Some of you may know a friend of mine named Mike Kush. A couple years ago he came to work with us at Binny's on Grand for the holiday season. What can I say about Mike; he's soft spoken, extremely helpfull, full of wine knowledge, and not as jaded as the rest of us retail laden wine people. He and his wife Jen are two of the nicest people you are ever likely to meet.
Mike and Jen have chosen a slightly different path than most of us. They have been travelling the wine regions of the world working harvests in both hemispheres and many timezones, while keeping a base in Chicago in between the two vintages. Currently Mike works the harvest in New Zealand as winemaker, then will return to Portugal where he will do the same in the fall. Jen has worked in the lab or cellar as needed.
Having been stolen away by the South Loop store for this season, we saw much less of Mike this year than we would have liked; so Steve took it upon himself to arrange a little tasting gathering at his and Amy's beautiful home in Sauganash. The food and wines were amazing. Amy made some delicious roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy, and a lovely salad; not to mention deluxe cheeses and cured meats from Gary at the South Loop store, and scrumptious pies from Who's Your Mama Bakery. Passionfruit Merengue pie, I love thee.
I tried to write a little something about each of the wines, but will keep it brief as my notes mandate. Feel free to skip ahead if this language is foreign or simply disinteresting.
From Bedrock Winemaker Abrente 2011 Napa Valley Albarino subtle nose, light color, scant tropical fruit,"zippy" acidity, bright lemon/orange/citrus
Raul Perez Muti 2007 (Albarino) same grape from a legendary Spanish producer smooth mango on nose, fine texture, lemon and acidity present, lavender herb notes, some oak, smooth and complete, this wine continued to develop beautifully for the duration
Greywacke 2011 Marlborough, NZ Sauvignon Blanc grass, gunflint, gooseberry, ripe vibrant fruits and a smooth finish. winemaker had worked at Cloudy Bay probably the best known higher end name in NZ Sauv Blanc
Bedrock White Blend Cuvee Karatas 2010 Sonoma. classic Bordeaux style blend utilising Semillon and "Sauvignon Musque" (apparently a clone of Sauv Blanc that I had not heard mention of prior,)from 120 year old Monte Rosso vineyard fruit as well as 40% Kick Ranch lemon curd, ruby red grapefruit, soft acid
Anthill Farms Pinot Noir 2009 Demuth Vineyard (above Booneville in California's Mendocino county) 13.3 ABV This is our current favorite Cali Pinot Producer, always subtle and understated stuff from one of the cooler, foggy, rural coastal areas in the state. One of the few climats in California which is really suited to producing a classic style of Pinot Noir in all its subtle brilliance light, cloudy, vibrant cherry, clove, eucalyptus, showing some fairly ripe vintage quality, young slightly primary yet showing good promise...
Merry Edwards Pinot Noir Klopp Vineyard 2007- warmer Sonoma pinot with a bit of age. Incidentally Mike knows this wine well, as he worked a harvest here balsamic, butterscotch, eucalyptus, cherry, some oak, dry....now smooth, together, drinking well. Given the ripeness of 07', this pinot is showing pretty mature secondary character
Carlisle 2007 Papera Ranch Zin ripe jam, green mint, rhubarb; was tasting a lot of mint on the wines this night, and wasn't hating it
Booker Vertigo 2008 Cali Rhone style blend concentrated burst of raspberry/ boysenberry and dry blueberry, well balanced and persistant; slutily delicious
Ayoub Chardonnay 2011 Oregon Bone dry chablis-like Chardonnay without a hint of oak, compact bright apple on nose, white pear/green pear skin, subtle iodine and gun flint. I wanted to love this wine a bit more, it needed the perfect food pairing, possibly showing a slight lack of ripening for this vintage. Take a look at that low alcohol!
Auteur 2008 Shea vineyards Pinot Noir Jammy and bright fruits expressed on nose, vanilla and some baking spices
To Steve and Amy, thanks so much for opening your home, kitchen, and cellar, to us. You are extremely gracious by all measure.
Furthermore Mike should be congratulated on bringing his first wines on his own label to market this year at Binny's, and in some restaurants in Chicago! Two pinots and a a riesling, all of which showed really well when tasted, great job Mike. "Chasing Harvest," the apt name on the artfully modern designed label. We look forward to tasting your future releases.
I feel a certain kinship with Mike, having made a couple wines myself we both know the intrigue in that creation. It's hard to not be a bit jealous; now longtime wine consultants, myself and Steve know well that there exists a great deal of romance that we associate with making wine versus selling. Life in the many wine regions of the world has a reward in its quality and connection to nature and the land. For those who are willing to complicate their lives a bit to live fully, and to do what they love, we raise a glass.
Love this. Now off to NZ to try a couple lovelies!
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