The State of Wine – Michigan

There was a time not so many years ago when the mere mention of Michigan as a legitimate wine-producing region elicited little more than raised eyebrows and derisive snickers.  Back then, it was common to describe our better wines as being “pretty good,” with the qualification “for Michigan.”  Happily, those days continue to recede into the past, as the state of wine in the Winter Water Wonderland continues to improve dramatically and more and more of the wines can be characterized as being delicious on their own merit, and without reference to or apologies for their place of origin.  And perhaps no other Michigan winery better exemplifies this than Chateau Grand Traverse. 

Chateau Grand Traverse (CGT) is a family-run winery, founded in 1974 by CEO Edward O’Keefe, Sr..  These days, his two sons are his chief aides; Edward O’Keefe III serves as President and head of Marketing and Sales, while Sean O’Keefe is Vice President and Specialty Winemaker (at right).  These are heady times at CGT; we’ve long been fans of their wines, which have ranged from good to very good to excellent, and many selections from their 2006 vintage not only surpass most of what we’ve tasted to date, they’ve been turning heads all around the county, and indeed, the world. Consider the following:   

At last year’s 2007 Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition, four of their wines took Gold Medals; two more took Silver, one a Bronze, and one was given a Platinum Award for Best of Class. They have received numerous medals at other competitions around the country as well, but Los Angeles was the most significant, because it gained CGT entry into the southern California market, a major coup for the first Michigan winery to achieve such placement. Ralph’s supermarkets feature Gold Medal winners from this particular competition throughout its chain, and as a result of their showing, CGT sold 720 cases for distribution in 130 Ralph’s stores in the LA area, with an eye towards future placement in the San Francisco Bay area as well.

And as if that weren’t enough to make everyone at CGT giddy with delight, there was the inaugural Riesling Rendezvous, held at Chateau St. Michelle in Woodinville, Washington on June 24-26 under the joint sponsorship of that winery and Dr. Loosen, one of the foremost Riesling producers in Germany. Conceived as “an event to bring together leading Riesling experts and producers to explore the versatility of Rieslings from around the world,” more than a few eyes were raised in surprise by the Chateau Grand Traverse selections being poured, as recorded in the following testimonials:

“Categories aside, there were some wonderful Rieslings on display (220 of them, to be exact), and some were from surprising places. Chateau Grand Traverse in Michigan, for example, is making terrific Rieslings in a variety of styles." - Laurie Daniel, San Jose Mercury News

“Perhaps the biggest discovery at the conference for most attendees was the excellence of the Michigan wines - and that Chateau Grand Traverse produces about 65,000 cases.” - Paul Franson, Wines & Vines

Riesling is King at CGT, but it’s not the only thing that they produce.  Here are my impressions of five of their best wines currently available:

Chateau Grand Traverse Late Harvest Riesling 2006, $13.34: This wine is hugely popular in the Michigan marketplace, and CGT produces over 10,000 cases a year, but despite being released in the spring, it's an even bet that there won't be much around by Christmas. Medium straw in color, it offers apple, peach and apricot flavors and aromas with Spatlese levels of sweetness and enough minerality to add another dimension and propel it well beyond being just another simple sweet white from northern Michigan. Rich, round and crisp, with good acids and length, this certainly serves well as an after-dinner sipper, but it is also a wine to pair with some spicy Thai or Indian cuisine, or perhaps even better, some fresh pan fried northern Michigan trout. A Winebuys.com staff favorite!
Gold Medal - 2007 Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition, CA
Gold Medal - 2007 San Francisco International Wine Competition

Chateau Grand Traverse Semi-Dry Riesling 2006, $10.25: Medium straw color with a tinge of lemon; modest perfumed apple and peach aromatics echo and expand dramatically on the palate with undertones of lime, pine and some nice minerality. Medium bodied and then some, slightly oily in texture, with good acids and length; rich, delicious fruit with Kabinett levels of sweetness. All in all, a very enjoyable Riesling.
Silver Medal - 2007 Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition, CA
Bronze Medal - 2007 San Francisco International Wine Competition

Chateau Grand Traverse Dry Riesling 2006, $10.25: Medium straw in color, with some subtle floral and lime nuances that adorn the green apple aromatics, and as this opens and warms in the glass, an unmistakable note of lanolin emerges; these impressions all follow through nicely on the palate, underscored with good minerality and driven along by excellent acidity on a medium to medium-full bodied frame. The lanolin, usually an attribute more associated with white Rhones, doesn't exactly dominate the personality of the wine, but it does set a tone and adds a distinctive characteristic. One of the three best dry Rieslings from Michigan that we've had to date, and an excellent QPR (Quality Price Ratio) value.
Gold Medal - 2007 Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition, CA
Bronze Medal - 2007 San Francisco International Wine Competition

Chateau Grand Traverse Ship of Fools 2006, $13.87: 40% Pinot Blanc, 35% Pinot Gris, 25% Chardonnay. One of Sean O'Keefe's specialty wines, sporting an individualized label with a humorous etching, this whole cluster pressed medium straw offers tart green apple and grapefruit flavors and aromas underscored with a nice chalky minerality and subtle herbal undertones; medium to medium-full bodied, bone dry and yet rich at the same time, with excellent intensity, and good acidity and length on the finish.

Chateau Grand Traverse Pinot Noir Reserve 2004, $12.31: An even lighter ruby garnet color than the Limited Bottling Gamay, with a fragrant cherry, berry and plum personality; medium bodied, rich and round. Pretty nice stuff; saw all French oak, about 20% new, 20% 1st year, 20% 2nd year, 20% 3rd year and 20% 4th year.  About this one, CGT Specialty Winemaker Sean O'Keefe explained, "We've been moving to older oak; we used to do all new oak and it just couldn't handle it."

Cheers,

The Winebuys Guy

Comments

[Mike]

Thanks for the review of really good rieslings from Michigan. I never would have known that there is good USA wine to be found in the midwest. Bought them at your site winebuys.com - great service, timely delivery.

[Winebuys Guy]

Thanks for the kind words, Mike. Glad to hear that you were happy on all accounts! Watch out for those wines from Michigan, they're coming on strong, and look for some surprises in coming months from other seemingly unlikely states around the country as well.

Cheers,

The Winebuys Guy

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