Since relocating to the Midwest (aka flyover country) roughly 35 years ago, we have periodically made the trek up to Traverse City in NW Michigan. This is a summer tourist destination as it enjoys warm weather and is located in the shelter of Grand Traverse Bay, an arm of Lake Michigan. The Old Mission Peninsula extends northward into the bay from Traverse City and, along with the nearby Leelanau Peninsula, is responsible for the majority of vinifera wine in Michigan. Located at the 45th parallel, it has largely been known for its cool climate varieties, though the 94 degree day it saw yesterday might be a harbinger that climate change will alter that picture. When we first starting visiting this area many years ago, the Old Mission Peninsula was mostly known for its cherry orchards and some still exist (we came home with 4 lbs of cherries from a U-pick operation, which is nice since cherry season is long over in South Haven) but as I saw in Sonoma far longer ago, grapes are a more profitable crop so now its more known for its wineries (at current count there are 9). The old guard is represented Chateau Grand Traverse, a large operation located about halfway up the peninsula, but there are now a number of "boutique" operations.
We visited one of those smaller wineries, Bonobo Winery, started in 2014 by Traverse City natives Todd and Carter Oosterhaus, who still run it along with their sister Amy. They charge $20 for a basic tasting, which consists of 5 different wines intended as an introduction to the winery. The tasting room and operation wouldn't be out of place in Northern California and includes a lovely patio area out back that overlooks their vineyards. We were seated in a small room decorated like a library which is off the main tasting room floor (typical bar setup). One of the nice features of this tasting was that we were free to substitute other wines off their list (and encouraged to do so once it was clear that we weren't there simply to get hammered). The wines were brought to us by one of the tasting room employees and we were given 1 oz pours.
We began with their 2021 Blanc de Blanc Sparkling wine ($26), an interesting blend of Riesling, Pinot Blanc and Gewurztraminer. The wine was dry on the palate with a subtle mineral tang and very light carbonation. I was surprised there wasn't more aromatic character to it given the grapes that went into it. I don't know how long the bottle had been open, so perhaps that accounted for the relative lack of bubbles.
Next up was the 2022 Chardonnay Citerne ($24) which the server described as their attempt at a Chablis-like wine. It was raised entirely in stainless steel and had a very linear, lemony character to it. It lacked any of the stony minerality that one expects from Kimmeridgian limestone, but I hardly expect the soils of NW Michigan to offer any such resemblance. It made for a pleasant, if not memorable, unoaked Chardonnay.
At this point, we deviated from the program: instead of their everyday "Bonobo White" we went for their very recently bottled 2022 Rosé ($25), which came highly recommended by the server. Upon pouring, there was a huge whack of sulfur in the nose, which after some vigorous agitation managed to blow off (which prompted our asking her how long it had been in bottle, to which she replied "since Tuesday"). On the palate, however, it proved to be an absolutely marvelous dry rosé, chock-a-block with vibrant watermelon fruit, lovely mineral tang, and very fresh acidity in a light-bodied but flavorful package. It reminded me more than a little of Steve Edmunds's Bone-Jolly rosé from years past. At 12.7% ABV it had a light presence on the palate.
We also went off-trail by next having the 2021 Sparkling Rosé ($30), which our server called her favorite wine of the current releases. It proved to be an excellent example of the genre, with strawberry-cherry red fruit, vivid acidity and a bit of leesy palate presence to give it some body. I would easily put it up against some of the Blanc de Noirs bubbly I've had from California. At 12% ABV, it finishes clean and fresh.
We also substituted other red wines for the scheduled Bonobo red mix. I had a pour of the 2020 Cabernet Franc ($54) while Jean had the 2022 Pinot Noir ($42). Cabernet Franc is probably the most widely planted red grape on the Old Mission Peninsula, but my wine was obscured -- some would say marred -- by a huge whack of new French oak. Beneath the oak sheen was a fairly fruity and structured red, but if the oak is that marked at age 5, I want no part of it. OTOH, Jean's Pinot Noir was a thing of beauty, a light-bodied, red-fruited wine with an interesting savory edge that wouldn't be out of place in a lineup of Jura reds. In contrast to the Cab Franc, there was no new oak evident in the nose or flavors. At 13% ABV it would make an excellent food wine.
This concluded our tasting, but was far from exhauting their lineup. In addition to the wines we tried, there was a barrique-aged Chardonnay (hard pass), a Bordeaux-inspired red wine blend, monovarietal Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Fumé Blanc and Riesling. They also have a high-end line of "OV" wines (a Pinot Noir Reseve, a Brut Cuvée sparkling wine and a Chardonnay) and several wines sold in cans, too.
We were quite impressed with the operation. I wish they'd focus on fewer wines (a common complaint with the wineries hereabouts) but they clearly strive for quality and the pricing, as opposed to several other wineries here, is fairly reasonable.
