Wollersheim Winery

I have been drinking wines from the Marechal Foch grape for nearly 30 years now, and it seems of late I am increasingly impressed with the wines I have encountered, including examples from British Columbia, Oregon, Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Mexico, and Wisconsin. The versatility, both of styles and regional distinctions, is no small part of my amazement with this grape.

This is about the third or fourth vintage I’ve tasted of Wollersheim’s Domaine du Sac (90% Marechal Foch, 10% Leon Millot) from the Lake Wisconsin AVA, and they have all been consistently well crafted and reflective of their region and cold climate growing conditions. The 2005 has a nose marked by grapey-berry fruit aromas and blueberries with violet floral notes – evidence of the wine’s partial carbonic maceration treatment, and winemaker Philippe Coquard’s Beaujolais roots. There is also a sweetness to the nose (not that you can actually smell ‘sweet’) like citrus and tangerine marmalade. This, combined with a mild pungency, reminds me of a cherry reduction game sauce. All these aromas carry through to the palate where the bright fruit flavors are strung together on a chord of acidity that carries them long into the finish.

What I like most about this wine is the confidence it carries itself with – a brilliant red wine from the upper Midwest, and proud of it, making no attempt to masquerade as anything else. Wines like this are a testament to the diversity that can be found in American wines, when winemakers allow the origin of their wines to deliver their message of place.

Reviewed March 27, 2008 by Adam Dial.