Wine Recommendation
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Wine Recommendation

Wine:Wyncroft Wines 2004 Pinot Noir, Avonlea Vineyard (Lake Michigan Shore)

Wyncroft Wines

2004 Pinot Noir, Avonlea Vineyard
(Lake Michigan Shore)



Although Pinot Noir is being hailed from Michigan's northern AVAs, Leelanau Peninsula and Old Mission Peninsula, Wyncroft is the emerged leader of the varietal in the Lake Michigan Shore AVA, even though production from Avonlea Vineyard is a scant 75 cases.

Avonlea Vineyard is the pride and joy of proprietors Jim & Rae Lee Lester who dared to let us taste this wine which was bottled for only five days. Yet the Lesters philosophy of aging their Pinot Noir for up to two years in one-third new cooperage (principally François Frères and Cadus), allowed the wine to develop secondary characteristics and textures in the barrel prior to bottling.

Youthful qualities such as cherry and raspberry evolved in the glass to reveal smoky plum and black cherry complemented by brown spices. As minutes passed, dried rose petal, mushroom, truffle, Asian five-spice and mineral elements developed.

Wyncroft’s 2004 Avonlea Pinot Noir is consistent with its 2003 predecessor but shows the riper fruit nuances of a warmer year played out in a rich, generous and full finish. "If you push me," Jim Lester says, "I'll say that this Pinot Noir will age further to be the best I've made so far."

Reviewed February 27, 2007 by Eleanor & Ray Heald.

The Wine

Winery: Wyncroft Wines
Vineyard: Avonlea Vineyard
Vintage: 2004
Wine: Pinot Noir
Appellation: Lake Michigan Shore
Grape: Pinot Noir
Price: 750ml $45.00

Review Date: 2/27/2007

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.