Recent Wine Blog Entries

Mission Possible … On Old Mission Peninsula

Mission Possible … On Old Mission Peninsula

Last month my husband and I were on a mission … an OLD mission in search of great wine!

Traverse City, Michigan is a fun, hip, bustling city! If that’s not enough, only 15 minutes away is pure paradise … the Old Mission Peninsula! Old Mission feels like Sonoma about 30 years ago. You feel isolated from the rest of the world, but it’s right there, 15 minutes from this fabulous big little city! We fell in love!

This 22-mile long peninsula juts out into the middle of Grand Traverse Bay and in some areas is only one mile wide, offering gorgeous views of water both east and west, with lovely vineyards in between.  And these vineyards are producing some dang good wine!

Our first stop was 2 Lads Winery.  They have a 10,500 square foot facility with a fabulous tasting room, offering amazing views while checking out their wines. They sustainably farm their vineyards producing some really tasty stuff! I especially enjoyed the 2017 2L Vineyard Riesling and the 2015 Sparkling Rosé. The sparkler is 100% Pinot Noir and has strawberry, cranberry, and really nice acidity.  They close it with a crown cap, which I thought was pretty cool!

Another winery I really liked was Bonobo. If you’re a watcher of HGTV you may know one of the owners … Carter Oosterhouse. He and his brother Todd and their wives Amy (an actress who I happen to love!) and Caroline, opened Bonobo Winery in 2014. You can tell that the chic, rustic, cozy tasting room (with multiple fireplaces and comfy sitting areas) was designed by a pro! Their wine is darned good too! I really dug the 2017 Rosé and the Chablis-like 2017 Chardonnay C. My husband bought a couple of the oaky and fruity 2017 Bonobo Red, a blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Merlot, which he looks forward to enjoying with a cigar! They also have a nice food menu.

What are my two favorite things about Bonobo Winery??? #1 – The deck behind the tasting room is FABULOUS!!!! I wish we’d visited when there was a chill in the air so that we could have sat by the fire with a bottle of wine and taken in the gorgeous views. #2 – They support the Bonobo Conservancy! Bonobos are an endangered small chimpanzee and this organization helps protect them and their habitat! Here’s a link: https://www.bonobo.org

My favorite winery we visited on Old Mission? Mari Vineyards!

Looking back at my tasting notes, I pretty much rave about all of the wines, so I’ll fill you in on three of my favorites!

2017 Ramato – Wow! 100% Pinot Grigio, this wine had been fermented on the skins (like an Orange Wine!) for 35 days. The skins’ already pink hue along with the long maceration results in an awesome colored wine! Is it a cross between a rosé and an orange wine? Perhaps. They call it a “copper” wine, and has baking spice, dried tropical fruit and will pair with a ton of dishes! Seek this out if you can find it!

2016 Bel Tamonot – This is a blend of 40% Merlot, 35% Sangiovese, 15% Cab Franc and 10% Refosco. This wine is well balanced with bright cherry and plum!

2016 Asa Nisi Masa – 40% Malbec, 33% Nebbiolo and 20% Syrah, this has dark chocolate shavings, dark fruit, and good tannins.

You may be wondering how Mari can have such good success with some of these warmer climate grapes. They use a growing technique called Nellaserra, setting up temporary greenhouses over sections of their vineyards giving these grapes about four more weeks hang time. Pretty fascinating, right? Here’s a link to their process: https://www.marivineyards.com/wines/nellaserra-wines

After our tasting with Renee (who was fabulous!), we headed out to the deck. I really wanted a glass of the 2016 Simplicissimus (a sparkling Riesling) which they don’t sell by the bottle). We ordered a delicious cheese plate to go with our wine, sat on their deck, enjoyed the view of their vineyards and Grand Traverse Bay and didn’t want to leave. Seriously, we didn’t want to leave. But all good things must come to an end, so we forced ourselves to move on!

As I said earlier, we fell in love with Old Mission Peninsula. Traverse City is a blast, there are lots of great restaurants and breweries nearby, the area’s wineries are making some top-notch wine, and the place is GORGEOUS! If you’re on a mission for some great wine in a gorgeous setting, put this peninsula on your bucket list.

To learn more about the Traverse City area, check out this link: https://www.alltherooms.com/vacation-rentals-traverse-city

https://www.2lwinery.com

http://www.bonobowinery.com

https://www.marivineyards.com

 

Stop To Smell (& Taste) Nathaniel Rose’s Wines In Michigan!

Stop to Smell (& Taste) Nathaniel Rose’s Wines in Michigan!

Are you ready to live in an Airstream to fulfill your dreams? Anyone who knows about the wine industry understands that owning a winery is a lot of HARD WORK, and doesn’t come cheap.

My husband and I are currently touring the Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail in the Northwest of Michigan’s lower peninsula, and I have to say that I’m impressed. We have tasted a lot of very tasty wines and ciders the past couple of days. Saturday’s favorite? … Nathaniel Rose!

Interestingly, my husband and I are touring the Midwest in OUR recently purchased RV (a new passion of ours), but we’re NOT the ones living in the Airstream! That would be 33 year old Nathaniel Rose, making his dream a reality by living on the low and producing some fabulous wines!

Courtney, who is super knowledgeable, passionate about the wines, and a lot of fun, greeted us in the tasting room! Don’t have your heart set on a hoity-toity tasting experience here! This is not one of your fancy schmancy tasting rooms. You can tell that all of the money (and heart) goes into the wine.

The first wine of the tasting was his 2013 Marsanne, made as an orange wine! How cool is that??? If you’ve never had an orange wine, it’s definitely something to seek out! No … there are no oranges used in making this wine!!!! Basically, it’s a white wine where the grape skins are left on during maceration, like in red wine production. This produces an amber (sometimes orange, hence the name) color along with some tannin, which makes it very special indeed. This Marsanne is well done and was a fun way to start the tasting.

We tasted a bunch of great wines, but another fun one that sticks out in my mind is the 2012 Chelois. Chelois is a rare, high-quality French-American hybrid varietal created by viticulturist Albert Seibel in the 1920s. Rose leaves the grapes hang until they are partially raisined, producing a rich and powerful wine.

Nathaniel Rose also makes some killer Syrah! His ’13 La Blonde is co-fermented with Viognier, á la the Rhone Valley! His ‘13 Double Barrel Syrah has a wonderful funky nose, with some tart cherry chocolate on the palate. Good stuff indeed.

My favorite wine of the tasting? That would be his 2012 Right Bank! 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Franc (fashioned after the wines of the Right Bank of Bordeaux), this wine can hold up to a lot of Bordeaux wines I’ve had. Lots of cherry, currant and some earthiness make this my kind of wine!

If I had more wine storage in our RV, I would have bought a bunch, but I’m happy that I could at least grab a couple to take back to Florida and share with some of my fellow wine geek friends.

So … if you find yourself on the Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail, be sure to stop at Nathaniel Rose. The tasting room is just outside the quaint village of Suttons Bay, and has a lovely water view out back!

http://www.nathanielrosewine.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some “Foxen” Great Wine!

Some “Foxen” Great Wine!

Have you ever tasted wine in a hippie shack? Well, last weekend my husband and I did just that!

While visiting the fabulous Santa Barbara wine country, we knew from past experience that Foxen (one of the pioneer wineries of the area) was a must visit. Good thing we stopped, because it ended up being our favorite wine experience of the trip.

Foxen Vineyard Winery is two … two wineries in one! Well, two wine tasting experiences anyway.

They have “The Shack”, their original tasting room. Here they pour their Bordeaux and Cali-Ital style wines in a fun, funky atmosphere where I personally could hang out all day long. My favorite wine in “The Shack” was the 2014 Los Potreros Cabernet Sauvignon from the Happy Canyon AVA. This 100% Cab Sauv has lots of dark fruit, along with some licorice and pepper. I bought a bottle of this to put away in the cellar for a few years.

A hop, skip and a jump away is a completely different Foxen world! Here lies their state-of-the-art solar-powered facility that is modern, classy, and home to some “foxen” fabulous wine! This is where they pour their tasty Rhône inspired and outstanding Burgundian varietal wines.

A lover of Burgundy, I’m darned picky when it comes to Pinot Noir. Not many New World Pinots rock my boat, but there is just something about the Foxen Pinots that get me going. They’re truly special! My favorites were the ’14 Melville Vineyard (still a baby, but this has lots of tart cranberry and a wonderful herbal quality), the ’14 Block 8 from the famous Bien Nacido Vineyard (with ripe plum and a nose of roses!) and my personal favorite the ’14 Fe Ciego Vineyard (with strawberry, cranberry and some lovely earthiness).

I also enjoyed their ’16 Block UU Bien Nacido Chardonnay. This Chard has orange blossom, ripe peach, lemon and great minerality.

And then … there was more! They were offering a library tasting of some really fun wines. We cleaned them out of their 2006 Toasted Rope Syrah. In true Northern Rhône style, the winemaker blended in Viognier (15%!). Wow! I love it. It has lots of olive, smoky meat and there is still nice dark fruit on the palate.

We also grabbed a couple of the ’08 Rock Hollow Cabernet Franc. I opened a bottle the other night and paired it with a Grandma’s Pie (pizza in a pan) and kale salad! It was fabulous!

The next time you are anywhere near Santa Barbara, be sure to head to the gorgeous 2000 acre ranch property of Foxen Vineyard Winery. The views are lovely, the people are friendly, and the wine rocks!!!!

To learn more, click here: http://www.foxenvineyard.com

Celebrate Good Times (without The Hangover!)

Celebrate Good Times (without the hangover!)

Do you ever need a break from wine? What???? Have I lost my mind!?

My “go to” making dinner beverage is bubbly. Sparkling wine, that is. Sometimes it’s a lovely Cava, sometimes it’s a Prosecco or a Franciacorta, and sometimes it’s Champagne. It’s usually some tasty sparkler from California.

Those are my usual choices for the dinner prep. Meanwhile, I’m usually decanting some fabulous red to actually drink DURING dinner.  Before I know it, I’ve had quite a bit of wine. NOT THAT THERE’S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT. I’m at home, after all. During the week, though, it can sometimes get to be a bit much. Perhaps I should sometimes slow down on a “school” night!

So … I’ve taken to Bubly! Not THAT bubbly, but Bubly … with one capital “B” and one small “b”. My husband discovered this fun and tasty sparkling water that is lightly flavored with a variety of fruits.

Currently, my favorites are the orange and the apple. The orange has a nose of … well, ORANGE! The apple has a touch of … well APPLE on the palate! They have a slew of choices though. I can’t wait to try the cherry!

They are thirst quenching and the flavor is just right. Not too much! I even serve it in a Champagne flute to keep it festive. I feel good about myself because I’m hydrating too! AND … they are sugar-free and have ZERO calories!

Now I’ll never ever ever give up my sparkling wine, but this fun and tasty sparkling water is a lovely substitute for when I know that I’ll be drinking more wine later in the evening. Especially when I need to be responsible the next day. It’s also a great way to stay hydrated between wines at parties!

So if there are nights that you’re feeling the need to be “good”, reach for a Bubly (with one capital “B” and one small “b”)! With the wide selection of flavors, there’s bound to be some that will be as irresistible to you as they are to me!

Cheers!

https://www.bubly.com

Head To T-Vine For Some FUN Wine!

Head to T-Vine for Some FUN Wine!

When I first got into wine, I loved Zinfandel! I mean I loved loved loved Zinfandel.  Now, I’m not talking about the sweet pink stuff. I’m talking about the lovely red Zinfandel wines, the way the varietal was intended to be … in my opinion. I certainly don’t judge people who like it pink! (As long as you’re enjoying wine, you’re cool in my book!)

That being said, as time went by, my palate changed and most Zins (not just the pink ones) became too much for me. So many are too big, too jammy and too oaky for me.

On my last visit to Napa, I discovered a Zin that I like a lot! Now don’t get me wrong, this Zin is NOT small! It’s full of fruity wonderfulness, but it’s not TOO much! I really enjoyed it! Perhaps my palate has come full circle?

T-Vine Winery is located in Calistoga and has a very cool tasting room.  It’s super modern, has gorgeous vineyard views, and is a perfect size. My husband and I bellied up to the tasting bar and enjoyed all of their wines. Heck, we ended up buying a case!

My favorites included their Petite Sirah, Grenache and this Zin from the Black Sears Vineyard.

In the glass, the Zin is bright garnet in color, with aromas of blackberry, plum, and licorice. On the palate, there is lots of blackberry pie, raisin, and some spicy pepper.

The ’14 T-Vine Black Sears Vineyard Zinfandel is velvety smooth and not overbearing! The high elevation of Howell Mountain is a great spot to grow Zinfandel, and this wine is a testament to that!

The next time you’re in Napa, be sure to check out T-Vine Winery. If your travel plans aren’t heading that way anytime soon, check out their website. You can order all of their wines online, and they have some killer shipping deals!

Check it all out here: https://www.tvinewinery.com

 

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