Gee, Jim, you think I haven't been there and tasted the wine? Or is that you like the "stuff" produced in the region and would discredit someone who doesn't?
Just one more sip.
Posts: 24991 | Location: NY | Registered: Oct 18, 2001
Looks like we just missed each other, we were staying at the Grand Traverse from the 7th-11th. Had a great time as well and found a few gems as well. I really liked Black Stars Eiswein and the cheese that they made there. Cheers!
quote:
Originally posted by Vino Me: The Old Mission and Leelanau Penisula's are located in Northern Michigan along Lake Michigan near Traverse City. Historically the region was known for fruit growing (primarily cherries) and grape vines have only been commercially grown in the are since the 1970's. Most of the wineries are much more recent having only been started in the last 15 years (many within the last 3 years). In all, there are about 25 wineries in the region. To say that the wine culture in the region is changing rapidly is an understatement. If you haven't visited the region (or tasted the wines) in the last 2 years then you probably don't have a good handle on what is happening.
I visited the region 2 weeks ago and selected 10 wineries to visit which had gooten the best press and reviews. I had tried many wines from these wineries in the past but most of the really exciting wines do not make it to the Chicago area. I was able to visit 9 of the 10 wineries and have posted my notes on the board. The only winery I was not able to visit was Shady Lane. Here are links to my tasting notes:
The two prettiest wineries were Two Lads and Chateau Chantal. The highest quality wines were being made by Left Foot Charley, Chateau Grand Traverse, Peninsula Cellars and L.Mawby.
I was extremely impressed by the wines and the great strides that have been made. Frankly, I expected to find only slightly better conditions and efforts than exist in Southwest Michigan. I expected plenty of non vinifera wines, a lack of vineyard specificity and abundant non vintage offerings. I found none of that. All of the wineries concentrated almost exclusively on vinifera grapes. The winemaking methods and quality was very solid. There were very few N/V wines (except for sparkling wines). Most impressively, most wineries had spent considerable time and effort to locate and identify the vineyards which produced superior grapes and are putting out single vineyard bottlings.
Every winery (except one) concentrated on German/Alsatian varietals. These varietals (mostly Riesling, Gewurzrtraminer, Pinot Blanc and Pinto Gris) have been identified as doing best in the region. Clearly the red wines lagged behind the whites in terms of quality. It is a credit to the wineries that they concentrate on what they can do best instead of trying to make Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay which will not reach the ripeness levels necessary in this climate.
Some very impressive wines were being made. I scored 13 wines in the outstanding or potentially outstanding category. In addition, I only tried 1 Icewine on my trip although almost every estate makes a very fine example. Also the signature white wines at some estates were sold out and I could not try them. Had I tried all of them, the list of outstanding wines probably would have reached 2 dozen. here are the wines that I rated potentially 90 points or higher:
2008 Chateau Grand Traverse Dry Riesling- 88-90 2008 Left Foot Charley Riesling Seventh Hill Vineyard- 88-90 N.V. L. Mawby Blanc de Noir- 89-90 2006 Peninsula Cellars Select Riesling- 89-90 2008 Left Foot Charley Riesling (Late Harvest)- 89-90 N.V. L. Mawby Talismon- 90 2008 Bowers Harbor Riesling Block II- 90 2008 Left Foot Charley Riesling Brengman Bros. Vineyard- 90 2008 Black Star Farms Riesling Arcturos Late Harvest- 90-91 2006 Peninsula Cellars Gewürztraminer Manigold Vineyard- 91 2008 Chateau Grand Traverse Riesling 'Lot 49'- 91 2007 Chateau Chantal Riesling Ice Wine- 91-92 2007 Chateau Grand Traverse Riesling Botrytis- 92
Many other wines scored in 87 points or higher. I did not expect this level of quality and was shocked by the results of what I tried.
This is a very exciting up and coming wine region and I want to be careful about not overstating my opinion. However, without hesitation I can say that this region is making THE BEST DRY AND OFF DRY GERMAN AND ALSATIAN VARIETAL WINES IN THE UNITED STATES. Bar none. I have never tasted as many Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Blanc or Pinot Gris wines from any other region in the US which showed such consistent depth, complexity and balance.
The prices were outstanding as well. All of the wines I listed above sold for $16-25. Of course the big drawback is availability. Most of the premium wines do not make it out of the region. Even then they sell out quickly because of limited quantity. However, if you are in the area or see any on restaurant lists or in stores in the upper Midwest, I highly recommend trying them.
VM
Lifes too short to drink bad wine!! crownliquors.net / msprinkle@crownliquors.net
We were there the weekend before you. We purchased some of the raclette cheese made at Black Star.
Black Star Farms A Capella Ice Wine is one of the best made in the region. We were not able to try it when we visited though. Do you recall which wines you liked?
VM
Posts: 10134 | Location: Chicago | Registered: Oct 17, 2001
Originally posted by JimBrennan: I haven't had any ice wines from Michigan. How are they stylistically?
From my limited experience, very much like what you would get from Niagara or Finger Lakes-- Same varietals, similar climate. I know the non-ice wine rieslings from Michigan often have that hint of petrol that the good Germans also have. This is a trait that you don't see so much in New York or other American rieslings. (Note, my tasting of non-Michigan Rieslings from the US is admittedly limited, but these observations have been expressed to me by more than one winemaker, including a couple from South Africa and Europe who chose to come to Michigan over NY, CA, OR, and WA, specifically for the potential of Riesling). Anyway, that said, I think the potential for Riesling Ice Wine to be stylistically very similar to Germans is definitely there.
------------------- "She wore a Mount Rushmore T-shirt, and those guys never looked so good--especially Jefferson and Lincoln--kind of bloated, but happy." --Guy Noir
Posts: 947 | Location: Saginaw, MI | Registered: Mar 12, 2007
I think Board-O is just jealous of us, so he feels the need to rain on the parade. He secretly believes that Michigan wines are the finest in the world, but is ashamed to admit it, and is sad that he can't get them in his local market place.
------------------- "She wore a Mount Rushmore T-shirt, and those guys never looked so good--especially Jefferson and Lincoln--kind of bloated, but happy." --Guy Noir
Posts: 947 | Location: Saginaw, MI | Registered: Mar 12, 2007
I agree with Redhawk about the style of Michigan Ice Wines. Very similar to Canadian Ice Wine. I would also add that the best can show good tropical fruit and acidity. They are almost uniformly made in a true Ice Wine method (freezing on the vine, picking in Dec-Jan and immediately pressing) which in my opinion yields a far superior product than the artificial freezing methods used by some West Coast producers. The main obstacle of course is that the Michigan Ice Wines are over priced.
VM
Posts: 10134 | Location: Chicago | Registered: Oct 17, 2001
What do you consider "overpriced" for an Ice Wine?
I'm noticing that Peller Estates, Inniskilin, and some other Niagara region Icewines are well over $50 per 500 ml bottle lately, and German Ice wines seem to start around $50 for no-names, and go up to $500+.
Considering the harvesting process, the risks involved (possible loss of grapes and no guarantee of adequate freeze), and the small quantities produced, I don't think it is all that unreasonable to charge $50 for a good Icewine. But maybe I'm wrong.
------------------- "She wore a Mount Rushmore T-shirt, and those guys never looked so good--especially Jefferson and Lincoln--kind of bloated, but happy." --Guy Noir
Posts: 947 | Location: Saginaw, MI | Registered: Mar 12, 2007
the price has been $50 for Ch. G.T.ice wine for 18 years maybe more and it was great back then! i think its fair to say it's not high! my first 3 bottles were in 1991 if i do remember right it was bottled in a blue bottle and owbox that i had shipped to MD. an just may be some of the best wines produced in mich! the priced has not gone up!!
red, we both know they get the best hang time up their! and the freezzzzzze just my two cents!
Redhawk- My opinion of what is "overpriced" for an Icewine is probably not representative of the average wine consumer. However, I think anything over $40 per 375/500ml for a 90-94 point quality Icewine is too much. I probably wouldn't pay more than $30. Here are the prices for the Icewine which were available (all 375ml bottles I think):
2005 CGT Riesling $70 2006 Bowers Gewurz $75 2007 Brys "Dry Ice" $70 2007 Chantal Riesling $68 2007 Black Star A Capella $92.50 2007 Peninsula Riesling $50 (on sale)
bez- you can see above that the price of the CGT Icewine has gone up to $70.
VM
This message has been edited. Last edited by: Vino Me,
Posts: 10134 | Location: Chicago | Registered: Oct 17, 2001
Originally posted by Vino Me: I agree with Redhawk about the style of Michigan Ice Wines. ... The main obstacle of course is that the Michigan Ice Wines are over priced.
Thanks for the data points. That's really the ultimate issue for me... given the opportunity to spend money on an ice wine, I tend to buy German for about the same or just a bit more per ml. Still, I probably should pony-up and try a few.
Fwiw, I recall reading somewhere (can't remember the source) that ice wine is actually quite profitable, as it's less difficult/expensive to make than one might suspect.
In my opinion, trockenbeerenauslese, sauternes or tokaji aszu are far more interesting and complex than any icewine. The botrytis present in the former 3 adds an extra dimension that cannot be duplicated by simply over ripening grapes and concentrating the juice by removing ice crystals.
VM
Posts: 10134 | Location: Chicago | Registered: Oct 17, 2001
Actually, I'm a big fan of aged Chenin Blanc from the Loire, although I prefer moelleux with less botrytis over those with more (e.g. - '89 over '90), as I think it tends to obscure the individuality of the wine. That said, I wouldn't kick a TBA or bottle of Aszu "out of bed." Of course, the key is that I like these wines with a good dose of age, which certainly stimulates the complexity.
The sheer concentration of a really top notch ice wine done right can really be a fun trip, but it's certainly not as intellectually stimulating as any of the former.
The '08 Fenn Valley "42˚ Ice Wine" (100% Vidal Blanc) went Double Gold and Best of Class at the Michigan Wine Competition this past July, while their Vidal Ice Wine pulled a Silver.
Vidal Blanc Ice Wine from both Mackinaw Trail and Warner went Gold, but really, the 42 was quite a bit better than the whole lot.
A Peninsula Cellars Riesling Ice Wine was nice, too, if a bit too soft, and so only managed a Bronze.
Based on my experience as one of the judges for the Ice Wine category this year (mostly '07s and '08s), I can say that while good, the MI ice wines don't seem to have, in general, the high acidity that marks the best ice wines (from any region).
Posts: 525 | Location: ann arbor, MI | Registered: Mar 18, 2002
Thanks for the info chaad. I've had the Warner Vineyards Vidal Blanc Ice Wine ($37.50) several times over the Summer since they have a tasting room in South Haven. In general, I am not fond of Vidal Blanc based icewines and the Warner was no exception. I rated it 87 and 88 points.
I've also had the 2007 Fenn Valley Vidal Blanc Ice Wine ($35) and rated it 87 points. I haven't had the 2008 42˚ Ice Wine. I'll have to search it out and try it.
VM
Posts: 10134 | Location: Chicago | Registered: Oct 17, 2001
