lummi island wine tasting june 19 ’20

Posted at June 18, 2020

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Covid Wine Schedule

1. Our regular Friday and Saturday wine tastings at the shop have been discontinued due to Covid 19;
BUT…
2. As long as COVID remains a risk, we will be pouring a complimentary 3-wine tasting on Fridays during Bread pickup from 4:30 till 5:30pm at the north exit of the ferry overflow parking lot (bring your own glasses!) and
3. You can order wine online for U-pickup at the shop! (details below!)

 

Friday Bread, Social Distance, and Wine Tasting

As mentioned last week, Janice continues to send the week’s Bread Menu to our mailing list each Sunday, and accepts orders till Wednesday for Friday pickup. Though the wine shop remains closed for indoor tastings due to social distancing precautions, Friday bread pickups have moved from the wine shop to morphed into an impromptu Covid Tailgate party at the Ferry Parking Lot beginning around 4:30 each Friday afternoon.

So bring your folding chairs and wine glasses and share company and conversation (with appropriate physical distancing, of course!) and visit for a while. We are now offering a mini-tasting (three wines, see below for this week’s menu) from the back of our car. It’s not the same experience as the wine shop, but it is an entirely pleasant and safe opportunity to grab some relief from the ongoing Isolation.

We all thank Janice for beginning this tradition by moving weekly bread deliveries from the wine shop to the parking lot to allow for appropriate Distancing. It has become an enjoyable weekly Relief to catch up on some of the conversations and camaraderie we have been missing during the Shutdown!

 

Order Wines Online

During the Shutdown we are continuing to fill your individual wine orders online or by phone for pickup at the wine shop. Click on the “Order Wine” heading at the top of this page for a partial list of our current offerings. When you have made your selections there are two ways to order:

It’s that Simple! Operators are Standing By!

 

 

 

 

Cloudlift Returns

Our regulars know we have a particular fondness for the lovely wines from Cloudlift Cellars in Seattle. Winemaker Tom Stangeland and wife Joanie dropped by last Sunday with a number of new releases that we will be pouring at this Friday’s parking lot tasting. Last time we did this the Hit of the Show was Tom’s  2012 “Ascent,” mostly cab franc from Horse Heaven Hills. This week we will be pouring the 2013 vintage, along with his latest “Lucy” cab franc rose and Zephyr, his Southern Rhone style blend of syrah, grenache, and mourvedre.

Cab Franc is the fourth most-produced red wine grape in Washington, behind Cab, Merlot and Syrah. Most often, as elsewhere in the world, it is primarily used as a blending grape in wines where cab sauv and/or merlot dominate. In our Fair State, cab franc often has softer tannins than cab sauv or merlot, and brings notes of garrigue and black pepper along with hints of chocolate and coffee…yes, indeed, very easy to like!

 

 

 

Mar a Lago Update: “Equal Justice Under Law”

These are the words engraved over the main entrance to the United States Supreme Court. They represent an Ideal, a Goal, maybe just a Wish that the Court would and could be a just arbiter of the kinds of legal challenges which pit some groups of Americans, some behaviors, some laws against others in an ongoing struggle to define over time the Real Meaning of the Constitution and what it means to be an American.

Several months ago we watched Chief Justice John Roberts enjoy the questionable pleasure of presiding over the Impeachment of the Tweetster in the U. S. Senate. His role was sharply limited by the Constitution, which was, interestingly, written with broad and astute acceptance of the political nature of government. Impeachment was intended to be not so much a search for Justice as a nod toward Political Practicality. It must have taken a very sophisticated view of politics for the Founders to discern so clearly how unlikely it would be that any Congress, by its very political nature, would be able to try a sitting President without the intrusion of political affiliation.

Roberts managed to maintain a veneer of Dignity over his general Disdain for the Political Circus of the Impeachment Process, occasionally unable to keep himself from chastising both sides for their partisan dishonesty. But his assigned role left him few prerogatives for actually managing the process, and his discomfort was often subtly visible. The unexpected and welcome reality seems to be that, despite his being far from Liberal, Roberts has recently been stepping up to emphasize the coequal responsibility and authority of the Court to define the boundaries where legislation or executive actions conflict with the Constitution.

In the last few days we have been pleasantly surprised by Justice Roberts’ votes against Trump’s position in two major cases, one involving the rights of LGBT people and the other, just today, requiring the Administration to provide more solid foundation for its reversal of Obama’s protection for DACA recipients. In both cases he, as Chief Justice, was the deciding vote in 5-4 decisions. Which suggests he is filling a role as a deliberate Balancing force.

And in these challenging times, that is a Good and Welcome development for which we are grateful.

 

This Week’s Friday Tailgate Tasting

Cloudlift “Lucy” Rosé of Cabernet Franc ’18     Washington        $16
A rare single-vineyard rosé, this wine is pale salmon in color. It offers aromas of fresh herb, citrus peel and strawberry. The palate is dry, bright and focused with lively citrus flavors and minerality that extend through the finish.

Cloudlift Ascent ’13    Washington  $28
76% Alder Ridge Cab Franc with 18% Merlot, 4% Cab Sauv and 2% Petit Verdot;  rich, smoky nose of raspberry, cherry, and plum with scents of rosebuds, brambles, tobacco, sage and pepper. The flavors mirror the aromatics notes of licorice, cocoa, coffee and scorched earth. Chewy texture with notes of roasted berries and nuts, mocha, toffee, and a savory, ripe tannin finish.

Cloudlift Zephyr ’13     Washington   $34
44% Syrah from Arianses Vineyard, with 28% each Mourvèdre and Grenache from Elephant Mt. Its blueberry pie, huckleberry, orange peel, herb, raspberry, black pepper and spice aromas make for delicious Southern Rhone blend with soft and lingering fruit flavors.

 

Wine Tasting

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