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Wine Recommendation
Shady Lane Cellars
2000 Brut(Leelanau Peninsula)
In the late 1980s, Grand Rapids, Michigan neurosurgeon Joe O'Donnell teamed with his fishing and hunting pal Bill Stouten, a Michigan real estate broker. Together, they purchased a century-old fruit farm outside Suttons Bay in the Leelanau Peninsula AVA.
An appreciation for wine and its connection to specific land prompted the farm retrofit to wine grapegrowing. Michigan's rapidly advancing wine industry was an additional factor of encouragement that gave birth to Shady Lane Cellars.
Today (and since 2000), winemaker Adam Satchwell, brings decades of experience to Shady Lane. In addition to his California studies in enology and viticulture, Satchwell apprenticed with his winemaker uncle, Jed Steele, now proprietor of Steele Wines in Kelseyville, California.
In 2000, Satchwell crafted 200 cases of this méthode champenoise copper-colored Shady Lane Brut from estate-grown Pinot Noir (76 percent) and the balance Chardonnay. Marked by a tiny, steady bead and gentle mousse, with aromas of brioche and cherries, a toasty lees character is supported by ripe apple and citrus flavors.
With a full palate and good length, the 2000 Shady Lane Brut will win the heart of a Valentine, especially when it accompanies authentic French onion soup!
Reviewed January 15, 2007 by Eleanor & Ray Heald.
Other Awards & Accolades
Bronze Medal - 2007 Michigan Wine & Spirits Competition
Other reviewed wines from Shady Lane Cellars
The Wine
Winery: Shady Lane Cellars |
The Reviewer
Eleanor & Ray Heald
The Healds have been writing about wine since 1978 and have focused on appellation significance in many of their world beat writings. They value recognizing site personality (terroir) within an appellation's wines. They praise balance and elegance in wines styled to pair well with food and eschew over-extraction, high alcohol and heavy-handed oak. “Delicious” is their favorite descriptor for a great, well-made wine. |