lummi island wine tasting october 7 ’16
(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
Friday Breads
Fig Anise-Quite a hit earlier this summer; so it is making another appearance! Using bread flour and fresh milled white whole wheat it brings in the sun-drenched flavors of Provence with the addition of honey, dried figs, and anise seed. Great with a glass of Rose and a cheese platter as the last of summer winds down. – $5/loaf.
Poolish Ale – Prefermented in craft ale to add more flavor to the final product. The final mix includes more bread and fresh milled whole wheat flour for a delicious artisan bread. A great all around bread – $5/loaf.
and pastry this week:
Gibassier – A rich dough full of butter, eggs, and sugar. Additions of olive oil, candied orange peel and anise seed bring in the flavors of Provence for a delightful pastry that is brushed with more butter and sprinkled with sugar after baking. Boy oh boy are these delicious. – 2/$5
The Bogle Deal
The reason we put the words “Artisan Wine” in our name is because we like small wineries, the kind of place where fairly often the person who makes the wines actually pours them for you and talks with you about the land, the vineyards, their vision, their art (Rich’s theorem: every good winemaker is a talented artist in at least one other medium). So at some level we have had a bias toward smaller wineries that make less than about 10,000 cases per year total production. That doesn’t mean we don’t carry any wine from big producers, but in general we prefer to represent smaller ones.
From time to time, for one reason or another we deviate from this informal policy– don’t want to become habitual, n’est-ce pas? Last weekend Judy A came by with a Promotional Deal from California winery Bogle, which started in the late 70’s producing 4000 cases of wine in Clarksville (near Sacramento)(artisans!). By 2011 they were ranked the 14th largest winery in America, producing more than 1.2 million cases of wine from facilities throughout Northern California…pretty Big Players, specializing in wines you see in most grocery stores across America. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, they gotta be doing something right. Right?
Anyway, we got a good deal on a few cases of their Essential Red, a yummy little Fruit Bomb, and the Promotional Reward, a Jeroboam, aka double magnum, aka 3-liter bottle of their somewhat higher-end red blend called Phantom, a blend of zin, syrah, and mourvedre. At this point we anticipate putting that baby to good use at our annual New Year’s Eve party. Stay tuned!
Rant: Wake Up Alarm
Recently a friend sent me a link to this story about the current U.S. relationship with Russia and its current CEO, Vladimir Putin. Okay, so nobody likes Putin. Nobody really liked Stalin, or Al Capone, or Dick Cheney, for that matter, but they all played their various roles. And whatever Putin’s role, why is Media is making it Such a Big Deal? Of course– it Is an Election Year, and we Always get to this point about now: the Republicans stake out their usual Position that we are Surrounded by Enemies, and Only They are Tough and only They can make it Better.
The story linked above may be a KGB plant for all I know. But that doesn’t mean it lacks a valid point, which is to ask Why can’t the US and Russia figure out a way to stop the Horror in Syria? Why is Political Posturing always preferred to the hard and exhausting task of reducing Suffering and Making the world a Better Place? Why do we so often wind up jumping up and down waving clubs like our primate ancestors, beset with Outrage and Ego, Bent on Violence, and Incapable of working toward a Common Good?
As human population has grown, every system on Earth has become stressed: the atmosphere, the oceans, the biosphere, the climate…all the systems upon which our very existence depends. Back in the ZPG (you young folks can look it up) days it was widely recognized that human beings were reproducing beyond the planet’s capacity to support them. Modern Geopolitics does a continual Dance around the growing Battle for Resources, making and breaking alliances, brandishing weapons, claiming the Next Fantasy Moral High Ground. And I don’t know about you, but I sometimes feel like Screaming at our so-called Leaders: “Awake! Awake! Time Flies Like an Arrow! It Will Not Wait For You!”
Maguelone Cathedral
Our first stop on our canal trip through the Camargue was a short distance from the Cathedral at Maguelone, only a few miles southwest of Montpellier. For being in such an historically remote area, i.e., on a small island in an estuary, accessible only by water, it has a long and varied history. Around 533 AD, shortly after the fall of Rome, the Catholic Bishoprie of Maguelone was first established. In 719 it was taken over briefly by Saracens from Spain. In 737 the existing cathedral was destroyed by the Frankish and Burgundian army of Charles Martel in the Battle of Poitiers, which is widely recognized as a turning point in the Christian struggle against the intrusion of Islam into Europe.
A new cathedral was begun in 1030 (a thousand years ago!) which provided sanctuary to Pope Gelasius II and Pope Alexander III in the 12th century (you have to wonder What they were Doing there!). Later, in the early 13th century, papal legate Pierre de Castelnau was found murdered in St. Gilles (more on St. Gilles next week!), which intensified attacks against the Cathars, ultimately resulting in their complete extermination. The Cathedral fell into decay for several hundred years after that, until restoration efforts began in 1852. The old bricks, made from local mud, have deteriorated over centuries to reveal the rich trove of fossil shells in the local clay.
Supposedly at some point the cathedral had windows of alabaster, which would definitely be something to see! However, close examination suggested that all the original windows were long gone. Curiously, some small windows were apparently single-pane, but backed by curved plastic windows set in over them. These are visible in several photos of the windows.
This week’s wine tasting
J. Laurens Cremant de Limoux Rose France $15
A longtime favorite here at AWG–Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, and Pinot Noir; shows a gentle yeastiness, effusive effervescence and rich, tangy, mouth-filling fruit. Makes just about anything Festive!
Conundrum White ’14 California $21
Blend of Chardonnay, Sauv Blanc, Viognier, and Muscat Canelli. Nose of citrus orchard in bloom. Tastes sweet without being cloying, showing fig, apricot, exotic spice and melon flavors. Ends clean and pure.
Marchetti Rosso Conero ’14 Italy $10
Rich and inviting aromas of blue florals, plums, brown spices, and hillside brush. On the palate, dry and round textured with red and black cherries, ripe blackberries, cocoa and spice. Culminates in a satisfying, lengthy finish.
Bogle Essential Red California $10
Old Vine Zinfandel, Syrah, Cab and Petite Sirah delivers flavors and aromas of dark berries and black plums with hints of juniper and dried herbs. Very fruit forward, with spicy cedar and hints of pipe tobacco and cocoa. Lovely little Fruit Bomb, easy to drink.
Robert Ramsay “Le Mein” Red ’12 Washington $30
Grenache, Mourvedre, Counoise and Cinsault; rock-solid aromas and flavors of lavender, leafy herbs, flowers and black berries; Medium-bodied, round, ripe, and supple, with a lovely,fleshy mouthfeel.
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