I had a chance to visit with Jim Lester the coowner/winemaker at Wyncroft Winery in Pullman, Michigan a week ago and he took me through his 2022 barrels with a some early release 2021 wines thrown in. 2022 should be another good year in SW Michigan. Here are my notes:
WYNCROFT WHITES
2022 Wyncroft Riesling Wren Song Vineyard
Tasted at the winery. My favorite of the whites poured from bottle. Light yellow color. Tropical fruit aromas. Lighter body with ginger and apple notes. The finish was tight but this wine was only bottled about a month ago. 89+ points.
2022 Wyncroft Shou Blanc
Barrel sample at the winery. The sample I tasted was a 50/50 blend of SB and Semillon which will not be the final blend. The SB are Sancerre clones. Floral aromas. Creamy with moderate acidity. Notes of apricots, figs and pepper. 89-92 points.
2022 Wyncroft Chardonnay Gabrielow Vineyard
Barrel sample at the winery. The Chardonnay were picked at 23.5 brix. The wine underwent malolactic fermentation and was aged in new French Oak barrels. A slatey and chalky wine with notes of pears and fuji apples. Impressive Chardonnay. 88-90 points.
2022 Wyncroft Chardonnay Singer Lake Vineyard
Barrel sample at the winery. I liked this slightly less than the Gabrielow Chard. I'm not sure if they will be blended together. An aromatic wine. It underwent malolactic fermentation and was aged in used French oak barrels. Medium yellow color. A little butter with pineapple notes. 87-89 points.
WYNCROFT REDS
2022 Wyncroft Pinot Noir Lepage Estate
Barrel sample at the winery. I tried 3 different barrel samples. All the grapes were picked around 21 brix (the 115 clone a little riper) and were given a 3 day cold soak. The first was from a barrel with clone 943 and Calera fruit. This was fruitier and a little crunchy with red licorice, pomegranite and a little pepper. The second barrel was from a Wadenswil clone. Spicier with cranberry notes and more approachable tannins. The last barrel was clone 115. The deepest red in color and biggest of the 3 barrels. A more beefy and minerally profile. My favorite of the barrels which will be blended together. 90-93 points.
2022 Wyncroft Shou Lepage Estate
Barrel sample at the winery. I tried 3 different barrel samples (a Cab Franc, Merlot and Cab Sauvignon which will be blended into the final wine). All the grapes were picked between 22-23 brix. The Cab Franc was purple with currant, rose and berry notes. The Merlot was the darkest and most rounded with dusky red fruit mixed with cocoa and cassis. A little less acidic than the other 2 wines. The Cabernet Sauvignon showed some sourness at this stage which Jim thought would settle in barrel. More austere with crushed grape skin and smokey notes. 89-92 points.
MARLAND WINES (Marland is a 2nd label using mostly purchased grapes and meant for earlier release and consumption)
2022 Marland Chardonnay Non Affecté
Tasted at the winery from bottle. 80% clone 96 and 20% clone 95 from the Singer Lake Vineyard owned by Lemon Creek. No malolactic fermentation and aged on it's lees for 4 months in stainless steel. Rather tight now but focused. Notes of lemons and butterscotch. 88 points.
2022 Marland Sauvignon Blanc & Semillon Lepage Estate
Tasted at the winery from bottle. Clear white color. This was bottled 2 months ago. Aged on it's lees for 4 months in stainless steel. 75% Sauvignon Blanc from Loire clones and 25% Semillon. Creamy texture. Not as sharp as many NZSB's. Candy apple notes with citrus. 88 points.
2022 Marland Cabernet Franc
Barrel sample at the winery. This year's grapes were sourced from Lemon Creek and some estate fruit will be blended in which will likely make this an excellent value. The Lemon Creek fruit was picked at 3-4 tons per acre and consists of clones 214 and 237. This had a meaty texture and a garnet color. This is just about ready for bottling and was quite tasty despite it's young age. 88-90 points.
2021 WYNCROFT REDS
2021 Wyncroft Pinot Noir Lepage Estate
Tasted at the winery. This bottle was opened 3 days ago. Medium red color. Similar notes as before with a little bit of iron mixed in. 91 points.
2021 Wyncroft Shou Lepage Estate
Barrel sample at the winery. This was going to be bottled the next day so it was rather complete. The blend is 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 16% Cabernet Franc. An inky purple color. Young but integrated profile. Firm tannins. An earthy texture with notes of graphite, cedar and plums. 91+ points.
VM