Chateau Grand Traverse Winery Old Mission Peninsula
2008 Dry Riesling
Light Pale yellow. Melon and crisp lemon nose. Bright lemon with nice acidity on the midpalate. Medium acidic finish. Tasted a bit green to me. Quite dry, good food wine.
2007 Gewürztraminer Dry
Nice straw yellow. Lychee nuts with a hint of rose petals on the nose. Good juicy lychee fruit on the midpalate with nice acidity and bit of floral presence with a bitter tinge. Medium long finish of good acidity for a gewurz.
2008 Pinot Noir Vin Gris (Rose)
Pale salmon color. Light strawberry nose with enticing notes. Really intriguing light midpalate of strawberry mousse and cherry. Nice smooth medium finish. A dangerous wine, if I have ever tasted one. It goes down so smooth and nice it will really sneak up on you.
2007 Pinot Noir
Medium ruby red. Nice earthy nose with hints of cherry. Earthy midpalate with a bit of bitter cherry pit. Medium finish. A tad unripe to my taste.
2008 Riesling ‘Lot 49’
Pale yellow color. Shy nose of light peach. Light white peach and apricot on the midpalate. Medium to long finish of sweet fruit . Nice sipper. Another dangerous wine. Lots of potential in this wine but a bit on the light side for my taste.
2007 Edelzwicker (mix of gewürztraminer, pinot gris, pinot blanc, and muscat)
Very light yellow. Earthy peach/melon nose with lychee notes. Lychee fruit and rose petals on the midpalate with nice balance and some complexity of flavors. Medium long finish with nice fruit and acidity.
Final decision: Purchased pinot noir rose ($15) and Edelzwicker ($13).
Two Lads Winery: Brand new modern architecture winery with a gorgeous view. Old Mission Peninsula
2008 Pinot Grigio. Very pale yellow. Spicy nose of rosemary and light fruit. Light midpalate with light peach and citrus with some sweetness (semidry). Crisp medium finish of citrus and mandarin orange.
2008 Cab Franc. Light ruby. Nose of oak and cinnamon spice. Good acidity on the midpalate that matched up with light fruit – tart plum. Medium finish of acidic fruit.
2008 Chardonnay. Very pale yellow. Shy nose of light pineapple. Very light midpalate of white peach with some sweetness. Short to medium finish. Very light wine.
2008 Pinot Noir. Medium ruby color. Oaky cherry nose. Nice light cherry cola on the midpalate with good refreshing acidity. Medium finish. Excellent match with smoked gouda.
2007 Cab Franc. Dark ruby red. Oaky plum nose. Nice midpalate of plums and red raspberries that was nicely balanced off by the acidity and smooth tannins. Medium to long fruity finish with tingly acidity. Not bad for a cab france, but not to my taste. Best red wine tasted at this winery.
Black Star Farms on the Leelanau Peninsula
2008 Arcturos Dry Riesling. Light straw color. A bit of petrol and light fruit (melon) on the nose. Goadd acidity with nice lemon and orange fruit on the midpalate. Medium length finish with white peach and refreshing acidity. Nice riesling! I bought 2 bottles at $15 each.
2009 Arcturos Pinot Rose. Pink color. Nice earthy nose with light red fruit. Midpalate delivered what the nose promised. Medium finish with bitter strawberries at the end. Just fair.
2007 Arcturos Pinot Noir. Light ruby red. Expressive nose earthy cherries with oaky overtones. Midpalate with some fruit in the background but harsh green tannins were foremost. Medium to long finish.
2007 Isidor’s Choice Pinot Noir. Ruby red. Fruity nose of cherries and oak. Godd midpalate of tart cherries and tannins that were not as harsh as the Arcturos but still a bit discordant to my palate. Medium finish. Fairly simple but OK wine.
2007 Arcturos Cab Franc. Deep ruby red. Plummy oak nose with a hint of red raspberry. Acidic red raspberries on the midpalate with some green pepper. Fairly smooth tannins. Medium to long finish of acidic red fruit. Decent wine but a bit green for my tastes.
2007 Leonie Vineyard Melot – Cab Franc. Deep ruby red. Really expressive nose with reich dark cherry, oak and an undercurrent of earth. Well balanced midpalate of ripe fruit, smooth tannins, and nice acidity. Medium to long finish of acidic fruit. A fine wine, but it should be for $40 a bottle. Not good QPR in my mind.
L. Mawby Winery. Specialist in sparkling wines. All NV. Leelanau Peninsula
Wet : Pale straw. Nice nose of yeast and pineapple. Good midpalate of fruit and acidity. Some sweetness – semidry. Short finish.
Blanc de noirs. Light salmon. Peachy nose. Good midpalate with nice light fruit refreshing acidity. Nice medium acidic finish.
Sex: Brut rose. Light pink. Nose was somewhat nutty but light. Nicely sweet with light fruit and good effervescence. Short finish with a light bitterness at the end. Decent wine. We bought a bottle as a wedding present for friend.
Cremant Classic. (Brut) Clear straw yellow. Light yeasty and nutty nose. Light fruit with a bit of nice bitterness on the midpalate. Short to medium finish.
Conservancy. Light straw. Nice nutty nose with a hint of white peach. Bright midpalate of white peach and sparkling acidity. Medium to long finish. My favorite wine. I purchased a bottle at $22.
Note: all of L Mawby wine were at least decent. Some of them were quite good. Probably the best winery we visited for consistent quality in all the wines we tasted.
The last winery we visited was Boskydel. That will be the subject of a separate post.
Overall impression of wines from these Michigan wineries: Generally good whites and some good reds. Have to watch the reds, however as some were definitely on the green side. Generally good value for whites and not so good value for reds. The sparkling wines were quite good and of consistent quality and good QPRs.
, if you know what I mean.