Tag: Riesling

Forty-Five North Riesling

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Maker: Forty-Five North, Lake Leelanau, Leelenau Co, Michigan, USA

Region: Michigan, USA

Vintage: 2010

Style: Dry

ABV: 11.5%

Purchased for: $19

Appearance: Light gold with very little in the way of legs or necklacing.

Nose: Grapey and dry. Pear, peach, Golden Delicious apple, whiff of orange blossom.

On the palate: Medium bodied and semi-dry. White peach, white cherry, underripe plum.

Finish: Dry. Peach, thyme and maybe a little smoke.

Parting words: Forty-Five North Winery is located in the central Leelenau Peninsula, east of Lake Leelanau. It is named for the 45th parallel, the midpoint between the Arctic Circle and the Equator, which runs right through the vineyard belonging to the winery. The family has owned the land around the tasting room for many years but purchased the vineyard and began producing wine commercially only in the past few years. The facilities are in the Leelenau Peninsula but note that the wine is only labeled “Michigan”. This means that grapes from more than just the Leelanau AVA probably went into this wine.

For relative newbies, they have done a good job. This Riesling is crisp and food-friendly but has the complexity to raise it well above the category of a table or casual wine. It is an excellent example of a dry Michigan Riesling and is well worth the price. 2010 Forty-Five North Riesling is recommended.

Chateau Grand Traverse Late Harvest Riesling, 2011

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Maker: Chateau Grand Traverse, Traverse City, Michigan, USACGT Late Harvest Riesling 2011

Origin: Michigan, USA

ABV: 10%

Appearance: Medium gold.

Nose: Lychee, pineapple, tangerine, pear.

On the palate: Full-bodied and mouth-puckeringly tart when fresh from the bottle. Lemon, sour candy. As it has time to open up at room temperature it calms down quite a bit. The citrus is still there and still strong, but a pleasant herbal note asserts itself. Underneath all this is a beautiful firmness that presages good things to come.

Finish: Fairly sweet but still very tart. Fades fairly quickly and leaves a slightly sticky residue on the lips.

Parting words: I think this is another lesson wine for me. It was close to undrinkable on first pour, but I don’t think that’s due to any inherent flaw in the wine. I may be all wet here, but I think it needs much more time in the bottle to settle down. As it is, it’s unbalanced.

There is plenty of good stuff going on. The fruit in the nose is wonderful and the mouth feel is great, but this wine is not ready for primetime. This is the first time I have encountered a Michigan wine like this from a major quality producer (one of my favorites actually). Far from being disappointed I was encouraged that Michigan producers are making wines for which multi-year bottle aging isn’t just possible but recommended. That’s an encouraging sign.

Anyhow, rather than give a mild recommendation to this, I will give it an I for incomplete. Good thing I have another bottle cellared.

Bowers Harbor Riesling- Medium Dry

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Maker: Bowers Harbor Vineyards, Lake Leelenau, Michigan, USABHV Med Dry Riesling

Place of origin: Old Mission Peninsula AVA, Traverse City, Michigan, USA

Vintage: 2011

ABV: 11%

Appearance: Pale straw.

Nose: Lychee, white peach, pear, whiff of dried flowers.

On the palate: Medium bodied and slightly tart. Queen Ann cherries, white mulberries, rose water.

Finish: Fairly dry with a hint of tartness. Pear, plum and Golden Delicious apple.

Parting words: Is orchardy a word? Because if it is, it applies to this wine. I don’t usually buy into claims that terroir makes much of a difference beyond soil composition and climate, but this BHV’s Medium Dry Riesling is very much in the spirit of Northern Michigan. Cherries and other stone fruit are abundant with a bit of apple and pear thrown in there as well. Starts to get overly tart after being opened for a day or more, but this one is so tasty it should not be a problem to finish a bottle within 24 hours. The dryness makes it quite food friendly and it would go very well with mild flavored fish (the label recommends Walleye) and chicken. Bowers Harbor Medium Dry Riesling is highly recommended.

Arcturos Riesling, 2011

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Maker: Black Star Farms, Traverse City, Michigan, USA

Place of Origin: Montaña Rusa, Montague Estate & Capella vineyards, Old Mission AVA, Michigan, USA

Style: Medium Dry

ABV: 11%

Appearance: Pale straw with not much in the way of legs.

Nose: Lemon thyme, orange zest, ripe peach, mango nectar.

On the palate: Full bodied for a Riesling. Slightly racy but with just enough minerality. Fresh apricots, peach cobbler, hint of limestone.

Finish: Mildly sweet and citric. A little background minerality and then a soft fade.

Parting words: Long time readers of this blog have come to expect gushing reviews of Four Roses special releases and wines from Black Star Farms. This review will not depart from pre-established patterns in any way. This is a delightful wine. The 2011 vintage in northwestern Michigan continues to impress. This wine is like that rare friend who is intellectual but not pedantic and a lot of fun at parties but never embarrassing to be around.

My only regret is that I drank it too soon. I probably should have waited for until next summer but it’s damn good night now. 2011 Arcturos Riesling is highly recommended.

Left Foot Charley 2010 Riesling- Dry

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

Grape: Riesling

Style: Dry

Place of origin: The Terminal Moraine, Old Mission Peninsula AVA, Traverse City, Michigan

Vintage: 2010

Notes: Single vineyard, estate wine. Harvested 10/12/10. 22 Brix at harvest. pH 3.00, TA (?) 8g/L, 1% residual sugar.

ABV: 12.1%

Appearance: Pearly straw.

Nose: Dry but fruity. Under ripe peach, lychee, gravel, fresh squeezed orange juice.

On the palate: Medium bodied and slightly citric. Meyer lemon, lemon thyme, limestone, peach. Shades of Pfalz.

Finish: A little citric, a little sweet, but mostly dry and mineral.

Parting Words: Old Mission Peninsula is currently producing the best Rieslings in Eastern North America. Old Mission can more than hold their own against Rieslings from California and the Pacific Northwest. Left Foot Charley is one of the wineries leading the pack. Their grapes come from Old Mission, but their winery is on the campus of a former insane asylum (no joke!) in Traverse City proper. Don’t let that or the silly name scare you, LFC makes world class wines and ciders of all styles, often with price tags to match.

This wine is described as dry on the label, and it is that, but the label gets a little defensive of the wine’s statistical claim to be dry. Too much math for me, but on the first sip I was instantly reminded of dry Central European Riesling. It is not the bone-chilling dry of an Austrian Riesling but it has a bracing minerality that one does not expect from Michigan. It goes well with food (had mine with grilled sea scallops) but you may find yourself distracted by the wine. Left Foot Charley’s 2010 Dry Riesling is highly recommended.

Lot 49 Riesling

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Maker: Chateau Grant Traverse, Old Mission Peninsula, Traverse City, Michigan, USA

Grape: Riesling

Region: Old Mission AVA, Michigan, USA (estate grown, product of one particular block of vineyard)

Vintage: 2010

ABV: 13%

Appearance: Pale straw.

Nose: Honeyed pear, ripe peach, citrus blossom, lemon thyme.

On the palate: Full-bodied. Rock candy, bartlett pear, crème brûlée, white mulberry.

Finish: Meyer lemon, grilled peach, angelica.

Parting words: Chateau Grand Traverse is something of a paradox. Their tasting room is a poorly organized mess reminiscent of the gift shop portion of a Cracker Barrel restaurant. They also produce a line of serviceable supermarket-quality varietals. But there’s the other side of  CGT. They are one of the most creative and ambitious producers in Michigan. They produce a Grüner Veltliner , a white Pinot, a whole-cluster Riesling, a botrytized Riesling, an Alsatian Pinot Blanc style white, a reserve Gamay, the list goes on. They are even set to issue a limited release of estate-grown AlbariñoCached – SimilarYou +1’d this publicly. Undo. And unlike some of their peers, at least 9/10 times they accomplish what they set out to do.

This Riesling is a classic example of the ambitious side of CGT. It comes across as a little shy at first, but still waters run deep. Like that quiet girl you sat behind in math class, Lot 49 has hidden depths and subtle complexities. This is a thinking person’s Riesling, not a summer afternoon chug-a-lug Riesling. It got a very flattering write-up on Jancis Robinson’s website and rightfully so. Lot 49 is highly recommended.

Umbrella Gewurztraminer-Riesling

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Umbrella Gewurztraminer-Riesling

Maker: Pelee Island, Kingsville, Ontario, Canada

Gapes: Gewurztraminer (50%), Riesling (50%)

Region: Ontario VQA, Canada

Vintage: 2010

ABV: 12.5%

Appearance: Light gold. Thick, sticky robe.

Nose: Ripe peaches, tangerine, coriander, pineapple

On the palate: Medium-bodied & fairly dry. Lemon thyme, Meyer lemon, white pepper.

Finish: slightly citric & vegetal. fades fairly quickly.

Parting words: Umbrella Gewurztraminer-Riesling is a relative newcomer to the Pelee Island stable, but it’s a very good one. Both these grapes do very well in NE wine belt stretching from Michigan’s west coast through southern Ontario into upstate New York. The mix of grapes may bring Alsace to mind, but this wine is all North American on the palate and in the nose. Crisp peach and citrus notes make this a very refreshing drink when chilled, but one with enough interest to appeal to serious wine lovers, at least ones that aren’t put off by the very concept of Canadian wine. If they are, that’s more for you! Umbrella Gewurztraminer-Riesling is recommended.

Karl Heinz Piesporter Michelsberg Riesling Auslese

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Maker: Karl Heinz, Guntersblum, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany

Grape: Riesling

Region: Piesporter Michelsberg, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany

Ripeness: Auslese

Vintage: 2003

ABV: 8.5%

Appearance: Old gold

Nose: Barlett pear, Meyer lemon

On the palate: Soft mouthfeel. Delicate and citric. Honeysuckle, lemon thyme, coriander seed, lemongrass, limestone, a hint of green cardamom.

Finish: Like the final seconds of a lemonhead. Sweet with a tingly tartness slowly fading away.

Parting words: This was another corner store find. While walking with the kid in the stroller, we stopped into the local party store to grab some beer. I saw this bottle on the shelf. I was reluctant to get it. Sure it says Auslese, so by the book it should age well, but who knows how well it had been treated over the nine years of its life? And is Karl Heinz really that good? And it’s Piesporter Michelsberg, not Goldtröpfchen. But it is Riesling and only $10. In the end I got it, obviously.

I don’t regret my purchase at the least. This is a delicate, sophisticated wine that has aged gracefully. It’s sweet and complex, but not thick and syrupy. It’s the perfect choice for an afternoon or afterwork sip on the porch. Heinz Piesporter Michelsberg Riesling Auslese 2003 is highly recommended.

Chateau Grand Traverse Late Harvest Riesling

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Maker: Chateau Grand Traverse, Traverse City, Michigan, USA

Grape: Riesling

Style: Late Harvest

Region: Old Mission AVA, Traverse City, Michigan, USA

Vintage: 2009 (different vintage pictured)

ABV: 9.5%

Appearance: Pale gold

Nose: Apple, peach, rhubarb, orange blossom, lemon thyme.

On the palate: full-bodied and sweet. Fruity, Golden Delicious Apple, Barlett pear, lavender.

Finish: Sweet and honeyed (wildflower to be specific) with a note of bitterness followed by a tart Macintosh apple note.

Parting words: This wine is not particularly complex but rich and enjoyable, especially after it opens up. This is a perfect cheese course wine. It would be a bit much with a full meal, though. Overall CGT Late Harvest Riesling is a very enjoyable wine, and a great example of Northern Michigan Late Harvest Riesling. Recommended.

Huber Riesling

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Maker: Markus Huber, Reichersdorf, Traisental, Austria

Grape: Riesling

Region: Traisental DAC, Austria

Vinatge: 2008

Style: Dry

ABV: 12%

Appearance: Light gold

Nose: Dry and flinty, a bit of peach and woodruff.

On the palate: Minerals on entry, then a bit of underripe peach. Total absence of any citrus notes.

Finish: Clean and dry with a light, mineral bitterness that lingers for a long time.

Parting Words: I’ve been a Riesling fan for a long time and this is one of the driest ones I’ve ever tasted. That’s not a bad thing either. It epitomizes the Austrian style of white wines and showcases the versatility of Riesling itself. As Austrian whites become easier to find and more popular in the U.S., the gauntlet has been thrown down. North American winemakers are the best in the world. I would love to taste a Michigan, New York, or Washington dry Riesling. Get at it folks! Huber Riesling is recommended.