One Lucky Dude!

That one Lucky Dude would just happen to be me! First John Peppler found the property, Maynard consulted and gave great encouragement, Doug Matthies designed a state of the art production facility (which is now 98% complete) and planted 15,000 plants, and now, Shawn Walters is Forty-Five North’s winemaker. For those of you attuned to the Michigan wine industry know that Shawn is the foremost, emminent winemaker in the state. To say that he is a child prodigy gives away my age and as you know, all is relative. His accolades run deep, one could paper a wall with all his awards and trim the room with the gold medal ribbons. His most recent ribbons include the cab franc at the Michigan State Fair and Number Uno ratings from MichWine.com for his pinot grigios and Rieslings. As we’ve discussed, the tanks are on the way and we will be in production yet this summer. Shawn is a genuine family man and will be discussing future wines and other wine topics on this site. Please stay tuned to the Detroit Free Press The Detroit News website for an update on Shawn and Forty-Five North. I am confident that Shawn and Doug will lead Forty-Five North for the next 40 years and take Leelanau Peninsula AVA to its rightful place of imminence in the country’s wine industry. I have my Riedel glass ready and waiting. As a toast, I raise my glass to all my old, new, and to be friends, Salute!

Ciao for now,
Steve