Shady Lane Coop de Blanc 2009

Shady Lane Cellars

Suttons Bay, Michigan, USA

Leelanau Peninsula
shadylanecellars.com

Grape: Vignoles – (VIN-yoles)

10.9% abv

$10.00 a bottle

This will be a first for me~! I have never had The Vignoles grape.  What I found out about this grape is that it is good for making ice wine since it has a strong sweet style while having a good acidic quality. 

The Vignoles grape is a hybrid, a cross between “8-Seibel 6905 x Pinot de Corton” Source: http://viticulture.hort.iastate.edu/cultivars/Vignoles.pdf

Here is another cool web site that has something to say about this grape (a very good read).  I’ll be adding their address to my blog.  I need to spend some time on their site.  This site will give you a good history of this grape.

http://forgottengrapes.com/vignoles.html

On to the review

Appearance: crystal clear with an ever so light tint of yellow

Aroma: wow, nice and fruity, tropical/summer fruits, pineapple, fuji apple, twist of citrus, and I swear I got a little hint of petro (petroleum is a note used for some Riesling White Wines.  Not used much anymore.)

Flavors: I sure wish it was 98 degrees outside and I was sweeting like a pig for this wine would be perfect for a scorching hot summer day.  Pineapple juice, touch of ruby red grapefruit, tropical fruit, crisp fuji apple, good dose of Granny Smith Apple (tart), there are some good summer fruits here as well.  We could play the game – ‘what do you taste’ with this wine.



This is the ol' chicken coop!
Shady Lane's Wine Tasting Building



Mouthfeel: crisp, good acidic structure here for a white wine.  It really helps to bring out those tropical flavors.  So, there is a tart a somewhat bitter quality especially on the finish.  Big time sweet on the front and tart on the finish and lingering notes. 

My Strength Rating: 6.5 – a solid medium-full style for a white wine.  Big time sweetness with a solid tart style on the end.    

To the Point: This is a must buy.  Buy two at least.  Sweet whites (unless it’s ice wine) are not on my list of must have.  But, while there is a big sweet style here the tart with a little bitter note (lemon peel) on the finish is just a great combination.  And, all the flavors make it fantastic.   If the ‘sweet/tart’ candy had a pineapple flavor it would taste like this white wine by Shady Lane.  This is one complex white wine. 

I will be writing more about this one in the future.