Lummi Island Wine Tasting July 23, ’11

Posted at July 21, 2011

Sometimes a lot happens from one week to the next, and this has been one of those weeks: lots of new and interesting experiences, several prompted by visiting friends. So where do you  take friends from Afar? To answer this question we have to imagine what it’s like to be a visitor in our own backyards, which is inevitably much larger philosophical question about Identity.

This has been such a week.

On Monday we blipped on down to Seattle for a tasting of particularly good Italian wines. We will have more to say about that in the coming weeks.

On Tuesday we visited two highly recommended spots: Mt Baker Vineyards in Deming, and Milano’s restaurant in Glacier.

It has been a couple of years since we tasted through the Mt. Baker wines. In case you are not familiar with them, they are perhaps Whatcom County’s Premier winery, started back in the seventies, I think. We were so impressed with the wines that we bought several for the shop, which we will be pouring in the next weekend or two– this weekend we will be pouring their light, crisp, and aromatic Riesling (see below).

Our visit to Milano’s came by a slightly more circuitous route. During our tasting of some lovely Italian wines in Seattle on Monday, I met Jeanne Debari, owner of Milano’s. I was so impressed with her knowledge of Italian wines that the very next day we and our visiting friends took an afternoon drive that included wine tasting at Mt. Baker vineyards and late lunch at Milano’s, followed by (I’m not making this up) a tea tasting at the Lynden Library which has renewed our interest in tea. Like wine, tea has an ancient and complex history.

All you need to know is that Milano’s gets our highest recommendation. We all ordered different dishes, and they were all exceptionally good.

The wine tasting at Mt. Baker Vineyards was also illuminating! Almost EVERYTHING we tried was really, really tasty, and we bought a bunch of their new wines, which we will be tasting with you over the next few weeks.

This week’s wines:

Mt. Baker Riesling  “09     Washington     $14
Lean and crisp, while at the same time being fragrant and alluring, this one is a crowd-pleaser.

Olivares Monastrell Altos de la Hoya  ’09   Spain       $12
Ungrafted Old-Vines Monastrell contains 8% Garnacha in its blend. It delivers high-toned black and blue fruit flavors and aromas framed by a ripe wine with lively acidity, a smooth texture, and a pure, silky finish. Drink this outstanding value over the next 3-4 years.

Pago de las Capellanes ’09 Spain WA90pts $17
Spicy black fruit aromas, lavender, and leather lead to a ripe, intense, savory wine that will pair beautifully with grilled foods over the next 4-5 years….an outstanding value.

Ksana Malbec Mendoza Reserva 2006  Argentina  $24   WS 92 pts
Very ripe, but also superfresh, with velvety texture and a long, beguiling palate of fig sauce, melted licorice, Turkish coffee, macerated currant and blackberry fruit. Long and dense on the finish, but pure and vivid.

Wine Tasting

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