New Wines In!


Brassfield Estate Eruption 2010

The 2010 Eruption continues the tradition established by its predecessor with a wine that is big, lush, rich & round. Our 2009 vintage received 91 points from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. In the words of Antonio Galloni: “This is about a great a California wine as readers will find for the money”. Collaborating again with consulting winemaking master David Ramey, we have crafted a true estate-based proprietary blend expressing the uniqueness of our land. A rich and intense wine with aromas of dark berry, sandalwood and cocoa giving way to jammy, ripe and expressive flavors. Layering the palate with supple tannins, it is elegant and well balanced; a true reflection of renowned winemaker, David Ramey

Brassfield Estate Serenity 2010

The 2010 Serenity boasts distinctive aromas of mangos, pineapples and key lime pie with flavors of Bartlett pears, citrus, and honeydew melon that linger in your mouth. Crisp, fresh acidity, with a touch of sweetness, makes Serenity a terrific match to spicy Asian dishes or simply to enjoy a glass by itself on a warm summer evening.
                                                                                                                                                                        

Sunshine and Bubbly!

Sparkling in the Midwest: L. Mawby and Ravenhurst Cellars

Mawby has been making sparkling wine at his L. Mawby winery for 30 years. For 20 years, he produced still wines as well. That changed in the 1990s when the wine industry in Michigan exploded. To give L. Mawby wines an identity and edge in the new, competitive environment, Mawby decided to produce only sparkling wines – his premium L. Mawby wines, produced by the methode champenoise, and the M. Lawrence line, which are sparklers made using the cuvee close method.

“The L. Mawby wine is made strictly from grapes grown in the Leelanau appellation,” he says, adding that grapes come from his own estate and from a half-dozen of what Mawby calls the “best wine growers in the area.” Mawby’s 18-acre vineyard is planted in those grapes traditionally used in sparkling wines — Vignoles as well as the vinifera varieties Pinot Noir (which are dominate in his vineyard), Pinot Gris, and Chardonnay – with some Seyval and Pinot Meunier grown as well. For his M. Lawrence line, Mawby buys grapes (primarily Chardonnay and Pinot Noir) from growers in southwestern Michigan as well as northern California, “There aren’t enough grapes on Leelanau to produce all the wines we make,” he explains.

When the grapes are ready to pick, everything is hand-harvested so grapes arrive in the press room as whole clusters. Mawby judges ripeness by flavor backed up by brix testing.  He says, “We want as low a ph as possible and no brix reading higher than 20.”  Newly harvested grapes are pressed in clusters with a Bucher tank press, and left to settle overnight. The juice then goes into small oak barrels for the premium L. Mawby wines and into stainless for his M. Lawrence line.  Yeast and sugars are added according to the desired dryness for each wine. Once the first fermentation is complete, the wine is blended with reserve wine, although Mawby leaves two or three of his wines unblended.   Next the wine is placed in bottles for the Mawby line or in a closed tank (cuvee close method) for his M. Lawrence line.

“We bottle age from three to seven years,” says Mawby. During that time, riddling is done by a gyropalette, purchased from Champagne, France, as is most of Mawby’s equipment for disgorging, dosaging, corking, wirehooding and bottle washing. Bottles are imported from Reims. With two lines and 15 wines, Mawby’s annual production is about 15,000 cases.  His M. Lawrence line, added in 2004, has allowed him to increase production, spend less time on aging, and produce new styles of sparkling wine. Mawby says he’d like to increase his production in the future, buying more fruit from more growers. Ultimately, he’d like to see his lines in wine shops everywhere.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                               


Click on the link for the article: http://www.theallieway.org/best-in-the-business.html

Pairing Chart

 

Written By Maria Moessner, Inniskillin Wines Estate Sommelier
                                                                                                                                                                      

Food	Wine
Hot & Spicy Foods	Slightly Sweet, Fruity, Light Wines
Ingredients Like: chiles, ginger and pepper Common Cuisines: Chinese, Indian, Mexican and Thai	Such as: Chenin Blanc, Gewurtztraminer, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, Riesling, sweeter sparklings, Viognier and White Zinfandel
Acidic, Tart Foods	High-acid Wines
Ingredients Like: feta cheese, garlic, lemon, tomatoes, vinegar and citrus Common Cuisines: Creole, Greek, Italian and Japanese	Such as: Chardonnay, Sangiovese, Sauvignon Blanc and sparkling whites
Rich Foods	Acidic, Citrus Wines
Ingredients Like: butter, cheese, lobster, red meats and salmon Common Cuisines: French, German, Italian and Southern	Such as: Sauvignon Blanc
	Oaky, Toasty, Buttery Wines
	Such as: oaked Chardonnay
	Tannic, Darker Reds
	Such as: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Red Zinfandel and Syrah
Salty or Smoked Foods	Slightly Sweet, Fruity, Light Wines
Ingredients Like: olives, salt-cured or smoked meats, and soy sauce Common Cuisines: German, Greek, Japanese and Southern	Such as: Chenin Blanc, Gewurtztraminer, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, Riesling, sweeter sparklings, Viognier and White Zinfandel
Sweet Foods	Slighly Sweet Wines for Foods Other Than Desserts
Ingredients Like: coconut, corn, fruits, mint and thyme Common Cuisines: Chinese, French, Indian and Thai	Such as: Chenin Blanc, Gewurtztraminer and Riesling
	Sweet Wines for Desserts
	Such as: Century (white), Limited Release Chenin Blanc, Madiera, Port, Sherry and sparkling wines *NOTE: When pairing wine with desserts, the dessert should never be sweeter than the wine

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