New Rieslings from Chateau Grand Traverse & more…

Over the past several years, Michigan has emerged as a premier Riesling producing region, not only in the US, but indeed, the world. As mentioned in my last blog feature, Chateau Grand Traverse is at the vanguard of the movement. Recently, we had the opportunity to taste through their four new 2007 releases, and they are all delicious. We also tried several other selections from their book, and all ranged from good to very good. But it all starts with Riesling at CGT, and so will we.

2007 Chateau Grand Traverse Old Mission Peninsula Dry Riesling, 12.5% alc., $11.05: Medium straw color, with under-ripe green apple and quince on the nose; there’s more rich green apple than quince on the palate, along with a note of lime that emerges with just a little air and a little mineral underneath. Crisp, racy and delicious, this shows very good intensity of fruit and varietal character, as well as a faintly perfumed quality, not on the nose, but rather in the mouth, that adds to the appeal of this most enjoyable Michigan Riesling.

2007 Chateau Grand Traverse Old Mission Peninsula Semi-dry Riesling, 12% alc., $11.05: Medium straw in color, with flavors and aromas of spicy red and green apples, some kiwi and a hint of honey, all with Kabinet-level sweetness.  Medium bodied and then some, with zippy acids, excellent intensity and delicious Riesling perfume.  This makes a fine match for some spicy Thai, Indian of Vietnamese cuisine, and it’ll also go well with some pan-fried Michigan lake trout.

2007 Chateau Grand Traverse Old Mission Peninsula Whole Cluster Riesling, 12.5% alc., $13.72: This is arguably the best Riesling that Chateau Grand Traverse makes. One of Specialty Winemaker Sean O’Keefe’s pet projects, this medium straw colored wine was made from hand selected grape clusters pressed whole without destemming or crushing, which then underwent a very cool fermentation to draw the process out. Off dry, at under 2% residual sugar, it offers rich, ripe green and red apple flavors and aromas underscored with a note of lime and a hint of mineral, all on a somewhat-more-than medium bodied frame. Falling somewhere in between Chateau Grand Traverse’s Dry and Semi-Dry Rieslings in terms of sweetness – in other words, not very – it is braced by brisk acidity, and shows excellent concentration, intensity and balance. This is, quite simply, world-class Riesling, and a great buy for the money.

2007 Chateau Grand Traverse Old Mission Peninsula Riesling Late Harvest, 10% alc., $13.72: This wine is hugely popular in the Michigan marketplace, and CGT produces over 10,000 cases a year. The '07 model is medium straw in color, and it exudes a floral Riesling perfume, followed by flavors of kiwi, ripe red apple and touches of lime, honey, and apricot, along with a very subtle herbaceousness. This is a pretty, nuanced sweet Riesling with an almost delicate character, being medium bodied, with good acids, length and Spatlese-level sweetness. It is well suited for a variety of spicy Asian foods, most barbecues and of course, it’s a fine after-dinner drink with cheese and fruit. Like the Whole Cluster Riesling, this is world-class wine at a very fair price.

Here’s a rundown on the other CGT wines we’ve enjoyed in the last few weeks.

2006 Chateau Grand Traverse Old Mission Peninsula Edelzwicker "Noble Blend", 12% alc., $12.45: Edelzwicker, otherwise known as "Noble Blend," combines Pinot Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Muscat, Riesling, and Pinot Gris in the classic Alsatian style. Pale gold in color, it throws a nose of soft melon, peach and litchi, with a good deal more of the same on the palate. Like the previous vintage, this is ever so slightly sweet, and shows a subtle Gewurztraminer character, modified some by the other varieties. Very smooth in texture, not really oily, and with just enough acidity to make it all work, this is not only a nice white, but also an interesting one.

2005 Chateau Grand Traverse Old Mission Peninsula Dry Gewurztraminer, 500 ml, 13.5% alc., $10.92: Now a pale gold in color (a little darker than last year), this is otherwise showing much the same peachy-litchi and mineral character that it did then, with a hint of sweetness on entry, but turning decidedly dry by the finish. Medium bodied, slightly oily, with good weight, depth and concentration, this is as good as or better than we remember it from before; it may not be “great” gewurz, but it’s certainly a solid specimen of the variety.

2006 Chateau Grand Traverse Old Mission Peninsula Ship of Fools White Table Wine, 30% Pinot Gris, 35% Pinot Blanc, 35% Chardonnay, 13% alc., $13.59: Medium straw color, with under-ripe green apple, citrus and mineral flavors and aromas; medium to medium full bodied, with good cut and length; rich, round and just ripe enough, this is a fine complement for a fatoush salad and chicken schwarma sandwiches. A satisfying Michigan dry white.

2006 Chateau Grand Traverse Michigan Gamay Noir Limited Bottling, 12.5% alc., $13.72: Ruddy complexion, with a pleasant, slightly earthy cherry and red plum personality. Medium bodied and more, with better depth, concentration and structure than one might expect. We’d be happy to pour a glass of this just about any time. All in all, it’s tasty, unpretentious and quite satisfying with grilled salmon and roasted duck, or even burgers and mushroom pizza. 

2002 Chateau Grand Traverse Old Mission Peninsula Proprietors Reserve, 13% alc., $17.21: A blend of Merlot, Pinot Meunier, Gamay Noir, and Pinot Noir, this ruby red saw 30 months in small oak barrels. It shows some pretty oak on the nose, along with some strawberry, cherry and vanilla, and these impressions follow through in the soft flavors. Medium bodied, with just enough depth and structure to stand up to a well peppered burger with Maille Dijon Mustard on the side. Kim said she’d like to try this with something garlicy, maybe Italian sausage or a good chicken sausage.

2005 Chateau Grand Traverse Pinot Noir Vin Gris, 12.5% alc., $9.14: Peach colored, with dry cherry, peach and subtle mineral flavors, this is neither exuberant nor subdued. It has good cut and weight, making for a nice dry rosé. Interestingly, this was not to our liking when we tried it a year ago; at that time, it was excessively “perfumed,” and not in a good way. It was almost literally like drinking perfume. It’s toned down nicely in the interim, is in a nice place now and I’d buy it again.

2005 Chateau Grand Traverse Old Mission Peninsula Pinot Noir Reserve, 13.5%, $13.59: Showing good ruby red color, this almost reminds me of a Cru Beaujolais, with beet root, plum and cherry flavors and aromas. It has enough structure and weight to stand up to a variety of lighter red meats, salmon, roast duck etc. It’s right there right now, and doesn’t need any time in the cellar, although it should hold nicely for a year or two.

Cheers,

The Winebuys Guy

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