Tom and Melody’s wine blog

I have been saving (hoarding) this special wine for a long time. The Cherry Creek Montage has been my absolute favorite Michigan wine and I was waiting for a special occasion to open this Proprietor’s Reserve, which we purchased during a wine-tasting expedition to Cherry Creek Cellars. John Burtka, the winemaker, does not disappoint! The wine is complex and acidic with a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. The Cabernet contributes color and tannins; the Pinot contributes the soft and velvety feel in the mouth. This is an old-world tasting wine that reminds me of the Italian wines we have enjoyed. This is the opposite of the Australian fruit-forward wine — complex and tantalizing.

It is the close of Memorial Day weekend so that is one reason to celebrate. The other reason is that this is the weekend that Tom & I met (years ago) via being introduced by mutual friends. Who knew that a blind date could be so wonderful? Thank you, Will & Shirley, for getting us together that memorable Memorial Weekend.

This Lindemans Bin 99 Pinot Noir 2006 is pleasant, soft, grapy, not tannic. Fruit tastes of berries and cherries. An easy-going quaff.

Here are Tom and Trigger, each leaning on their elbows while listening to Melody during cocktail hour.

This lovely Bolla Pinot Noir Provincia Di Pavia 2005 is made from grapes from the northern region of Italy. The color is a pale-raspberry red. The nose is anise and peaches. The taste is very fruity with raspberries and cherries. The finish is clean and refreshing but not particularly long.

Tom chose this wine to go with marinated, grilled chicken breasts. We traveled home from Traverse City today. It was a beautiful sunny day in Michigan!

We have tasted this Shady Lane Pinot Noir 2004 before and reviewed it on our blog. But, as always, whenever I do a second tasting, I do not look back at my previous comments. Tonight I am roasting a chicken (stuffed with garlic cloves and lemon wedges), so Tom chose this to go with our dinner. Good choice! The nose is a bit like spearmint. The color is pale and the body is light. Interestingly, the taste at first is unassuming and then transforms into a fruity and spicy finish. This will be a lovely accompaniment to our chicken dinner. That is, if I ever take it out of the oven. I am relaxed and contented and not eager to make the final dinner preparations!

Tom: This Shady Lane Pinot Noir 2004 is excellent, delicate, with notes of cherries and berries and a strong, pleasant bouquet. The bright fruit flavors and the light body will be a great pairing with Melody’s roast chicken. Trigger is already noticing the chicken and making plans for later…

This Oberon Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) 2005 from Germany has a light-ruby, pale color. I notice black cherries and grass on the nose. This wine is soft and velvety with just a hint of fruity sweetness. I chose this wine to accompany our roast chicken dinner tonight. I think it will be perfect.

Tom: This Oberon Spätburgunder 2005 (rotwein means red wine, trocken means dry) is a very interesting pinot noir: it has a very strong bouquet and taste of cherries, it is ruby in color, medium in body, dry but not tannic. (It comes from the Baden region of southern Germany, which is near the French wine region of Alsace.) This is a fun and different wine and will be excellent with our roast chicken.

This Chateau Leelanau Pinot Noir 2004 is different than what I am used to tasting. It is not a big, bold, dry red but rather it is oaky, thin and astringent. The color is transculent; the body is light. This is not at all mellow but instead it is sharp, with a bite. Although it is not the wine I am used to drinking, it is quite wonderful! It is the kind of wine that grows on me with each sip. I did not relish the wine on my first taste, but after a few sips, I am growing fond of its complexity and earthiness. Actually, I can almost smell the northern Michigan woods in this wine. I would rate this as very good.

Tom: This wine is unusual compared to many of our recent wines. This is certainly partly due to the fact that we haven’t had many pinots lately. It has a medium body, medium tannicity, and an austere fruit flavor. I tasted it blind, originally guessed it to be one of the mysterious Italians in our collection, then correctly named it as a Michigan pinot. It certainly matches the New Zealand pinot we tried yesterday. An interesting and different wine for us. I would rate this as good.

Tom: This The Jibe Pinot Noir 2004 is quite tasty. Milder tasting of course than the big cabernets that we’ve been drinking lately. Paler in color. Still quite tannic. Good fruit flavor, perhaps blueberries. We had it tonight with chicken, pasta, and vegetable stir-fry and it paired very well. We picked this up at Sam’s Club for just under $10. I would rate this as Good.

This Shady Lane Pinot Noir 2004 from the Leenlanua Peninsula in northern Michigan is lush, soft, and elegant. Aroma of cherries and cranberries and an oaky and earthy finish. This is a delicate wine — almost watery — but the elegant smoky and spicy nose is refreshing. We bought this wine for about $16 on a tour of the Leenlanau Peninsula wineries.

Tom: After drinking mostly cabernets lately, the switch to this pinot noir is definitely different. It’s a lighter, less tannic taste (and the color is lighter as well). There’s a pleasant berry fruit taste but it’s not the deep, rich fruit of the big reds we’ve had lately. It’s nice to see Michigan producing pinot noirs and this is an interesting diversion from our usual.