lummi island wine tasting april 11 ’15
Bread Friday (sign up for preorder list! )
This week’s breads: Janice H brings fresh bread to the wine shop shortly after 4pm each Friday…
Pain au Levain – think of it as French sourdough; mostly bread flour with fresh milled whole wheat and rye for a nice, chewy bread with a great crust. – $5/loaf.
Flax Seed & Dried Currant Ciabatta. Includes a bit of fresh milled whole wheat and rye plus flax seeds and dried currants; too hydrated for shaping loaves, so just cut into chunks before baking. – $5/piece.
Traditional Bagels! Yep– shaped, boiled, topped with seeds, and baked– plain, sesame seed, poppy seed, or mixed sesame and poppy. Limited, so order early! — 4 for $5.
Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate
For a few months there our Chocolate corner was looking pretty empty. A couple of weeks ago we restocked with our favorites from both Theo Chocoloate in Seattle, and Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate in Arcata, CA. Both make their chocolate “from bean to bar,” and then combine it with other quality ingredients like sea salt, ginger, dried fig, coffee bean, coconut, or spices to produce delectable, addictive, and satisfying (and Good for you!) taste sensations.
Chocolate fan…? Come on by and try some samples! click photo for larger view
Evolution
One thing we can safely presume about Evolution is that it really doesn’t care if anyone Believes in it. At the moment I am curious about the way we think about Evolution…as if it is something that happens to US, which is a really slippery concept, especially when we talk about “humans” evolving into Something Greater, usually in some metaphysical sense. Some part of us hopes that We Personally will Evolve into something “Greater.”
This of course begs the question, who or what “evolves?” Certainly not a particular entity like you or me, because it is a Process, after all, and any being can only be, you know, one species at a time: This begets That, which begets Those, one of which begets one of These, and so on, until in some little pocket in Time and Space there exists for a time some group of beings of a new and unique Particular Sort, doing their little Dance for the sweet moment Their Music plays. According Darwin’s logic, such entities are optimized for that Time and Niche by a long process of trial and error, and what worked best got to keep working for a while. Survival is its own Reward, and maybe that’s the point.
But really, can we take any particular comfort in imagining that we bloodthirsty, conniving, scheming (think Golllum) bipeds will someday evolve into some more adaptable, more sophisticated, more wonderful beings? Maybe what we really hope for is that our species (and therefore by inference, “we”) actually has some Noble characteristics that will keep us in The Game in some form for, you know, Eons. Ah, sure, why not, let’s lift a glass and wish our Dear Species “Hey, Good Luck with That!”
All Betz are off!
Again we are pouring from our library of Betz wines; this week we are pouring the 2009 Cote Rousse Red Mountain Syrah , Bob’s ongoing ode to Northern Rhone wines, or as he puts it: ‘This year’s blend of Syrah La Côte Rousse is nearly equal portions of our two Red Mountain Syrah vineyard sources, Ciel du Cheval and Ranch at the End of the Road. Once again the synergy between these two sites and the four clones creates a blend of power, complexity and completeness.”
By the way, this blend is often my favorite of the annual Betz lineup; maybe its dark, brooding style just resonates with my basic dark, brooding Scorpio nature…!
Our Betz special sale will continue until we have whittled down our inventory a bit.
Here’s the deal: Buy one Betz wine at the sticker price, and take off an additional 10% on any additional bottles. AND, if you are a wine club member, WE PAY SALES TAX!
See detailed tasting notes below.
This week’s tasting
Dom. Tremblay Quincy ’12 Loire Valley France $18
Nose of yellow grapefruit, tangerine and sea air. Suave, fine-grained and concentrated, with zesty green apple & citrus flavors with a surprisingly creamy mouthfeel and finish.
Chateau Virgile Rose ’13 France $12 (grenache-syrah); Musky aromas of red berries and cherry pit; Dry and nervy with a floral nuance that gains power with air; tightly wound and vivacious enough to work with a wide range of foods.
Palacios Vendimia Rioja ’12 Spain $15
50/50 Garnacha and Tempranillo. Aromatic, with notes of flowers, wild strawberries and licorice. The palate is fruity, with velvety tannins and good acidity– a quaffable young Rioja.
Rio Madre Rioja ’13 Spain 90pts $10
Smoky blackcurrant, cherry and violet aromas with good clarity and zesty mineral lift. Juicy and focused on the palate, with bitter cherry and dark berry flavors; Finishes with strong punch, sneaky tannins and lingering berry and floral qualities.
Betz Cote Rousse Red Mountain Syrah ’09 Washington 94pts $50
Good bright medium ruby. Tight, pure aromas of black raspberry, strawberry, white pepper and flowers, complicated by a sexy apricot quality. Suave on entry, then spicy and aromatic in the middle, with firm acidity and a repeating note of white pepper contributing to the impression of sharp definition. This dense, supple wine is very long on the aftertaste.
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