lummi island wine tasting march 23 ’18
(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
Bread this week
Kamut Levain – Kamut, aka khorasan wheat, is an ancient grain that has more protein than conventional wheat. Some people who can’t tolerate wheat find kamut to be more digestible. The bread is made with a levain that is fermented overnight before being mixed with with bread flour and fresh milled whole kamut flour. It has a nutty, rich flavor and makes a golden color loaf. A great all around bread – $5/loaf
Barley & Rye w/ Pumpkin Seeds – Also made with an overnight fermented levain of bread flour and fresh milled rye, barley and whole wheat flours. Some buttermilk makes for a tender crumb, honey for sweetness and toasted pumpkin seeds add to the flavor and texture. A really flavorful artisan loaf – $5/loaf
For pastry this week…
Traditional Croissants – Pastry dough made with milk, butter and sugar and then laminated with more butter before being cut and shaped into traditional french croissants. I’ve heard some say these are the best they have ever had…like finally– a croissant with Enough Butter! 2/$5
Another Carignan
Last week our tasting included a favorite Old Vines carignan wine made from 120-year old vines near Fontcouvert in France’s western Languedoc region. We also mentioned that over the last twenty years or so, many of the extensive carignan vineyards of the region have been replanted with other varietals.
This week’s we are showing another Vielles Vignes (Old Vines) Carignan from vineyards in Corbieres a mere 10 km from last week’s carignan vineyard. It comes from vines that average about 50 years old– pretty Old Vines by most standards, but less than half as old as the wine last week. These “younger” vines are still quite mature enough to show the mellow baritone harmonics we admire in this varietal but add a brightness that contrasts with weightier demeanor of its older-vines neighbor we tasted last week.
And perhaps more important, you will also notice that this week’s carignan expression is quite a bit less expensive that last week’s, $12 vs. $30– and at that price it’s pretty much of a Steal!
T@da!
Ah, well, it’s been a Great Run with our little T@da trailer the last five years. The first and most Undeniable Truth about it is that it Stops just about Everyone in their tracks with its Over the Top Cuteness, so much so that at least Three Times a Day when we are On the Road someone will come up and tell us How Cute it is or will Pass, Honk and vigorously Thumbs Up us on the way by.
This was more true in the first couple of years when we were towing it with our old ’93 Eurovan, which was, as you can see, pretty color-coordinated. And yes, to some degree it did foster a constant danger of becoming sort of “Hos-for-Cuteness”…the adulation was So Intoxicating, More, we always wanted More…! But thankfully that suddenly changed a couple of years ago when an electrical fire in the VW wiring (yes, while we were towing the trailer) forced us to buy another car. For a lot of reasons the “new” car (2004 Volvo XC-90) is way more comfortable and more powerful, a much better towing vehicle.
HOWEVER…the Color (burgundy) is All Wrong, and while we still get people coming up to us in parking lots or gas stations wanting to take pictures or ask about the trailer, and tell us How Cute it is, the Spontaneous Enthusiasm of passing Honks and Thumbs Ups have all but disappeared. Which leads us to our Point: we have loved this little trailer. It’s not only Cute; it is also well-designed, innovative, well-equipped, light (2200#), and easy to tow. It’s been our Nomadic Anchor, Home Away From Home, Safe Haven, and Cozy Escape Vehicle. And– we’re Not Making This Up...it Could All Be Yours!!!
Mar a Lago Update: Growing Discontent
It’s been a Big Week for the Tweetster. Lots of Very Bright People took off their Gloves and Started Swinging at him. Is he finally succeeding in dragging the Entire Society down to his Chaotic, Mad Hatter, Fluid Truth Reality TV Level? Or are these maybe the First Signs of Rebellion…?
Thomas Friedman: “Once Trump saw that he could get away with not disclosing his tax returns, he knew he could get away with anything. He knew that once he compromised the G.O.P., even its evangelical wing, into giving him a pass on his taxes, they’d roll over for anything — sex with porn stars, endless lying, trashing the F.B.I., coddling Putin…”
John Brennan: “When the full extent of your venality, moral turpitude, and political corruption becomes known, you will take your rightful place as a disgraced demagogue in the dustbin of history.”
Paul Krugman: “Why has Trump hired people with such conflicting notions about international economic policy? The answer, presumably, is that he doesn’t understand the issues well enough to realize that the conflict exists. And what both sides in this dispute share is a general propensity for invincible ignorance, which makes them Trump’s kind of people…now on track for a battle between two sets of bad ideas that refuse to die.”
This week’s wine tasting
Chat. Blizard Blanc d’Amour ’16 France $14
Grenache blanc, viognier, marsanne, rousanne; complex, fruity fragrances of grapefruit, white peach, lychee and acacia flower. Balanced, ample and suave, with a fresh finish.
Sallier de la Tour Nero d’Avola Sicilia ’15 Italy $13
A friendly wine from a soothing grape; aged partly in wood and partly in steel, showing youthful freshness and fruitiness, with enticing notes of spices and liquorice.
Kaiken Reserva Malbec ’15 Argentina $10
Malbec w/ 5% cab; dense fruit flavors with an intoxicating bouquet of crushed violets, sage, black cherry, blueberry pie and exotic spices, and dense flavors of blackberry, blueberry, chocolate and sagebrush.
Chat. Cabriac Carignan Old Vines ’16 France $12
Ruby color with purplish reflections; scents of ripe red fruits, currants and blackcurrant with some spicy notes; in the mouth elegant, round, and well structured with soft tannins and good persistence.
Betz La Cote Rousse Syrah ’10 Washington $55
Black raspberry, flowers, minerals and spices on the nose; juicy on entry, then sinewy and penetrating, with obvious Red Mountain structure. Minerally, spicy, peppery finish with fine-grained tannins and lovely persistence.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
2072 Granger Way