WHOLE CLUSTER RIESLING

As Michigan’s self-declared House of Riesling, Chateau Grand Traverse has built its reputation over five decades on the strength, purity, and versatility of this noble grape. Yet even in our cellar, Whole Cluster Riesling stands apart—a wine that invites curiosity, defies expectation, and earned a rare, 93-point review from Decanter Magazine, placing it among the most respected Rieslings in North America.

The name refers to the technique: rather than separating the fruit from the stems before pressing, we ferment entire clusters of hand-harvested Riesling grapes. This Old World-inspired method extracts more phenolic complexity from the skins and stems, adding subtle texture and a layered aromatic profile. The result is a Riesling that walks the line between lean precision and structured richness—a wine of elevated energy, mineral drive, and refined tension.

In the glass, it shows a pale gold hue with silver-green highlights. Aromatics are lifted and nuanced: white peach, Meyer lemon, lime blossom, and crushed stone, with underlying hints of green tea, flint, and fennel pollen. The palate is tightly focused yet expressive, marked by dry extract, stony minerality, and crisp acidity—hallmarks of both whole cluster fermentation and the cool-climate terroir of Old Mission Peninsula.

Where many Rieslings from warmer regions lean into overt sweetness or tropical fruit, this bottling favors precision and structure, in the tradition of Germany’s Mosel Trocken or Austria’s Wachau Federspiel styles. Yet it remains uniquely Michigan: shaped by Lake Michigan’s moderating influence, our long daylight hours and cool harvest nights, and the glacial soils that lend grip and salinity to the finish.

Accolades:

• 93 Points – Decanter Magazine
• “This is Riesling with presence—pure, textural, and quietly thrilling.”

Terroir Insight:
The Riesling grapes for this wine come from our estate vineyards on Old Mission Peninsula, where glacial deposits of sandy loam and mineral-rich marl lend a signature tautness to the wines. Whole cluster fermentation magnifies that natural edge, emphasizing linearity over volume and structure over fruit weight. This is Riesling for those who enjoy wines with backbone, tension, and detail.

Cellaring Note:
Built to age with elegance, this wine will evolve gracefully over the next 5–8 years. Expect the emergence of dried citrus peel, petrol, beeswax, and savory herbal notes with time in bottle.

Food Pairing Ideas: 

• Omnivore
  • Roast chicken with preserved lemon; Lake fish with tarragon
• Vegitarian
  • Savory onion tart; Herbed goat cheese and cucumber wraps
• Vegan
  • Celery root salad; Almond risotto with grilled leeks