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Wine Recommendation
Shady Lane Cellars
2005 Late Harvest Vignoles(Leelanau Peninsula)
Appellation America's grape index describes Vignoles as a popular white wine-producing hybrid (also known as resistant variety) that produces an excellent dessert wine, especially when picked late.
The word excellent more than applies to Shady Lane Cellars’ 2005 Late Harvest Vignoles from Michigan's Leelanau Peninsula AVA.
Appellation America's narrative on the grape continues with, "The fruit can develop very high sugar content while acidity remains high." This statement also perfectly describes this wine with light golden hues and aromas of peach, apricot, honey and caramel.
Flavors parallel aromas with added notes of crème brûlée, citrus-orange, tangerine and kumquat zest. Deliciously sweet with balanced acid, it's not cloying but rather a very clean and refreshing dessert wine style. Although it does match as a liquid companion to traditional crème brûlée or orange crème brûlée, it's a perfect dessert in a glass on its own.
Winemaker Adam Satchwell used estate-grown fruit and tank fermented and aged the wine before bottling in May 2006. Its time in bottle has allowed the wine to develop secondary complexities such as subtle nutty notes that perfectly complement the honey and caramel characteristics lasting long into the finish.
Reviewed February 26, 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. |