Michigan Wines

I'm going a little farther afield in this post tonight. Since I'm planning on going to the Finger Lakes, NY to pick up some grapes in a few weeks, I decided to get into the mood by opening a bottle that my wife and I picked up during a wine-tasting trip to the Finger Lakes last year.

Lucas Vineyards 2003 Cabernet Franc. A bold, beautiful red wine. Estate grown grapes, 12% abv. It starts with a wonderful cherry/raspberry nose. Smooth over the tongue with pronounced berry notes. Just a bit of a tannic bit on the back of the tongue. This is a great example of the potential of eastern wine-making, especially in the Finger Lakes area.

Making me thirsty for more... The winery overlooks Cayuga Lake just north of Ithaca. If you go, save room for dessert. There's a home-made ice cream stand just down the road. Cayuga Lake Creamery makes their own ice cream and are definitely not stingy with their portions.

Regards,
a Wine Student

I seem to be in a drinking mood the past few days. Had a long day at work and then came home to finish mowing the yard, so I felt like having a glass of wine tonight. Chose the bottle of 2003 Moulin Rouge from Sandhill Crane Vineyards near Jackson, MI to have while I read the paper and relaxed. A very nice wine. This is a dry Bordeaux-style red wine made from cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, and chancellor (12.5% abv). I purchased it for $12.95 during my last tasting visit in May.

Strong aromas of raspberry and pepper in the nose. Dark red color. Spicy, smokey flavors with a fruity, peppery aftertaste. Probably still a little young. Should age nicely for another couple of years (too bad that was my one and only bottle). My wife made chicken thighs in a red bell pepper and olive sauce over pasta for supper that went well with the wine.

Overall, a very nice wine for everyday drinking and should stand up to tomato-based dishes and red meats.

Regards,
a Wine Student

For those that have been reading my posts, you may begin to wonder if I only purchase wine from Lone Oak Estate Vineyards. The answer is a definite no, but I have opened more of their wine lately. For my first non-Lone Oak wine review, I venture a little further south and away from grape-dom into fruit wine territory.

I've been enjoying a glass of Pentamere Winery's 2005 Michigan Cherry wine as I've been blogging this evening. I chilled the bottle in the refrigerator for about 2 hrs prior to drinking (I tasted it a cellar temperature and liked the chilled glass better). A delightful wine--light red in color with a bright, cherry nose. A lot of bold cherry flavors with an amusing sour/sweet cherry balance. Just slightly sweet (enough to taste the sugars, but not enough to be sickening). BIAS ALERT--I detest sweet wines! Pleasant to quaff one's palatte at the end of a wine tasting, but I can't imagine sitting down to a bottle of sweet wine. This cherry wine is pleasantly just a touch off-dry. I should have opened the bottle earlier in the summer and enjoyed on the patio. The cooler temperatures this week are beginning to turn my wine tastes towards bolder reds, but this is a pleasant way to enjoy a last gasp of summer.

A note of caution--chilling the bottle led to the precipitation of quite a bit of tartrates in the bottom of the bottle. Probably indicates that the wine was not cold stabilized prior to bottling. Some drinkers may find this a bit unsettling, but it does not affect the taste or quality of the wine. Just something to be aware of.

Regards,
a Wine Student

p.s. Came across this link for a desert cherry sauce made from Pentamere's Cherry wine. Made my mouth water: http://inthekitchenwithmoozie.blogspot.com/2006/07/lets-talk-about-wine.html. Enjoy!

Last weekend, I popped open a bottle of Lone Oak Estate Vineyards 2004 Merlot. I purchased the bottle when I visited the winery in early April this year for $18.95. All estate grown grapes from the wineries' vineyards just east of Jackson, MI. Deep red color, with some nice legs. Hints of tobacco and spice in the nose. Notes of pepper, bright cherry and cranberry flavors on the tongue. A little tart and tannic, this wine should age nicely for a few years (thank goodness I bought another bottle a few weeks ago!). Interestingly, the bottle I opened was not completely degassed as my Vacuvin pulled quite a bubble head.

I drank about 1/3 of the bottle on Friday night, about another 1/3 on Saturday, and finished the bottle of Sunday. The wine definitely improved with a little oxygenation after opening. The tannic taste had mellowed a bit by the second tasting.

Regards,
a Wine Student

This weekend, my wife participated in the Reeds Lake Triatholon in Grand Rapids. My reward for going along and being her sherpa during the event was to be able to stop at some wineries on the way home. The first winery we visited was Cherry Creek Cellars at exit 127 on I-94 west of Parma. A word of advice: do not get confused and turn into the first paved driveway, you'll end up pulling into the parking lot for a new adult entertainment establishment. Since this isn't that kind of blog, we beat a quick retreat and found the correct gravel driveway. The winery/tasting room is housed in a smallish metal shed nestled in the midst of several vineyards. A two-year old vineyard of chardonnay beckons as you walk around the side of the building towards the tasting room door, which is framed by a trellis covered with some red grape vines bearing bunches of ripening grape clusters. Inside, the nicely furnished tasting room is on the small side. The tasting bar curves along the side of the room and will comfortably allow 6 people to belly up for some tastin'. I say 6 because while two other couples came in while we were tasting. While everyone still had some elbow room, I was glad that we were in the middle of a purchase when a 3rd couple walked in--eight would have begun to be crowded. The young guy behind the bar looked way too young to serve wine, but he was very knowledgable about the wines and how the winery operated. Did not catch his name, but he was a very pleasant server. A second bonus was that a lot of winery equipment was scattered around the back of the building, since harvest and crush season is rapidly approaching, so I got to salivate over a big rotary bladder press.

We enjoyed the visit, especially their dry red wines. The 2002 Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, and Enigma (100% cabernet sauvignon) were quite good. The Cabernet Franc and Enigma were surprisingly dark, lucious flavor bombs made from 100% MI grapes. Very reminiscent of CA cabs instead of the weaker MI cabs that I've experienced before. Made in the French style with all three spending time in 100% French oak.

I was not quite as impressed with the whites--more vegetable and barnyard flavors. There were also a number of semi-sweet grape and fruit wines. The apple was rather good, but the cherry and cranberry were far too sweet for our tastes.

I'd recommend visiting Cherry Creek Cellars. For those not traveling along I-94, they have a second tasting room in Cement City near the Irish Hills area and the Michigan International Speedway. The Parma site is the mothership, started 4 years ago when the winery was founded. Due to the increased tourism traffic near Cement City, that site brings in more income, but the grapes are grown and the wine is made at the Parma site. I've got to make another trip when the winemaker is around to be able to pick his brain. He definitely knows how to make good reds from MI grapes (the recent accolades at the MI Wine Festival bear this out). This is a winery that has bears keeping an eye on in the future.

Regards,
A student