Michigan Rieslings

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Ian Fitzsimmons

Ian Fitzsimmons
I'll be spending a week in Michigan at the end of June and wondered if any of the Riesling-o-philes here have taken to the northern lower peninsula wines. They've scored a few successes in wine events, and John Trombley (I think) wrote a glowing article about them recently.

I won't get up to the Leelanau or Mission Peninsulas this trip, but plan to sample the wines to the extent I can find them in the Detroit area. Past favorites have been Mission Peninsula Cellars and Chateau Grand Traverse, with Black star a trailing third.
 
Left Foot Charley are good - Brian Ulbrich was the former winemaker at Peninsula Cellars. I'm more of a fan of their pinot blanc than their rieslings, although I understand they've started bottling single-vineyards. I'm not sure they get much distribution out of the north country, though.

It looks like Village Corner in Ann Arbor has a decent stock. I've heard nice things about Shady Lane but have not had a chance to try any yet. http://villagecorner.com/shop/stock/nweam.html

For my palate, Wyncroft are where it's at for Michigan riesling, but much more Alsatian in style than you'll find from most other MI producers.
 
The White (Johannisberg) Riesling from Chateau Fontaine is one of my favorite Michigan wines. In general I think they are a pretty good producer.
 
Left Foot Charley is good stuff
Chateau Grand Traverse has improved their lineup greatly and make a creditable (and maybe credible) Dry Riesling

Haven't had Wyncroft's Riesling, but would be willing to bet that Jim Lester does a good job with it.

Mark Lipton
 
i second the vote for fontaine, especially the 2008

i once had an 11 year-old wyncroft riesling, a 1992, under another label, i don't recall the name, but jim said he made it. it was good. must have been killer in year 7. and now he has his own farm ...
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
Michigan RieslingsI'll be spending a week in Michigan at the end of June and wondered if any of the Riesling-o-philes here have taken to the northern lower peninsula wines.
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What a coincidence, I was just in Michigan and had three local Rieslings:

Riesling Michigan Old Mission Peninsula "Off-Dry" 2007, Bry's Estate - moderate but pleasant aroma with green apple-quince fruit plus a touch of hay; medium-light body with bright acidity; a bit of RS rounds the fruit nicely in the middle, but it finishes nearly dry with a long tail of peachskin-quince fruit plus slight hints of pine wood and something floral. Impressive structure and density, seems likely to age well. ***(*)

Riesling Michigan Arcturos "Dry" 2008, Black Star Farms - nice piney-green apple fruit in the nose; light body, good acid, quite dry with decent length, rather Alsatian in a modest way. **(*)

Riesling Michigan Arcturos 2009, Black Star Farms - peachy Riesling fruit with pine-floral touches; medium-light body with fine acid-sugar balance, somewhere between kabinett and spatlese in style; good length. Very good. Picked a bit later and finished with 2% RS. ***(*)

Bry's Estate is new to me, but based on this wine is one to watch.
 
originally posted by Putnam Weekley:

i once had an 11 year-old wyncroft riesling, a 1992, under another label, i don't recall the name, but jim said he made it. it was good. must have been killer in year 7. and now he has his own farm ...
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Plus, a special touch that says "Michigan" - he does the deliveries himself. Nothing quite like having a winemaker come up and ring your doorbell to hand off a case of his wine.
 
originally posted by Steven Spielmann:
As long as we're on the subject, any good wines near Saugatuck? Wyncroft is a ways south of there, anything closer?
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Not really. Fenn Valley is there, but the wines are, IME, of indifferent quality at best. The action is up on the Old Mission Peninsula near Travers City. And Wyncroft down south, though last I checked Jim's operation was in South Bend, IN despite the grapes being sourced from MI.

Mark Lipton

p.s. If in Saugatuck, though, one could do a lot worse than booking a meal at the Everyday People's Caf in nearby Douglas. Good food, nice atmosphere and the most interesting wine list I've found in the region.
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
Michigan RieslingsI'll be spending a week in Michigan at the end of June and wondered if any of the Riesling-o-philes here have taken to the northern lower peninsula wines. They've scored a few successes in wine events, and John Trombley (I think) wrote a glowing article about them recently.

I won't get up to the Leelanau or Mission Peninsulas this trip, but plan to sample the wines to the extent I can find them in the Detroit area. Past favorites have been Mission Peninsula Cellars and Chateau Grand Traverse, with Black star a trailing third.
Click to expand...

Mark,

Here are the Rieslings I enjoy the most from the local producers. Many of these wines will be available at Village Corner in Ann Arbor. Holiday market in Royal Oak carries most (if not all) of these as well. It seems like the cooler, even numbered years have been the best vintages for Riesling up here. 2009 was a pretty dicey vintage, but I'm pleasantly surprised by some of the kabinett-style young wines I've tried from my colleagues. It's too bad you can't make it to the northern part of the state. It has been a wonderful summer so far.

In any case, here they are:

2007 Peninsula Cellars Dry Riesling
2002/2004/2006 Peninsula Cellars Select Riesling
2008 Black Star Farms Dry Riesling
2006/2008 Bowers Harbor Vineyards Block II Riesling
2006/2008 Left Foot Charley 7th Hill Riesling
2006/2008 Shady Lane Cellars Semi-Dry Riesling

And from us:

2002/2004/2006/2008 CGT Whole Cluster Riesling
2006/2008 CGT Dry Riesling
2008 CGT Lot 49 Riesling
2007 CGT Botrytis Riesling

Sean O'Keefe
Chateau Grand Traverse
 
The best riesling I've had from Michigan is a 2008 VT-styled wine from Wyncroft. Simply awesome for Michigan.. dry as a bone, rich with a vibrant lemon and lime zing, and a bit of white pepper.
 
Hi Sean, thanks for chiming in. Sorry I can't make it up there this year.

The only Wyncroft I've had is the expensive Shou, which I received as a gift. I took a bottle to a Disorder offline, where VLM declared majestically 'This doesn't suck!' That has to be at least a Parker 88.
 
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