lummi island wine tasting august 8 ’14
Awwwwfully Cute…!
Sometime in the last couple of weeks I was working on a project in front of the garage/ wine shop when I heard a commotion in the bushes nearby along with a peculiar sort of shrieking. Curious but cautious, I tiptoed around the apparent source and found these three little rascals clinging to the base of an alder tree. It looked as though they couldn’t climb the tree (or maybe had instructions from Mom to stay put!), because they stayed right there for some while, pretty exposed to danger, or maybe just posing for photos. I have noted before that though I know lots of people don’t like raccoons (okay, so they are vandals of a sort), I find them beautiful and fascinating. These three are each the size of a small house cat, obviously very young, and completely endearing.
click images to enlarge
Smilin’ Jack
A zillion years ago (1950’s) when people my age were kids, there were a bunch of daily comic strips that lots of people followed. Many of them had started before WWII, and many had heroic main characters. One such strip was called “ Smilin Jack.” An aviation comic strip, it first appeared in October 1933 and ran until April, 1973. Jack was a suave yet rough-and tumble hero, always skirting some kind of jam, and all of his adventures involved glamorous gals and of course lots of airplanes. So obviously it is a very short step, or even shorter flight with Smilin’ Jack, to Lummi Island’s own legendary…
Happy Jack
I have been reminiscing about Smilin’ Jack because the past year has seen the final demise of the Happy Jack, the iconic rusting hulk of a steel-hulled fishing boat that has been occupying a prominent portion of the beach below Lovers’ Bluff for decades. Despite that romantic location, Happy Jack had the air of a retired old guy (I can totally identify with that!) who on completion of his years of service was dragged up on a beach and left to rot. We are moved to ask, “Who was Happy Jack? How did he come to such an ignominious end on an obscure island in the Pacific Northwest? Was he an unwitting pawn in some nefarious Land Grab? A hopeful idea that went Terribly Wrong? Probably we will never know. Now Jack has been reduced to a shipping container sized cube (left), leaving us with little to say except …so long, Jack…so long!
Unfortunately, in all those years I never took a photo of Jack…I mean, who ever imagined he would get cut up and hauled away for scrap? Instead, all we have is this very distant shot from last winter, a vague shape on the beach in the snow…a ghost, a wisp, someone’s dream, someone’s folly, someone’s burden, someone’s project…“so it goes,” as Kurt Vonnegut was fond of saying,
Devils You May or May Not Know
Various people have been telling us for some time that we should check out Gorman winery in Woodinville, and a few months ago we did, and found the wines very appealing. The style is definitely New World…the wines are well-crafted, big, fruit-forward, and extracted, perhaps more California style than most Washington wines. Maybe that’s not surprising, given the changing global climate– Washington may be the New California, huh…?
Anyway a few days ago I got an announcement from their distributor that these two wines have been recently released, so we decided to bring them in for a comparison tasting. As I understand it, “the Devil you Know” is a blend of cab sauv, syrah, and mourvedre, made in the usual Gorman style, and combining elements of Bordeaux grapes with Southern Rhone grapes, a sin that various Devils have been committing in many countries in recent decades. Maybe that’s the “Devil” part. The “Devil you Don’t Know” is more of an experiment, with a different blend, and different vineyards. Since we have tasted neither, we have no idea what to expect. But it is an interesting opportunity to compare and contrast one winemaker’s variations on a theme. Come by and check it out!
This week’s tasting
Albaro Castro Dão Branco ’12 Portugal $15
A lovely combination of fragrant crisp fruit and intense mineral notes. A blend of lemony and fragrant Encruzado, crisp and apricot-y Bical, and smoky-edge Cercial.
Borsao Rosado ’12 Spain $9
(100% Grenache) Spicy strawberry and orange zest on the nose, with a light floral quality. Dry, focused and refreshingly brisk, offering tangy redcurrant and strawberry flavors and a suggestion of tangerine.
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.
Gorman “The Devil You Know” ’12 Washington $28
50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Syrah, 8% Mourvedre; strong red pepper and rare beef flavors playing against ripe cherry and blueberry fruit, with crisp tannins and a sharp edge of acidity.
Gorman “The Devil You Don’t Know” ’12 Washington $28
Syrah, Mourvèdre and Petite Sirah; Supple and expressive with ripe fruit aromatics that veer toward savory, smoky grilled vegetable notes before returning to the dark berry and spice at the core. Focused finish.
This week’s tasting
This week’s tasting
This week’s tasting
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