lummi island wine tasting october 14 ’16
(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
Friday Breads
Whole Wheat- made with about a quarter of fresh milled whole wheat and handful of fresh milled rye flour as well as bread flour. In addition to being made with a levain it benefits from a long overnight ferment before being shaped and baked. A nice hearty whole grain bread – $5/loaf.
Pain Normand – something new this week, a bread that brings in the flavor of french Normandy region which is known for its apples. Also made with some fresh milled whole wheat and rye flours as well as bread flour it is then mixed with apple cider as well as dried apples. A delicious artisan bread – $5/loaf.
Pastry this week is also something new –
Morning Buns. Based on a pastry from Tartine Bakery in San Fransisco and has been described as a cross between a cinnamon roll and a Breton kouign-amman. Made with the laminated pastry dough that is used for croissants, then rolled out and spread with a brown sugar cinnamon filling, rolled up and sliced into rolls and baked. Yum, Yum! Quantity is limited – 2/$5
St. Gilles
You will all be interested to know that about a thousand years ago (late 1190), Guy de Foulques or Guy Foulques — yes, there is a surprising resemblance to “Guy Fawkes,”, n’est-ce pas?…Coincidence…?) was born in St. Gilles, France, son of a successful lawyer. At nineteen, he enlisted to fight the Moors in Spain, then studied law and rose to a position as secretary to King Louis IX, married, had two daughters, and, we presume, something of a career as a monarchist civil servant. Upon the death of his wife, he followed his father’s example and entered the Church as a priest…but, apparently qualified for a somewhat, um, “special track”…?
To wit, he became pastor of the Cathedral at Saint-Gilles in 1255. He was appointed Bishop of Le Puy in 1259, and soon after became Archbishop of Narbonne. His meteoric rise continued swiftly to make him a Cardinal in December 1261, and then on to become Pope (Clement IV) very shortly thereafter. Back in those charming medieval days, as Feudalism was struggling toward something like Nationalism, Church and State were Dancing the way Corporation and State Dance now, and this guy seems to have been, shall we say, something of a Player.
These days, St. Gilles, located in the Rhone Delta, is a quiet town on the canal route from Aigues-Morte to Beaucaire. A short distance from Arles, but definitely a bit remote like Maguelone, it seems a strange place to build a big cathedral. However, considering the Feudal times, perhaps the Camargues provided a network of natural Moats, and afforded protection for the Medieval Church and its Holdings. In any case, these days St. Gilles is quiet and a bit soothing, a smallish town on the border between the vaguely wild estuary that is the Camargues and the faster-paced Costieres de Nimes to the north, and Marseilles and Provence to the east.
This week’s Rosé
It all began innocently enough. I mean, like most of the other wine shops on the Planet, we have been carrying Bodegas Breca’s Garnacha de Fuego for many years. You all know it as a mouth-filling, almost chewy, rich and flavorful wine made from what must be a vast area of old vines Garnacha. And it always way over-delivers for its modest price. So it is a wine we tend to keep in stock or at least revisit on a regular basis. And since we were down to one bottle, I ordered more. As one does.
So today it was something of a surprise to find that somehow the order had gone off track, because today’s delivery accidentally brought a case of Garnacha de Fuego Rosé! Huh? They make a rosé? Who knew?
Ever adapting to the Flow of Reality, I thought, hmm, could be interesting, so okay, we’ll keep it and see how it goes. A little research revealed that this little rosé, made from Old Vines Garnacha like its deep and dark sibling, earned 90 points from Parker’s Wine Advocate, which called it “Absolutely spectacular.” Okay, it has my full attention, and we are looking forward to tasting it with you all this weekend! Who knows, might be Awesome!
Meltdown at the Not-So-OK Corral
For those of us of a Certain Age, if we look deeply, we find a certain amount of Confusion about, you know, Frankenstein. Because, as we all know, somehow it was the “Monster,” brought back from the Dead, a little confused, a little retarded, yet with a certain clumsy Sweetness, who was targeted as the Villain. I mean, does Anyone remember what happened to Dr. Frankenstein, he whose unbounded Hubris loosed the hapless Monster on the World? We are left only with the image of Long Lines of People With Torches on Dark Hillsides, Bent on Revenge for Violations they, like the Monster they pursued, could only Dimly perceive.
The Relevance of Mary Shelley’s creation for Our Moment is that here we are 200 years later, still unable to distinguish between the Scientist who created the Monster and the Monster itself, who throughout the story maintains a certain Tragic Innocence.
In a sense the the current– and Long, Long, Long Overdue– Meltdown of Donald Trump as a Candidate for (arguably) Leader of the Free World has a certain Poignancy, putting us collectively in something of a Dilemma. After all, he now represents BOTH the Scientist and the Monster. Should we Lament the Hubris of the Egocentric Creator of this bit of Global Theater, or should we feel Compassion for the Child-like Innocence of his Catastrophic Ignorance? However it turns out, it is High Theater. High Theater Indeed…!
This week’s wine tasting
Garnacha de Fuego Rose ’15 Spain 90pts $9
Absolutely spectacular rosé; light, almost neon-pink color and delicate strawberry and cranberry fruit notes, with a hint of pomegranate. It is fresh, lively, ripe, medium-bodied, and has more texture and length than one usually expects in a rosé.
Nera La Novella ’15 Italy $15
This unusual white (Nebbiolo, Rossola, Chardonnay, Manzoni) offers surprising complexity; fruity and intense, typical of Nebbiolo grapes; dry flavor with hints of exotic fruits; engaging, tasty, and persistent.
Renegade Red ’13 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.
Castellare di Castellina Chianti Classico ’14 Italy $18
Fermented with ambient yeasts and aged in cement for up to eight months to rest and lock in its fruity freshness; easy palate of bright berry; silky and seductive mouthfeel.
Tres Picos Garnacha ’14 Spain 92pts $15
Heady, exotically perfumed bouquet of ripe berries and incense, with a smoky minerality and spice. Vibrant flavors of raspberry liqueur and cherry-cola show power, depth and finesse with velvety tannins.
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