Maker: Left Foot Charley, Traverse City, Michigan, USA.
Grower: Gill’s Pier, Northport, Michigan, USA
Grapes: 53% Merlot, 47% Cabernet Franc. Field blend.
Place of origin: Gill’s Pier estate, Leelanau Peninsula AVA, Northport, Michigan, USA.
Vintage: 2013 (final year for Gill’s Pier)
ABV: 12.5%
Purchased for $33 (Holiday Market)
Appearance: Dark purple.
Nose: Blackberry, blueberry, amaretto, tiny bit of oak.
Palate: Medium bodied. Dry with fruit jam. with some tannic grip on the back end.
Finish: Light, drying. Acid and oak.
Parting words: My first review of 2013 Gill’s Pier Cadia was a video review back in April of 2020. I liked it then and I like it now even more! Bottle aging has mellowed the tannins even further, allowing the fruit to become even more prominent, and the wine even more balanced. There were clear changes to the wine over three years, despite it being under a screw cap. This puts to rest any doubt in my mind as to whether screw top wine ages in the bottle or not. It clearly does.
Sadly, Gill’s Pier is now an alpaca and yak (!) farm, but I do still have a couple more bottles from them to taste as a part of the 2012 Project. I had planned for the project to wrap up around now, but 2023 was a very busy year for a variety of reasons, so I’m behind. Never fear, though, we will finish the project in 2024!
Left Foot Charley’s 2013 Gill’s Pier Cadia is recommended.
