The one-acre Prairie School vineyard was planted in 2010 on Old Mission Peninsula. With each vintage we learn more about the fruit: when to harvest, how to coax the fruit flavors from the fruit, and which winemaking techniques will fill out the palate.
Auxerrois is a varietal that is commonly blended, but we began bottling a small amount as a single varietal for wine club in 2016. The acidity is lower than many of our other cool climate wines, and the fruit and texture are appealing. Each year since, we have bottled more.
Late Harvest is often understood to be a designation of sweetness, but that's not entirely true: rather, it is in indication of when fruit was harvested. Our historic Seventh Hill Farm site tends to ripen early, and has the perfect conditions to hang on to fruit after ripeness to showcase round, ripe fruit and zippy acidity.
Our Gewürztraminer is dry, with citrus and spice. The aging window is long, and the floral and fruit notes will develop in the bottle with cellaring.
The Swanson Vineyard was planted on Old Mission Peninsula was planted in 2014 and is already showing distinct characteristics from its terroir and microclimate. This wine has notes of dark chocolate and coffee backed up by deep, dark fruit, and a drumbeat of acid and tannin as its background.
Named for the professionals who craft wood instruments, the music of the Luthier also resonates thanks to the effects of wood: in this case, French Oak barrels. Luthier is a barrel-fermented blend of Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, and Auxerrois.
The MacDonald vineyard is the Blaufränkisch vineyard that started it all for us. These vines were planted in 2001. This single-vineyard wine shows complexity and depth, and has the potential for a decade or more of cellar-aging.
When the fruit is ripe and ready for picking, black clouds of starlings, called murmurations, threaten to pick the vines clean. To appease these voracious foes, we offer our tribute, Murmur, a dry white blend.
When we taste Kerner there is little to compare so it gets an opportunity to stand on its own merits. Too often taste and aroma profiles are established as models by one climate or terroir, this creates a lemming mentality in the wine world and sitfes the inherent expression found in unique vineyards. Kerner doesn’t have these rules yet so it gets to tell us what it should taste like.
Made in the traditional methode champenoise, Gitali offers a balance of fruit and yeast with a creamy mouthfeel and fine bubbles.
The blend for this red, named for the street where our winery is located, changes with each vintage.
Our Rosé is made from ripe Blaufränkisch grapes from our Benzie County vineyard. We do a quick press and minimal skin contact since the red fruit has such deep pigment. What results is a dry, aromatic, and stunningly hued Rosé wine.
The 1.2 acre Keenan Blaufränkisch was planted in 2014 and has already proven to show distinct characteristics thanks to its terroir and microclimate. The Keenan Blaufränkisch has a roundness and symmetry, a deep fruit and softness that builds and finishes with a swirl of texture.
In the vintages when we make a single varietal Chardonnay, the wine is from a single vineyard and barrel-fermented. We use our French Oak barrels as our spice cabinet - the oak is there to accentuate the flavors of the fruit rather than to mask it.
In occasional vintages, we'll set aside a number of barrels of Blaufränkisch with enough swagger to age longer in French Oak before bottling. These Reserve bottles can hang on for many years in the cellar, allowing tannins to mellow and dark fruit to concentrate.
Old Mission Peninsula Riesling with the perfect balance of acidity and sugar.
Originally from Austria, this red varietal thrives in our cool, mild climate. Each vintage showcases notes of black pepper and dark berry.
From the oldest Pinot Blanc vineyard in the Great Lakes region comes this dry, crisp white wine; a perfect example of the balance of ripe fruit and acidity that can come from beautifully tended vines in northern Michigan.
This Pinot Grigio from the Tale Feathers Vineyard on Old Mission Peninsula features the classic Italian Grigio expression of primary fruit characteristics and striking acidity.
Crémant is a designation used for sparkling wines not made in Champagne. They can be made anywhere and often reflect blends of local significance. The bubbles for Crémant are always made by yeast and not force carbonated.
This Pinot Gris was treated as a skin-fermented wine, with the juice held in contact with the grape skins for an extended period of time, adding color, tannin, and adding spice and savory aromatics.
The Terminal Moraine vineyard was created by the edges of the glaciers that pushed through and receded to create the Old Mission Peninsula. The vineyard has striations of soil types: sandy loam, clay, and gravel, which each contribute to the flavor profile of this Dry Riesling as the vines' taproots reach deeper through the ground.
Many years ago, we stumbled into a surprising blend in the cellar - Riesling and Gewürztraminer, when blended makes for an excellent wine with expressive aromatics. The blend has changed over time, but the inspiration stays the same.
This medium sweet Riesling is aromatic, with notes of peach and white blossoms, a light effervescence, and a balanced acidity.
