lummi island wine tasting june 5-6 ’15

Posted at June 4, 2015

Bread Friday (sign up for preorder list! )

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Toasted Pecan Flax Seed – Made with a rye sourdough culture and about 1/3 fresh milled whole wheat, toasted pecans and honey – $5/loaf.

Buckwheat Rye – 15% fresh milled rye and 30% buckwheat flour make for a dark and hearty loaf. – $5/loaf.

Chocolate Babka Rolls – Sweet roll dough with a chocolate/cinnamon butter filling.  – 2 for $5.

 

Vine Training

While exploring the Web for notes on this weekend’s wines, I found the phrase “Guyot-trained” vines, and wondered what that meant. It turns out that there are lots of ways to train grapevines, depending on the varietal, the soil, and the sun exposure. In all cases the objective is to get the best fruit and therefore the best wine from each vine. Some varietals in some settings produce too much foliage and not enough fruit, or the opposite, letting in too much light. Depending on the climate, some methods of canopy management work better for optimal air movement through the leaf canopy, and thereby reduce the risk of pests and rot. Also, of course, in each setting some methods work better for pruning or harvesting.

The Guyot method was developed about 200 years ago by Dr Jules Guyot, and has special application for managing canopy density in lower-vigor sites.In all cases, canopy management is site and varietal specific, aimed at balancing sun exposure for optimal fruit development. There is a lot at stake in a business that is expensive and land-intensive, and where years pass before investments yield any return– so a lot of attention is given to which varietals and which vine training methods will work best at each vineyard site.

 

Ah, Tavel!

It is hard to believe a whole year has passed since we were in France. And while this photo is not actually of rosé, it was taken at the Lirac winery of Jean-Pierre Lafond. And since it is without doubt the best wine photo I have ever taken, I can’t miss any excuse to post it yet again! As we have mentioned before, Tavel and Lirac border each other just west of Avignon and a bit south of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. From Lirac come some of my favorite red wines on the Planet, and from Tavel come possibly the best rosés on the Planet. So yes, we are very fond of the wines from this little area. This week we are featuring the Lafond Tavel rosé for your Early Summer pleasure, and of course the winemaker referred to it at “the Best Rosé on the Planet!”

 

Global Warming Guilt Trip: Is it Wrong to Bask While the Planet Suffers???

Okay, it’s been cloudy the last several days, with even a little rain. More would probably be better, especially after the strangely warm and dry summers we have had here in recent years. And yes, I have already worn shorts this year, which is, let’s just say, not a familiar choice in a place where, as Mark Twain is alleged to have put it, “the mildest Winter I ever spent was a Summer on the Puget Sound,,,!” So it is with a mixture of Surprise and Delight (with dashes of Guilt and Worry) that we observed, toasted, and celebrated the Return of the Sun today. It was not Too Hot, but it was, for several hours late this afternoon, Very, Very Comfortable and Beautiful, making this just about the Perfect Place to be, as noted in the the accompanying photos..

 

dscn1186 (Modified)This year’s local Strawberries: beautiful to see, to taste, and yes, to plop into your rosé in the Afternoon Sun…

 

 

 

 

 

 
dscn1195 (Modified)Honeybees at work

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

dscn1189 (Modified)Poppies getting High

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

dscn1188 (Modified) Poppies taking the Long View

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

dscn1187 (Modified)Baby ducks in the slough with Mama

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This week’s wine tasting

Kermit Lynch Vaucluse Blanc  ’13    France     $12
Think crème brûlée and honeysuckle; this viognier-chardonnay blend is round-bodied, yet with tart, stony crispness and knockout aromas of
pear, sun-baked apples, and spicy hints of anise.

Domain Lafond Tavel Rose  ’14    France    $18
(60% grenache with cinsault, syrah, carignan, clairette, picpoul, bourboulenc, and mourvedre): Dark pink. Pungent red berry and floral aromas, with hints of blood orange, anise and white pepper. Fleshy and broad on entry, offering juicy redcurrant and bitter cherry flavors and a touch of citrus pith. Finishes supple and spicy,  

Renegade Red ’12 Washington $11
Nicely crafted blend of Cab, Merlot, and Cab Franc; shows lots of red and black fruits, scents of loamy minerality, and fine grained tannins that are matched with balanced acidity.

Corte Gordoni La Fontane Bardolino ’12    Italy  $14
Bardolino is made from a blend of 60% Corvina for structure, weight and a sour-cherry aroma, and 30% Rondinella for the wine’s appealingly fresh, herby flavor. Corvina vines are Guyot trained; all other varieties are spurred Cordon Vines

Caymus Conundrum Red ’13   California   $17
Totally California, with lots of bright, bold cherries, raspberries, and a little plum smoothly interwoven to yield a smooth, round, hedonistic palate and VERY easy drinking.

Wine Tasting

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