Ron Edwards, Master Sommelier

It was great fun to sit down with Paul Hamelin of Leelanau Peninsula’s Verterra Winery at Twisted Olive and taste through the new releases.  Paul also brought along some of the 2011 wines for review.  Overall the wines from this producer are getting better every year.  When wandering through Northern Michigan you would do well to stop at their tasting room.  The partners in the winery are Paul Hamelin, with a history in the pharmaceutical industry, and Skip Telgard of the Blue Bird Restaurant.  They both state the goal of creating wines that flatter food and in the 2012 vintage I assure you they have succeeded with whites.  Reds are still aging but I am in great expectation.

What is true across the board with the 2012 Verterra wines is a reduction in the residual sugar of the whites.  Most of the 2010 and 2011 offerings hovered in the range that was noticeable in the flavor profile.  Although this was in no way a flaw, it placed the wines with a different wine drinking group.  My opinion is that in 2012 nature gave them juice that needed a drier fermentation to achieve balance. It seems that the Verterra team agreed with me.

Here are my rather raw tasting notes:

2011 Verterra Pinot Grigio – Aromas of crisp green apple with some of the skin, tart apricot and lemon juice, white flower petals and some ripe peach  come into play, banana and honey, crisp bright and refreshing with a barely perceptible touch of residual sugar which rounds off the finish.  Approximate Retail $12/btl

2012 Verterra Pinot Noir Rosé - deeply pink to bright cherry in color which is admittedly very pretty…Nose of light honey, ripe strawberry, bing cherry pie, talcum and that youthful bubble gum note of post fermentation…Very fruit forward with a crisp raspberry finish, a little touch of white pepper, and then a watermelon driven finish. If you are a lover of Loire Valley Rosé d’Anjou this wine will make you smile as it is pleasantly not dry but not sweet either.  Approximate Retail $16/btl

2012 Verterra Pinot Blanc  - Nose of white pepper, wet stone, reminiscent of a wet slate patio, makes you think of grapes with grey skins, ripe banana, subtle white flowers, ripe yellow apple flesh, the youth of the wine really makes the nose pop, lovely crisp lime to green apple acidity.  I really love the style of this wine as it is the driest pinot blanc Verterra has made.  This wine is reflective of the unique ability that Northern Michigan has to make great pinot blanc based wines.  This is a must try!  Approximate Retail $24/btl

2012 Verterra Unoaked Chardonnay  - Aromas of ripe green apple flesh, canned pineapple, talcum and green banana…also a light apricot note and that same honey undertone consistent through all the wines…In the mouth it has a rich texture, lovely lime zest, unripe pineapple, even pineapple juice… long green apple and lime/ passionfruit finish.  Really nice.  Approximate Retail $18/btl

2011 Verterra Reserve Chardonnay  - Aromas of red apple, ripe pineapple, vanilla, cinnamon and then comes an apricot/passion fruit note, almond and hazelnut notes from aging on the lees, nice cut of bitterness in the nose, very European in fruit profile but still has a generousness that is inherently attractive to the lover of chardonnay from the USA.  Well done!  Approximate Retail $25/btl

2011 Verterra Dry Riesling  - Driven by lime juice and skin with tart pineapple and green apple..When tasted it offers green apple skin and apricot follows, light pink grapefruit, truly lovely.  Would be much better and more expressive it 3 to 5 years.  Hope someone has the patience to wait.  Approximate Retail $19/btl

What a treat to be a part of their great panel discussion that was organized by Matt Citriglia, MS and Rudi Wiest and company.  We are being treated with the personal attention of 6 great winery principles.

Flight One:

From the Ruwer we are checking out the wines of Karthäuserhof.

2010 Karthäuserhof Spätlese Dry – subtle dark rocky note with a lacy feeling in the nose.  There is green apple with the skin with a delicate white flower. Lovely honeyed nature to the nose but the flavor is steely, remarkably racy and there is a sea salt note that underscores all the flavor.  Very compact but very pleasurable with a long life ahead.

2005 Karthäuserhof Spätlese Dry – beautiful progress and development in the nose that causes it to express orange blossom, tangerine, pineapple core, light petrol note, and a wet slate patio note.  Same sea salt note that was in the 2010 but the wine is starting to open up and offer width.  Tart fresh apricot, tangerine skin, finish of ripe lime juice and zest mixed with the saltiness and  kaffir lime blossom.  So very stylish and delicious.

From the Nahe we are tasting Shafer-Fröhlich with Tim Fröhlich.  He uses all native yeast which is certainly a cause of some of these unique flavors.

2010 Bockenauer Felseneck Grosses Gewachs – soft fleshy apricot and peach note starts the aroma, minerality that seems more white than dark and then a subtle note of sea salt, unripe mango and cantaloupe.  Candied apple essence but hiding behind fresh lime oil and under ripe tangerine follows.  Long finish that is a razor’s edge balancing act of fruit and acid.  Nice wine!

2006 Bockenauer Felseneck Grosses Gewachs – First note from the nose is the honey and fuzziness of botrytis on some of the grapes.  Then comes a baked apple and fresh apricot note.  Gray slaty minerality to the nose that opens up to both tart apples and some baked fruit.  Light hint of searing foie gras that makes the wine seem very deep.  Flavor follows in every way in an edgy and powerful way with a pervasive slate mineral content.  Awesome finish.

Gunderloch wines are represented by Johannes Hasselbach

2010 Nackenheimer Rothenberg Grosses Gewachs – Pink grapefruit zest with lime intensity that follows underneath.  There is a light white pepper note like a fresh grapefruit under the first blast of fruit.  Apple blossom with a steely note underneath, so uniquely spicy in the nose.  Very intriguing!  Magically delicate and racy with a lacy texture that just dreams through the mouth and lingers for over a minute.

2005 Nackenheimer Rothenberg Grosses Gewachs – Mango, black pepper, petrol, sugared guava, chalky note, then a hint of honey.  The mouth is so much richer in texture than the 2010 and has a near Alsace feel with a hint of botrytis adding depth to the wine.  Noticeable alcohol comes through but over all this is inspiring wine.  Crazy long finish of toasted hazelnut, honey and dried mango.

Flight Two:

Ziliken is representing the Saar and Dorothy Ziliken is here personally.

2011 Saarburger Rausch Spätlese – Lime juice sweetened with agave nectar and then a honey note, elegant and racy in the nose, lime blossom and even a little white lilac, slate patio after a rain, slight herbal note perhaps fresh thyme.  Beginning of lime juice with lots of agave syrup but last briefly and gives way to unripe pineapple, ripe passion fruit, orange flesh and red apple with the skin wine.

2003 Saarburger Rausch Spätlese – Focused nose on dark slate with a white pepper spice and even a hint of allspice.  Green apple with the skin on, lime skin, fresh apricot are all equal in the nose.  Neat note of white grape juice in the mouth with a light bitterness of a chalky like taste.  There is an integrated note of lees and is followed by honey, passion fruit and ruby red grapefruit.  Wonderful chamomile note in the finish.

From Mönchhof we are joined by Robert Eymael

2010 Ürziger Würzgarten Spätlese – Spiced white pepper note with lots of tarragon, slate note with passion fruit, baby powder and dusty note.  Lean beginning with a full middle and then a cleansing tons of depth.  How I would like to taste this wine in 15 years!  So very spiced and intense.

2006 Ürziger Würzgarten Spätlese – Botrytis is the driving force of this wine at this point in its life.  Once the lightly bitter, honey note passes it shows passion fruit, candied grapefruit, and then lees and spice.

From Fritz Haag comes Oliver Haag.

2010 Brauneberger Jeffer Sonnenuhr Auslese #6 – lean herbal chamomile note that leads to pink grapefruit, passion fruit and green apple.  Linear blast of tartness that balances out the obvious sweetness to a point that just begs for a second sip.  Unbelievable balance of acid to that level of residual sugar!  Passion fruit juice cocktail drives the fruit and then gives way to ripe pineapple and honey.  Chamomile tea and honey then comes through in the finish.  Wow, this is crazy good wine.

2003 Brauneberger Jeffer Sonnenuhr Auslese #6 – Grapefruit oil and petrol come through the immediately, lime blossom, lime zest and oil, tangerine skin and juice as well.  The light bitterness of botrytis comes through in the mouth but there is less balance in this vintage.  Sweetness is more obvious than in the 2010.  There is a blend of flowers, chamomile, peach and peach pit in the finish and the finish lasts for several minutes.