UnwindWine: Le Bourgeois Winery and Vineyards Rochport, Missouri

Le Bourgeois Winery and Vineyards, Blufftop Restaurant, Rochport, Missouri

Heading back to Chicago from Kansas City, we took the 'normal' interstate highway route along I70. Halfway across the state, where I70 crosses the Missouri River at the exit for Rocheport, MO, is the Le Bourgeois Winery and Vineyards, arguably one of the more extensive and prolific producers in the state.

Les Bourgeois Vineyards is family owned and operated by Curtis and Martha Bourgeois, in historic Rocheport, just one mile north of I-70, at the crossing of the Missouri River, midway between Kansas City and St. Louis.

They operate three facilities comprising Les Bourgeois Vineyards, the Tasting Room & Gift Shop at the interstate Rocheport exit, adjacent to the winery production facility, The Bistro Restaurant, a blufftop restaurant overlooking the Missouri River, and the A-Frame Winegarden.

The Winegarden is a rustic A-Frame structure overlooking the Missouri River near Rocheport, site of the original Les Bourgeois Winery, serves American 'picnic fare' with the line-up of Le Bourgeois wines.

Cory Bomgaars, head of Winery Operations and Partner at Les Bourgeois Vineyards, studied at the University of Missouri, then viticulture and enology at the notable U of Cal, Davis, is currently President of the Missouri Vintners Association.

The highlight destination worthy site is the Bistro Restaurant sitting high atop the bluff with spectacular views overlooking the Missouri River with a view downriver of the Interstate 70 bridge crossing the river.

Le Bourgeois produce two dozen different wines - dry, semi-sweet and sweet, a dozen reds, eleven whites, a blush and a dessert wine. They source from fruit they grow on over a hundred acres of vineyards along the Missouri River and other regional growers.

They grow on their 120 acres of vineyards, the Missouri state grape Norton, Missouri St. Vincent, Chardonnel, Vidal, Catawba and Aromella, a hybrid white varietal, developed at Cornell, that is new to Les Bourgeois Vineyards.

They produce and market a Collector's Series of 'premium' labels of select wines.

Beyond the Le Bourgeois Collector's Series, since 1985, they have also produced a premium line of wines branded Blufftop Cellars, commemorating the blufftop restaurant overlooking the Missouri River, that they note "is the expression of decades of experience and a lifetime of collaboration with fellow vintners across the country."

This line of 'premium' labels consists of four labels, a premium priced Cabernet Franc/Merot, a Cabernet Franc and a Cabernet Sauvignon, priced at $45, $60 and $75, double and treble the prices of the Le Bourgeois standard labels. These wines are designated "American" denoting the fruit is sourced from somewhere in the US, with no further specificity.

The Blufftop Cellars labels feature a rendering of the blufftop restaurant on the wine labels, an original work from artist Joel Sager.

They just released a twenty year old fortified dessert wine, Le Bourgeois Rocheport Reserve, bottled to commemorate the Missouri State bi-centennial, also twenty years of service of the Le Bourgeois winemaker.

They also produce several wines from fruit they source from California suppliers in Lodi and Clarksburg in the Central Valley. They produce an American Red Blend from traditionally Spanish varieties – Alvarelhão, Tinto Cao, and Souzao – all grown in Lodi, California, and a Syrah that they produce, also from fruit imported from Lodi.

While we were there, they were unloading and 'crushing' Petit Sirah grapes trucked in from Lodi, California.

We started at the tasting room hospitality center tasting a flight of wines outside on the patio watching the crew unload and crush grapes just arrived from California.

We then drove a mile up the road to the Bistro Restaurant for lunch on the patio with magnificent vista views overlooking the Missouri River.

One mile up the road towards the town of Rocheport are their Restaurant and Winegarden sites. There at that location is a six acre vineyard of Missouri Norton grapes adjacent an entertainment venue where they were holding their annual crush party.

Our tasting flight included the following wines, tasting notes are all from the winemaker/producer unless otherwise noted:

The Whites -

Le Bourgeois Estate Chardonel 2019 - Estate Bottled Chardonel combines crisp pear and apple aromas with light oak to create an exquisite, full-bodied, dry white wine with a steely finish.

This was our favorite of the whites with nice pear fruits and hints of green apple - RM 87/88.

Le Bourgeois Solay - The 2020 vintage release of a blend of Chardonel, Vidal Blanc, Vignoles, with no oak aging to mask the intense tropical fruit overtones, this wine is blended with 100% of the best white grape varietals grown in Missouri. RM - Excessive acids overpower the tropical fruits - 86.

This was our least favorite of the whites coming across a bit tart with excessive acidity.

Le Bourgeois Vignobles - 2019 vintage release of this 100% Missouri Vignobles, a rich floral nose, this fresh white wine delivers a hint of sweetness and a crisp subtle finish.

The Reds -

Le Bourgeois Norton - A full-bodied, dry red wine showcases the unique characteristics of Norton, the state grape of Missouri. A bouquet of violet and spicy earth tones with rich fruit flavors linger through a light tannin finish. RM - Think forest floor with hint of mint.

Le Bourgeois Fleur Du Vin - A non-vintage blend of the St. Vincent and Chambourcin grapes, semi-dry red wine with soft character and a light and fruity aroma is broadly appealing and reveals the uniqueness of the Missouri St. Vincent grape.

Le Bourgeois Collector's Series Syrah - This is produced from Syrah grapes grown in Lodi, California, processed in Rocheport, aged in American Oak barrels for 24 months. Blackberry, black currants, and tar are the dominant aromas, fruit forward Syrah with warm and lingering notes of candied ginger and a perfectly ripened fruit finish. RM - Black fruits with notes of tar.

Each year, Le Bourgeois invite Missouri artists to submit artworks to be selected for use on their artist series labels - Aromella and Syrah shown left.

Le Bourgeois Collector's Series Chambourcin 2018 - Aroma of Ranier cherries bursts through in this dark, garnet red wine followed by balanced tannin structure on the pallet, acid profile is bracing and will assuage as this wine ages. RM - Tannins with fruits overtaken by excessive acids.

American Red - A blend of traditionally Spanish varieties – Alvarelhão, Tinto Cao, and Souzao – all grown in Lodi, California, an easy-to-drink, balanced dry red wine. The grapes underwent fermentation and maceration all together in a single tank, allowing their sensory qualities to intermingle from the earliest possible moment. Post fermentation, this unique wine was aged in 2 year old American oak barrels for 14 months. Black raspberry is the dominant fruit character both in the nose and on the palate.

We also tasted:

Le Bourgeois Rochport Reserve 20 Year Dessert Wine - interesting by not sufficiently inspiring to justify the $95 release price. This was nostalgic for the producer as it was produced in his first year, then aged and held for twenty years until release.

Following our tasting at the hospitality center, we drove a mile up the road towards the town of Rocheport where they have a six acre vineyard, a recreation area and the Blufftop Restaurant. The restaurant has three levels, two for special event space with the main dining room on the middle 'ground' entry level. There we had lunch on the patio with a spectacular view looking over the Missouri River basin from the high viewpoint.

Video of Blufftop Restaurant overlook of the Missouri River

We had a delightful lunch where we tasted their premium Blufftop Cellars wines with a delectable burgers, fries and a salad with the starter Warm Brie on Pastry with apples, poached cranberries, fresh berries, pecans and Jeaunette Rouge gastriche (shown below).