Tag Archives: Old Mission Peninsula

Dry Riesling From the Mitten

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“I’m hard pressed to name a better dry Riesling that’s available
at this price point here in the Detroit market.”

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I used to sell a lot of Riesling in a previous life in wine retail. Many of my customers were looking for the sweeter stuff; they had no idea just how versatile the variety is, and were quite surprised when I informed them that there are plenty of dry variations of the theme to be had as well. Many of the more obvious examples come from places like Germany, Alsace and Austria, but there are also a number of great choices to be had produced everywhere from Australia to Washington, New York, Ontario and right here in Michigan.

One of my longtime favorite Michigan dry Rieslings comes from Chateau Grand Traverse, up on Michigan’s Old Mission Peninsula. We first tried the CGT Whole Cluster back in 2007, and we’ve been buying successive vintages ever since. I filed a report on the 2020 model almost a year ago, and if anything, this one might even be better. Like the 2020, it still sells for $13.99 at Westborn Market on Woodward, in Berkley.
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Oldies But Goodies from Left Foot Charley

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“I’m not a ratings guy, so I don’t do numbers, but I will say this
about these two beauties; every sip is a pleasure.”

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I’ve followed Left Foot Charley Winery since the very beginning. I enjoy pretty much everything owner-winemaker Bryan Ulbrich and company makes, and I even had the great pleasure of performing my music on both the LFC patio and in the tasting room on a number occasions, before the pandemic and arthritis slowed me down. I love these people, not only for the wines and ciders they make, but for everything they do for the Traverse City community.

During another swing through the cellar last week, I found these two oldest of LFC’s offerings still down there. Since the 2011 Left Foot Charley Cadia I reviewed in February was so good, I had to pull some more corks and find out what these had to offer, starting with some Pinot Blanc.

I was sorry to hear of the passing of Island View Vineyard owner Werner Kuehnis. I only met Werner a few times, but he was a beloved fixture at the facility, and the original “silent partner” at LFC. His vineyard on Old Mission Peninsula has consistently produced exceptional fruit for the best Michigan Pinot Blancs I’ve had to date. After the brutal winter of 2013-14, yields were so low that LFC had to tap additional vineyard sources in order to make and bottle the 2014 and 2015 vintages.
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The Whole Cluster

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“This Michigan Riesling would make a great match for trout
harvested from a Michigan lake or stream…”

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Michigan has been a Riesling state for as long as wine has been made here, and Chateau Grand Traverse (CGT) led the way on Old Mission Peninsula right from the get-go in the mid-70s. We’ve been fans of their Whole Cluster Riesling for quite a few years, going back to when it was one of Sean O’Keefe’s “specialty wines” at his family’s winery. Sean has since moved on to make very fine wine at Mari Vineyards, while CGT has continued producing this bottling without a hiccup. When I saw the latest vintage a few days ago at a decent price, I didn’t hesitate to pick one up, and it was a very good choice indeed.
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