lummi island wine tasting april 29 ’16
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Friday Breads (contact us to get on the pre-order list!)
Sonnenblumentbrot – aka Sunflower Seed Bread – Made with with regular bread flour with coarsely milled rye added for texture and flavor, a little bit of malt strip for sweetness and then loaded with toasted sunflower seeds. A great all around bread – $5/loaf.
Breton Bread – Reflects the Brittany region in France by incorporating both buckwheat and fresh milled rye into the bread. The salt is the mineralized gray salt from the region. A good hearty bread packed with flavor – $5/loaf.
And, for a bit of pastry:
Pain aux Raisin – Made with the same laminated dough as the croissants last week; rolled out, spread with pastry cream, sprinkled with golden raisins and dried cranberries soaked in rum, rolled up, sliced, and baked. My oh my these are good! 2/$5.
Cloudlift New Releases
On Tuesday this past week I drove to Seattle for a tasting of some of the Kermit Lynch French import portfolio, wines always worth exploring. I also took occasion to drop in on winemaker and Friend of the Wine Shop Tom Stangeland, whose Cloudlift wines we have been featuring over the last few years. As usual we had a great chat while tasting some wine and nibbling some cheese and charcuterie (and, OMD, that’s just from dropping in unexpectedly!). Fortunately for all of you, I brought home a couple of new releases (2015 Rosé and 2014 Chardonnay) as well as another case of the delightful 2012 “Ascent” Cab Franc which was such a big hit with all of you last summer, (and which we will be pouring again this weekend!)
Tom also explained that this will be only the second vintage of his rosé, and went on to tell quite a convoluted tale of how last year’s fruit came to be far higher in residual sugar and lower in acidity than he would have liked. (Side note: this fact was not lost on our own dear Wine Professional Judy A, who picked up these nuances immediately.) It is good news that arvest conditions last year suggest that this new Rosé will be dryer and crisper than last year. As Tom explained in our rambling conversation, it takes two or three swings at making wine from any particular varietal and vineyard before a winemaker can start to “dial it in.” However it works, I really like these wines and invite all of you to come on by this weekend and check out the new Rosé and revisit the old Ascent!
Blowing the Whistle on “Austerity”
Every once in a while there is a Voice telling us something that is Obvious, in Plain Sight, just like the Mythical New Clothes of the Emperor. Actually, there are often such voices, but for some reason we don’t believe them. Why is that?
This question evokes the offbeat, delightful musical animation from decades ago called “The Point,” with music written by gifted poet-songwriter Harry Nillson. In one scene our Childlike Innocence Archetype Oblio is talking to an Ancient cliff-face aka “Mr. Rock,” who tells Oblio “you see what ya wanna see…,” which Oblio, being the Archetype of Innocence that he is, totally does not grok.
Mr. Rock elaborates, something like: “Okay, so let’s go at this a different way…you ever been to France?” To which Oblio says in a small voice, “No.” “Okay,” says Mr. Rock, so, you ever been to New Delhi?” To which Oblio says, “Um, no.”
“See?,” says Mr. Rock, “That’s exactly my point: You go where you wanna go, you see what you wanna see!”
This interview today on ‘Democracy NOW! with former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis, provides the same kind of Revelation about Global Capitalism. Some People are calling him the Most Interesting Man in the World. (Which, admittedly, would mean a lot more if the Title had not been pre-empted by, you know, a TV Beer Ad…) All you need to know is that this man has a Clear View of how the Big Choo-Choo of Modern Capitalism has rocketed Off the Tracks, dragging Boxcar after Boxcar off the Rails and into A Surreal Abyss in which even the Most Destitute must toil for an Eternity to pay their assigned share of of debt for assets that Never Actually Existed. Read more
Boat Kit Confusion
Last week I mentioned that the “frame kit” for my boat project had arrived. And I included a photo of a similar boat under construction. Well under construction! So it is not unreasonable that a few people thought my project was actually at the advanced stage shown in that photo. Mais non, mes amis, I am sorry to say, it is not so. In fact, what I have at the moment is a wooden crate with a bunch of pre-cut pieces which will form the skeleton of the boat. (See this YouTube video). All I have managed to do so far is open the crate, remove and inventory the pieces, and put the pieces back in. I still need to buy the special plywood which will form the bottom and side strakes.
There is also the matter of clearing out ten years of junk and clutter from my old pottery studio to make room for the boat project. Progress is being made, but slowly. And the first actual building project will be to build the platform (jig– see video) the boat will rest on while being built. Stay tuned. And best get comfortable and be patient. This could definitely take a while!
This week’s wine tasting
Chateau Lamothe Bordeaux Blanc ’12 France $14
Bright and engaging, with fresh grapefruit and Meyer lemon pulp notes backed by a flash of straw on the open-knit finish. Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle.
Cloudlift “Lucy” Rosé ’15 Washington $14
100% Cabernet Franc; nose of fresh ripe strawberries with a touch of citrus that continues on through a long, crisp finish.
Domaine La Croix Belle Caringole ’12 France $10
Syrah, Carignan and Merlot blend from Languedoc’s Cotes de Thongue region; fresh and supple with flavours of cherry, and black olive, and herbs.
Palama Negroamaro ’12 Italy $10
Elegantly expansive, rich and robust, with silky mouthfeel, layered aromas of steeped spices, and palate of blackberry jam with accents of cinnamon, leather, tobacco and smoke.
Cloudlift Ascent ’12 Washington $27
80% cab franc, 18% merlot, 2% petit verdot; aromas of black cherry, dark strawberry, sweet herbs and notes of minerality; light and silky mouthfeel with flavors of black cherry, cocoa powder and crushed herbs with bright acidity and hints of toasted almond on the finish. read more
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