lummi island wine tasting july 19 ’14

Friday Bread Line

One reason we have such a loyal group of Friday regulars is because on most Fridays, Janice brings in freshly baked bread just as we open. This Friday she will bring a number of surplus loaves from an additional baking gig. They will be available at the wine shop, on a first-come, first-served basis, starting about 4:30! There will likely be only a few loaves each of:

Suggested donation $5 each. Don’t dally, they will disappear quickly!

Sauv Blanc time warp!

Periodically some of the distributors we buy from have close-out sales. They email out a list of wines they want to get rid of, and our job is to pore over this list of mostly wines you have never heard of and decide if the markdowns make any of them attractive. Most of the time, whatever you want has already been snapped up, but occasionally there are some interesting deals. A case in point is the Constantia Sauv Blanc from South Africa listed below (vineyard area at left). On the one hand as a 2004 it is pretty much past its predicted shelf life. On the other, older white wines often have intriguing characteristics. I happen to like this one, and bought the last two cases, as I often like sauv blanc from this area. However, we had a special event earlier this evening and not much is left. So the notes below also include the wine we will pour for you after the Constantia sells out–which may only take a few minutes (yep, snapped up by the same people who will buy all the bread before you get here…!) Not to worry, there are backups, including a little Italian sauv blanc from Tuscany (no, really, I  am not making this up) and the Brancott (from NZ) listed below. Sunny days and sauv blanc are a match made in heaven, especially with shellfish, salt, fresh peppers, or maybe fresh radishes. Mmmmm! And sun…did I mention sun???

 

La Rocaliere revisited

This little winery in Lirac has become one of our favorites. We first visited about three years ago. We were immediately enthralled by the wines, the region, and the story. The winery was inherited and is run by two charming sisters, Severine (winemaker) and Melanie (business manager). Lirac itself is not the most scenic of French wine regions, but it IS just across the river from Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and people have been making wine there for time-out-of-mind because the special constellation of soil and climate that drives human beings to grow grapes and make good wine in a place has made it so. The Bad News is that we are still waiting for our next shipment of their wonderful rosé…but the good news is that we will be pouring their red (and possibly their white) this weekend. The way things have been going lately, we may sell out quickly, but the Good News is that more is on the way, including their wonderful rosé. I took the accompanying photo during our visit last month when we were there again on Ryan’s Southern Rhone wine tour. See also

 

 

Lost River Rosé

The other compensation for not having any Rocaliere rosé at the moment is that we just received a shipment of one our favorite Washington rosés, that from Lost River Winery based in Mazama. All of their wines have been consistently appealing over the years, and their rosé is among our most popular of each summer season. We will also have some of their new pinot gris, as well as our regular stock of their red wines, including the Western Red blend, the delicious Nebbiolo, and their big and satisfying syrah.

Y’all come by now, heah??

 

 

 

 

 

This week’s tasting notes

Constantia Sauv Blanc ’04 South Africa $5
Yup, 10 years is old for most sauv blancs. This one shows some age, along with crisp notes of minerally lime, gooseberry and a bit of effercescence. (Not unlike a lot of us old-timers!) Only a few left at this amazing price!

Brancott sauv blanc ’12 New Zealand $14
Spicy quince and Asian pear flavors rest on a crisp, juicy body, with plenty of lime zest and grapefruit notes through the juicy finish.

Lost River Rose’13            Washington                  $15
A long-time favorite here…blended from merlot and cabernet franc, harvested early to preserve crisp acidity and bright notes of strawberry and cherry.

La Rocaliere Lirac Rouge ’10                 Lirac               $16
Equal parts grenache, mourvedre, and syrah. Clay hillsides and serene aging in cement tanks yield this
inky purple wine with deeply pitched aromas and flavors of cherry-cola, licorice and violets.

Lopez Cristobal Crianza ’07    Spain    $27
Tempranillo/merlot blend from high, calcareous vineyards in Ribero del Duero; long, balanced, and full-bodied, with soft, ripe tannins and a luscious, elegant finish.
 

Wine Tasting

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