White – Page 6 – Sipology

Verterra Reserve Chardonnay

March 25, 2015 JoshLeave a comment

Maker: Verterra, Leland, Michigan, USA

Place of origin: Leelanau Peninsula AVA, Michigan, USA

Vintage: 2012

Price: $20 (website)

ABV: Unknown (not listed on label or received from producer by press time)

Appearance: Medium gold with some necklacing.

Nose: Butter, toasted oak, plum, white peach, mineral water.

Palate: Golden delicious apple, lychee, oak, white pepper.

Finish: Chewy oak, canned pear, brown butter.

Parting words: Verterra is one of the best producers on Leelanau and it shows in this wine. They make two Chards, an unoaked (a popular style in these parts) and this one that spent several months in french oak before being bottled, also undergoing malolactic fermentation. It tastes pretty Californian to me, which isn’t a bad thing if you like that style like I do (usually).

As the wine sat and warmed in the glass, some of the fruit seemed to disappear, which was disappointing. It was still tasty, just not quite so well balanced as it was when the cork first came off. Unfortunately, due to poor meal planning, I was unable to taste it with food, but based on experience with similar wines I think it would pair well with chicken, swordfish, shark and the like. The price is very nice for a quality Michigan wine. The 2012 Verterra Reserve Chardonnay is recommended.

2 Lads Riesling

February 18, 2015 Josh1 Comment

Maker: 2 Lads, Traverse City, Michigan, USA

Place of origin: Pratt Farm & Twin Bay vineyards, Old Mission Peninsula AVA, Michigan, USA

Style: Semi-dry

Vintage: 2012

Notes: Harvested 10/18 & 10/22/2012, Sugar: 22° Brix, pH: 3.29, 1220 cases produced.

ABV: 11.5%

Price: $16 (website)

Appearance: Bright gold with thin, streaky legs.

Nose: Under ripe pear, mineral water, mild pineapple, star fruit, woodruff.

Palate: Gently tart on entry, white peach, dried thyme and then minerals.

Finish: Dry and clean. Flint, hint of wildflower honey.

Parting words: It’s hard to know what one is getting into when one sees “medium dry” on a Riesling label. One person’s medium dry is another one’s sweet. This one is dryer than I thought it would be but that’s not a bad thing. It has all the stony, bracing qualities one expects in a dry Riesling, but still has enough sweetness to round itself out and keep it from becoming one dimensional. Does very well with food of all kinds and the price is reasonable for a Michigan Riesling of this quality. Drink now or in the near future. 2012 2 Lads (medium dry) Riesling is recommended.

Verterra Dry Riesling

September 17, 2014September 17, 2014 JoshLeave a comment

Maker: Verterra/Chaos, Lake Leelenau, Michigan, USA

Place of origin: Leelanau Peninsula AVA, Michigan, USA

Vintage: 2011

ABV: 12%

Purchased for $15

Appearance: Light gold with

Nose: ripe peach, granny smith apple, bitter orange.

Palate: Medium bodied. Red pear, navel orange, mineral water, white grapefruit.

Finish: Clean and dry. More peaches and pears with a hint of vanilla.

Parting words: The 2011 vintage in Northern Michigan continues to impress me. Leelanau is a much larger area than Old Mission with many more wineries, so the region as a whole is less consistent than the OMP. Verterra itself is of consistently high quality, though. I recommend trying anything of theirs you see.

This wine is everything a dry Michigan Riesling should be. It’s dry and food-friendly without sacrificing any character. Orchard fruit in abundance with a touch of acid for balance. Even eighteen hours after opening, it was still delicious, maybe even better. It’s worth every penny and then some. Verterra’s 2011 Dry Riesling is highly recommended.

Chateau Grand Traverse Pinot Grigio

September 3, 2014September 3, 2014 JoshLeave a comment

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

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

Vintage: 2012

ABV:12.5%

Price: $11 (website)

Appearance: Light gold with some necklacing.

Nose: Semi-dry. Underripe pears, Golden Delicious apples, lemon thyme.

Palate: Medium bodied and semi-dry. White peach, pink grapefruit.

Finish: Dry and herbal. Mineral water, sage, a bit of smoke.

Parting words: When I think Pinot Grigio, I think of boring, sorry, “crisp” wines from the Veneto that are pounded back on movie nights and in cheesy restaurants. When I think Pinot Gris (The French name for the same grape, “gray pinot”) I think of the wonderfully smoky and herbaceous made from this grape in Alsace. This wine is somewhere between those camps. When chilled according to bottle directions, it is in the crisp camp but as it warms up, some Alsatian character comes to the fore.

It’s cheap for a wine of this quality and does very well with food. This is a Grigio you can drink and not feel embarrassed or bored by. Chateau Grand Traverse 2012 Pinot Grigio.

Trillium

August 7, 2014 Josh1 Comment

Maker: Good Harbor, Lake Leelanau, Michigan, USA

Grapes: Riesling, Vidal Blanc, Vignoles, Seyval Blanc.

Place of origin: Leelanau peninsula AVA, Michigan, USA

ABV: 12%

Price: $10 (website)

Appearance: Light gold.

Nose: Light. Dried flowers, white peaches.

Palate: Full bodied and semi-dry. Underripe peaches, light apple juice, a touch of white grape juice.

Finish: Dry and slightly fruity. Fades quickly.

Parting words: Besides being the flower that SHOULD be the Michigan state flower (apple trees aren’t native, bro), Trillium is the name of Good Harbor’s perennially popular white table wine.

Unlike other popular Michigan whites in this price range, Trillium is actually fairly dry. It pairs very well with food like a true table wine should and while it has just a whisker of fox, it isn’t too noticeable and shouldn’t shock any Europeans you may serve this wine to.

Trillium is inoffensive in both senses of the word. Not bad but not interesting either. I’ve seen it as high as $15, but as long as it’s around $10, it’s recommended.

L. Mawby Blanc de Blancs

May 7, 2014May 7, 2014 JoshLeave a comment

Maker: L. Mawby, Sutton’s Bay, Michigan, USA Mawby B de B

Grape: Chardonnay

Place of origin: Leelenau Peninsula AVA, Michigan, USA

Style: Brut sparkling wine.

ABV: 11%

Purchased for $21.

Notes: Whole cluster pressed. Méthode traditionnelle. Cuvee 206. More information on label.

Appearance: Pale gold and very effervescent.

Nose: Dry apple cider, limestone, dried flowers.

Palate: Bubbly and light. Ripe golden apple and Bosc pear, with a hint of meyer lemon and mineral water.

Finish: Quite dry with more mineral notes and a tiny tang on the back end.

Parting words: All L. Mawby does is sparkling wine, and they do it well. The flagship L. Mawby wines are made using the méthode traditionnelle used for Champagne.

I have virtually no knowledge of Champagne but from the few tastes I’ve had of the real stuff, this wine fits the profile of brut Champagne. Most Michigan sparklers are backyard quaffing material, which is just fine, but if you’re looking for a step up, the Mawby Blanc de Blanc is a good option. It’s just fine with traditional white wine fare, but it works best as an aperitif with hors d’oeuvres or as the first round of a celebration (before the cheap stuff comes out). L. Mawby Blanc de Blancs is recommended.

Left Foot Charley Gewürztraminer

April 30, 2014April 30, 2014 Josh2 Comments

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

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

Vintage: 2011

ABV: 13%

Price: $20

Appearance: Light gold with not much in the way of legs, but that may be down to the glass.

Nose: White peach, Bosc pear, a pinch of curry powder and white pepper, woodruff and fresh thyme.

Palate: Medium bodied and medium dry. Spice moving to white grapefruit and unripe mulberry.

Finish: Fairly dry with some bitterness on the tail end. Lingers for a good long while.

Parting words: The Manigold vineyard is known for producing excellent Gewürz (Peninsula Cellars has also made Gewürz from this vineyard) and this is a very good example from a very good vintage.

The back label has a puzzling apology for “obnoxiously loud” LFC Gewürz of the past and hails their return to Manigold vineyards, albeit a different slope. The whole thing is curious but it is nice to have such detail right on the back of the bottle. Also included is the name of the growers, a description of the plot the grapes came from, harvest date and sugar levels at harvest and residual sugar.

This wine certainly isn’t obnoxious. The nose is rich with fruit, spice and herbs and enough sweetness and acidity to keep it all in balance. Like most Gewürz it goes very well with food, especially roast chicken and even Asian cuisine. The price is good for a single vineyard wine from OMP. 2011 Left Foot Charley Gewürztraminer earns a recommendation.

J. Trees Dry Riesling

February 19, 2014February 19, 2014 Josh3 Comments

Maker: J. Trees, Petersburg, Michigan, USA (tasting room in Tecumseh opening March 2014)

Place of origin: Michigan (Pioneer Wine Trail), USA

Vintage: 2011

ABV: 12%

Price: $15 (website)

Appearance: Pale straw, scant legs.

Nose: Bartlett pear, dried flowers, orange blossom honey.

On the palate: Medium bodied and slightly tart. Tangerine, wildflower honey, lemon thyme, minerals.

Finish: Surprisingly dry. A touch of grapefruit and thyme. Fades slowly.

Parting words: I am a lover of all Michigan wine, but I don’t love every Michigan wine. The wines Michigan’s AVAs tend to be of consistently higher quality than those that just read “Michigan” on the label. The wineries of the Pioneer Wine Trail in Michigan are spread over many miles in Southeast and South Michigan and their vineyards occupy a wide variety of sites. What they have in common is they are more “continental” in climate with hotter summers and colder, drier winters than points west and north. All that said, any wine that simply calls itself “Michigan” can contain grapes grown anywhere in the state.

J. Trees is a fairly new winery, but they are producing like old pros. Their 2011 Dry Riesling wine is well executed and delicious from start to finish. It’s dry enough to pair well with food traditionally matched with white wines (we had ours with cheese tortellini in chicken stock) but complex enough for Saturday afternoon sipping with a good book.

The price is very fair for a wine of this quality and versatility. J. Trees Dry Riesling is recommended.

Blanck Pinot Gris

February 5, 2014 JoshLeave a comment

Maker: Domaine Paul Blanck, Kientzheim, Alsace, Francef

Grape: Pinot Gris/Grigio

Place of origin: Alsace, France

Vintage: 2007

ABV: 13.5%

Purchased for: $22 (list price $32)

Appearance: Gold with thick legs.

Nose: Oak, ripe pear, thyme.

On the palate: Full bodied and medium dry. Oak, white cherries, plum, underripe peach, mineral water.

Finish: Mild apple, a whiff of smoke and it slowly fades.

Parting words: What a delicious wine! A nearby wineshop is closing its doors and friend of the blog Amy and I went on an expedidition recently and pooled our purchase so as to get a bigger discount. This is one of my bottles. As long time readers know, I love the white wines of Alsace and their North American cousins, so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to buy something like this at a deep discount.

Blanck is an Alsatian négotiant producing a full line of wines. This one is from their vins de fruits series of varietal wines. They also produce lines of single vineyard, late harvest and borytized wines.

This is classic Alsatian Pinot Gris. It’s rich and aromatic and judicious use of oak provides that little bit of smoke Alsatian Gris is known for. It may have been more fruit forward a few years ago (six years in the bottle is pushing it), but even at this advanced age it’s delicious.

I would be reluctant to spend the full $32 but $25 or less would be an easy buy for me. I will be looking for more Blancks in the future. Blanck Pinot Gris is recommended.

Forty-Five North Riesling

December 18, 2013December 14, 2013 Josh3 Comments

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.