I’ve been remiss in posting hardly any notes at all since I joined Berserkers back in November, but with the academic year over (and my first in a new faculty job at that), I am working on getting my backlog of notes typed up. But tonight, I had something that I felt deserved attention.
I’ve heard that there are some excellent wines being made in the southeastern part of Kansas, and that a winery called Somerset Ridge in particular was having success with some vinifera! They are located in Paola, Kansas; the soil down there is all limestone/sedimentary (note that the Flint Hills are farther west, but I’ve heard there are some good wineries there too). At any rate, this Cab Franc that I had tonight does not need to apologize at all for being from Kansas - it is simply an excellent Cabernet Franc by any standard, and I suspect would make Loire-heads very happy. Somerset Ridge, Cabernet Franc, Barrel Reserve, Kansas 2013
Medium ruby. Exceptional nose, aromatic and slightly heady, with sweet raspberry, red and black currants, cigar tobacco, cedar, and touch of toasty oak on top of smokey mineral and earth; very impressive nose. On the palate, sweet black raspberry, followed by fleshy red currant and a touch of slightly tart black currant, sweet damson, pleasant herbaceous notes and tobacco leaf, and chocolate, and on the finish, a nice touch of oak on top of stoney, slightly smokey earth, and mineral-laden tannin. Medium-full bodied, lush, and juicy, with a lovely, succulent texture. Blind, I might have guessed that this was from Sonoma, and it compares favorably with California Cab Francs in the same ($25) price range. An extremely impressive effort. Drink now or in the next 3 years. 3.5 Stars [5/23/16]
Very cool note Ryan. I haven’t had any wine from Kansasbut plenty of other states in the Midwest, including Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Michigan. Michigan has had the best of those, at least for what I’ve tried, but I’ve had completely acceptable wines from all of those other states. None that made me think about writing a note like that though!!!
Hello Jason. Michigan is definitely the overall best Midwestern state for vinifera. Missouri and Indiana both have lots of potential and are making at least some successful vinifera. I’ve lived in the Midwest my entirely life, so I like to give the wineries out here the benefit of the doubt, but there are some really serious winemakers around - one of the wineries down in southeast Kansas has a UC Davis grad who trained in Bordeaux! As they say, watch this space.
Spent a week last summer vacationing near Sleeping Bear Dunes in Northern Michigan. Did our first wine recon trip in Traverse City area.
Highlight of the trip was the sparkling wines - Mawby, of course, but some others also. The other highlight, among the reds, were the Blaufrankish. Best red of the trip was the one at Left Foot Charley. Biggest disappointments were the Pinot Noirs. Seemed to me the climate should be able to produce lighter, more aromatic, renditions of Pinot Noir; however, the producers there seemed to be set on extracting every last ounce of oomph, and swaddling them in oak – way more than the fruit could support.
Overall, the region appeared to be debating whether it would be a producer of serious wines, or just a pleasant weekend distraction for tourists.
Ryan, so happy to see someone here taste wines from unusual locales with an open mind. Too often odd cultivars or unexpected origins are dismissed as inherently inferior. Cheers!
I wish Somerset Ridge the best of luck with their vinifera! CO is much better suited for vinifera and we often struggle with the weather. I’d be interested to hear how they deal with winter kill.
Michigan does have some great wines, and as you can see from my avatar I’m partial to Mawby. I agree with you on the Pinot Noirs; I think I’ve only had 1-2 good examples. When the growing season is warm enough they do a nice Cab Franc as well. But yeah, Blaufrankisch seems to be the red that has the best shot at consistently ripening.
I will have to check out Left Foot Charley the next time I’m up there. Somehow I’ve missed it every time I’ve been there.
Hello Kyle. I love finding new and interesting things off the beaten path, and in a sense, even seeking out new experiences from unfamiliar appellations in classic regions requires an open mind.
I’ve done a tasting of Colorado wines once (at a tasting bar in Colorado Springs), and definitely enjoyed; I would certainly be interested in having more sometime!
No insights on how Somerset Ridge keep their vines alive, but it must not be too bad based on the cost of their Cab Franc (unless they are taking a hit for the sake of getting it established - I heard though that it sells by the case).
I am always happy to hear about vinifera wines made in the rest of the US. I recently read some TN’s on Cellar Tracker that informed Mr of some high quality Michigan wineries. The Mawby and Left Foot Charley might have been in the line-up.
Here in Louisiana, it’s all Muscadine or canned/frozen Lodi juice vinified and bottled with Norton or Blanc du Bois. I am waiting for the UC Davis collaboration with Texas and Alabama* to finish the hybridization of Pierce’s Disease-resistant vinifera/??? strains to see if any quality Franken-wine can be made…
Having grown up in Topeka and raised on 3.2% beer, its hard to fathom wine from any part of the state even being part of a conversation. Ill have to check out some of the wines when I next visit during basketball season. Thanks for the post and the notes on this one. “The times, they are a changin.”
