Spilling Secrets: All About Our Wines

Review: The 2010 Glenwood Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2010 Glenwood Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon is 85% Cabernet, 10% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, all of which is sourced from Napa Valley. This year’s 2010 Glenwood Cellars is our third vintage of Cabernet. The Cabernet base comes from Nickel & Nickel Vineyards, the Merlot comes from the Stagland Vineyard and the Cabernet Franc comes from Mount Veeder. It is a delightful wine and we produced 392 cases. It was bottled in both March and June of 2012. This vintage just earned an impressive 85-Point rating from Wine Enthusiast Magazine.

When I thought of what I wanted the wine to taste like, there were several criteria. I like wines that are fruit-forward, but I wanted to produce a wine that was approachable right out of the bottle. I wanted it to have a good depth, but with an understandable complexity. Wine is sometimes pretty complex and as it sits in the glass it changes and it tastes different to your palate. I want to produce a wine that’s understandable…that if you let it sit it will just get better. As wine sits in your glass, it changes with every drink you take of it. And I think that is so exciting. I like that concept and that’s the kind of wine we want to make. The other thing I wanted was that sort of sandy, velvety taste that you get on your palate that comes from drinking a good red wine. I like the long smooth finish. And I have been able to communicate these things to Brian and as we developed the taste of the wine, Brian was able to take my thoughts and comments and blend the wine to meet those taste requirements. He has done a great job. I hope you think so as well.

With every vintage Brian and I strive to blend wine that is approachable out of the bottle and possesses good depth. I want a wine that is smooth and rich and has a layer of textures that aren’t heavy on the palate, yet produce a memorable and long finish. I believe that the 2010 Glenwood Cellars Cabernet meets those standards and marries beautifully with food, family and friends.

You can find the Glenwood Cellars Cab at a number of locations listed below. I would appreciate it if you would ask for it wherever you go. Perhaps, if they don’t carry it, they will begin to carry it so you can enjoy the wine in any establishment you visit.

Indiana
McCarthy’s on the Riverwalk, Elkhart
Lucchese’s Italian Restaurant, Elkhart
Chubby Trout, Elkhart
Fat Tomato, Elkhart
Uptown Kitchen, Granger
The Mark, South Bend
Christiana Creek Country Club, Elkhart
Elcona Country Club, Bristol
Chalet Party Shoppe, County Road 17, Elkhart
Chalet Party Shoppe, Cassopolis St., Elkhart

Southern Michigan
Fat Cam’s at Garver Lake, Edwardsburg

Review: The 2011 Glenwood Cellars Sauvignon Blanc
The 2011 Glenwood Cellars Sauvignon Blanc, the grapes of which are sourced from Pope Mountain in the Napa Valley, is 100% Sauvignon Blanc. This year we produced a very small amount, 63 cases, and we released it in the fall of this year. We will probably produce the same amount for the 2012 vintage…maybe a few more cases. Personally I think Sauvignon Blanc is one of the best all around wines to pair with food. I have really come to like it a lot more than I used to. When I was in discussions with winemaker Brian Nuss about making a white wine, we had lots of conversations about Chardonnay versus Sauvignon Blanc. He convinced me that the Sauvignon Blanc was the way to go. It is a great pairing partner with a wide range of foods. And it can simply be enjoyed by itself on almost any occasion.

This 2011 is our third offering of Sauvignon Blanc (the 2012 vintage is being bottled now) and this vintage has just an amazing depth and complexity of flavors and produces just an outstanding texture and a superb long finish. This is just a very enjoyable white wine and Brian has just done a wonderful job of crafting the 2011 Glenwood Cellars Sauvignon Blanc. It has a succulent melon and ripe pear, and fresh lemongrass mingled together in a medium bodied Sauvignon Blanc. It has fresh lime peel compliments the subtle mineral quality while added layers of tangerine and honeysuckle round out the crisp aromatic wine.

You can find the Glenwood Cellars Sauvignon Blanc at:

Indiana
McCarthy’s on the Riverwalk, Elkhart
Lucchese’s Italian Restaurant, Elkhart
Chubby Trout, Elkhart
Fat Tomato, Elkhart
Uptown Kitchen, Granger
The Mark, South Bend
Christiana Creek Country Club, Elkhart
Elcona Country Club, Bristol
Chalet Party Shoppe, County Road 17, Elkhart
Chalet Party Shoppe, Cassopolis St., Elkhart

Southern Michigan
Fat Cam’s at Garver Lake, Edwardsburg
Copper Rock Steakhouse at the Four Winds Casino, New Buffalo

Review: 2009 Tiedemann Signature Series
The 2009 Tiedemann Signature Series red wine is made by Sean Larkin of Larkin Wines. Of course I am a little biased, but in my opinion this is just an outstanding Bordeaux-style red wine. It is a blend of five different wines, all sourced from Napa Valley. The base is Cabernet Sauvignon with Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Petit Sirah. We made 224 cases and prior to bottling both the components and the blend were aged about 18 months in French oak barrels.

The wine is a deep bright ruby red color with a sweet cherry aroma. It takes some time to open, has a soft mid-palate and a rich, sweet long finish. The wine will continue to evolve and needs more time in the bottle.

From winemaker Sean Larkin’s tasting notes he writes, “The wine is intensely aromatic and full on the palate. It manages great purity and finesse. The tannins are ripe and completely integrated. Overall it’s a rich, complex and compelling wine.” Wine Enthusiast Magazine rated the 2009 vintage at 90 points. Of interest: Larkin has never produced a wine that has been reviewed by Robert Parker, a leading U.S. wine critic, that has rated under 90 points.

The list of establishments that offer my flagship wine:

Indiana
Temper Grille, Granger (just added!)
McCarthy’s on the Riverwalk, Elkhart
Lucchese’s Italian Restaurant, Elkhart
Chubby Trout, Elkhart
Fat Tomato, Elkhart
Uptown Kitchen, Granger
The Mark, South Bend
Christiana Creek Country Club, Elkhart
Elcona Country Club, Bristol
Chalet Party Shoppe, County Road 17, Elkhart
Chalet Party Shoppe, Cassopolis St., Elkhart

Southern Michigan
Fat Cam’s at Garver Lake, Edwardsburg

All three of Carl’s Wines are also handled by these Distributors:
Nashville and Chattanooga, Tennessee – Bonus Beverage
Cleveland, Ohio – Private Reserve
Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida – TDM Wine Distributors
Southwestern Michigan – Bud Distributing