That latter – day Bacchus, Jim Lester himself stopped in recently with one of his and wife Rae Lee’s newest children, their ’03 Avonlea Pinot Noir. We’re always up for tasting Jim and Rae Lee’s wines here at Adams, Heritier and Associates, so we wasted no time pulling glasses out of the cabinet while Jim pulled the cork and began to pour. Here’s what we found:
2003 Wyncroft Lake Michigan Shore Pinot Noir Avonlea Vineyard: Smoky ruby garnet in color, being sleek and medium full bodied, with a silky smooth texture that belies its excellent acidity; very “Burgundian†in character, offering smoky plums and black cherries, shaded with what Kim describes as “dusty earth, some mint in the mouth and high-toned purple flowers on the high end.†Jim observes that the “mid-palate is quite tight yet,†and yet this gradually opens in the glass, evolving continuously as the mint morphs into Christmas spice after an hour and a half, while a hint of toasty maple syrup emerges, along with an ever-more-apparent tannic backbone that bodes well for cellaring prospects. Jim claims that the tannins “will melt with time and fatten up in the middle,†and based on his earlier efforts, I have no reason to doubt his word. A lingering finish tops off the package here making for a wine that few would ever name as having come from Michigan if tasted blind, unless perhaps they’ve been Wyncroft clients for a while.
Sold out at the winery, but available at such fine Michigan restaurants like The Lark, Coach Insignia, Morel's, Northern Lakes Seafood Co., Five Lakes Grill, No.VI Chop House, Rattlesnake Club, Capital Grill, McKinnon's, Cameron's Steak House, Pampas, Tapawingo and Latitude. Only three barrels of this were made; one was in a 3 year-old Allier with a medium toast, while the other two were in new Allier with a medium toast. Half of the fruit was sourced from 15 year old vines from Wadenswill and Pommard #4 clones, with the other half coming from “the front block,†comprised of younger Dijon 777, Dijon 115, Swan, Steven Zellerbach and “suitcase DRC (Hanzel)†clones. Jim feels that a few years will turn this into “pure velvet,†and again, since no one knows these better than him and Rae Lee, I have no reason to doubt what he says. After all, parents usually know their children pretty well.
- from (Not Just) Flotsam and Jetsam
Reporting from Day-twah,
geo t.
TN: 2003 Wyncroft Lake Michigan Shore Pinot Noir Avonlea
Mike M wrote:George,
Most interesting post. Michigan isn't exactly known as Pinot territory, is it? I suppose the chances of finding this in the Chicago area are slim to none, oui???
No, Mike, Michigan isn't exactly known as Pinot territory, which makes Jim and Rae Lee's wines all the more exceptional. They also make terrific Chardonnay, a very fine Bourdeaux blend and some nice Riesling (dry Alsatian style) and Gewurztraminer as well.
You'll probably have to get on their mailing list to get a taste of these; either that or visit one of the restaurants mentioned in the post above. You can contact Wyncroft at:
Wyncroft, LLC, Estate-grown Fine Wines
716B East Front Street
Buchanan, MI 49107
(269) 695-8000
E-mails: jglester@juno.com, wyncroft@earthlink.net
Holiday cheers,
geo