The Wines of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula -
I took a trip a couple weeks ago up to Michigan’s Upper Peninsulas to see and taste what all the hype is all about -
The Leelanau and Old Mission Peninsulas both sprout north from Traverse City like two outstretched arms. For those not familiar with the region, Traverse City is a gorgeous, Picturesque village that is a huge vacation destination here in Michigan and has to be one of the prettiest towns I’ve ever been in (as are the surrounding towns).
It’s a foody town for sure, with a hord of chocolatiers, boutique bakeries and a large number of classy restaurants and bistros (with Trattoria Stella being the plum of the restaurants here). There is also a nice selection of brewpubs in the area (which is very important after a day of wine tasting). The Right Brain Brewery is the star of the area, producing a superb range of brews.
The wine region here dates back to the early 1970s when Ed O’Keefe planted Riesling vines on the Old Mission Peninsula right around the same time Larry Mawbry was planting fruit over on the Leelanau Peninsula -
What is most apparent about the region is the obvious talent of the best winemakers here. While Riesling dominates the region (and rightly so - these are easily the best Rieslings I have ever tasted from North America). Tasting through most of the white wines produced here, it’s obvious that there is a huge Northern Italian influence on the wines. While ripeness can be difficult when the weather doesn’t cooperate, acidity is no problem here at all. In the top vintages, The best whites have acidity levels that literally dance across the palate. The Wineries all label their Pinot Gris “Pinot Grigio” for what are obvious reasons and these wines mirror the great Pinot Grigios from Alto Adige and Friuli in an almost haunting way. In a way it reminds me of when I first started visiting Oregon and Washington in the early 1980s - the winemakers are all close friends and market their wines as a team rather than individually - Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay also excel here (especially the non-oaked offerings) -
I can’t impress enough on the fact that there are really some remarkable white wines being produced here, and rival anything coming out of the West Coast (and East Coast) within their peer groups. The Rieslings have already gained some world wide respect, but the Pinot Blancs, Pinot Gris and naked Chardonnays being produced here are really terrific as well -
Here are some brief notes of the best wines that I tasted on this trip -
CHATEAU GRAND TRAVERSE -
The founding family of the region and a monumental estate that was founded in 1974. The O’Keefe family are as colorful as they are talented. Ed Senior (the founding father) is a must visit when in the region, he is the history of this district and has fought hard to get these guys to where they are today with a production (that sells out every year) of over 80,000 cases a year. Eddie Jr is the person who turned this boutique winery into a profitable business, and his oversight of the growth of this facility is mainly responsible for them taking that next step. But it was the entrance of Sean O’Keefe (the youngest son) that really put things in high gear here. Sean attended the Geisenheim Institute in Germany and became good friends with alot of the young Generation of Germany’s great estates and it is this influence that you see in the Rieslings being produced here today. Light as a feather, so clean and fresh with subtle hints of apple & pear with a nervy acidity that frames every wine produced here.
Their entire range of wines is shockingly good and even more shockingly priced for what you get. This winery will be the worst kept secret in the US by this time next year -
2008 RIESLING “Old Mission Peninsula” LOT 49 -
Boardmember John Trombley is a huge advocate of Michigan Rieslings and posted notes on this wine a couple weeks ago - John was right - it’s a monumental wine from a single hillside vineyard. Very spicy and deep, yet almost weightless on the palate - Lovely -
2008 RIESLING “Old Mission Peninsula” Whole Cluster
With a residual sugar level of 4.2% - I expected a sweeter wine - it’s rich, almost voluptuous on the palate, but still very crisp and balanced. This is another of Sean’s creations.
2008 LATE HARVEST RIESLING "Michigan"
One of the most popular wines produced by Grand Traverse - it doesn’t disappoint. Great acidity with a prominent white peach/apple profile, it’s plush and soft on the palate with great style -
2008 SEMI-DRY RIESLING "Old Mission Peninsula"
It’s really been amazing how consistent the semi-dry and dry Rieslings have been over the years, regardless of vintage variations. This is again quite soft on the palate with that Peninsula dance of acid quite prominent throughout - peach and apple dominate the palate -
2008 DRY RIESLING "Old Mission Peninsula"
Much more Italian in style than Alsace, with a super clean presence on the palate with the fruit and acid in almost perfect balance -
2008 SHIP OF FOOLS "Old Mission Peninsula"
Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Vin Gris de Pinot Noir. Another of Sean’s experiments - this is his attempt to recreate the great proprietary blends of Collio in Friuli. A bit more exuberant than a young Friulian blend, with a bright, bright, bright display of fruit - this is a new release and it obviously needs a year in the bottle - but it’s a potential blockbuster -
2008 VIN GRIS DE PINOT NOIR "Old Mission Peninsula"
Sean O’Keefe is still not sold on the potential of Pinot Noir on the Peninsulas (as so many others are) so he will do a bleed with no skin contact to produce this lilly white with a remarkable presence on the palate. A hint of red berries counteracts the brilliant acidity with a fluid flush on the palate - sickly drinkable -
2007 PINOT NOIR “Old Mission Peninsula” RESERVE
While Sean is not sold on the potential of this grape, the winery nailed it with this bottling - deep red fruits in the nose, damp earth with bright plummy fruit on the palate, medium-bodied with a soft rich flourish on the finish - if this were labeled Chambolle Musigny, it would sell for $35 a bottle - this grape is still incredibly inconsistent here on the Peninsulas - but this is the real deal - and it sells for $15 -
2008 GAMAY “Old Mission Peninsula”
2007 GAMAY “Old Mission Peninsula” RESERVE
Gamay may have the best potential of any red grape for table wines here. Very varietal with clean, bright red fruits - silky soft on the palate - these are the perfect luncheon wines - the reserve takes it up a bit with a deeper core of fruit mid-palate -
2006 SILHOUETTE "Old Mission Peninsula"
Oh my. A blend of Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Gamay Noir and Merlot aged for 18 months in new, seasoned French oak barriqes. Quite fruity and soft on the palate with a plush, chocolatey character that is more than prominent. This is one decadent wine for 14 bucks.
LEFT FOOT CHARLEY -
Brian Ullrich is quickly gaining a reputation as a remarkable winemaker - and it seems that everything he touches turns to gold. Brian caught the bug working at a winery in Arizona and later became winemaker at Peninsula Cellars where he produced Rieslings and Gewurztraminers that won tons of gold medals and really raised some eyebrows for the region (Winewriter Dan Berger called their 2004 Gewurztraminer the best American Gewurz he has ever tasted…)
Brian started LEFT FOOT CHARLEY (an old childhood nickname) soon after in an old laundry building behind a monstrous old mental asylum (Brian says you can still hear the screams in the cellars late at night). It’s a very cool facility and the perfect place for his torrid experimentations. His Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris are stupendous - and sell out quickly. He produces a few single vineyard Rieslings that are going to need 8-10 years in the bottle to blossom - while incredibly intense young - they are just powerpacked with fruit -
I highly advise getting on Brian’s mailing list if you are a lover of great white wines - his wines are THAT good. Ullrich is also experimenting with some hard ciders and a barrel-aged apple cider tasted at his winery was superb -
2009 PINOT GRIGIO "Old Mission Peninsula"
Tank sample - the '09 whites are lighter and crisper than their '08 and '07 counterparts - this was very clean and racy with a nice core of melony fruit to balance the high acidity -
2009 MURMUR "Old Mission Peninsula"
This is Brian’s proprietary white blend - Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer and Riesling. Totally dry with brilliant structure and balance, quince and starfruit highlight the palate with overtones of nectarine - again great acidity balances everything out -
2007 CHARDONNAY "Leelanau Peninsula"
Barrel-fermented - Fat and nutty on the palate with no excess fat or weight - creme brulee overtones -
2008 RIESLING “Old Mission Peninsula” Seventh Hill Farm
One of Brian’s single vineyard bottlings - quite rich and open on the palate with white peach - a big backbone says this is going to develop very well -
2006 RIESLING “Old Mission Peninsula” Seventh Hill Farm
A wow moment here. Great fruit on the palate with a bracing acidity that says this is still developing - it tastes like it was bottled yesterday.
2008 RIESLING “Old Mission Peninsula” Longcore Vineyard
Very crisp and tight, spicy pippin apples on the palate with a supercharge of acidity -
BRYS ESTATE
Just up the road from Chateau Grand Traverse, this little boutique estate is considered one of the up and coming superstars of the region. Wally And Eileen Brys are a wonderful couple who make their money in real estate and built this charming estate on one of the choicest hillsides on the Old Mission Peninsula. They have a serious red white program here as well, but it’s their white wines that were the standouts. Production is around 4,000 cases a year.
2008 PINOT BLANC "Old Mission Peninsula"
Very pretty. Honeydew Melons galore and a soft mid palate give this totally dry wine a brilliant presence - The spritzy mouthfeel again has you thinking Collio all the way -
2008 PINOT GRIGIO "Old Mission Peninsula"
Just lovely. Passion fruit and citrus dominate the palate with a lovely core of fruit. Great acid balance that really frames this almost exotic white -
2008 NAKED CHARDONNAY "Old Mission Peninsula"
First note I made here was “wow”. Very floral nose with a super structured, very steely palate that really layers in the mouth. The tingle of acid gives it a real delicacy - a classy, classy wine -
2009 GEWURZTRAMINER "Old Mission Peninsula"
Much more Alto Adige in style than Alsace or Germany. A Heady spice jumps out of the glass and continues on the palate. Orange rind, litchi nuts and a soft flowery feel to it belies it’s totally dry structure. Stunning.
2007 PINOT NOIR “Old Mission Peninsula” Artisan Series
Most of the reds here were simple and light, including their just released 2008 Pinot Noir - but this was a killer Pinot - Very rich and fat on the palate in a very Burgundian way - it’s 12% alcohol keeps it soft and heat free - lots of cherries and red fruit on the palate - this is a delicious Pinot but a bit on the pricey side at $50 a bottle -
BLACK STAR FARMS
Lee Lutes is a commanding presence - and one of the reasons that the Peninsula wines are getting so much press. Along with Brian Ullrich and Sean O’Keefe, these guys are travelling the country together promoting their wares.
Lee oversees most of the winemaking a day to day operations at the Black Star Farms that aside from their wine production, also have a fully working dairy farm on the Leelanau Peninsula and one of the finest cheeseries in Michigan producing remarkable Swiss-styled Raclette Cheese.
A wide range is produced here, all quite good - but it was their dessert wines that really stuck out outside of some of their current whites -
2007 PINOT GRIGIO “Old Mission Peninsula” Arcturos
Very clean and crisp, almost flinty in structure -
2009 CHARDONNAY SUR LIE “Old Mission Peninsula” Arcturos
One of the highlights of my recent trip - With that nervy jump of a young Friulian Chardonnay - this just bottled white is just thrilling to taste - very steely and stark on the palate with a lovely green apple-like center and tropical overtones - this was just yummy -
2008 DRY RIESLING “Old Mission Peninsula” Arcturos
Crisp, chalky, great acidity, apples abound - Germanic in style with really bright structure -
2007 CHARDONNAY “Old Mission Peninsula” Arcturos
Barrel-fermented - White light on it’s feet - it has a nice toasty, medium-fat feel on the palate with soft, pear-like overtones.
SIRIUS CHERRY DESSERT WINE
SIRIUS PEAR DESSERT WINE
SIRIUS MAPLE/APPLE DESSERT WINE
SIRIUS RASPBERRY DESSERT WINE
These are fortified dessert wines produced by Black Star Farms and are simply, stunning. Fortified with their eau-de-vies of the same fruit (they have a distillery as well).
Extremely fresh and alive, the Cherry and the Pear and very soft and lush, with a pronounced fruit note - the Maple/Apple is just beguiling - crisper than you would think, with the maple kind of dancing around the palate more so than overpowering it -
the Raspberry is by far the most delicate, with a brilliant surge of fruit mid-palate and a very light, almost ethereal feel to it -
L. MAWBY CELLARS
You’ve got the dynamic young guard here, and then you have the settlers. Lawrence Mawby, along with Ed O’Keefe founded wine production up here on the Peninsulas. He planted his first vineyard in 1973 and has never swayed from his one devotion and desire; Sparkling wines.
The story has been told many times by Larry - the soils, the weather, the super high acidity of the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay fruit and the beguiling coincidences with Champagne are the reasons he came here 37 years ago.
Today, Larry’s bubblies are still a great hidden secret, production is small and his loyal customer base purchases every bottle he makes - His methode Champenoise wines are exemplary -
N.V. CREMANT CLASSIC "Method Champenoise"
100% Vignoles - Done in that soft, creamy style like the old school Cremant de Bourgogne appellation. Toasty, ripe and rich with a very soft lift - really drinkable -
N.V. BLANC DE BLANCS "Method Champenoise"
88% Chardonnay and 12% Pinot Gris. Lovely & soft on the palate, chalky apples flesh it out - elegant & balanced -
N.V. BLANC DE NOIRS "Method Champenoise"
89% Pinot Noir and 11% Pinot Meunier. Really balanced with soft red fruits and a nice balancing crispness -
Larry produces a group of bubblies in the “cuve close method” - essentially like a Vin Mousseaux/Prosecco that are extremely light on their feet and extremely fresh and bright -
N.V. US - BRUT “Sparkling Wine”
N.V. SEX - BRUT ROSE “Sparkling Wine”
N.V. FIZZ - DEMI SEC "Sparkling Wine"
For the $15.00 price tags - these are pretty impressive bubblies. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are the base wines -
The Brut and Brut Rose are both surprisingly complex and balanced - the “Fizz” is really soft and pretty on the palate -
TANDEM CIDERS
Dan Young moved here with his wife Nicki from the East Coast (where he worked as a brewer) to start a cidery up on the Leelanau Peninsula a couple years ago and Tandem Ciders is now open. Utilizing local apples, Dan is producing some exquisite Ciders that really take the category up a big notch. Dan’s wife is working closely with the Michigan State Apple Commission to shift the change some of the varieties of Apples grown into some of the more tart apples found in Normandy France. It’s a slow process, but to taste what Dan is producing out of what is available now is an eye opener. Young is working closely with about a dozen different growers throughout the district and he is using the following varieties; Northern Spy, MacIntosh, Rome, Red and Yellow Delicious, Cortland, Rhode Island Greening, Porter’s PErfection, Yarlington
Mill, Sweet Coppin and little red crab apples for “The Crabster” bottling. This industry is only going to grow with the support these new cideries are receiving from the State - and it’s all inevitable that they will all follow in Dan Young’s footsteps -
FARMHOUSE “Hard Apple Cider”
THE CRABSTER “Hard Apple Cider”
EARLY DAY “Hard Apple Cider”
PRETTY PENNY “Hard Apple Cider”
SMACKINTOSH “Hard Apple Cider”
SCRUMPY LITTLE WOODY "Hard Apple Cider"
These are the six hard ciders Dan is offering at his tasting room on the Peninsula. The Crabster is about 25% little crab apples and very dry and crisp - the Scrumpy Little Woody as aged in oak barrels - the entire lineup was just so balanced and clean, with gobs of the requisite spices accorded each bland - I brought a growler of half “The Crabster” and half “Pretty Penny” home with me (a new blend Dan is going to bottle) and it was really distinctive and spicy. Dan is bottling the Farmhouse right now in 750ml bottles and will soon have 2-3 more in the bottle. Another must visit.
BOWERS HARBOR WINERY
Another highly regarded estate on the Northern portion of the Leelanau Peninsula - production is some of the tiniest on the Peninsula. The white wines here are again first class and the entire production is sold in Michigan (and entering Illinois soon). The winery is quite proud of their red wines and have a bevy of awards to brag about - but we were a bit underwhelmed with the red lineup and will spare you the similar sounding notes - the whites alone here are worth a visit though just for their terrific Rieslings and Gewurztraminers
(That Left Foot Charley’s Brian Ulrich produces for them).
2009 PINOT GRIGIO "Leelanau Peninsula"
Great acidity up front that masquerades with the early CO2 - very fresh fruit on the nose & palate - delicious -
2008 CHARDONNAY - UNWOODED "Leelanau Peninsula"
A little dirty on the nose with decent fruit - unremarkable -
2008 CHARDONNAY RESERVE "Leelanau Peninsula"
Nice acidity - somewhat light on the palate for a barrel-fermented Reserve wine - a tad simple
2008 RIESLING "Langley Vineyard"
Very light and airy, crisp peach and pippin apple on the palate - great aromatics - lovely
2008 RIESLING “Leelanau Peninsula” LATE HARVEST
Orange rind and tropical fruit, fatter than the '07 with a lower acidity - delicious
2007 RIESLING “Leelanau Peninsula” LATE HARVEST
Wow - stunning stuff - great fruit that is almost nutty - brilliant acidity - needs time
2008 GEWURZTRAMINER "Leelanau Peninsula"
Here’s another grape with great promise on the Peninsulas - this was another stunner that was quite heady on the nose & palate and big, big spice that seems to envelope the wine - textbook stuff -
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