A Personal Visit to Bel Lago Winery Tasting Room, Lake Leelanau, Mi. 7/5/2013
Bel Lago Winery
Tasted Friday, July 5, 2013 by Mike Kopanski with 501 views
Introduction
In a world class beautiful spot, on a bluff several hundred feet high, overlooking the widest part of South Lake Leelanau, about 7 miles south of where I call home, is this little gem of a winery and tasting room. The grapes are not grown here, but about 12 miles farther up the Leelanau Peninsula. The wine industry in Leelanau has been and continues to be on, a tremendously successful growth curve. They have been planting and trying anything they think might grow well, French hybrids, American hybrids, and vinifera. Of course there is always some cherry wine. I spent almost 2 hours with an extremely knowledgeable and friendly tasting associate who let me taste everything that was open.
NV Bel Lago Vineyard Leelanau Brillante 87 Points
USA, Michigan, Leelanau Peninsula
Rounded and smooth, this little sparkler displays some very nice peach, pineapple and other rich, ripe tropical fruit flavors. A blend of several cool climate type grapes there is a flavor profile that is totally distinct. Slightly sweet, and fairly weighty on the palate, there is plenty of bracing acidity, and some cute little bubbles to make this crisp, tasty beverage a pleasure all the way through the palate.
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2011 Bel Lago Vineyard Crystal River Cuvée 86 Points
USA, Michigan, Leelanau Peninsula
The ultimate kitchen sink blend, they are admitting to having at least 28 varietals in the blend.This wine showcases what I am beginning to understand as a typical Leelanau Peninsula, Alsace like soft rich elegance, that is unparalleled.This one has some allspice and pepper on the nose and all the way through the palate. Lots of expressive white fruits with some tangerine and apricot. A nice underlying flinty minerality. Also has a typical cool climate bracing acidity. I would describe the finish as "comfort wine"
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2011 Bel Lago Vineyard Pinot Grigio 87 Points
USA, Michigan, Leelanau Peninsula
It looks like this occasionally finicky and hard to grow varietal has found a home on the Leelanau peninsula. They have decided to age this wine on its lees to combine some creamy richness with the bright expressive pear, melon and tropical fruit to bring a surprisingly nice mouth feel to this tasty wine. Rounded, smoth and elegant. There is plenty of bracing acidity to keep things in balance. The surprisingly long finish leaves a lanolin, orange peel and lemon citrus for a couple of minutes.
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2011 Bel Lago Vineyard Pinot Grigio & Chardonnay 89 Points
USA, Michigan, Leelanau Peninsula
A little change of pace. We have tasted Pinot Grigio before blended with Chardonnay, but not from a cool climate like Leelanau. This is a pretty inspired blend. The Chardonnay brings enough body and character to allow the use of some oak to help the richness, and it works.The nose is real interesting with both varietals emitting their typical aromas, but this time raising the bar to smelling like a spring meadow with flowers and fresh vegetation, and even some aromas from the nearby woods. The fruit is subtle and elegant with a vanilla influenced combination of melon and peach. There is some underlying spiciness. Quite crisp without being overly acidic. The finish starts creamy and rich with peach, but evolves toward a very crisp and dry citrus flavor on the roof of the mouth.
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NV Bel Lago Vineyard Leelanau Primavera 87 Points
USA, Michigan, Leelanau Peninsula
When deciding which wines to purchase at the tasting room for the 1000 mile trip home, along with several others, I chose this one. Buying a semi sweet wine is very uncharacteristic for me, so I must have really liked it. In as few words as possible, this is the most crisp, semi sweet wine I have ever tasted. Not designed for food, this is drinkers wine. I got the somewhat unusual flavors of rhubarb and scuppernong along with melon and citrus. For a wine with this much mouth feel (from sweetness) this is very crisp and refreshing. There are some highly spicy, rustic, enhancing secondary flavors that are evident from first sip to finish. Apple, pear, lemon, orange, apricot, and lots of other fruit. Made me a believer.
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2011 Bel Lago Vineyard Riesling 87 Points
USA, Michigan, Leelanau Peninsula
Another northern latitude type grape that easily finds a home on the Leelanau Peninsula. Like most other white varietal produced in Leelanau, this offering comes across as relatively light, delicate and elegant, but not as much as other white varietals. This one has some of that famous Riesling richness to the peach, apricot, pear, white apple, honey, rhubarb, and crisp citrus fruit. Has a tiny touch of petrol flavor. Very crisp, young tasting, Granny Smith Apple acidity balances the considerably expressive fruit. A nice touch of minerality. Complete. Sort of unique.
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2011 Bel Lago Vineyard Chardonnay 87 Points
USA, Michigan, Leelanau Peninsula
Deceptively light in color this little Leelanau County Chardonay is by no means light in the flavor department. These grapes had enough depth and character to handle full barrel fermentation and a full year of maturing on the lees. the result is a delicate yet still almost full bodied deliverance of most of the tropical and orchard fruit flavors we expect in an elegant, soft, easy on the palate package. Deft use of new French oak lifts the fruit and acid to the next level of flavor and mouth feel. Crisp without being overly acidic. The weighty finish shows melon, citrus, and vanilla.
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2012 Bel Lago Vineyard Auxerrois Blanc 89 Points
USA, Michigan, Leelanau Peninsula
Another varietal that seems to blossom on the Leelanau Peninsula. This is a very nice wine. Has that typical Leelanau elegant softness, but with this varietal, some back bone and structure. Some of that structure comes from oak, but not too much considering this is already bottled and on the shelf only about 10 months off the vine. There is the viscosity very much like a Chardonnay. Rich golden yellow color. The nose is muted at first, this is a 2012, but wakes up with some swirling and glass time to show some rather unique, rustic, spicy and earthy white pear and white flowers. The entry to the palate is a very soft, but effective light mango, light peach, pear, and scuppernong. There is even a hint of minerality. Very civilized acidity. The finish is close to complex as it leaves some lemon rind, apricot, vanilla and wet limestone.
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NV Bel Lago Vineyard Gewürztraminer 88 Points
USA, Michigan, Leelanau Peninsula
This is a blend of both the 2010 and 2011 vintages. Leelanau Peninsula Gewurztraminer does not taste like West Coast US Gewurztraminer. It has more in common with offerings from Alsace, but without as much of that oily, mouth coating richness. This one is actually best described as very crisp and dry. Very fruit forward for a Leelanau white in a delicate, elegant sort of way. The color is pretty clear. The nose is brilliant fresh white fruit, mostly citrus. The palate is pure white fruit with citrus, lychee, grapefruit, peach, pear and melon. Very nice coating of the roof of the mouth. Citrus oriented finish backed up with peach, pear and melon.
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2010 Bel Lago Vineyard Late Harvest Riesling 89 Points
USA, Michigan, Leelanau Peninsula
I don't have much familiarity with this type of wine. I was astonished at first taste there was not much sweetness. This is a compelling wine, you just keep wanting to take another sip. This takes Riesling to the next level. On one hand, it looses the flinty, mineral aromas and flavors. On the other, it introduces some elevated, serious viscosity with deeply integrated, and welcome; petrol, peach preserves and orange rind. Still very crisp, and of course has that Leelanau light hearted elegance. A real treat that requires much further research.
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2011 Bel Lago Vineyard Rosé 87 Points
USA, Michigan, Leelanau Peninsula
A very interesting blend of mostly white grapes; Auxerrios, Pinot Grigio, and Cayuga, with some Pinot Noir mixed in for some color and red fruit flavors. The color is as light, and pink as any rose' I have ever seen. The nose is pretty unique, and less dominated by white grape aromas than you would think. They used a bit of oak to enrich the mouth feel and smooth things out. I don't recall ever tasting an oaked rose'. There is a surprising amount of cherry and strawberry flavors. It tastes very young and fresh and crisp. All in all, quite tasty, if a little hard to describe, as this is a very unconventional blend. The finish is influenced by the oak, so it is a little richer and creamier than typical, but they did a nice job the acid, so things are balanced. Nice job.
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NV Bel Lago Vineyard Bouquetti 88 Points
USA, Michigan, Leelanau Peninsula
When it says red blend, they mean blended with cherry wine. It is 80% Pinot Noir, and 20% cherry wine. Normally I always tell them to make the Pinot Noir as a non blended wine, and so too with the cherries. This time, though not necessarily elated with the blend, they do get a thumbs up. I'm from the Leelanau Peninsula, and grew up eating, picking and shaking cherries. My palate craves cherries. I also love Pinot Noir as it is by far my favorite red grape. It does not take a whole lot of imagination to distinguish many compatible flavor characteristics of these two fruits. The cherry is quick hitting, direct and assertive, while the Pinot is reticent, structured yet still shy. If I were invited to the blending process, I would have requested an even higher percentage of Pinot, maybe close to 90%, because the 80% blend still has the cherry in dominance. But, lets enjoy this beverage. Cherries are bold and fresh with the fruit. They also have some in your face acidity. The Pinot gives some mid palate and tannins. The roof of my mouth feels Pinot. The finish is totally red cherry. Think we need to buy more bottle for research.
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2011 Bel Lago Vineyard Pinot Noir 82 Points
USA, Michigan, Leelanau Peninsula
In a lineup of 15 really stellar wines at the tasting room, this one was my least favorite. It tasted like it was overpressed with some grainy and gritty tannins. The color is typical Leelanau, cold climate, very light red. The nose is pure Pinot Noir with cherry in an earthy rustic background. Barely medium bodied. Not very fruity. The fruit flavor is light cherry and strawberry in a bath of gritty tannins. I would bet that with 2 years of bottle age, and a decant, this wine would open up and exhibit cherry and red licorice.
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NV Bel Lago Vineyard Red Wine 88 Points
USA, Michigan, Leelanau Peninsula
My encounter with this delicious wine happened in July 2013. This is a non vintage wine. There are also more varietals than they care to admit. The proof is in the pudding, and this wine is way bigger than most from this region. The price is $18 in the tasting room, which is relatively bold for a NV red wine in a white wine region. To me 88 is the low range. This is a very good red wine. It exemplifies the typical red wine flavor profile I discovered in Leelanau. The color is dark ruby red. The nose has chocolate, cherry, allspice and pepper. Has the typical Leelanau elegant, delicate mouth feel. Not big, just tasty. The fruit profile starts out with the red flavors, mostly cherry, but has enough depth to bring out some dark fruit, especially blueberry. They aged it for a year in French and American oak, which this wine handled well. The finish begins to reveal the characteristics of the varietals; Cab Franc, Pinot Noir and ?, but still mostly red, and very good.
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2010 Bel Lago Vineyard Pinot Noir Reserve 90 Points
USA, Michigan, Leelanau Peninsula
As much as I was indifferent about their 2011 regular release, I am extremely impressed with this 2010 Reserve. This is close to the best Pinot I have ever tasted from a non typical Pinot Noir growing region. It could be 2010 was an exceptional vintage in Leelanau for Pinot Noir, or it could be inspired win making, but his really tastes good. They thought it was layered and complex enough to handle 14 months in new French oak, and we are the lucky ones who get to taste the result. The color is darker than most Leelanau Pinot. You just get the feeling these grapes reached their optimal ripeness and exposure to the sun. There is some subtle complexity across the palate with cherry and red raspberry fruit mixing it up with graphite, mocha, red licorice, vanilla, allspice and blackberry. Super smooth mouth feel. Balanced. Ripe tannins in the background, and at the end of the finish.
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2010 Bel Lago Vineyard Tempesta 91 Points
USA, Michigan, Leelanau Peninsula
This is a true 90 point plus Leelanau Peninsula red blend that can hold it's own with wines from any region. From the intense dark color, through the long satisfying finish, there is no doubt this is a serious offering. The nose jumps out of the glass with red fruit and minerals. The palate is close to full bodied, rich and creamy. The fruit is defined and exquisite with bright cherry, well supported with red raspberry, mullbery, and some blackberry. Superbly crafted tannins. Very well integrated oak, acid and alcohol. The finish is dominated by intense ripe red fruit, but we also taste and feel a connection to the place and the soil that is very uncommon. One of the "finds of the year" for 2013.
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NV Bel Lago Vineyard Cherry Wine 87 Points
USA, Michigan, Leelanau Peninsula
Hey, we are in Leelanau County, there are cherries everywhere. Cherry wine is often very good, but these guys raise the bar with an addition of a variety from Hungary. The Mountmorency cherries we are familiar with can be tart, but that is just fine when making wine. The Hungarian cherries seem to bring a little more body and character. Quite grape like, this wine is close to totally dry, has some carefully balanced acidity and is basically complete across the palate. If you have not tried cherry wine, do so.
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