Come along to explore new flavors on the U.S. wine scene

Do any of my readers have a sweet tooth? If so, step into a time machine and imagine biting into the first chocolate chip cookie, chewy-gooey and warm, straight from Ruth Graves Wakefield's Toll House kitchen in 1938. Does anyone like pizza? If so, transport yourself to 1943 and imagine digging into the first deep-dish pizza created by Chef Rudy Malnati - according to Chicago lore - for Pizzeria Uno.

You would also need a time machine to experience new flavors - others than those dictated by climate change - in Old World wine countries, which have been limited by law and lack of new land for centuries. But in the U.S., producers can combine new technology, new techniques and new regions with tradition to offer exciting new flavors to our adventurous wine-drinking public. Ask your retailer for these two wines or shop online and treat your palate to these new flavors in our ever-evolving U.S. vineyard:

M by Michael Mondavi Family, 2018 (Napa Valley, California)

$200; Distributed in Illinois by Breakthru Beverage, Cicero

It made sense to plant vineyards on the valley floor to early Napa winegrowers, including Cesare Mondavi. Sure, mountain viticulture was the norm back home in Italy, but only to save accessible land for foodstuffs that were less hardy than the grapevine. Cesare's descendants took his little valley farther than he could have dreamed. In 1966, his son founded the Robert Mondavi Winery. With his sons - Michael and Tim - the Mondavi's championed Napa Valley worldwide, toppling France's centuries-old dominance of wine. Today, in addition to tourism, world-class wine and general goodwill, Napa Valley has an annual $50 billion impact on the U.S. economy, according to Napa Valley Vintners.

In 1999, Michael, wife Isabel, son Rob Jr., and daughter Dina founded a new estate, with vineyards climbing 1,350 feet into the Vaca Range, overlooking Napa Valley. Vines have reduced water in these rocky, well-drained soils, yielding small grapes with intense color, flavor, tannin and texture. Following Cesare's tradition, farming focuses on biodiversity, allowing for the natural expression of each vineyard. The Mondavis also rely on up-to-date technology, including declassified NASA data on a soil analysis to improve vine yields. After gentle harvest, pressing and short maceration to preserve fruit, the final wine is matured in the family's finest barrels, 60% new French oak, for 20 months. Production is limited to 404 cases.

Tasting M is like meeting a remarkable individual whose charisma is more than the sum of simple attributes such as "piercing blue eyes."

From my tasting in May 2023, this Cabernet-based blend expresses saturated color, lean and muscular entry evolving into flamboyant dark fruit flavor, finishing with dense textures and pleasing grit. Serve it with a rich protein or enjoy on its own as a vino da meditazione for an unencumbered encounter with this extraordinary character.

Shou Blanc, Wyncroft LePage Estate, 2021 (Fennville, Michigan)

$30 plus shipping from the Wyncroft Shop, wyncroftwine.com/. (Note: There is both a red and white Shou.)

Distributed in Illinois by Cream Wine Company, Chicago

Exploring new wine can involve several strategies. First, try being a sommelier and ask, what's the grape? In the case of Shou (meaning longevity, pronounced show), it's a blend of sauvignon blanc and Semillon. The soil? Millennia of forest compost covering iron, zinc, granite and heavy clay, providing ample nutrients and water. The climate? Coastal, with a large body of water moderating temperature. The culture, including winemaking? Semillon is aged in Acacia barrels for six months; some sauvignon blanc is in neutral Damy French oak.

Finally, certified cork dorks love to guess the region. The "rain on rocks" minerality, rich acidity and complex finish suggest France's Bordeaux. Ripe fruit points to coastal California. But even a Master Sommelier would be forgiven for not identifying Fennville. Or even for not knowing where Fennville is. (By the way, it's Michigan.)

"The vine doesn't care if it's in France, California or Michigan," jokes Jim Lester, 30-year pioneer of Michigan winegrowing. As Wyncroft winemaker and co-owner, Lester invokes the alchemy created by man, plant and planet. He sources his vines from 10 nurseries, with clones originating in France's Sancerre, Bordeaux and Italy's Friuli. He relies on southwest Michigan's geological features created during the Ice Age. And while highly experimental, Lester is committed to traditional farming, using no irrigation, chemical fertilizer, or excess winemaking, to allow wine flavors to express the land's unique personality, the classic concept of "gout de terroir."

"I'm no genius," he laughs. "The grapes just like it here."

Another way to explore new wine is pleasure, and for me, that means wine with food. Shou's minerality, acid and delicate herbal accents were fantastic with goat's milk cheese, sushi and grilled salmon. The wine had me dreaming of oysters and Sole Meunière.

Jim's Madron Lake Hills Gewurztraminer taught me an important lesson 30 years ago. One sniff of the wine's vibrant, natural aroma transported me to happy hours playing in my family's fruit tree orchard. I realized that the sensory experience of fine wine could transport a person beyond day-to-day boundaries. And you don't even need a time machine.

• Mary Ross is an Advanced Sommelier (Court of Master Sommeliers), a Certified Wine Educator (Society of Wine Educators) and recipient of the Wine Spectator's "Grand Award of Excellence." Write to her at food@dailyherald.com.