New Zealand takes centre stage in this, the second release of April. The release has no wines one would call outstanding, but there is one or two that are worth seeking out. Unfortunately, due to the next tasting coinciding with exam week at school, I will miss the next tasting. Thus no notes for the next two releases I am afraid.

Wines from the New Zealand release.

179754 AMISFIELD PINOT NOIR 2008 Central Otago, South Island $44.95
Appealing aromas of muddy wet barnyard combine with a layer of floral notes plus blackberry, plum and clove. It is a tasty, but young wine with intense flavours of cherry and plum, a touch of iron and red fruit jam on the finish. Find this wine

919837 CARRICK PINOT NOIR 2007 Central Otago, South Island $34.95
Dark and sweet, almost Shiraz like as it pumps out blackberry and spearmint aromas. It is spicy on the palate, laden with black fruit, quite tasty, but from being a recognizable Pinot. It has a full finish carrying plenty of mineral and a touch of mocha. Find this wine

214858 LONE KAURI RESERVE PINOT NOIR 2009 Marlborough, South Island $16.95
Red berry, a wisp of pig poo, some clove and clay on the nose lead to a tasty mid palate showing plum, red currant, and dark cherry, a touch of spice and rhubarb flavours on the finish. Find this wine

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So I’m reading through this week’s Diner’s Journal by Eric Asimov in the New York Times and I see that Francis Ford Coppola has acquired “Inglenook,” the original name of Gustave Neibaum’s estate that he purchased in 1975. I also note that Coppola’s Rubicon Estate (previously known as Neibaum- Coppola) shall henceforth be known as Inglenook, which I find especially interesting, since I attended a “Rubicon Estates” tasting here in the Detroit area just last week, which goes to show how quickly things can sometimes change in the wine biz. It was also intimated last week at said tasting that a new winemaker would be taking over soon, following Scott McLeod’s departure last year, but that it was a big secret as to who that person would be. Now, it has been announced that Philippe Bascaules, who has spent the last 21 years at Château Margaux, will be taking over as estate manager and winemaker at Inglenook this summer. Big news indeed!

I attended one of these tastings back in 2004, then, as now, courtesy of our friends at Vintage Wine Company; at that time, the 2000 vintage of Rubicon was tasted blind alongside the same from Châteaus Haut-Brion and Mouton Rothschild. It was an interesting affair, though the Rubicon was quite obvious in its New World opulence. Driving to Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Troy last week, I wondered what the tasting format would be this time and if there would be another “taste-off” of sorts. As it turned out, it was a straightforward survey of four of Ingle…, er, Rubicon Estate’s most visible labels.

I didn’t pay much attention to the speaker’s by-rote talk about “Francis this,” “Francis that,” the estate and its vineyards or the wines, because I’ve either heard or read it all before; the information is readily available on the Rubicon Estate website, which I imagine will now have to be converted to the Inglenook website. (I hope they drop the flash format.) I focused on the wines, which were all pretty good, if a bit…; but wait a minute, I’m getting ahead of myself here.
As you might expect, we started off with a white.

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Michigan Wine Country Magazine 2011 is here!

From Michiganwines.com – This colorful, free magazine is published annually in April and contains information and informative articles about the wineries and wine regions of Michigan.
Request a printed copy or view it online.

Michigan Wine Showcase to Feature Local Wines
Master Sommelier Duo Teams to Celebrate Michigan Wine Month

Bloomfield Hills, MI — The Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Council is sponsoring the “Michigan Wine Showcase” on Monday, April 11, at the Radisson Bloomfield Hills, home of Northern Lakes Seafood Company. Two of Michigan’s Master Sommeliers — Madeline Triffon and Claudia Tyagi — are closely involved with this project and are excited to celebrate Michigan Wine Month with this event.

Admission to the Showcase is $45 per person in advance, or $50 at the door. The gala will take place in the Grand Ballroom at the Radisson, from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. Guests will enjoy a comprehensive selection of artisan wines from Michigan with lavish appetizers of local ingredients prepared by Chef Tim Budzinski, with the Matt Prentice Restaurant Group. Winemakers will be on hand to discuss their wines and provide additional information about their winery operations.

From 12:30 to 3:30 p.m., the Showcase will be open to restaurant, retailer and distributor staff. RSVP with your professional affiliation to Madeline Triffon at mtriffon@mattprenticerg.com.

The Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Council is pleased to highlight the event’s tie-in with April as Michigan Wine Month, which honors the state’s wide selection of quality wines and the wine industry’s significant contribution to the economy. Michigan’s 81 wineries welcome more than 1 million visitors to their tasting rooms each year, and Michigan’s wine and grape industries contribute nearly $800 million to the state’s economy annually.

The Radisson Bloomfield Hills is located at 39475 Woodward Ave., next to Northern Lakes Seafood Company, which is part of the Matt Prentice Restaurant Group. For more information about the Showcase event, visit www.michiganwines.com/showcase. To purchase discounted tickets in advance, contact the Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Council at 517-241-4468.

The Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Council is a 10-member panel that supports the growth of the grape and wine industry in Michigan. It is housed in the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development, which is the official state agency charged with serving, promoting and protecting the food, agriculture and agricultural economic interests of the people of the state of Michigan.

# # #

Editor’s Note: Following is a partial list of wineries participating in this event. Members of the media are invited to attend any part of the Showcase at no charge.

The Michigan Wine Showcase will feature more than 20 Michigan wineries, including:

Bel Lago Vineyards
Black Star Farms
Bowers Harbor Vineyards
Brys Estate
Burgdorf’s Winery
Chateau Aeronautique
Chateau Chantal
Chateau Fontaine
Chateau Grand Traverse
Cherry Creek Cellars
Circa Estate
Fenn Valley Vineyards
Forty-Five North
Founders Wine Cellar
Hickory Creek
L Mawby
Left Foot Charley
Sandhill Crane Vineyards
Shady Lane Cellars
Sleeping Bear Winery
St. Julian Wine Company

I was happy to get back to London, especially after missing the previous tasting that profiled some of Napa’s super stock, to taste the wines of Burgundy, which is the feature release. The secondary release is wines of South Africa and to be blunt, I found them more interesting than the Burgundies. So please read on. (Click images to enlarge)

Wine from the Burgundy release.

208496 VINCENT MORIN LACOMBE PINOT NOIR BOURGOGNE 2009 $16.95
Perfume and dark fruit, good concentration, a note of lavender, anise and steely mineral, all create alluring aromas to this top value Pinot. There is some tannin, but the silky unobtrusive type, blackcurrant takes pride of place on the palate and overall, the balance is spot on. Find this wine

124305 DOMAINE LOUIS MOREAU CHABLIS 2009 $22.95
Typical notes of wet stone and mineral combine with simple fruit aromas of apple, grapefruit zest and a touch of roasted nut. Nice clean fruit on the palate, mineral components increase, finish is decent, but disappears too soon. Find this wine

209502 DOMAINE TAUPENOT MERME GEVREY CHAMBERTIN BEL AIR 1ER CRU 2007 $79.95
Spicy with a touch of dried mint, black cherry, that is quite floral and perfumed. Good structure on the palate, a soft and creamy texture with plenty of red fruit, cranberry and dusty cedar. A pretty and elegant wine, showing a touch of tannin, but nonetheless, enjoyable now. Find this wine

210864 DOMAINE GILLE CÔTES DE NUITS-VILLAGES 2008 $24.95
The aromas of dark cherry, forest floor and blackberry are compelling to say the least. It has a pleasing texture, acidity is spot on, the dark cherry turns tart, but the tasty flavours of iron and mineral are duly noted. A nice wine, albeit short on the finish. Find this wine

210906 DOMAINE MARCHAND GRILLOT MOREY-SAINT DENIS 2008 $39.95
This almost looks like a Rose in the glass, very pale, with faint aromas of clove, cake spice, perfume, rhubarb and cola. Disappointing on the palate, so light, so lacklustre, I think the tasting panel, judging from their accolades, had a totally different wine than we did! Find this wine

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Of the brilliant 2007 vintage in Napa Valley, it has been said that if you can’t make great wine in a year like that, you never will. And so it was with great anticipation that we took possession of two review samples of ’07 Cabernet Sauvignon from Cornerstone Cellars, a producer for whom we gain increasing respect for every time we try their wares. (You can read about previous encounters of the favorable kind here, here and here.)

We gave these two puppies a little over a week to settle down from their cross-country, journey, then invited our ITB friend Rebecca Poling over to see what they are all about. We paired them with all things grilled  – lamb, potatoes and veggies – along with some richly caramelized onions and Kim’s freshly baked bread. Here are our impressions.

2007 Cornerstone Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.5% alc., $60: Clean, dark color, with a pretty nose of rich cassis, blackberry and black cherry; Rebecca adds an impression of chocolate covered blueberry cordial. Flavors generally echo on a full bodied, well-structured frame, but Ms. Poling commented on some grainy tannins, a slightly chalky mouth feel and drying tannins on the finish. While they are present, I found these qualities to present only a minor drawback, and I expect that this will age into a lovely Napa Cabernet with several years in the bottle. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, blended from three Napa Valley AVA’s: 33% Howell Mountain (Ink Grade Block), 33% Oakville (Davis Block, Casanova Vineyards) and southern Napa County (Hardman Road). Each vineyard was harvested in late September and early October in perfect conditions. All lots were hand sorted and fermented separately. After a three day cold soak, tanks were inoculated with selected yeasts. Extended skin contact in the fermenter helped round out the tannins, with alcoholic fermentation taking about ten days and skin contact lasting up to fifteen days. Aged for 21 months in French Oak Barrels, 75% new. Find this wine

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Click image to enlarge.

Over the years, we have had very little experience with the Paso Robles producer Eberle Winery, which is perhaps surprising, considering the fact that Gary Eberle was a co-founder of the Paso Robles Appellation in 1980, opened his winery in 1983 and has been an important player in that region ever since. We liked the two Zins that we tasted way back when we covered ZAP ’99 (look at those garish page colors!), but truth be told, their availability in Day-twah has been sporadic, so when we got our hands on four late model bottlings last week, we made a point of trying them over a four-day period, so as to spend some time getting to know each of them individually. The wines are made by Ben Mayo, who took over those duties in 2003, and as it turns out, offer good QPR for their respective prices.

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Tom Mortimer, co-owner the Willamette Valley Pinot Noir producer Le Cadeau is a self-described “wine geek.” In 1997, he and his wife Deb purchased 28 acres in the Willamette Valley on a high-elevation volcanic basalt hillside. They took two years to clear the land and, in 1999, planted the first in a succession of vineyard blocks, to a variety of Pinot Noir clones, with the first wines being produced in 2002. Tom describes Le Cadeau as “a winemaker-designated vineyard;” each of the top four bottlings is made by a different person. Mortimer explains that he has a lot of friends in the business, but they’re all very busy, so it’s all just sort of worked out for the best this way. There is also turnover occasionally; earlier vintages of the wines were made by the likes of Harry Peterson-Nedry, Cheryl Francis and Sam Tannahill and Tony Rynders.  (click images to enlarge)

I had the opportunity to taste through the lineup of current releases from Le Cadeau with Tom this week, and I must say, I was impressed with them all. Mortimer is on a promotional tour of Michigan and stopped by with his local distributor, Jean-Jacques Fertal, of Eagle Eye Imports.

The wines all show a clean, ruby color, but beyond that, characteristics diverge somewhat. Prices listed are standard retail markups on special pricing being offered while Tom is in the neighborhood. We tasted through them rather quickly, as is necessary under such circumstances, but I was able to record these snapshot impressions.

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grace: a wine cork portrait from Scott Gundersen on Vimeo.

A time-lapse video.
50+ hours (of 200 total)
9217 wine corks.
96″ x 66″

Her name is Grace.

A part of Grand Rapids artprize 2010.

Learn more at: facebook.com/scottgundersen.art

Jumpin’ Jim Lester rode into town last week on a trade mission, lookin’ to sell some of his always-delicious Wyncroft wines and spend a little time with his buddies Kim and geo. He dropped in at Gang Central after a very successful wine dinner and tasted me through most of what he’d poured earlier that evening; unfortunately, his latest vintage of Shou had been consumed entirely, but we’ll get to try that one at a later date, no doubt. He started me out on a couple of Rieslings before moving on to the red stuff.

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