Finally here! Famously known for their "Winter White" wine in the blue bottle. Leelanau Cellars is located on the extreme northwest tip, or pinky finger of Michigan, right on the shore of Lake Michigan. The winery's address is 7161 N West Bay Shore Dr, Northport, MI 49670. It is a Leelanau Peninsula must. I plan on visiting the winery this summer and I'll have an update to this post once I go.
Leelanau Cellars is quite famous, with their wines winning awards every year. You can also find their wine in pretty much every grocery store, wine shop, party store and gas station in the state. Their wine comes at very attractive prices, many times anywhere from $6 to $13 depending on what style you get. With the abundance of wine distributed you may have heard of Leelanau Cellars.
What other wines do they have besides "Winter White?" Let's check it out!
Apricot: A smooth and sweet wine full of apricot flavor that is ideally served chilled.
Autumn Harvest: Light to medium-bodied blended table wine, full of ripe berry flavors including raspberries and tart cherries. It is an easy-to-drink everyday red with a slight earth finish that lingers on the palate. This wine is great for gatherings that include guests who prefer a dry red wine.
Pairings: Tomato based pasta sauces, pork chops, pizza, lasagna, grilled vegetables, and chili.
Back Noir Rosé: Aromas of candied plums, strawberries, and wildflowers will tantalize your nose while flavors of fresh tart cherries, raspberries, and cranberries will enliven your palate. This rosé has a distinctly acidic quality. The wine’s low alcohol content makes it a great wine for summer enjoyment.
Pairings: When served chilled, this wine will be a perfect complement with artisan cheeses, seafood, spicy Asian foods, and salads.
Blueberry: 100% blueberry wine is ruby red and sweet, reminiscent of the fruit picked fresh from the patch with a subtle lingering hint of spices and nuts.
Pairings: Pairs well with Brie cheese & cherry chicken salad, as well as desserts like cheesecake, lemon bars, and fresh fruit.
Cabernet Franc: The nose of this Cabernet Franc is full of violets with a slight herbaceous quality and has slight tannins and a medium body. Dark fruit flavors including fresh black currants, plums and sweet cherries are abundant and palate pleasing.
Pairings: Grilled red meats, pot roasts, beef stroganoff, and roasted tomato sauces.
Chardonnay: Barrel-aged estate grown Chardonnay grapes make up this well balanced Chardonnay which is medium in body and weight and full of caramel and vanilla nuances that will linger on your palate. The defined oak nuances and crisp acidity are reminiscent of traditional French Burgundy or cool climate Chardonnay.
Pairings: Creamy Alfredo sauces, cheesy polenta, grilled chicken, salmon, crab cakes, pork, duck and veal.
Cherry: Made from Northern Michigan Montmorecy tart cherries, this 100% pure cherry wine has a tangy character and has been recognized for providing beneficial antioxidants. Enjoy this wine served ice cold or mixed with seltzer and a lemon wedge to make a refreshing summer spritzer.
Pairings: Recommended using this wine in sauces over poultry or pork.
Cranberry: This wine is full of intense cranberry flavor and delicious served cold, or you can also use it in your homemade sangria, spritzers and cocktails.
Dry Riesling: Light in body and crisp on the palate, this award winning wine is loaded with flavors and aromas of fresh lemon, crisp green apples and pears. Subtle underlying minerality and a crisp lively acidity lends this Riesling to a multitude of foods.
Pairings: Seared sea scallops, grilled shrimp, mild fish dishes, salads and light appetizers.
Great Lakes Red: Award winning 100% Concord grape wine is perfect for picnics, tailgating and entertaining. It is semi-sweet and quite refreshing when served chilled… like your favorite grape juice with an extra special kick.
Pairings: Cheese and sausage trays, BBQ and picnic fare or simply on its own.
Late Harvest Riesling: A sweeter version of Riesling harvested after the grapes freeze on the vine. Pairs best with desserts.
Late Harvest Vidal: A sweeter version of Vidal harvested after the grapes freeze on the vine. Pairs best with desserts.
Meritage: This Meritage is a blend of estate-grown Cabernet Sauvigon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot grapes. Full-bodied with refined tannins from aging in French oak barrels the texture and feel is silky, smooth and elegant. Aromas of red violets and dark purple flowers are distinct to the nose and robust dark fruit flavors are abundant on the finish.
Pairings: Grilled steaks or any red meat, pork roasts, sharp cheeses, mushrooms, and grilled vegetables.
Merlot: This Estate grown merlot has spent over a year in American Oak. This full-bodied wine with refined tannins is full of cassis and black currant aromas. The palate is intense with ripe tart cherry and red berry flavors to be enjoyed with robust foods.
Pairings: Grilled meats, Italian sausage, pork roasts, and wild game.
Pear: They use local pears to make this 100% pear fruit wine, sure to remind you of autumn in Northern Michigan whether you have visited or not.
Pairings: Perfect on its own, chilled if you prefer or reduced to a sauce over ice cream and cobbler.
Pinot Noir: This delicate, light-bodied wine has an abundance of red berry aromas and flavors which include red currant, tart cherry, and red raspberry. The subtle spiciness that is present on the palate is reminiscent of the delicacy of white pepper. The somewhat acidic nature of this wine makes it a perfect accompaniment to a meal. This wine will help cleanse your palate while maintaining the bright fruit flavors and slight floral aromas that are sure to linger well beyond your last sip.
Pairings: Grilled salmon, swordfish, duck, chicken, pork, pheasant and quail as well as grilled mushrooms, roasted squash and creamy risotto.
Raspberry: Their highly-in-demand 100% raspberry wine will fill your palate with mouthwatering intensity and is sure to enliven your senses. Serve chilled on its own or as a refreshing spritzer mixed with seltzer over ice.
Pairings: Dark chocolate, cheesecake or fresh fruit.
Red Sangria: This is a semi-sweet wine that is blended with natural citrus flavors and secret spices. This refreshing drink is a great choice when entertaining and should be served chilled over ice with an assortment of chopped fresh fruit.
Pairings: Perfect compliment to slightly spicy foods such as Mexican, Spanish and South American cuisine.
Renaissance: If you enjoy semi-dry wines with your meals, this wine is a perfect accompaniment to fish or chicken. It is a medium-bodied blend of our finest wines in the cellar. It is full of tropical fruit flavors, yet dry on the finish.
Reserve Chardonnay: This 100% estate grown Chardonnay is made from grapes that have been barrel aged for over a year. This wine has an extremely smooth texture and a luscious full mouth feel. Flavors of vanilla, crème brulee and butterscotch are abundant.
Pairings: Salmon, lobster, crème based sauces, and bisques.
Tall Ship Riesling: This semi-sweet Riesling is layered with ripe fruit flavors including fresh peaches, apricots, baked apples and pears. It is perfect when enjoyed on its own but it nicely accompanies most entrees and desserts.
Pairings: Sharp cheeses, smoked fish, and assorted fresh fruit.
Semi-Dry Riesling: This is very versatile and can be enjoyed anytime and anywhere. Stainless steel fermentation allows the delicate characteristics of the Riesling grape to exist unadulterated. It is off-dry with plenty of ripe citrus aromas and flavors and is crisp to the palate and a great choice to drink with slightly spicy dishes.
Pairings: Pairs well with foods that are difficult to compliment including aromatic Indian curries and spicy Asian cuisine.
Sleeping Bear Red: This wine is a Burgundy-style blend of five different grapes. This wine contains Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Baco Noir, and Pinot Noir. This wine is light-to-medium bodied with definite tart cherry and red currant flavors throughout. The addition of Cabernet gives this wine a bit of backbone and structure.
Pairings: Tomato sauces, pork roasts, rotisserie chicken, quail, and duck.
Spiced: A blend of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and other natural spices, this wine is a crowd pleaser. Perfect for entertaining, this wine will explode with intense flavor when served warm but can also be served chilled as an ingredient in sangria.
Spring Splendor: Their delightful semi-dry table wine is full of lush fruit flavors and is a perfect accompaniment to a meal, an afternoon picnic or can simply be enjoyed on its own. (This wine will make you think of spring time regardless of your current season).
Pairings: A great wine to pair with brunch foods including crepes, and bagels and lox or light chicken and fish entrees.
Summer Sunset: Their semi-dry blush wine will fill your palate with flavors of fresh strawberry, honeydew melon and ripe cantaloupe. Perfect for a picnic or simply enjoying the Leelanau sunset from any vantage. (The best end to any summer evening).
Pairings: Assorted fruits and cheeses.
Sweet Red: This all-occasion table wine is an easy choice to serve when entertaining. Great for summer BBQ’s, picnics and any large festivities our semi-dry red is easy to drink and quite refreshing when served chilled.
Pairings: BBQ chicken, pulled pork, chili, pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, and ribs.
Tall Ship Chardonnay: Their Classic Chardonnay has a medium body, is ever-so-slightly off dry, and quite crisp. Plenty of citrus flavors and tropical aromas including fresh pineapple, ripe mango and star fruit are present.
Pairings: Pairs well with a wide variety of foods including chicken, seafood, grilled vegetables, whitefish, walleye, salmon, and pork.
Tall Ship Moscato: This is a sweet and crisp wine with notes of peach, apricot and citrus.
Pairings: Assorted fruits and fish.
Tall Ship Pinot Grigio: A bright, light to medium bodied wine that is full of sharp flavors of white grapefruit, fresh lemon and green apple and has a distinct nose full of lemongrass and cilantro. This Pinot Grigio is perfect as an aperitif before a meal or as an accompaniment to many meals.
Pairings: Crisp summer salads, chilled shrimp cocktail or fresh calamari, and chicken or vegetarian dishes.
Tall Ship Red: A favorite of visitors to the winery. This merlot and syrah blend is medium bodies, smooth and loaded with red and black berry flavors.
White Sangria: A blend of premium white grapes mixed with natural fruit juices, this summertime favorite has luscious, slightly spiced undertones and a medley of delicate tropical flavors as well as fresh ripe peaches, ripe honeydew melon and edible flowers.
Pairings: Recommend serving this sangria chilled over ice with assorted chopped seasonal fruit and fresh, sliced citrus rounds.
White Port: Fortified white, goes well with most desserts.
Witches Brew: It is our secret wine blend enhanced with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and other natural spices that makes this a crowd pleaser and favorite of Leelanau Cellars’ fans. Perfect for entertaining, this wine will explode with intense flavor when served warm but can also be served chilled as an ingredient in sangria. Witches Brew is perfect for campfires, tailgating, or any gathering (large or small) on a chilly evening.
Winter Green Apple Chill: Green Apple flavors blend impeccably with their classic Winter White wine creating the mildest of the three new fruit chills. So deliciously smooth that it just may become your new favorite wine.
Winter White: Their ever-popular table wine also known as “the wine in the blue bottle” is very similar to a Piesporter in style and is light-bodied and semi-sweet. Empty blue bottles of winter white have been used in many craft and design projects or simply converted to a lovely flower vase.
Pairings: Serve with appetizers, including cheese and crackers or pair it with chicken or fish for a meal.
Winter White Cherry Chill: Cherry flavor infused with the Winter White wine.
Winter White Mixed Berry: Wild Berry flavors are blended seamlessly with their classic Winter White wine to create a brand new, refreshing, light and semi-sweet white wine that is best served chilled and enjoyed anytime.
Winter White Peach Chill: Luscious Red Peach flavors brim from your glass after being seamlessly blended with their classic Winter White wine to create a brand new, refreshingly light, semi-sweet white wine that is best served chilled and enjoyed anytime. (My wife's favorite! Also, perfect on those hot summer days).
*Wine descriptions are brought to you by the Leelanau Cellars website. Anything in parentheses are my own remarks on the wine.
The options are endless at their winery. You can order their wine if you can't find the particular wine you want in your local store. If you want the tasting room experience they are open all year round, you can head up north where the tastings are free. You'll leave with a couple of bottles or a case, I can guarantee that.
Let me know what your favorite wine from Leelanau Cellars is? Cheers!