THEWINEMONOLOGUES.COM: #TTMI wrapup with Black Star Farms

#TTMI wrapup with Black Star Farms

It seems like months ago that we finished up the latest Tweet & Taste Michigan featuring Black Star Farms. Some obligations took me away (including a visit to one of "the other 46" wine regions-Iowa- but more on that later).

I had a group of six Tasters at my house for the most recent #TTMI event including a "red wine fan" and three other "tweeple". . . @winoKurt, @zinfandel601 and new to these events, @JessicaHoho1. I even flew my mom up from Florida for the tasting! I think we were all pleased and impressed by the wines presented by Black Star Farms.

We tasted and tweeted about 3 of Black Star Farms latest releases: the 2010 Sur Lie Chardonnay, the 2010 Pinot Noir Rose, and the 2010 Pinot Gris.

The Sur Lie Chardonnay is an "unoaked" version of Chardonnay from Black Star. Sur Lie ("soor LEE") is a French expression for "on the lees." Lees is the coarse sediment, which consists mainly of dead yeast cells and small grape particles that accumulate during fermentation. Winemakers believe that certain wines benefit from being aged sur lie. Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc wines are thought to gain complexity if aged in this way for a few months. This aging at Black Star Farms gave their Chardonnay some creaminess in addition to its strong pear and white grape flavors. I believe this was the overall crowd favorite on Twitter— although not by much!

The 2010 Black Star Farms Pinot Noir Rose is made entirely from Pinot Noir grapes. This dry rose was characterized as a true "summer sipper" by the group. The nose presents "barrels" of strawberries and fresh cut watermelon. The palate is full of strong tastes of apricots and strawberries. Although a dry wine, the fruitiness of the wine is immense and very pleasing— perfect as a "porch wine"!

Lastly, the Pinot Gris. Surprisingly, this wine exerts some characteristics of a Gewurtztraminer. . . on the nose a bit of spice under the pervasive scents of honeydew melon. The palate also had a bit of spice on the back end lead by melon and peach flavors initially and on the mid-palate. This one was well liked by the group.

As a surprise to my humble group, I picked up a bottle of the Black Star Farms 2008 Leorie Vineyard Merlot/Cab Franc to round out the night for the red wine lovers in my home. Winemaker Lee Lutes let me taste this at a tasting last year and I thought it was outstanding. It lived up to its billing on the night of the Tweet & Taste. This beauty is silky and complex with a palate of red berries, plum, chocolate and spice. I would put this up against any Bordeaux blends in a blind tasting. This is a fantastic wine from Black Star Farms!

I can't thank Shannon and Cortney Casey of Michigan by the Bottle enough for continuing to invite me to participate in these Tweet & Taste Michigan events. I have enjoyed each and every one.

Lastly, a special thanks to Coryn Briggs and Lee Lutes of Black Star Farms for providing us the wines for the evening as well as all the great information about the wines, vineyards and the whole Black Star Farms experience. www.blackstarfarms.com If you have the chance, take a trip up north and stay at the Inn at Black Star Farms— it is spectacular!