lummi island wine tasting december 9 ’16
(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
Friday Breads
Le Pave d’autrefois – which translates roughly as “old paving stones.” This is a ciabatta-like bread which has a lot of hydration so it isn’t really shaped so much as simply divided into approximate squares – hence the paving stones name. Made with a mix of bread flour as well as fresh milled whole wheat, rye and buckwheat flours for a lot of hearty whole grain goodness. A great artisan bread -$5/loaf (or paving stone!)
Semolina with Fennel Seed & Golden Raisins – Made with about equal amounts of bread and semolina flours as well as a little butter for a tender crumb. The addition of fennel seeds and golden raisins make a bread that works well for toast and even better for an antipasto platter. – $5/loaf
And for a bit of pastry…
Brioche Tart au Sucre – a delicious brioche dough full of eggs, sugar and butter is rolled out, topped with more eggs, cream butter and sugar and baked. A scrumptious delicious treat. Quantities are limited so order quickly or you might miss out! 2/$5
Cahors
The French wine region known somewhat vaguely as the “Sud-ouest” (Southwest) includes a number of very old appelations, a number of varietals found elsewhere in France, and a number of varietals found nowhere else, often dating back to Roman times.
To the west of the very old city of Cahors lie most of he vineyards of the Cahors appelation, where the dominant grape is malbec. Yes it is the same varietal found in Bordeaux, and made world-famous and extremely popular in wines from Argentina and Chile. But the same grape takes on different characteristics depending on the soil and climate where it grows. One winery we visited while visiting Cahors in September was Clos de Coutale, and we will be pouring their blend of malbec and merlot for you this weekend. Wines from this area have a certain rustic strength of character that we find very appealing; our goal is to taste more of them with you in the coming months.
Cooper Update
Monday we took Cooper to Lynnwood to see a vet oncologist and get some blood tests. Today we returned for some scans, which, sadly, confirmed the the diagnosis of hemiangiosarcoma, a nasty and aggressive cancer of the blood vessels.
There are not a lot of options at this point except to try to slow its progress and buy him as much quality time as possible. He got a preliminary dose of chemotherapy (supposedly a lot less debilitating than the stuff we give to people), and continues on several Chinese herb and mushroom extracts that have proven quite effective in slowing down the progress of the disease. We have been learning that “cancer” can be thought of as the eventual cell replication errors when after a zillion successful replications, a mutation sneaks in which doesn’t get it quite right.
So…we clutch at Straws, and find ourselves making difficult decisions under conditions of Great Vagueness and Uncertainty as to the relative value of various therapeutic choices, striving to implement whatever adds comfort and eliminate interventions which do not. As we all do when loved ones are suffering…what hurts them hurts us.
Eleventh Annual “East Coast” New Year’s Eve Gala Extravaganza!
As the Fortunate Few well know, our annual “East Coast New Year’s Eve Party” is now an Established Tradition. From 7-9pm on New Year’s Eve we provide the wine, you bring something delicious to share, and when the ball drops in Times Square three hours East, we all hoist our glasses and belt out Auld Lang Syne and toast the New Year! The Young at Heart move on to the next party, and we old timers can get to bed at a decent hour! We welcome this annual opportunity to thank all of you for your support this past year, and to toast ahead to even more fun in aught-sixteen. Arrrr, lads and lassies, ye best mark yer calendars now ‘n’ start planning yer finger food!
Important Note! Speaking of Finger Food, we will again this year have a Secret Operative sampling the dishes and Assigning Points! Yummiest Dish wins a $25 credit, and Yummiest-Looking Dish wins a $15-dollar credit! So make ’em Good an’ make ’em Pretty!
Also, please note that, as in 2011, New Year’s Eve falls on a Saturday, when we are usually open from 2-6. We are having Our People talk to Our People about how to handle this; current inclination is to be open Friday, Dec 30 as usual from 4-7 but closed on Saturday except for the Party from 7-9. Stay tuned!
This week’s Wine Tasting
Finnriver Apple Abbey Belgian-inspired Craft Cider Washington $10
A silky, full-bodied cider. Lingering apple sweetness with tropical aromas of ripe banana and hints of pepper and clove spice. Nutty, bread-like finish.
Waitsburg Cellars “Three” white ’15 Washington $16
Outstanding blend of Grenache Blanc, Marsanne Picpoul; Medium-bodied, pure, clean and lively, with lots of apple blossom, buttered citrus and hints of tangerine on the nose. Rich and fresh with hint of bitters on the finish.
Clos La Coutale ’14 France $16
80% Malbec and 20% Merlot, creating an intense wine that juggles elegant rusticity with everyday drinkability.
Gilbert Cellars Allobroges ’12 Washington $22
48% Grenache, 27% Mourvedre, 25% Syrah; a delicious Rhone blend with lots of dried herbs, ground pepper, roasted meats and both red and black fruit nuances. Medium to full-bodied, ripe, and textured.
Quinta Seara d’Ordens tawny port
Starts with a minty hint, and finishes rich and sweet with a spicy finish; leans to the hedonistic while remaining rather sunny. Ultimately, it’s impossible to dislike just because it tastes so darned good.
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