lummi island wine tasting october 16 ’15
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Nope, no bread this Friday either!
We had some hope for the Return of the Loaves this week, but it appears that our Baker is still away, with strong indications she will be back soon. Hopefully those of you on the mailing list will be receiving info on next week’s selections early next week.
In the meantime this is your chance to find out if Man and Woman can live on Wine alone…!
This one moment
Tonight, finishing dinner
Out the window
Profound Autumn sunset…
Rosé on the Edge
As mentioned last week, we just returned from Winthrop with a carload of Lost River wines, and we are pouring two of them this weekend; their latest pinot gris and rosé offerings. The Lost River pinot gris is by far their most popular wine overall, so much so that they have recently acquired additional vineyards to accommodate the demand.
Here at the Gallery it has been a different story. Here, although all of the wines have been appreciated over the years, the Lost River Rosé has been our best seller, to the point that it is the one rosé we often carry well into the fall and early winter, mainly for one particular fan of the wine, but also for die-hard all-season rosé aficionados. Typically a well-crafted blend of merlot and cab franc, it usually has the heft of a Tavel, the bright, crisp palate of Provence, and a hint of sweetness that adds comfort on those cool fall afternoons.
This year it’s very different; by accident or serendipity, a serious quantity of Barbera, a red Italian grape, was inadvertently added to the blend, resulting in a most unusual rosé. Generally speaking, if you drink a rosé in the dark, it is easily mistaken for a flavorful white wine. This one, I think, in the dark could be easily mistaken for a flavorful red wine. Be sure to stop by this weekend; we are looking forward to your reactions!
Debate Stages
Well, let’s see. On the Republican side, the three current front-runners (Trump, Carson, Fiorina) have never held an elected political office. And every time they open their mouths, we can understand why. What is most puzzling is that they have any constituencies at all! I mean, can you imagine any of these people actually holding their Fingers over the Button? Now That is Scary!
But, seriously, we should take a moment to recognize that they are indeed different kinds of Idiots from the other several dozen Contenders for the position, and probably that deserves some exploration into, you know, the many kinds of Stupid that drive Human Politics. On the one hand it’s all Subtle…on the other, it is Quite Profound. Somehow the bizarre things going on on both Right and Left (isn’t it fun to be able to say ” on on”…?), though different, are driven by the same forces.
On the Democratic side, the recent Candidates’ Debate revealed the intensified Polarity that is just lately crystallizing in the Public Eye between the Corporate Right and the Progressive Left. The former is being increasingly exposed as the Charlatan Wizard behind both the Republican and Democratic Curtains, and the latter is emerging as an unlikely and probably hopeless coalition of Tin Man, Lion, Scarecrow, and Refugee Girl (and Toto, too!) just trying to make good their desperate Escape from Kansas.
The surprising result is that, especially with the addition of Bernie Sanders into the debate mix, the entire Democratic discussion is being pushed (for the first time in about fifty years!) to the Left, while the Tea Party Republicans and their Corporate Puppet-masters keep scrambling to get furthest to the Right of each other and finding new ways to wage war on Just About Everyone for Just About Everything.
The emerging Sense of the Moment seems to be that even Big Money can only push the Pendulum so far to the Extreme Right before the sheer weight of its unlikely and untenable position reaches a Maximum, pauses, teeters, and then inevitably begins to accelerate back to the Left, searching for some kind of balance, some kind of Equilibrium. Oh, and, by the way, in a lot of ways the Future of Our Species is On the Line here, and Bernie is right when he keeps emphasizing that Nothing is going to Change unless we all get Mad as Hell and Make them Stop.
Or, as some people say, “May you live in Interesting Times…!”
In times like these, isn’t it a Comfort to have an Understanding Wine Shop where you can hang out with your friends, taste great wines, and postpone thinking about when is the right time to speculate on oceanfront property in Kansas…??
This week’s wine tasting
Lost River Pinot Gris ’14 Washington $14
Aromas of citrus, pear and tropical fruits. Their most popular wine, the crisp acidity is balanced with a small amount of residual sugar.
Lost River Rosé ’14 Washington $14
A long-time favorite here…blended from merlot and cabernet franc, harvested early to preserve crisp acidity and bright notes of strawberry and cherry.
Estezargues Cuvee des Galets ’14 France $10
Grenache, Syrah and Carignan from organic and biodynamic vines, fermented with natural yeast, and bottled without filtration. Explodes with plump juicy berry fruit, liquorice and spice, showing appealing character and freshness.
Marchetti Rosso Conero ’13 Italy $10
All from “free run juice,” yielding enticing notes of exotic spice, vanilla, dried cranberry, and bitter dark chocolate.
Borsao Tres Picos Garnacha ’13 Spain 92pts $15
Fresh cherry, blackberry and incense on the highly perfumed nose. Lush, sweet and broad on the palate, offering fleshy blueberry and floral pastille flavors that turn spicier with air. Closes on a sweet note of spicy oak, with supple tannins and a touch of fruitcake.
lummi island wine tasting october 8 ’15
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Note: NO Bread This Friday!
As many of you know our increasingly famous Baker is off to Ireland for hiking and exploring, no doubt scouring the countryside for more delicious bread recipes. Unofficial Lummi Island Rumors predict Bread will Return by October 16, absolutely, Fer Sher. Or maybe by the 23rd at the latest. You know, “more or less.”
Fortunately we still have a few loaves stashed in the freezer, and hopefully you also have a Backup Plan!
A Walk in the Park
The end of Drydock presented an opportunity for us to head over to Winthrop to Pearrygin Lake, one of our favorite Washington State Parks. We Washingtonians are fortunate not only to live in a beautiful place with an incredibly diverse set of spectacular landscapes, but also to have so much of this natural beauty protected and available for us to visit and enjoy. We all know and appreciate the nourishing contrast between our lush, green, moist (well, usually) west-of-the Cascades environment and the open, semi-arid spaciousness we find east of the Cascades.
This time of year the Park was in full fall color, lots of yellows, greens, and some reds. Skies were sometimes blue and sunny, sometimes gray, and in all cases the landscape embodies a deeply nourishing sense of Space and Quiet. Very soothing. Ahhhhh…..!
It’s the Circular Flow, Stupid!
Day One of beginning Economics talks about the Circular Flow, most basically summarized as “What Goes Around Goes Around.” The “coming around” part we usually hear about depends entirely on the “going around” part. You can explore this for yourself with a simple parlor game. A bunch of people sit around a table. Each one begins with an identical pile of change. When the game begins, everyone passes as little or as much of their change as they like to the right, and keep doing that. At some point the game will stop and everyone will keep whatever they have in front of them. It might be one minute, or five, or ten. So everyone constantly has to decide, as money comes in from the left, how much to keep and how much to pass on.
This simple process evokes interesting insights into ourselves and others, namely, that people have widely varying attitudes about how much is enough, how much they need relative to others to feel Safe, and how important (or not) it is that others have enough to feel Safe.
image credit: “Enso”. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Enso.jpg#/media/File:Enso.jpg
For the last few decades the pathological Need of those who Can Never Get Enough to Feel Secure has driven them to acquire more and more Wealth, change the rules and values that define the World’s economic systems even more in their favor, and this is the most important part– continue to invest their Gigaholdings into schemes to make themselves even richer. Global infrastructure rots, the Environment teeters on collapse, whole nations flee from wars, famine, and Desperation, and well-paid Politicians around the Planet view the Coming End of the World as We Know It with Self-Satisfied Smugness.
A round or two of the game outlined above will reveal the simple antidote to this Civilization-Threatening Egomania: just change the rules so everyone has to keep passing the money along: workers get decent wages, capitalists get decent return, and natural resources are managed sustainably. And no one would have either Too Much or Too Little. I mean, think about it…What a Relief for our Planet, huh…?!
Lost River
Like the Little James Basket Press, which we are also pouring this weekend, the “Nooksack Redd” Bordeaux Blend made by our friends at Lost River Winery in Mazama (we picked up our annual carload of their wines on our way home today…!) is an ongoing blend of successive vintages. Although they have lots of varietals they might add to the blend, it is traditionally limited to a blend of cab, merlot, and cab franc, and as the French have demonstrated over many centuries, these varietals complement each other in all conceivable proportions.
I am always impressed with our annual visits to Lost River, rediscovering the underlying themes that carry from one carefully crafted wine to another: judicious use of oak, an ongoing quest for palate-soothing texture, and careful blending of varietals for a satisfying sense of balance. We will be tasting more of the latest Lost River releases in the coming weeks.
This week’s wine tasting
Whidbey Island Siegerrebe ’13 Washington $16
Reminisent of Spring, this pretty white explodes with aromas of spicy pear and exotic blossoms, followed by flavors of lichee nut, grapefruit, honey and pear. Finishes off-dry, delightful with spicy dishes and shellfish!
Maryhill winemaker’s Reserve White ’14 Washington $12
Flavorful blend of pinot gris, chardonnay, semillon and sauvignon blanc; opens with clean, bright aromas of pear and apple with touches of tangerine, butter and lemon oil.
St. Cosme Little James Basket Press Grenache ’14 France $11
An old favorite from an ongoing solera* with an aromatic nose of cassis, cherry and lavender; rustic Old World style, with a firm mineral spine giving clarity and lift to the dark berry and bitter cherry flavors.
Lost River Nooksack Red Washington $18
An ongoing Bordeaux blend of cab, merlot, and cab franc to benefit the Nooksack River Salmon Enhancement Administration…a very worthy cause, AND it’s DELICIOUS!
Cloudlift Panorama ’12 Washington $26
Enticing aromas of raspberry, cherry, plum and cassis, with scents of roses, mulberry and incense, and balanced flavors of red currant and Rainier cherry.
lummi island wine tasting october 2 ’15
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Note: NO Bread This Friday!
As many of you know our increasingly famous Baker is off to Ireland for hiking and exploring, no doubt scouring the countryside for more delicious bread recipes. That means no bread for the next couple of weeks, beginning this weekend. Rumor has it that bread will return by October 16, or the 23rd at the latest. Of course, here on the Island Truth is a slippery concept, an artfully weighted average of current rumors…stay tuned for updates.
Fortunately we still have a few loaves stashed in the freezer, so we should be able to squeeze by!
Aia Vecchia
As we have mentioned before, there are historically hundreds of grape varietals grown and used to make wine in Italy. There are also twenty wine regions which correspond to the twenty Administrative Districts in the country. And within each of these twenty wine regions there are scores of Denominazioni di origine controllata (DOC’s) and Denominazioni di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG’s ), each of which specifies the varietals that may be used to qualify for each DOC label. For example, to qualify for the DOC Chianti Classico designation, a wine must come from a specific geographic area and must include at least 75% Sangiovese, and at most 10% Canaiolo, 10% of the white wine grapes Malvasia and Trebbiano, and up to 15% of any other red wine grapes grown in the region, such as Cabernet Sauvignon. In Tuscany alone there are thirty-three DOC’s and nine DOCG’s. Multiply that over 20 wine regions, and it gets pretty confusing!
On top of all that, in the last few decades Tuscany has become best known internationally for two major styles of red wine: cherry-noted blends made mostly from Sangiovese, and so-called “Super Tuscan” blends of international varietals, particularly traditional Bordeaux grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot, often with varying amounts of sangiovese in more of an accompanying role. This is exactly the case with this week’s Italian offering on our tasting list, the Lagone Aia Vecchio. Read more
The Pettiness of Human Ego
There are many scenes from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey that remain powerful and iconic almost fifty years later. One which has often come to mind is when the Monolith selects a group of Early Humans for Development. The image that Director Kubrick (and author Clarke) gave us of our Gift of Understanding was a skirmish between two tribes in which Weapons are invented. The apes jump up and down and threaten each other, and Progress happens when one of them picks up a Bone, invents the Club, and starts the Arms Race. Remember? This theme is repeated over and over again in our myths and legends: whatever the time, whatever the circumstances, the Bad Guys are causing Pain and Suffering, and can only be stopped when the Good Guys Overwhelm them by causing MORE Pain and Suffering.
The Trickle-down Truth here is of course that Those People’s Hero is These People’s Beast and Vice Versa. None of the “-isms” are going to save anyone, because all of the “-isms” are at war with other “-isms.” And it is the Nature of “-isms” to be parochial. Each one claims ownership of some little bit of Truth that gives it Power, Authority, and indeed Responsibility to Save Everyone Else by imposing their Truth on them. One of the great Resonant lines that current President Obama used that got a lot of traction was “Yes, we can.” The important usage here is “we,” not “I.” Which brings us to the Problem: as Woody Allen might say, “Why would I ever vote for the kind of person that would Run for Office?” Ideally running for office would be about Service, but more and more it is about Stardom and Persona.
Maybe I’m still wondering– hoping, perhaps– if the Pope’s recent visit to America might possibly get the various Primates of Power to stop jumping up and down waving Bone-Clubs long enough to achieve some dim realization that we are All in Deep Sheet for all kinds of reasons. And, even though they have the intellectual and emotional development of five-year-olds, they are going to have to step up, make the World Safe, stop the killing and destruction, put the “-isms” aside for a few centuries, and apply the Stupendous Wealth of the world toward the preservation of our Planet and all its creatures. How likely is that, do you suppose?
October scenes
This week’s wine tasting
Altarocca Arcosesto Orvieto ’14 Italy $14
A crisp, clean, fragrant white wine (grechetto, procanico, malvasia), bright and sunny with minerally notes of flowers, citrus, and dried fruits that pair well with savory dishes.
Rio Madre Rioja ’13 Spain 90pts $10
Smoky blackcurrant, cherry and violet aromas with good clarity and zesty mineral lift. Juicy and focused on the palate, with bitter cherry and dark berry flavors; Finishes with strong punch, sneaky tannins and lingering berry and floral qualities.
Lagone Aia Vecchio ’12 Italy $14
“Super-Tuscan”blend of Merlot, Cab Sauv, and Cab Franc. Rich and expressive, with aromas of cherry, vanilla, raw beef, and herbs; structured palate of plum, wild berries, and hints of spice, with a long finish that begs for food.
Andeluna Cabernet Sauvignon 1300 ’11 Argentina $11
Deep red colour, spicy aromas with a hint of coffee and mint. Fresh, balanced, structured and silky on the palate. From rich, alluvial soils of the Uco Valley at 4000 feet in the Andes with pockets of stony, sandy, loam and clay soils.
Isenhower Purple Paintbrush ’08 Washington $25
Cab Franc-dominant Bordeaux blend from a single vineyard, aged in seasoned French oak for 13 months. Nose of sage, thyme, olives, crushed blackberries, bing cherries, black plums, and black currant.
lummi island wine tasting september 23 ’15
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Friday Breads (Contact Janice to get on her email list!)
Pain au Levain- A reliable favorite, this delicious multigrain levain is made with bread flour, freshly milled whole wheat and rye flours and leavened with sourdough culture. A great, flavorful all around artisan bread – $5/loaf.
Polenta Pepita – A beautiful golden loaf made with bread flour, freshly milled whole wheat, polenta cornmeal and toasted pumpkin seeds – $5/loaf.
Gibassiers. These delightful pastries are full of the flavors of Provence. Orange, anise, olive oil and lots of butter and eggs as well, once baked they are brushed with melted butter and rolled in sugar, my oh my, who can resist – 2/$5.
A New Take on Terroir
It’s called “Saccharomyces cerevisiae,” an ancient species of yeast that has been in blessed symbiosis with the human diet for thousands of years. This is the yeast that came to humans like Saint Nick on Christmas, and has been refilling our stockings ever since with with bread, wine, and beer, all of which we love and are made possible by this little fungus, which grows naturally on ripe fruit– you know, like grapes! True, we humans did a lot of fiddling with it over the years to make it more user-friendly, like the development of granulated dry yeast during WWII which lets anyone make bread pretty much anywhere, but the basic stuff co-evolved with every other living thing.
We have often discussed in these posts the elusive concept of “terroir,” by which wines from a particular place share a certain typicite in their aroma or flavor profiles. Recent research has revealed that this little yeast, which is found throughout the world, plays a significant role in generating these local differences. So yes, we can still think of terroir as the set local characteristics of a specific micro-region, like soil composition, sun exposure, day-night heating and cooling, and so forth. Now, added to that constellation we know that terroir also includes whatever local variation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae settles on the ripe grapes in late summer. Read more
Bardolino
Lake Garda lies about halfway between Venice and Milan in northeast Italy. The little wine region of Bardolino lies along the southeastern shore. Established as a DOC (Denominazione di origine controllata) in 1968, wines called bardolino must be a blend of corvina, rondinella, and molinara, the same grapes used in the nearby Veneto region to make valpolicella. Typically Bardolino contains a smaller percentage of the more robust and flavorful corvina than Valpolicella. And since grape yields are often quite high in the Bardolino DOC, it can be argued that Valpolicella is more carefully restricted and perhaps higher in quality- and often lower in price.
This week’s tasting includes a Bardolino that strays from this stereotype. With 60% corvina and 30% rondinella, the blend has more weight and structure than a typical Bardolino, and in that sense is more typical of a Valpolicella blend. Wherever it comes from, however, and whatever the grape proportions, Bardolino tends to be light, fruity, and crisp, pairing well with many dishes, even those which normally would be served with white wine. It’s a good pairing for all kinds of dishes that are Flavorful without getting all the way to Robust. In other words, it’s a great wine for nearly all occasions!
I Still Blame the Business Schools
About thirty years ago our local newspaper, the Bellingham Herald, published one of my Letters to the Editor. Paraphrasing from memory, the basic idea was this:
“There’s a new kind of school that’s become Very Popular. All the young people want to go there. They’re called Business Schools. Mainly they teach students to always Wear a Tie. The ties are a Uniform that can be used to control their minds. The knot around the throat reminds them Never to Tell the Truth. The center part covers up their Hearts so they never have to Show Compassion. And the end covers up their Belly Buttons so they can Completely Forget they are Human Beings while they conduct Business.”
Well, not much has changed in thirty years, including my opinion of Business Schools, their Ilk, their Kith and their Kin. I still believe they are a Scourge on the Planet, the place where the new Overseer Class learns to Serve the One Tenth of One Percent for a little piece of the Action.
There are probably a bunch of reasons why this is coming up for me right now, including the Pope’s visit (Stranger in a Strange Land?), the so-called Presidential Campaign (Send in the Clowns?), the Global Refugee Crisis (Nowhere to Run to, Baby?), the deepening Climate Crisis (I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire?), and the continuing Concentration of Wealth (Buddy Can You Spare a Dime?).
I’m just saying, there is a Lot Going On, and I’m looking at this Sweet-Spirited Pope, and wishing he could get some Traction with his messages of Social Justice and Environmental Caring, but feeling and fearing that Leonard was so on target when he wrote, “Everybody knows that the War is Over; Everybody Knows that the Good Guys Lost…! sigh.. It’s been quiet in the wine shop during Drydock; come on by this weekend and cheer me up, huh…?!
This week’s wine tasting
Matthews Sauvignon Blanc ’13 Washington
A scintillating nose of lime, melon, green apple and hints of quince, with a racy background of grapefruit and herbs. Bright, crisp and steely, with bracing acidity and minerality.
Treana White ’13 Washington $16
Assertive aromas of poached pear, peach, honey, chamomile and vanilla, with a spicy topnote. Fleshy and broad on the palate, offering deep orchard and pit fruit flavors braced by zesty acidity and a gingery nuance. Distinctly rich but lively as well, finishing with solid punch and lingering sappiness.
Altos Malbec Clasico ’13 Argentina $10
Aromas of blackberry, strawberry, mocha and smoked meat, plus a hint of violet. Supple, soft and sweet flavors of black fruits and licorice, finisheing with smooth tannins and hints of chocolate and licorice.
Liberty School Cabernet Sauvignon ’12 California $14
Exudes aromas of plum, black currants, blackberry, smoke, and earth. Soft tannins and bright acidity add balance and substance; concentrated flavors of raspberries and black cherries dominate the entry, with refined notes of earth and pepper and lingering hints of cherry on the long and satisfying finish.
Corte Gordoni La Fontane Bardolino ’12 Italy $14
Bardolino is made from a blend of 60% Corvina for structure, weight and a sour-cherry aroma, and 30% Rondinella for the wine’s appealingly fresh, herby flavor. Corvina vines are Guyot trained; all other varieties are spurred Cordon Vines.
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