red – Page 5 – Sipology

Arcturos Merlot

April 15, 2015April 20, 2015 Josh1 Comment

Maker: Black Star Farms, Sutton’s Bay, Michigan, USA

Place of origin: Michigan, USA

Vintage: 2010

ABV: Unknown (2011 was 12%)

Price: Unknown (2012 is $28.50 on the website)

Appearance: Dark plum.

Nose: Toasted oak, grapes, black currant, blackberry, whiff of hardwood smoke.

Palate: Medium bodied, mild and slightly chewy. Wild blackberry, toasted oak, strawberry, green peppercorn.

Finish: Oak, mixed berry pie.

Parting words: Merlot is not a popular grape for varietal bottlings in Michigan. Its parent, Cabernet Franc, is more dependable in Michigan’s climate and is more widely planted as a result. Merlot makes up less than 4% of Michigan’s total wine grape acreage and most of that in the more continental climate of the south and southwest of the state.

It’s important to note that this is a Michigan Merlot, not an Old Mission (or any other specific AVA) Merlot. That means that the grapes that were used to make this wine probably came from a variety of vineyards from across the state. This is a good strategy even for a winery located in northern Michigan like Black Star Farms. Merlot doesn’t take to northern Michigan as well as Pinot Noir and white wine varieties do, so why chain one’s self to a single appellation? Some of the distinctiveness of the wine may be lost, but that’s better than being distinct in a bad way.

At any rate, this is a tasty example of what this grape can do in this state. It goes beautifully with pork, lamb and beef dishes (I drank it with all three) and works nicely after dinner too. The price (at lest for the latest vintage) is too high, but it’s not too far out of line with other quality Michigan red Bordeaux varietals. Try to find it in the $20-$25 range. The 2010 vintage is ready to drink now, but it could probably go another year or two and be just as good or even a little better. 2010 Arcturos Merlot is recommended.

Chateau Aeronautique Cabernet Franc

April 1, 2015April 14, 2015 Josh3 Comments

Maker: Chateau Aeronautique, Jackson, Michigan, USA.

Place of origin: Michigan (Pioneer wine trail)

Vintage: 2010

ABV: Unknown

Price: Unknown

Appearance: Light maroon with good sized, evenly spaced legs.

Nose: Oak, leather, black currant, blueberry, ground pink peppercorn, raspberry.

Palate: Medium bodied. Blackberries, leather, hint of roasted poblano pepper.

Finish: Light but long lasting. White pepper, oak, bell pepper.

Parting words: Chateau Aeronautique Winery is located in an air park near Jackson, close to Sandhill Crane Wineyards. Their stated aim is to produce Bordeaux-style wines but they also produce wines from a lot of the usual Michigan suspects like Reisling, Pino Gris, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Their Bordeaux style blends, Aviatrix Rouge and Crimson (a “right bank” style blend), are probably their best. They also do a good Syrah, quite a rare bird in Michigan. Cab Franc is much more common here and it features prominently in the Rouge. They use Michigan grapes exclusively.

This is one that has been sitting in my cellar for a little while and I think that time paid off. We had it with a meal of cheese ravioli and tomato sauce and it paired perfectly. Meat-filled ravioli might pair even better. As it sat, it tended to lean more to the peppery notes, but it never went off the deep end. This is a lighter style Cab Franc, though, so don’t go in expecting a bruiser. Michigan producers who can make a quality red like this get me excited at this state’s potential for Bordeaux varietals. Chateau Aeronautique’s 2010 Cabernet Franc is recommended.

Batasiolo Barbera D’Alba

March 4, 2015 Josh2 Comments

Maker: Batasiolo, La Morra, Cueno, Piedmont, Italy

Place of origin: Alba, Cueno, Piedmont, Italy

Vintage: 2007

ABV: 14.5%

Purchased for $17

Appearance: Very dark purple, nearly black.

Nose: Cherry jam, hardwood smoke, blueberry juice, blackberry.

Palate: Slightly chewy but not overly tannic. Toasted oak and cherry again.

Finish: Big cherry in the finish.

Parting words: Barbera is a long suffering grape. Given a bland or worse treatment in its Piedmontese homeland for many years, it was involved in a deadly contamination scandal in the 1980s when thirty people died from drinking Barbera containing a deadly amount of methyl alcohol. As one can imagine, when a wine kills a bunch of people consumers tend to shy away from it for a while.

Barbera can be delicious when done right and this is a great example. It’s bold and a little spicy but still very fruity and easy to enjoy with or without food. We had it with medium rare rump roast and roasted rutabagas (a.k.a. swedes) and it did well. It also threw a crazy amount of sediment into the glass, as you can see. Batasiolo Barbera D’Alba 2007 is recommended.

Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau

November 26, 2014November 26, 2014 JoshLeave a comment

Maker: Duboeuf, Romanèche-Thorins, Saône-et-Loire, Burgundy, France

Grape: Gamay

Place of origin: Beaujolais, Burgundy, France

Vintage: 2014

ABV: 12%

Purchased for $9

Appearance: Dark burgundy.

Nose: Blueberry, red current, red raspberry, black cherry.

Palate: Same berry flavors on the palate, but with a hint of pepper.

Finish: Short with a slight tang and more berries.

Parting words: Duboeuf is one of the most famous of the Bungundian négociants and it’s probably most famous for this wine, Beaujolais Nouveau. This wine has come a long way from the heady days of the late 20th century, but it still graces many American Thanksgiving Day tables and serves as a gateway to Burgundy for many people, as it was for me.

To paraphrase Linus, “it’s not a bad little wine.” It pairs well with turkey and smoked meats and is inoffensive enough to serve to the whole family. This vintage is all berries and little else. If that appeals to you, get it. Also, remember it’s only $9, so pound away (slightly chilled.

). Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau 2014 is recommended.

Bowers Harbor Red Cépages

November 12, 2014November 12, 2014 JoshLeave a comment

Maker: Bowers Harbor, Lake Leelanau, Michigan, USA

Grapes: Unknown (likely some hybrids in the mix)

Place of origin: Michigan, USA

Vintage: 2010

ABV: 12.5%

Purchased for $13

Appearance: Brick red with long thick legs, pretty close together.

Nose: Semi-sweet and jammy. Black cherry jam, cedar, a touch of foxiness.

Palate: More tart than the nose would suggest. Blueberry jam, blackberries, oak.

Finish: Chewy and sweet. Wild blackberries, leather, a bit of tartness.

Parting words: This wine was a bit of a surprise to me, but it shouldn’t have been. It was sweeter than I expected but still has enough underlying structure to keep it from falling into pop wine territory. It seemed more like a table wine to me than the French-style red blend I was expecting. I should have looked more closely at the label, because it says right under the boat “Red Table Wine”.

The price is a little more than I like to pay for table wines, but I liked it over all. It did OK with our supper of homemade macaroni and cheese. My wife said that she prefers that style of wine in the summertime, and I can’t disagree with her there. Red Cépages works best as a casual warm weather sipper. As such, it is recommended.

Kavalidere Öküzgözü d’Elazig

October 30, 2014October 30, 2014 Josh2 Comments

Maker: Kavaklidere, Akyurt, Ankara, Turkey

Grape: Öküzgözü

Place of origin: Elazig, Eastern Anatolia, Turkey

Vintage: 2010

ABV: 13%

Purchased for $7 (reduced from $12)

Appearance: Brick red with medium thick, evenly spaced legs.

Nose: Black currant, old book, grape juice.

Palate: Medium bodied and chewy. Wild blackberries, old oak, white pepper.

Finish: Very soft. A subtle tang and tannic bite.

Parting words: Although what’s now Eastern Turkey was probably the birthplace of wine (according to archaeology and even the book of Genesis), Turkey’s first commercial vineyard was founded in 1925 at the behest of president Ataturk. There are still a number of state-run vineyards and Turkey is one of the world’s largest producers of grapes but little of that output makes it to the U.S.

Kavalidere’s Öküzgözü of Elazig is one of the few labels that makes it to this side of the pond. When I first opened this bottle it was vile. Moldy cardboard nose and thin. I thought it may have been tainted but I’m always reluctant to take bottles that I bought on sale back to the store. After being open for an hour, it seemed to improve slightly, so I just capped it and waited until the last day. It is dowright drinkable now, but still with a slightly musty aroma. It does fine as a dryish weeknight table wine, but I wouldn’t pay over $11 for it. Of course vintages vary, as always. Kavalidere 2010 Öküzgözü d’Elazig is mildly recommended.

Tuella

August 27, 2014 JoshLeave a comment

Maker: Symington, Gaia, Porto Grande, Portugal.

Grapes: Unknown

Place of origin: Douro, Portugal.

Vintage: 2011

ABV: 13.5%

Purchased for $7 (Trader Joe’s)

Appearance: Dark burgundy,

Nose: Raspberry, toasted oak, whiff of hardwood smoke.

Palate: Sweet and tart on entry then dries out. Raspberry jam, blueberry, oak, white pepper.

Finish: Chewy with heavy tannins, black cherry, oak.

Parting words: For a $7 wine, Tuella is pretty good. What I tell people is that most of the wines at Trader Joe’s taste like a wine about twice the price. The $15 ones taste like $30 ones, the $20 ones taste like $40 ones and the $4 ones taste like $8 ones. This tastes like a $14 wine.

Tuella is OK on its own, but it’s a little unbalanced. It does very well with food, though. We had it with a cheese and red pepper pizza and it drank beautifully. It may well age nicely but I have a hard time devoting my limited cellar space to a wine that cost me less than $10. Tuella 2011 is recommended.

Trader Joe’s Block Red

August 20, 2014 JoshLeave a comment

Maker: Unknown

Grape: Shiraz

Place of origin: Austalia.

ABV: 13%

Price: $10-$12/3 liter box

Appearance: Dark plum with hardly any legs or necklace.

Nose: Alcohol, mixed berry pie, heavy on the blackberries. A touch of oak.

On the plate: Raspberry jam, toasted oak, black pepper.

Finish: Cherry juice, smoldering hardwood.

Parting words: If I were to taste this wine in a blind tasting, it might not fare well. It’s drinkable enough and fares better with food, but it’s not exactly exciting. It has too much bitterness and is simultaneously a hair too tart. The effect is like eating a slightly burnt fruit pie. But it’s cheap. Really cheap. TJ’s Block Red is recommended.

A Capella

July 16, 2014 JoshLeave a comment

Maker: Black Star Farms, Sutton’s Bay, Michigan, USA

Grape: Pinot Noir

Place of origin: Capella and Montaña Rusa vineyards, Old Mission Peninsula AVA, Michigan, USA

Vintage: 2011

ABV: 13%

Purchased for $25

Appearance: Deep burgundy with slow, medium width legs.

Nose: Walnut, cherry, touch of cedar.

Palate: Earthy. More so than any other Michigan Pinot I’ve had. Black cherries, wet loam, plum, white pepper, toasted oak.

Finish: A little tart, then more mild cherry followed by wood. Lingers for a long time, but faintly.

Parting words: Yes, it’s another Michigan Pinot. This one, unlike the previous two, is very much in the earthy camp. The oak is well integrated into the earth, but the fruity notes not as much. Nothing bad here though. It goes great with pasta and pork and excellent just on its own. Very much worth the price and would make a nice entry in a horizontal tasting of Michigan Pinots. 2011 A Capella Pinot Noir is recommended.

Isidor’s Choice Pinot Noir

July 9, 2014July 11, 2014 JoshLeave a comment

Maker: Black Star Farms, Sutton’s Bay, Michigan, USA

Place of origin: Isidor’s Choice vineyard, Leelanau Peninsula AVA, Michigan, USA

Vintage: 2011

Price: $22.50 (website)

Appearance: Ruby with medium width, evenly spaced legs. Throws a few crystals into the glass.

Nose: Blackberry pie, cedar, red raspberry, hint of wet earth.

Palate: Fruity but balanced. Mixed berry jam, toasted oak, coriander seed, hint of white pepper and sautéed mushrooms.

Finish: Slightly fruity but moves to a mildly bitter taste. Raspberry, oak, pepper, cedar.

Parting words: As you’ve already guessed, this is another single vineyard Pinot Noir from Black Star farms, done for the owners of Isadora’s Choice vineyard in Leelenau. This is the second bottle of this wine I’ve drank in the last six months, so it’s safe to say I like it.

The profile is classic, well balanced Pinot. It’s got plenty of fruit and oak and earthy notes and everything else you want in a Pinot pleasantly in its place. The best Michigan Pinots can easily stand toe to toe with most red Burgundies in the same price range, and even surpass some. This vintage of Isidor’s Choice can certainly do that. The bottle suggests that it could improve in the bottle for through 2021, although it’s drinking great now, so I would crack it open now or in the next two years.

All that and it’s food friendly too. We had it with BBQ ribs and it performed very well. Isidor’s Choice 2011 Pinot Noir is recommended.