Wyncroft’s Jim Lester stopped in a few weeks ago to let us try his latest offerings, which is always a must-do for us when we get the chance. We’ve made no secret of just how much we enjoy the wines that he and his wife Rae Lee make in southwestern Michigan from grapes they grow, and in fact, a recent reconnoiter in the cellar from heck revealed that we have accumulated several cases of their goodies, with more on the way.
Jim told me that he was very interested in what Kim and I thought about this first wine, because he and Rae Lee were unsure as to whether or not it lives up to our standards. With a lead in like that, we were just as interested in finding out what was in the bottle, and frankly, we liked it well enough to buy some for ourselves!
2005 Wyncroft Lake Michigan Shore Riesling Avonlea Vineyard, 13% alc., $20: Grown in mineral rich hard clay with chunks of slate throughout, to which Jim attributes a certain savory characteristic in the wine, this was fermented in food grade plastic and bottled in the summer of 2006, at which time, it showed very little in the way of aromatics. While not exactly effusive, it has certainly opened on the nose since then, showing some nice green apple, mineral and a hint of petrol. There’s plenty more where that came from on the palate, and Jim adds his own impressions or hard pear and grapefruit. The wine is steely and bone dry, with solid Riesling character, good balance and excellent cut, and if it’s not as expressive as the excellent 1999 version, it performs quite well on its own behalf. It also improves with air, and will improve even more with some time in the bottle.
2004 Wyncroft Lake Michigan Shore Chardonnay Avonlea2004 Wyncroft Lake Michigan Shore Chardonnay Avonlea, $35, 14.6% alc.: Fermented and aged in 1/3 new François Frères barrels with medium + toast, 1/3 one year old and one third neutral, with 30 months in barrel on the lees. Lester characterizes the summer of ’04 as being very cold, “then September turned into a dream.” By the end of that month, the grapes had achieved 24 brix without losing any acidity. Medium straw to pale gold in color, with toasty butterscotch, comice pear, honey and an earthy minerality underneath it all, this it rich and expressive, yet finishes totally dry. It has good weight, being full bodied (but not at all ponderous or heavy like too many of its Californian cousins), showing great balance, “lemon curd” acidity and length. A little maple syrup emerges as it opens, adding yet another element to the complexity of flavor and aroma of a very nice Chardonnay that is already drinking well, and shows great promise for further development.
2005 Wyncroft Lake Michigan Shore Pinot Noir Avonlea, $45, 14% alc.: Picked “right before it started to raisin,” followed by four to five days of cold maceration, three weeks on the skins and then pressed and immediately put into one brand new Cadus barrel (“the ultimate Pinot Noir barrel,” according to Lester), 2 one year old François Frères barrels and one neutral French oak cask. This shows a light ruby color with a smoky tinge that Jim attributes to spending two years in wood, but don’t get the wrong impression that this is an “oaky” wine, it’s anything but. Sweet and savory at the same time, it offers spicy black cherry on the nose, following through on the palate with well-integrated toasty oak, earthy undertones and just a hint of cola. Medium to medium-full bodied, with a rich core of fruit, perfectly balanced acids, silky cocoa powder tannins and a lovely personality that can only improve with some years in the bottle.
2005 Wyncroft Lake Michigan Shore "Shou"2005 Wyncroft Lake Michigan Shore "Shou" (pronounced “Show”) Avonlea Vineyard, 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot, $45, 13.8% alc.: Showing good dark color, this spent 26 months in barrel, half in new Vicard Troncet and half in neutral François Frères. Kim’s immediately commented on what she perceived as a “sort of pumpkin pie, cinnamon spicy” quality, but for me, this is all about rich black currant/cassis and a hint of dark chocolate with a judicious kiss of oak that adds another fine dimension without being at all intrusive. Dense and intense, full-bodied, yet sleek, and very well structured for several years in the cellar, but when I commented to Lester that I can sit, drink and enjoy this right now, he relied, “One thing I try to achieve is early drinkability, but it’ll go the distance.” He also told me that where this reminds him of Pauillac, the 2006 will be more like Margaux. Whatever the case, this is really good stuff; drop it into a blind tasting of Bordeaux blends from just about anywhere, and not only will it hold its own, no one will ever guess that it’s from Michigan.
Although not a new vintage, we opened the following wine a few nights after Jim’s visit just to see where it’s at.
2003 Wyncroft Lake Michigan Shore Gewürztraminer Madron Lake Vineyard, 14.6% alc.: Medium straw to pale gold in color, with effusive peach and litchi on the nose that follows through on the palate with good depth and intensity, along with some mineral in support underneath. The wine gives an impression of sweetness on entry, but finishes dry; it’s a little oily, with more than enough acidity to keep it moving right along and good, rich fruit that seems to fade just a wee bit on said finish. It’s solid Gewürztraminer when all is said and done, and a fine match for some medium spicy Pad Prik King.
-From Old Friends-New Vintages
Reporting from Day-twah,
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