lummi island wine tasting 4th of july weekend ’14
Hours
One would think that after all these years someone would have figured out how to celebrate the 4th of July on a Monday, like all the other Holidays. But no, they let it be whatever day of the week it happens to fall upon, and that of course makes planning an annual challenge. This year the 4th is on a Friday, which makes it an official 3-day Holiday Weekend. Add to that the annual Rummage Sale and annual Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, and you’ve got yourself one crowded island. Hmm, note to self: let’s make sure we have plenty of Benadryl to help the dogs dope-cope with Everyone’s Brother’s All-night Fireworks…!
The essential take-away for all of you is that we will be CLOSED all day on Friday (the 4th) and we will be open our regular hours on Saturday, July 5: 2-6pm. We hope you can stop by!
The best beer in the Universe…?
Maybe it’s just a beer whose Time has come. I mean, although of course everyone’s daily conversation revolves around wine, no one (that I know!) ever talks about beer. So it is a point of some interest that after closing during Studio Tour a month ago our friend Tristan (who was pouring his imports) shared a post-wineshop bottle of a beer I had never heard of (actually there are quite possibly Tens of Thousands of beers I have never heard of!), called ‘Pliny the Elder,” made in Santa Rosa, California in the Russian River Valley where, by the way, a lot of excellent wine is also made. The first thing to know about this beer is that it is an IPA. The second thing is that in general I personally find IPA much too hoppy for my taste, definitely not a favorite. So it was doubly surprising to find that not only was this a good IPA, it was also quite possibly the best beer I had ever tasted, with lots of delicious flavor nuances and freshness.
Fast forward to last weekend when a young couple from the Bay Area dropped in, he wearing a Pliny the Younger T-shirt (photo left), and explaining that P the Y is Pliny’s on-tap brew. Little is made, and it is released once a year at the brewery to all-day lines of Faithful fans. This couple waited for (I’m not making this up…!) eight hours to get in for a relatively small taste of the mythic elixir. My understanding is that P the Y is in fact quite hoppy, a la your usual IPA, so I am not likely to line up anytime soon. However, if any of you run across any P the E in your travels, buy yourself some and also please pick up some for us, as apparently they have discontinued exporting it to our Fair State.
Pre-owned Pottery…?
Recently my oldest friend in these parts downsized into smaller digs, and was forced to pare down the huge collection of my pottery that he had accumulated over many years. So it is that I now have on consignment three of my very early pots, probably dating back to about the mid-eighties. The blue ones are porcelain, and the covered jar is raku. They will be on display at the wine shop until they can find new homes, all proceeds to go to their current owner. For my part, it is always a curious feeling to come face to face with one of my old creations…like old photographs, they are soaked in the past, yet here they are fresh and shining in this present moment. And, like petroglyphs, they could survive me by many, many years…an interesting thought.
Wine Club update
We are now in the second year of our Wine Club, and we are grateful to all of you who have made it a success, certainly for us, and hopefully for all of you who took advantage of club benefits like discounts on tasting and wine purchases. This year we seem to have let the wine club slide a bit, with the result that we seem to have lost some old members and failed to renew memberships for last year’s members.
In part this is due to our unfortunate decision to enroll members for a year beginning whenever they sign up, with the result that members have renewal dates stretching throughout the calendar year. We will post in the wine shop a list of members along with membership expiration dates. Next time you are in the shop, please check the list to see if it is past time to renew your membership…!
By the way— membership benefits have changed a bit for this calendar year, hopefully in the direction of simplicity. Annual dues are still $35, which continue to entitle members to save $5 on each regular wine tasting. In addition, we have done away with the white, pink, and red cards (based on wine purchases) in favor of a simpler system, with two basic components:
1. Members do not pay sales tax on any purchase of four or more bottles (an 8.7% savings!).
2. Members enjoy a 15% discount on any full-case special orders
This week’s tasting
Trevisiol “Rosecco” Sparkling Rosé Italy $15
Where prosecco meets rosé; Light and effervescent wine that dances on the tongue with fresh berries, lively acidity and gentle bubbles.
Reuilly “les Pierres Plates” ’12 France $18
Like neighbors Sancerre and Quincy, beautiful sauvignon blanc; Sage, black currant, gooseberry, and lime dominate both the nose and palate, where a suffusion of salt and chalk adds to a palpable sense of extract and invigoration…bring on the shellfish!
Zerran ’11 Spain 92pts $13
Old vines Garnacha, Mazuelo and Syrah from 1500′ hillsides, where soils are lime-bearing over a granite and slate subsoil. Quite arid with annual rainfall of about 25 in. Shows abundant kirsch, lavender, black raspberry and dusty, loamy, earthy scents intermixed with notions of spring flowers and blackberries.
Perazzeta Sara Rosso Toscano ‘ Italy $11
90% Sangiovese, 10% Ciliegiolo; Notes of bright cherry, crisp acidity, and tantalizing earth tones make this very pretty wine hard to resist…so why try??
Cougar Crest Dedication 7 ’10 Washington $18
Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Velvety and round, with gently pulsing flavors of currant and plum, hinting at clove, pepper and roasted meat notes as the finish lingers enticingly.
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2072 Granger Way