Lynfred Winery Tasting – 5/18/08

The other day Fran and I did a tasting at Lynfred Winery. Lynfred is a winery in the Chicago suburb of Roselle...they don't have vineyards, so grapes are brought in from California, Michigan, or several other areas depending on the grape. Tastings are seven dollars and you get seven tastings. Here's our notes.

2006 American Chenin Blanc
Pear and cantaloupe on the nose. Fruity, but not sweet, nice acid, unripe melon, grapefruit and tangerine on the palate. Some floral notes and what I'd call a “specialty melon” like muskmelon on the finish.

2006 American Riesling
Sweet smelling with tropical fruit. Not to sweet but not nearly enough acid, orange zest and tropical fruit. Tropical finish with papaya coming through.

N/V Sweetheart White
This is a fairly common style of wine you'll find in Illinois, often made with Niagra grapes – imagine a white version of Concord grape wine. Grape jelly and cotton candy on the nose. Grape jelly and maybe some canned peaches on the palate. The finish is, you got it, more grape with some floral notes.

2000 American Zinfandel
Basically no nose. Cherry and raspberry, with smoke, nicely balanced, definitely not a fruit bomb, oak and Italian spices come through as well. Most oak and smoke on the finish.

2005 American Petite Sirah
Black fruit, leather, and cigar box on the nose. Disappointing in it's lack of palate structure – almost no oak to speak of, lots of ripe dark fruit – blackberry, plum, black cherry, but just not enough happening to make it interesting. A berry finish. This may go well with chocolate.

2005 American Cabernet Sauvignon
Oak and plum on the nose. Cherry and vanilla mostly, black fruit, and a touch of sweet oak. Some menthol on the finish but it fades fast though some coffee notes linger.

N/V Cranberry Wine
Fruit wine is fruit wine....it tastes like cranberries and is a bit sweet. This would work fairly well with Thanksgiving dinner.

While I can't say May's tasting menu was thrilling, I do think if you're anywhere near the area that you should take a trip to Lynfred.