Tag: White

Arcturos 2010 Sur Lie Chardonnay

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

Place of origin: Capella Vineyards, Old Mission AVA, Traverse City, Michigan

Style: Unoaked Chardonnay

ABV: 12%

Appearance: Pale gold

Nose:  apricot, pear, tangerine.

On the palate: Medium bodied and medium sweet. Slightly tart but easy going with lots of varietal character. More apricot, blood orange, pink grapefruit.

Finish: Slightly bitter and citric, moves from pink to white grapefruit.

Parting words: This is an unoaked Chardonnay, but it still is very much a Chardonnay. Lots of that fruity but medium dry Chard character. I’ll admit, I’m not as fond of the product of this grape as I once was. This is a nice enough wine, and it’s a nice change of pace from oaky California Chards, even if it doesn’t really impress. The wife thinks it tastes like a Vihno Verde, and I can see what she means. I doubt Chardonnay will ever reach the heights that Riesling does in Michigan, but if winemakers continue to be creative, Chard may have a place. At any rate, Arcturos Sur Lie Chardonnay is mildly recommended

Arcturos Pinot Blanc

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

Place of origin: Montaña Rusa, Capella and Montague vinyards, Old Mission AVA, Michigan, USA

Vintage: 2011

ABV: 12%

Appearance: pale gold.

Nose: Tangerine, apricot, Meyer lemon.

On the palate: Medium bodied and velvety. A bit of smoke, but not overpowering. Canned pear, ripe peach, golden delicious apple. Never overly tart or citric, though. Perfectly balanced.

Finish: Pink Grapefruit, bartlett pear, but, again, easy going and elegant.

Parting words:  According to the label Pinot Blanc from these vineyards usually gets blended into BSF’s sparkling wines, but the 2011 vintage was so outstanding they decided to bottle it as a varietal. It is a fantastic wine. Elegant and balanced, but never boring. Plenty of terroir tartness, but never overwhelming or pucker-inducing. Dry but highly aromatic and fruity. I just can’t say enough about this wine. It’s a very limited bottling that I received as a member of their wine club. The information that actually came with the package had a different wine listed, but I thank Bacchus that I got this one instead.  Arcturos Pinot Blanc 2011 is worth seeking out and highly recommended.

Shady Lane Cellars Gewürztraminer

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Maker: Shady Lane, Sutton’s Bay, Michigan, USA

Place of origin: Leelanau Peninsula AVA, Michigan, USA

Vintage: 2009

ABV: 11.9%

Notes: Estate grown. Wine was tasted two days after opening.

Nose: Crisp semi-tart apples, ripe apricot.

On the palate: Medium-bodied and dry. Oak, breadfruit, curry powder, peach, melon.

Finish: Fairly dry without much fruit. Lasts a good length of time.

Parting words: Shady Lane Gewürz is very well done. It has the spice and dryness one expects from a Gewürztraminer, with the crisp fruit typical of Michigan whites. Even at three years old, and being open for two days (with a stopper in the fridge of course) it wasn’t flabby or tired. Went very well with herb-roasted chicken according to the wife.  This was my first Shady Lane wine and I am sure it won’t be my last. Shady Lane Cellars Gewürztraminer 2009 is recommended.

Pelee Island Winery Pinot Gris

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Maker: Pelee Island Winery

Place of origin: Pelee Island VQA, Ontario, Canda

Vintage: 2008

Style: Late Harvest

ABV: 13.5%

Appearance: Light gold with thick, sparse legs.

Nose: Dry and mild. Light smoke, heirloom apples.

On the palate: Medium bodied. Slightly smokey and oaky. A bit of fruit with lychee and dry apple cider.

Finish: Woody and smoky but well balanced.

Parting Words: I was pleasantly surprised by this wine. The smoke (and spelling) of this wine invoke Alsace, but it’s  drier with less fruit than most Alsatian Pinot Gris I’ve had, belying its late harvest status.

After tasting a couple of Pelee Island’s high end wines on my last trip to their tasting room (in Kingsville, not on the island itself) I had low expectations for this one. But this Pinot Gris is top notch.

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.

Georges Buthet & Fils Fendant 2008

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Maker: Georges Buthet & Fils, Valais, Switzerland.

Grape: Fendant (Chasselas Blanc)

Region: Vétroz ,Valais ROC, Valais Canton, Switzerland

Vintage: 2008

ABV: 11.4%

Appearance: Straw. Not much in the way of a robe.

Nose: Surprisingly fruity. Pineapple, mango, ripe peach, apricot.

On the palate: On first open, much more fruit forward than I was expecting. The nose definitely followed through on the palate. After a couple days chilling in the fridge, it has become drier. Still some tropical fruit, but balanced with a flinty taste I would expect in an Alpine wine.

Finish:  The finish is quite dry. Maybe a little grapefruit, but not much else in the way of fruit. A vegetal note creeps in at the end, like thyme.

Parting words: This is the first Swiss wine I’ve purchased or even tasted for that matter. The Swiss produce a lot of wine, but they drink even more. As a result, not much Swiss wine makes its way out of the country.

All that to say that I don’t have any knowledge of other Swiss whites to which to compare to this one. The fruit in this bottle was a pleasant surprise. It is easy drinking and goes pretty well with a meal but would probably work better with an afternoon snack of crackers, fruit and mild cheese on a warm afternoon. The fact that this wine is still very drinkable at a relatively advanced age is a testament to something. The grape? The winemaker? The vintage? If I knew more about Swiss wine I might be able to pin it down. As a bonus, the label is very artsy and attractive too. Georges Buthet & Fils 2008 Fendant is recommended.

Domaine Bott Frères Gewürztraminer Reserve Personnelle

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Maker: Domaine Bott Frères, Ribeauville, Alsace, France

Grape: Gewürztraminer

Region: Alsace AOC, France

Vintage: 2008

ABV: 12.5%

Appearance: Old gold,

Nose: Woodruff, thyme, paper white narcissus, tangerine.

One the palate: Thick and lightly sweet. Bartlett pears, tarragon, lavender, woodruff.

Finish: Thick, sweet, herbal and floral. A voluptuous sweetness tempered by a light bitterness that clings to the roof of the mouth and the cheeks for the whole afternoon.

Parting words: I rarely buy bottles of wine based on what’s written on the back label. The presence of this stream-of-consciousness poem on the back is what drew me to  this bottle. It reads as follows:

“Robe slightly lemon yellow with an unctuous leg. In this aromatic and scented wine, one may notice aromas of the litchi [sic] fruit and hints of oriental scents. Served with dishes seasoned with spices, with chinese [sic], indonesian [sic], or indian [sic] cooking but also with cheese such as munster [sic], blue of Auvergne or Maroilles.”

Note that only the names of French places are capitalized. Do with that what you will.

At any rate, this is a thick, luscious, one might even say unctuous, wine that does pair well with spicy food or just on its own. Bott Frères Gewürz is 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.

A to Z Pinot Gris

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Maker: A to Z, Dundee, Oregon USA

Grape: Pinot Gris/Grigio

Region: Oregon

Vintage: 2009

ABV: 13.5%

Appearance: Light golden straw.

Nose: Bosc pear, white grapefruit, musk melon, hint of smoke.

On the palate: Full-bodied, dry. Subdued Bosc pear, underripe peach, navel orange.

Finish: Dry, with a hint of oak tannin tapering off to a grapefruity bitterness.

Parting words: A to Z specializes in affordable Oregon varietals. Their line also includes a Pinot Noir, and a Riesling. This one has a good deal of Pinot Gris character. It is rather lacking in terroir-derived nuance, but one doesn’t expect much of that in a wine that lists an entire state on the label. This is a fine table wine that goes very well with chicken and pork. Recommended.

Heinz Eifel Eiswein

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Maker: Römerhof, Trittenheim, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

Grape: Silvaner?

Region: Rheinhessen, Germany

Vintage: 2009

Style: Ice wine

Appearance: Bright gold.

Nose: Mild, lemon tangerine, Bartlett pear, ,

On the palate: Thick and full-bodied. Pear, lemonheads, orange gummies, orange blossom honey.

Finish: Sweet and slightly tart. Orange sherbet, long and sweet.

Parting words: Eifel Eiswine is a refreshing, tasty dessert wine. It’s probably better in the summertime, but it’s very enjoyable in February, if a little one dimensional. That and, for an ice wine, it’s very cheap. Heinz-Eifel Rheinhessen Eiswein is recommended.