WTN: 2009 Chateau Grand Traverse Late Harvest Riesling

Got this as a present for Christmas.

9.5% alc./vol. Bright, clear straw colour with a pale yellow glint; some tiny effervescence clings to the glass. A very slight, subdued, floral nose; no diesel or other petrol-type aromatics here. Bright, tart texture, balanced with just enough residual sugar. Cleansing and soft texture, with a short, but ultimately refreshing, finish.

This is apparently meant to be an after-dinner wine, but there's enough acidic verve to make it work perfectly well at the table - which is how I had it.

Thanks Paul,

2009 was not a good year for ripening grapes in Michigan. We actually visited Grand Traverse winery in October of 2009 and the grapes on the vine were not very ripe at that time. I wonder if they chapitalized this wine? It seems to have low alcohol. The short finish is a probably an indication of the ripeness.

Thanks Paul,

2009 was not a good year for ripening grapes in Michigan. We actually visited Grand Traverse winery in October of 2009 and the grapes on the vine were not very ripe at that time. I wonder if they chapitalized this wine? It seems to have low alcohol. The short finish is a probably an indication of the ripeness.

Hey Tom,

It could be, though I don't know. Yes, '09 was quite mediocre, here in Ontario too. Oh well.

Actually, the wine is not bad at all. Just a tad short and lacking in aromatic intensity.

Pelee Island's '09 Late Harvest Vidal (the one with all the Monarch butterflies on the label - now in screwtop!!!) is actually similar in structure: although it's "late harvest", it's pretty crisp with a nice balance, and works very well at table.

Hi Paul,

Yes, even the late harvest wines of 2009 would have crisp acidity. I acually sometimes buy Pelee Island's monarch vidal. It is a simple but usually tasty wine and decent value.

I acually sometimes buy Pelee Island's monarch vidal. It is a simple but usually tasty wine and decent value.

The regular one is, and the so-called late-harvest is as well - I actually prefer the late harvest, for its intensity. In a cool year, it really shines!

Cheers

"Late Harvest" designated wines cannot be chaptalized in the U.S.
2009 was an unusually cool year in Northern Michigan with very high acids and lower harvest sugars.
Most of our Riesling was picked in November. For this difficult vintage we perfected our "kabinett" making skills and made some nice, racy, low alcohol Rieslings.

Hi Sean and Welcome to Wine Lovers Page. I've had a few bottles of Chateau Grand Traverse over the past 5 years or so and enjoyed them all. They were gifted to me by friends who are devout fans and post here - one bottles was even autographed to me with a gold pen (thanks OW).