lummi island wine tasting september 18 ’15
Friday Breads (sign up for preorder list! )
Buttermilk Currant- Half bread flour and half freshly milled whole wheat. Buttermilk tenderizes the crumb to be loaded with currants, a bit of honey for sweetness and hint of rosemary.– $5/loaf.
Pain Meunier – aka “Miller’s Bread,” an old favorite honoring the miller by including all parts of the wheat berry: bread flour, whole wheat, cracked wheat, wheat bran and wheat germ. – $5/loaf.
Bagels. Traditional bagels topped with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, mixed seeds or plain. Boiled and baked. David S. says these are the best shiksa bagels he’s ever had! Don’t miss out, limited quantities are available – it’s a tough dough to mix by hand! – 4/$5 (oops, sold out on pre-order!)
Alsace
Alsace is one of those wine regions with a Dedicated Cult Following. It is also one of those regions that I know almost nothing about, and need to learn more. Politically, of course, the region is precariously located north of Switzerland along the border between France and Germany, and over the centuries it has been a bone of contention between the two countries, eventually developing its own unique character by blending the two influences.
The predominant grapes are white: gewurztraminer, riesling, pinot blanc. Because these grapes have been grown here for centuries, regardless of what country happened to be claiming the region at the time, it has long been sorted out which grapes do best in which locations. And, like many European wine regions, each vintage faces its own challenges getting the enough (but not too much at once) amounts of water and heat each year. As it turns out, both 2012 and 2013 were a bit challenging– 2012 for its see-saw between warm and cold conditions, and 2013 for a long and cold spring, a dry summer, and a wet fall.
Our selection this weekend may not come from one of the many Established Houses of the region, but it does demonstrate a certain “typicité” of Alsation riesling. Come on by and try it as we begin our exploration of this highly admired wine-growing region.
Domaine Moulinier
It’s hard to believe it’s been almost five years since we visited Domaine Moulinier in St. Chinian. The winery is in its fifth and sixth generations with retiring winemaker Guy Moulinier (we had a great time trying to understand each other while he gave us a tour of the winery) and his son Stephane who now makes most of the wines. In the winery are astonishing displays of fossils and artifacts dug up in the past hundred years in their vineyards, including dinosaur eggs and bones and stone tools of Neanderthals and Cro-Magnon hominids. Their collection rivals anything you would see in a museum, really amazing.
Since we visited in 2011, many of you have also visited the winery on one of Ryan’s wine tours. By now, of course, Ryan is an import agent for Moulinier and a number of other French wineries, and we regularly carry Moulinier wines.
Circus Maximus
Let’s face it, there are a lot of things that are Bizarre about the current Presidential Campaign, too many to list. But sometimes, when things we view seem too complicated, it is useful to Squint a bit, or Step Back a bit, enough to let the distortive forces register their own little insights…you know, if any are to be had.
At this particular moment, the Squint Exercise reveals a couple of interesting facts.
1. Everyone Hates the Mainstream. This is really pretty interesting. On the Right, Donald Trump is surging in popularity with his unapologetic Bluster, firing at will on the rest of the Clown Show of Republican aspirants. On the Left, Bernie Sanders is surging in popularity with his Everyman appeal to Reason and Social Justice. Between them, it seems that Mainstream Voters of all persuasions have Had It with Corporate-Controlled, Bought & Paid For Politicians.
2. Bernie talks to the People, while Donald talks to the Media. This is even more interesting. Sanders has been drawing huge crowds of supporters wherever he goes, meeting people face-to-face, growing popular despite the fact that he is largely panned by the mainstream media. On the other hand, Trump has unprecedented access to Big Media, so that everything he does is News, to the point that one rarely sees him in a crowd, only on a podium addressing Media.
In some bizarre way they both appeal to the disappointed and disillusioned across the political spectrum. Ordinarily in such circumstances the Mainstream regroups and Absorbs these pesky populist rebels by promising them a few crumbs while reasserting the Stability of the Status Quo.This time it is hard to see how that is going to happen. Nevertheless, our bet is that Mainstream Forces will Crush both forms of Populism like Bugs on a Limousine Windshield.
In other words, it’s a good time to stock up your wine cellar!
This week’s wine tasting
Schoenheitz Vin D’Alsace Riesling ’13 France-Alsace $15
Bright straw yellow with green reflections. Expressive nose bloomed nicely with lemon and a hint of minerality. A pretty generous fruit supported by fine acidity and elegant with a fresh and invigorating lemony finish.
Caymus Conundrum White ’13 California $16
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.
Domaine Moulinier Rouge ’10 France $13
70% Syrah, 25% Grenache, and 5% Mourvèdre; Nice spice and garrigue on the nose, with a broad palate of ripe red fruit, with a bit of orange note on the finish. Smooth and soothing.
Steele Outkaste Red ’11 Mendocino $16
53% zinfandel, with syrah, tempranillo, petite sirah, and petit verdot; aromas of black pepper, raspberry, and cobbler, with palate of brambly blackberry, cassis, and spices.
Bocelli Sangiovese Italy $14
Bright,, lush, and appealing; deliciously ripe and smoky, with notes of marasca cherry, granite, and rhubarb compote. Finish is long and dry, with admirable acidity that makes the palate taut and pleasing.
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