Lummi Island Wine Tasting July 13 ’13
Milestones
We are currently in Maine for the occasion of my 50th High School reunion in Bangor. This is a curiously sobering experience. More than retiring, more than starting to collect Social Security, and more than turning any particular age, the 50th HS reunion is a curiously poignant icon of aging. I mean, you see and feel it and acknowledge its coming in lots of small ways, but there isn’t actually a designated cultural ritual after which one can say—- or has to admit it to having become an Elder Citizen. So maybe the closest thing our culture ( I use the word loosely, of course!) has to such a ritual is the Big Five-Oh HS Reunion. We’ll see. Most likely it will be just a nice visit with folks I once knew very well…and even though a lot of time has passed, they are a valued part of my roots, even if it means we are now officially a bunch of geezers…
Lucerne Inn
We are staying at the old Lucerne Inn about 10 miles south of Bangor, on the Bar Harbor road. It overlooks Philips Lake, which most locals have always referred to as “Lucerne,” after the tiny spot nearby which is actually named “Lucerne-in-Maine.” We spent a lot of time at the lake when I was a kid in the late fifties, and the Inn became a familiar sight, with the lake lying behind it. My sister got married here in 1961, and we celebrated my mother’s 85th birthday here in 2000. So, like us, it’s getting on in years; the floors are pretty uneven, and everything is dated, bordering on “rustic.” Still, it is a good place to be for this milestone visit.
Family, Food, and Wine
One of the central meanings of returning to childhood homes is the connection of family and place, in this case a chance to visit with my niece Jennifer over delicious food and wine. Wherever we go, we strive to carry this sense of home and hearth with us, and it is perhaps the most basic ground of our human experience.
A Small Tip for social change
Sometime in the last few months Pat read an interesting idea on small ways to encourage social change. One very simple one was to play a small but active role in redistributing income by the simple act of leaving a tip for the person who cleans your hotel room. People who do these jobs do not get paid a lot of money; they work long hours; and they do jobs many of us would rather not do. Since we read that, we try to be more conscious of the possibility; if every room had a few bucks on the dresser, it could add up to a real difference. Pass it on!
This week’s tasting
Though we are away, Ryan will open the shop and pour this week’s wines for you on schedule Friday 4-7 and Saturday 2-6. Please note < /strong>: shop will close at 5:45 on Saturday!
Perazzeta Rosado di Montalcino ’12 Italy $14
It’s back! From the same grape as Brunello (sangiovese grosso), this beautiful rosado has it all: rich, bold, flinty, and summery.
Loredona Viognier ’11 California $9
Heady aromas of sweet orange, ripe apricot and honeysuckle lead to mouth-watering nectarine, tangerine and citrus notes on the palate. Surprisingly rich with nicely balanced acidity and minerality. Great value!
Rigal Malbec ’10 France $11
From Cahors, the birthplace of malbec in France (not Argentina!); lots of plum and a bit of oak on the nose and palate, with lively notes of raspberry and licorice and a touch of earthiness.
Lost River Western Red ’10 Washington $17
Lovely blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc; dark fruits on the nose, smooth and rich in the mouth, enjoy with rich sauces or all by itself.
Marchetti Rosso Conero Riserva ’08 Italy :$22
Made only from “free run juice,” and crammed with black berry, plum, and currant flavors, showing elegant traces of graphite, leather, stone, and smoke, with a streak of bitter chocolate; caresses the palate like silk scarf…!
Lummi Island Wine Tasting July 6 ’13 4th of July Weekend
CCSVI (Chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency)
Last Saturday we had a long conversation with visitor Ben Munkres about CCSVI (which stands forChronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency), and its possible role in the development of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). The theory is that MS and a number of other chronic debilitative diseases are caused by, or at least made worse by, blockages or constrictions of veins that move blood from important centers of brain activity. CCSVI advocates believe these blockages can be alleviated by vascular surgery or angioplasty.
Read more
See brief ‘before’ video
See brief ‘after’ video
In Ben’s case, he had rapidly advancing MS for several years and had lost a considerable amount of function when he learned about CCSVI. He told all of us in the wine shop about how he felt his symptoms disappear while the procedure was being done a couple of years ago. So now he is on something of a crusade to extol the benefits of the procedure.
If you Google CCSVI, you will find a lot of information pro and con. As Ben suggested, much of the “con” is from mainstream medical interests. He is convinced that the medical and pharmaceutical industries have been doing very well with diseases like MS, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimers, conditions that are chronic and increasingly debilitating over time, with essentially no hope of recovery…perfect Cash Cows. There is nothing so convincing as someone who has experienced a Miracle Cure, and these days the credibility of medical, financial, and insurance institutions has been deeply compromised. My take-away from the afternoon’s conversation is that vascular intervention worked for at least one man, and I would probably look into it if I or anyone close to me was so unfortunate to get one of these really horrible related conditions.
The Italians are back!
Lovers of Italian wines will have noticed our stock has been getting quite lean of late. Partially that is because we order many of the Italian wines we carry from an importer called Small Vineyards. Twice a year their representative puts on a tasting at a nice Bellingham restaurant for those who buy wines for shops, stores, and restaurants in the area. What sets the SV tastings apart from most others is that it is a sit-down affair, with a story about each of 20 or 25 wines, their wineries and winemakers as you taste them, along with a parade of delicious food. This is in sharp contrast to typical trade tastings, which are in a warehouse-sized room with perhaps hundreds of wines at 20 or 30 tables, and your mission is to taste as many as you can in a couple of hours, and maybe pick a few to bring into the shop.
Btw, this SV model is the same one we will be using in the shop very soon to introduce YOU to wines Ryan will be importing from France in the fall. Samples will be arriving soon, and just as SV does, we will host an event in the next few weeks where you will be able to taste each wine, munch a little something, and hear about who made it and where it comes from. Then you can pre-order those that you want and a few months later: Voilà, here is your wine!
As for this weekend, we will be pouring three of the new Italian arrivals, each the latest vintage of wines we have been consistently impressed with year after year. As I write this I am “previewing” the 2011 Poderi Elia Barbera d’Asti, and it may be the best one ever, smooth and delicious, with dark notes of cranberry, leather, and maybe just a touch of horse sweat on the nose…!
Fourth of July
Every Fourth of July I like to remind people to “Watch out for Falling Elephants!” That’s because of a limerick that was popular in our neighborhood in New England when I was a kid. It goes like this:
“I asked my mother for fifty cents
To see the elephant jump the fence;
He jumped so high he touched the sky, and
Didn’t come down till the Fourth of July.”
Well, this morning Judy O came by for a small “wine emergency” (Remember: we are open Fridays 4-7, Saturdays 2-6, and anytime for Wine Emergencies!) I knew that Judy grew up on Cape Cod, and here it was the 4th, so I asked her if she knew the limerick, and she did! That suggests it is a New England thing, not just a Maine thing. Cool! Pass it on: maybe it can become a Global Thing, and Everyone can be on the alert for Falling Elephants on the Fourth!
This Week’s Tasting
Trevisiol “Rosecco” Sparkling Rosé Italy $15
Where prosecco meets rosé; Light and effervescent wine that dances on the tongue with fresh berries, lively acidity and gentle bubbles.
Marchetti Later Harvest Verdicchio ’12 Italy $16
Full-bodied with lush notes of pear and melon, with beautiful acidity. An extra month on the vine delivers not sweetness, but rather greater body, structure, and fruit essence. Entirely satisfying!
Poderi Elia Barbera d’Asti ‘11 Italy $14
Balanced, soft, and rich, with freshly pressed cranberries on the nose, and lush palate of pomegranate, bright acidity, and soft tannins that beg for pairing with a savory meal.
Stonecap Cabernet Sauvignon ’11 Washington $9
Opens with aromas of blackberry, spice, and oak followed by flavors of currants, raspberry, and hints of chocolate and coffee on a smooth finish; a perfect companion to grilled meats.
Almirez Toro ’08 Spain 91pts $22
Vivid ruby. High-pitched red berries and spices on the nose. Silky in texture and emphatically fruity, offering fresh raspberry and cherry flavors and a hint of tangy minerality. Very fresh, with strong finishing spiciness and lingering mineral note. Impressive clarity and focus.
Lummi Island Wine Tasting June 29 ’13
Blogparents
About four years ago our world changed significantly with the appearance in our wine shop of a young couple (Leigh and Brian) who had recently moved to the island after having spent two years living on the road in an old Airstream trailer. They both worked online, so could work from anywhere, and the Anywhere they preferred was, as Willie Nelson sings, “On the Road.” It was at their insistence that this blog came into existence sometime in 2009, and they have been coaching us at various times ever since, for which we are continually grateful.
Before any of that happened, though, they bought some acreage in the hills southeast of Tonasket, Washington, over in Okanogan County, and this week we finally got a chance to go visit them on their land, where they are currently parked for a month in their trailer.
(as always, click on photos for larger version)
Vistas large and small
This is a shot looking west from their land. The little green spot is our trailer; theirs is tucked in next to the hillside, not visible. The land is quiet and spacious, a place that invites taking time to be quiet and contemplative; the far views speak of distance and dramatic terrain, while the near views this time of year are resplendent with tiny wildflowers. It’s a spot to claim some space around yourself, very appealing and soothing in many ways.
There are also lots of birds, because the air is full of little cheeps and songs, but the birds are mostly invisible! I spent a fair amount of time wandering around the steep hillsides trying to get a glimpse of even one of these little songsters, but whenever I got close the sound would stop. So I have NO idea what birds these are, but I am curious. So while I was trying to be still, hoping to catch a glimpse of a mysterious singer, I had a lot of time to look closely at the boundless array of tiny blossoms, and found much to admire.
Thus it was that I found this small, pale butterfly on one of my walks through the maze of blooming wildflowers; it was tiny and delicate, its wings subtle shades of pale purple-gray and soft orange. It appears to be a Common Ringlet, Coenonympha tullia, found throughout the world, but the first one I have noticed. All of which is to say, I know next to nothing about birds, flowers, or butterflies, and rarely take time for them. And there is something about Leigh and Brian’s land looking out over the Okanogan that invites and rewards a bit of contemplation.
Fourth of July, aught-13
One of the things I really enjoy about writing this blog is that the creative process is very, very similar to what I (used to) experience throwing pots, to follow the elusive Muse of the moment, a repeating sequence of feeling-acting-waiting, until it is done, whatever that means. Just now I was attracted to this photo of old church, somewhere in Italy, roof long gone, and dating back many hundreds of years. It was probably long in ruins already in 1776 when this country was born. It is sobering, this inexorable, indifferent March of Time, which gradually grinds even our grandest icons to dust.
So this year, for no particular reason, I find myself curious about the longer perspective on our good old USA, our good old Civilization, and our Good Old 98%-Chimp genes. Has human history always just been the unfolding story of the latest Guys in Suits’ intrigues for power, their garb always the best animal skins, silk, linen, or, you know, the armor? Are we doomed, like lemmings, to follow the whims of these idiots over cliff after cliff after cliff, drinking yet another cup of True Believer Kool-Aid, cheering yet another patriotic Slogan, demonizing yet another Godless Enemy?
All I’m saying is that the older I get, the more everyday news reports sound as if written by Rod Serling or Kurt Vonnegut: absurd and surreal. All of which is to say, we will not be open on the Fourth for any regular hours, but as always, feel free to call for “Wine Emergencies.” And of course we are open regular hours this Friday (4-7) and Saturday (2-6).
This week’s wines:
Blanco Nievo sauvignon blanc ’10 Spain $15
more
An intriguing style of sauvignon blanc from Spain. Softer and fuller bodied than most, and showing fruits outside the usual grapefruit/kiwi/lime envelope.
Ryan Patrick Rose ’11 Washington $10
Made from syrah; greets the senses with aromas of rose petals and subtle spice; palate is a bright medley of violet and a hint of cloves.
Comoloco Monastrell ’11 Spain $9
Alluring black and blue fruit aromas and flavors; fleshy and smooth in texture, with good finishing punch and a touch of bitter chocolate.
Eguren Codice ’09 Spain 90pts $11
Vivid purple. Aromas of cassis, cherry, licorice and mocha. Dense, alluringly sweet and juicy, with excellent concentration to its chewy dark berry and bitter chocolate flavors. Silky, fine-grained tannins and lingering spiciness.
Meiomi Pinot Noir ’12 California 92pts $23
Dark and rich, showing toasty mocha oak flavors, with a beam of wild berry, raspberry, cola, vanilla, and spice, with lingering finish.
Lummi Island Wine Tasting June 22 ’13
Buoygone Era…?
Over the weekend the Coast Guard sent the long-awaited Buoy Tender (no, it is NOT something to put on the grill for dinner!) to retrieve our visiting Bell Buoy from Legoe Bay. One can’t help but wonder if it has been returned to it Rightful Place in the Great Waters, doing its solitary duty, or sent to some kind of Shelter for Wayward Buoys, or perhaps refurbished and placed on call to await its next “Buoy Wanted” assignment…:)
This particular tender is from the relatively new 175-foot “Keeper” inland class, one of several that replaced the old 180-ft class that served for a half-century and more. Many of us around here spend time on the water, and completely take for granted that buoys will be in their correct locations, that their lights will blink at the correct intervals, that they are painted the correct colors…in short, that the marine and coastal highway is properly marked and maintained. When we can take such things for granted it generally means the job is getting quietly and competently done…for which all boaters are grateful!
see fun video
see detailed history of buoy tenders
Blog Care and Feeding
So. As regular followers of this blog (both of you!) know, we have been wrestling for several weeks now with getting our blog feed emailed out to you each time we make a post. (yes, the editorial “we”– it is at once so efficiently inclusive, charmingly self-effacing, and effectively evasive…)
Anyway. in today’s episode, I was fooling around with the code in one of the bazillion or so pages each WordPress site uses to dispense its content to the World, when for reasons unknown, the several browser windows I had open for the task all started displaying their little swirlies, you know, the new “hourglass from Hell” indicating your program has just gone over a virtual cliff. So I did what any of you would have done: took the dogs for a long walk in the rain!
Just as I got home, the guys at my local server were calling to tell me that I had apparently put their server in some kind of iterative loop, where, like a Black Hole, it was gulping resources at such a rate as to threaten our entire Galaxy! And to think: I did it with just one tiny bit of misplaced Code! Who knew it was all so Fragile? Could it be that our entire intergalactic internet eavesdropping system is this vulnerable, not only to deliberate attack by Mutant Hackers, but — so much more likely and therefore so much more dangerous– to inadvertent collapse from the random explorations of innocent bloggers just trying to get their next post to mail properly? Do we really want people like me to have that kind of Power?! More to the point, this week will subscribers finally get this blog post in their emails again???
Another Summer Solstice
It’s nice to have things you can count on, things that aren’t political or subject to outsourcing by their current corporate owner. All of this world is, after all, about Impermanence, and so it seems natural to look for something Steady to moor your boat to. Once a year our planet completes a revolution around the Sun, and once a year we mark the northernmost point on our horizon where the sun will rise. Our ancestors built icons like Stonehenge to the Mystery of it. Mystery is a good thing; it keeps us on our toes.
Maybe, if our planet were not tilted so greatly on its axis, and there were no seasons, life might never have evolved, or humanoids might never have evolved. But this business of seasons, with its times of plenty and times of scarcity, times of darkness and of light, of warmer and colder, brings impermanence right into the realm of daily weather, and has made survival a bit more complicated, especially in higher latitudes, raising the bar in the Darwinian struggle.
Bottom line: it’s good to be here, and it’s good to celebrate the coming of another Summer!
This Week’s Tasting
Ryan Patrick Naked Chardonnay ’11 Washington $10
Clean and crisp with a bouquet of melon followed by hints of apricot and pineapple on the palate. (note: ‘Naked’ means ‘unoaked’).
Saint Nabor Gris de Gris Rose ’12 France $10
Bouquet of red fruit and honeysuckle with linden-tree nuances; light, crisp and easy drinking, with palate of wild strawberries and blueberries with mineral nuances.
Villa Luisa Chianti ’11 Italy $9
Satisfying well beyond its humble price point, showing red fruits and violets on the nose, with smooth, soft palate.
2010 Brian Carter Abracadabra Red Wine ’10 Washington 89pts $16
Musky, reduced aromas of redcurrant and smoky oak, followed by intense redcurrant and spice flavors; finishes with firm tannins, hints of pepper and herbs and very good length.
Bodegas Volver Single Vineyard Tempranillo ’10 Spain 91pts $15
Explosive, seductively perfumed aromas of candied red and dark berries, incense, rose pastille and Asian spices. Sappy, penetrating black raspberry and blueberry flavors, with smoky mineral and star anise nuances, lingering spiciness, and gentle tannins.
2072 Granger Way