended up doing a lot of favors for wines of that vintage, though. While they were slow to develop, the best ones developed beautifully, like this one. The acid is still there, but it’s moved into a supporting role with wild fruit and spice taking the lead. The result is a wine that has the sort of boldness one might expect from a 1er Cru or a beefier red village Burgundy. It did a great job sharing the table with both pork ribs, and lamb chops.

While 2013, wasn’t regarded as favorably as the previous two vintages were at first, time has shown that the cellar can elevate a well-made cool-vintage Michigan wine to some pretty lofty heights. Nathaniel Rose 2013 Pinot Noir is recommended.

Gill’s Pier Riesling, 2012

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Maker: Gill’s Pier, Traverse City, Michigan USA (defunct)

Grapes: Riesling (at least 85%)

Place of origin: Leelanau Peninsula AVA, Leelanau County, Michigan, USA

Style: Semi-dry.

Vinatage: 2012

Closure: Screw top.

ABV: 10%

Purchased for $10 in 2016 (Michigan by the Bottle, Royal Oak)

Appearance: Pale straw.

Nose: Pear, stone fruit, limestone dust.

Palate: Full-bodied. Green apple, pear, ripe peach, lemon thyme.

Finish: Drying. coats the back of the throat.

Parting words: Gill’s Pier was one of my favorite wineries for many years before they closed down and sold the land to an alpaca operation back in 2013. That was the last vintage of wines produced there, making 2012 the second to last. If I recall correctly, Left Foot Charley’s winemaker made all of Gill’s Pier’s wines, but all (except one) were released under the Gill’s Pier label.

This will probably come as no surprise, but I have reviewed this wine before. That was the 2011 vintage, also a very good one in Michigan. Michigan’s variable weather makes vintage even more important here than in regions like California with a more consistent climate.

When the property was sold, I bought up as many GP wines as I could, reserving some for this project. I’m very glad I did. They’ve held up amazingly well, better than some reds under cork of the same vintage. I’m not sure why that is, but to me it proves that well-made wines with screw caps can hold up just as well as ones with cork. It also shows that well-made Michigan Rieslings can age just as well as their German cousins.

This wine is long gone from shelves but was a steal at $10 even back in 2016. The 2012 (semi-dry) Gill’s Pier Riesling is recommended.

Nathaniel Rose Right Bank, 2012

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Maker: Nathaniel Rose, Suttons Bay, Michigan, USA

Grapes: Merlot (50%), Cabernet Franc (50%).

Place of origin: Abagail’s Vineyard, Domaine Berrien Estate, Lake Michigan Shore AVA, Michigan, USA.

Vintage: 2012

ABV: `13.5%

Note: 20 months in oak. 140 cases produced.

Purchased for $90 (Red Wagon of Rochester Hills)

Appearance: Brick red

Nose: Black currant jelly, allspice, toasted oak, cherry juice, ancho chili.

Palate: Juicy. Mulberry, then wild blackberry, then a growing leathery grip.

Finish: Delicate. Juice, then tannin, then fades.

Parting words: The time has finally arrived! The 2012 project has begun! Our first entry is the Right Bank blend from friend-of-the-blog Nathaniel Rose. For the post on my visit to his winery back in 2018, click here. For a review of his one-off Find Wild Fruit Traminette, click here.

Right Bank is modeled on right bank red Bordeaux blends, which tend to have a larger proportion of Merlot compared to Left Bank blends, which have more Cabernet Sauvignon in the mix. Right Bank wines tend to have more Cabernet Franc as well. Nathaniel’s wines come from the best vineyards around the state, which includes those at Domaine Berrien, of course. Both the Right and Left Bank 2012 blends were made from grapes grown at Domaine Berrien.

At any rate, the hallmarks of typical Michigan Merlot/Cab Franc blends are all here: berries, oak, and spice. Time has done interesting things to it, though. It’s “darkened” the fruit, for one, moving from cherry and blueberry to black currant and blackberry. For another, it’s smoothed out the edges and created a wine that shifts more on the palate from one taste to another, rather than everything popping out at once. Right Bank takes my palate on a nice little journey from aroma to aroma and flavor to flavor. There’s nothing for my brain to disentangle. Everything reveals itself in time. A big reason for that seems to be that the acid has mellowed considerably, even compared to similar wines at seven years old.

What it lacks in tangy punch, it more than makes up in sophistication. 2012 Right Bank may not be as hard to find as one might assume, if one lives close to a Red Wagon store. Last time I went to both of them, there were 2012 Right and Left Bank blends on the shelf.

The purpose of the 2012 Project is to taste through these wines and see how they age, so price is less of a factor in my review. Nevertheless, this is a very good wine that I don’t regret paying $90 for. It’s not a weeknight pizza wine, but I didn’t buy it to be that. I think the key with many of these wines is to buy them when they’re young and less expensive, then let them hibernate for several years in a well-regulated cellar.

At any rate, Nathaniel Rose’s 2012 Right Bank is recommended.