2021 BigLITTLE Wines Open Road Rosé

Happy Sunday!  It's been bitter cold here, like so much of the country right now, so I've been huddling indoors, doing laundry and cooking and trying to stay warm!  Given that summer and rosé season seem so far away, I've decided to open a bottle of a Michigan rosé that some friends sent me for Christmas.  The 2021 BigLITTLE Wines Open Road Rosé is a blend of Pinot Gris, Riesling and Marechal Foch from the Leelanau Peninsula in northern Michigan.  So, let's see if this wine can bring back the summer!

The wine is a deep peach and rose color in the glass, just as you'd expect for summer sipping on the patio.  A gentle swirl of the glass reveals aromas of strawberry, melon and hints of apple, certainly bringing back some warm weather vibes.  Take a sip and you're greeted with a rush of crisp and tart fruit, tart cherry, apple, and melon that will have you ready for a summer dip in the lake.  The finish is short, but crisp and dry, inviting you to sip this with a meal or just some conversation with friends.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a lovely departure from many of the sweeter wines I've tasted from Michigan.  This wine would pair well with summer salads, tacos, pizza or smoked barbecue.  Tonight, I've taken a different path and am enjoying this wine with some coconut crusted cod, steamed rice and fresh asparagus with hollandaise.  Cheers!

2014 Lindeman's Bin 85 Pinot Grigio

Happy Tuesday!  We have a truly rare occasion tonight in that I am reviewing a white wine!  Yes, I am a super red wine fan, but I happened to have this wine in the house and opened it for a friend who was visiting last week and decided to taste it myself, the 2014 Lindeman's Bin 85 Pinot Grigio from southeastern Australia.  So here goes nothing!

The wine is a classic, very light coloration so typical of a Pinot Grigio.  The nose exhibits lovely aromas of pear, rose petals and a bit of apple blossom.  The taste is quite refreshing, with lovely crisp fruit up front, pear, apple and white grapefruit that transition to some nice earthy elements of iron, peat and granite.  The finish is quite refreshing, with a crispness of fresh citrus that's not sweet but rather dry, perfect for a red wine guy like me.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, it's not perfect, but really what white wine could be?  In any case, it's easy drinking and food friendly and a terrific value at about $6!  Tonight I am enjoying this with a classic dinner that begs for a white wine, a gunflint walleye (I got the recipe from a Minnesota fishing website here, but needless to say, garlic lemon butter combined with a bread crumb and romano crust makes this a fish to make your midweek, perfect with a crisp refreshing Pinot Grigio!), some pesto linguine and steamed Brussels sprouts.  What a fantastic combination!

Snooth Alto Adige Virtual Tasting

So tonight I had the pleasure of participating in a virtual tasting on Snooth.com (one of my favorite wine websites, you should really join, don't cost nothin'!).  For those who have never experienced this, a group of us all over the world sit in front of our computers and taste the same wines (gee, that just sounded really geeky, but oh well), led by an expert in the wine field, most often Gregory Dal Piaz, Snooth's editor in chief.  So on tonight's VT, he was sitting in the Alto Adige region of northern Italy, with several wine makers from the region as we tasted their wines.  And without further adieu, my tasting notes from the tasting.

2011 Castelfeder Pinot Grigio, tasted with Ines Giovanett of Castelfeder - this wine was much different that many of the pinor gris or pinot grigio I've tried (and those who know me know I've tried very few).  The wine has great fresh, crisp aromas of light fruit, peach and grass and some light floral notes.  The taste is quite complex, and I think round would be a great word to describe it, as it's not nearly as sharp and acidic as many domestic examples.  As the wine opens up a bit, the minerality of the region really comes through.  A great white wine, perfect for late summer or early fall, and would pair nicely with some seared sea scallops.  I give this one a solid 8!

2009 Andrian Pinot Nero (Noir) - has a lovely light red color, lovely aromas of red fruit, ripe plum and blackberry, the aroma really takes me back to my days living in Portland and enjoying the wonderful pinot noirs of the Willamette Valley.  The taste is light and warm, with delicate fruit flavors of ripe berries, and strawberries.  There is some mild acidity that makes for a very delicate finish.  I think this wine would pair very well with a beautiful cedar planked salmon filet with a little rosemary.  Overall, I would rate this one a reasonable 7.5.

2010 Manincor Lagrein, tasted with Count Michael Gross-Enzenber of Manincor - this is a whole other country when it comes to wine, as the Lagrein is a unique grape to the Alto Adige.  This is a mountain red wine, and it really seems that way with some lovely aromas that make me feel like I'm standing in a pasture.  The wine is a lovely dark ruby to purple in the glass, with some sweet aromas of ripe fruit.  The taste has some subdued fruit and very nice warmth to it, I was expecting a big bold Cabernet like wine, but this one is much more rustic.  Very gentle tannins, and a nice minerality on the finish.  This wine would pair so nicely with some beef tenderloin and wild rice, or perhaps some braised lamb shank.  Overall, I would rate this one a solid 8, but I can't wait to let this one open up a bit and have some more tomorrow!

So there you have it, your virtual experience of my virtual tasting!  Thanks Snooth and thanks of all the great wine producers of the Alto Adige!