lummi island wine tasting october 28 ’16
(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
Friday Breads
Multi Grain A portion of the flour, water, salt and yeast is mixed together and fermented overnight before the final dough is mixed, giving the enzymatic activity a jump start that enhances flavor and shelf life. The final dough is made with more bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat and rye flours, then loaded up with flax, sunflower and sesame seeds. A great all around bread – $5/loaf.
Black Pepper Walnut – a bread introduced last summer that became new favorite. Made with bread flour as well as fresh milled whole wheat and rye flours then flavored with black pepper and toasted walnuts. Full of hearty whole grain goodness and flavors that will go well with those fall soups and stews – $5/loaf.
And for pastry this week…
Pumpkin Brioche- A rich brioche dough full of eggs, butter sugar and honey then flavored with pumpkin puree! As well as all those pumpkin spices that make pumpkin pie so delicious – cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. Quantity is limited so don’t wait to order – 2/$5
The Sound of Mauzac
Mauzac is an ancient grape varietal grown mainly in the Limoux and Gaillac districts of southwest France. It is the primary varietal in Blanquette de Limoux, a sparkling wine originating with the monks of St. Hillaire Abbey in Limoux in the early 1500’s. These monks pioneered the style of secondary fermentation later refined as the “methode Champenoise,” even though the method wasn’t used there for at least another century. Under this method, still wines are made in the usual manner of fermentation and aging.
Then, however, when the wine is bottled, a dose of sugar and yeast is added to each bottle before corking, and the wines age in special racks for an extended period for “secondary fermentation.”In the Old Days, the bottles were mounted neck-first in a board, and hand-rotated a partial turn each day. Nowadays, the process is done in automatic containers (shown here holding cremant de Jura). This second fermentation creates bubbles of CO2 and clean flavors of bread and brioche in general, and in the case of mauzac, also some wonderful appley notes. The bottles are then reopened, yeast removed, recorked, further aged, and ready for market. read more
This week’s tasting includes a Blanquette de Limoux, made from 90% Mauzac. It’s a classic, it’s a great buy, and it’s delicious!
Mauzac, Sweet Mauzac
Mauzac tends to bud later and harvests later than most other grapes, so has historically been picked later in the fall than most other wine grapes. Then cold weather often slowed its fermentation even further, leading to the the Eureka moment that (OMD!) extended fermentation produces sparkling wines, as noted above. And as you know, the Wine World shifted on its Axis and has never been the Same.
The other common characteristic of later harvest grapes is higher sugar concentration. Therefore mauzac also has a long tradition, particularly in Gaillac, of being blended with other ancient grapes still in wide production in Gaillac (including red and white varietals found nowhere else) to produce a variety of sweet or late harvest wines. The natural acidity and apple flavors of mauzac make for a delightfully crisp and mouth-watering taste experience.
We mention this here because we were in Gaillac briefly in September, and very much enjoyed the wines. The accompanying photo is a very sweet, very delicious wine called “Ni Roux ni Vert,” another way of thinking about mauzac, i.e. “neither red nor green,” probably talking about grape skin color. Finding a source has turned into something of a Quest. Hopefully we will find some soon and share them with you, because everyone should have this experience. Stay tuned! more on Gaillac
On the Matter of Theater
I used to joke that the American Way could by summed up as “Anything worth doing is worth Doing to the Point of Gross and Ugly Excess.” And there certainly is at least a Grain of Truth there. Maybe that’s American. Maybe that’s Human.
Thirty-odd years ago, feeling a Big Hole in My Life and looking for Answers, I stumbled upon a little Zen Center in New Mexico with an old Japanese Teacher , Joshu Sasaki Roshi. I have a little paperback about him from sometime in the early 70’s, in which he said something like, “we have to realize that all of this is a kind of Theater, and we all have our Roles. But that doesn’t mean we need to get Caught Up in Them.” I practiced with Sasaki Roshi over several years. I picture him as a man who could Speak each Word as a Sumie painter Paints each Stroke of the Brush.
In these days and times, it is a useful idea to explore. It may be that the Inevitable Outcome of Instant Communication with Everyone at Once is the current manifestation of this Very Theater of our Everyday Life gone Completely Mad. Just like the Tower of Babel Myth (as Pat often suggests), everyone is talking at once and No One is Listening.
What are the necessary ingredients for a thoughtful, heart-to-heart conversation, the kind where everyone feels Heard, everyone feels Respect, everyone acts on the Deeper Reality that we are all in this Together, that we are all Doomed, we all Suffer, and that we all Depend on Each Other? These are questions we all need to wrestle with. We do not need to choose sides. We do not need to polarize or politicize (although it Is So Entertaining!). It’s perfectly okay to jump up and down like our chimp ancestors (duh, it’s a lot like Dancing!) and enjoy the Excitement. That’s Entertainment. It doesn’t mean Anything. We can play our roles Wholeheartedly, and fully enjoy them. But we don’t have to get caught up in them.
This week’s wine tasting
Argiolas Costamolino Vermentino 2015 Italy $13
Pale golden-tinged straw color; Botanical herbs and white stone fruit on the nose and palate, with good length and freshness;, finishing clean and medium-long.
Domaine Donjon Minervois Tradition ’11 France $16
60% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 10% Carignan; aged 12 months in stainless steel. Meaty and complex, with sweet, ripe red and black fruits, loads of white and black pepper, bay leaf and wild roses, it stays fresh and lively on the palate, with medium-bodied richness and length.
Catena Zapata Cab Franc San Carlos ’14 Argentina $19
Purple color with ruby tones. Elegant aromas of spices, garrigue, red berries, cassis, and raspberries, with layers of cedar. Mouth-filling and rich with flavors of cassis, raspberries and notes of black pepper and oregano. The finish is bright and fresh with finely grained tannins.
Venta Morales Tempranillo ’15 Spain $9
Nice mulberry and cherry fruits, a hint of chalky minerality, and medium body, delivering luscious fruit and a delicious, soft and supple mouthfeel. As usual, terrific value!
Anteca Blanquette de Limoux France $12
90% Mauzac, with chenin blanc and chardonnay makes for a traditional racy, lively sparkling wine with fresh, crisp apple-pear flavors that pair beautifully with a wide range of finger foods and pre-dinner snacks. more
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