Lummi Island Special Wine Tasting August ’12 Lullaby Winery
Lullaby Winery
A few weeks ago we mentioned we had recently been in touch with an old acquaintance, Virginie Bourgue, the winemaker/owner of Lullaby winery in Walla Walla, and we poured one of her wines that weekend. We first met her a few years ago when when she was the winemaker for Bergevin Lane Winery in Walla Walla, where she helped establish their reputation for quality wines. Now she has her own winery, and the Good News is that she will be visiting and pouring several of her wines at our shop this Saturday from 2-5. Don’t Miss It! See below for wines and winemaker notes.
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Lummi Island Jazz Festival and Island Library Upgrade
Virginie’s visit to Lummi coincides with the the kickoff of the Island Library’s fundraising campaign to support the expansion/remodel of our Library. Curiously there are still a lot of folks who don’t realize that even though our library is part of our excellent Whatcom County Library System (in which our dear friend Polly Hanson played such a major role years back), the building itself is owned by all of us through our own Friends of the Island Library. It is truly a community asset, and because of that maintenance of the buildings is our collective responsibility.
The Jazz Festival marks the beginning of the fundraising efforts to pay for the library upgrades to better serve our community. We hope you will support these efforts by attending the Jazz Festival and by donating generously during the coming year.
Hopefully there is no conflict between attending the Jazz Festival and dropping by the wine shop to taste these great wines. Your hand will be stamped at the Festival, so you can easily come and go. It’s a pleasant 15-minute walk from the Festival to our place; hope you can make it!
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Ongoing Case Sale continues!
There is this well-
known picture we have all seen of a man (obviously French) riding a bicycle along a tree-lined country road, with a small boy behind him and a lovely baguette tied on cross-wise behind the seat. It captures, as the French say, a certain je ne sais quoi about what is really important in life.
As it turns out, we encountered many roads like this one during our time in France last October. We found ourselves on many beautiful sections of rural highway lined with big old plane trees that seem to embrace everything in sight: you, the road, the vineyards or fields on either side, the sky—something about these trees is warmly welcoming.
Well, we don’t have plane trees lining the road on Lummi Island, and as yet there is no bakery where you can get a fresh baguette in the morning (although you can usually find something tasty at the Islander, and at the new incarnation of the Beach Store, and Janice keeps threatening to open a bakery sometime soon, so yes, we got bread!), and we still rely more on motors than pedal power for most of our transportation.
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Still, there is something of the same feeling to this little scene of our friend Megan loading a case of wine into the little trailer she had made to tow behind her scooter. And by the way, some of that wine will help Megan and Chris celebrate 25 years together…hoist yer glasses, mates, it’s cause fer Celebration!
And don’t forget: we are losing money hand over fist on this deal, but we just can’t stop, so the Madness continues: any twelve bottles from our $11 and under rack for just $99! Bring your scooter, bring your bike, bring your car, or take a hike, but hurry, cuz we can’t keep this deal going much longer!!!
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This week’s wines from Lullaby Winery in Walla Walla
2011 Lullaby Rosé $22
This single vineyard rosé is 100% Grenache from Alder Ridge Vineyard. It is dry, fruity, delicate and elegant. Lullaby Rosé has floral and fruity aromas of cherry, red currant, raspberry and citrus. Crafted in the true spirit of Provençal Rosé. Only 183 cases produced.
‘Blanc de Virginie’ ’11 $22
Clean and crisp, combining grapefruit, lime, lemongrass, pineapple, star fruit and passion fruit, with mouth-watering acidity, a perfect match for shellfish or a simple mixed green salad.
Viognier ’10 $32
Opens up on aromas of dried apricot, pear, hints of fresh hazelnut and vanilla followed by candied orange peel, gooseberry and marshmallow. Its silky texture and vibrant acidity will make this Viognier the perfect companion with food like scallops, prawns, pasta a la carbonara or roasted chicken.
Lalayee cab-merlot blend ’08 $45
Blended from two vineyards,this Cab-Merlot blend, called “Lalayee”, has a fragrant nose of blackberry, leather, cedar and tar. The mouth showcases blackberry and black cherry aromas over earthy notes of leather, sandalwood and pencil lead.
Lummi Island Wine Tasting August 4 ’12
A Rosé is a Rosé is a Rosé
It’s definitely looking pretty summery out here these days, with lots of sun and temperatures soaring to almost 70 degrees! That is Very Cool relative to the rest of the country, but that’s just how it is out here on the Frontier, and we are grateful for it. For the past month or so visitors will have noticed the “Rosé Shrine” at the top of the stairs, and hopefully it has gotten your attention. (I also mentioned this a few weeks ago…OMD, has summer lasted a MONTH already??!!) After many years of considerable indifference to rosé, I have been gradually converted over the past couple of years by friends who love it, trips to Europe where it is perfect to accompany the leisurely noon meal, and a sharp upturn in the number and quality of dry, Provencal-style rosés from both Europe and America. With its racy acidity, rosé pairs well with almost any dish, particularly in the afternoon!
Too Much Wine???
I know, I know, it sounds Oxymoronic. But there you have it, I find I can hardly get into the garage we have gotten so much wine lately. We are of course trying to keep our “Under $11” rack stocked for those of you who like to take advantage of our ongoing $99 case sale, and we have some new additions as well as some old favorites. In addition, we would like to invite your attention to the lovely array of beautiful Washington and Oregon wines that are curiously overlooked. These wines range in price from $13 and up, and include whites like gewurztraminer, chardonnay, and pinot gris, and reds from pinot noir to cabernet sauvignon, cab franc, syrah, malbec, and more.
Our Deal for this Weekend: 10% off all Northwest Wines $12 and over!!!
Lagrein
Last year we stocked a wine made from an unusual (to most Americans) grape called “Edelvernatsch.” Then this spring we attended a tasting in Seattle of wines from the same region of Italy, called Alto Adige. It is at the threshold of the Alps in an area equally influenced by Italian and German languages, and it is home to a number of grape varietals found few other places. This weekend we offer another wine from such a grape: Lagrein. We tasted many versions of this at the April tasting, and this one is typically rich, earthy, and vaguely rustic, yet curiously elegant. It is a unique varietal, and I think a lot of you are REALLY going to like it!
Here’s a fairly lengthy video segment about the varietal.
This weekend’s tasting
Bernier Chardonnay ’11 France $10
Light, bright yellow. Lemon, herbs and lees on the nose. Juicy but dry, focused, and refreshingly brisk.
Teutonic pinot noir Rose ’10 Oregon $14
A lovely rosé with all the characteristic aromas and flavors of a good Oregon pinot: pie cherry, forest floor, mineral, and spice, on a beautifully-structured, low-alcohol (10%) framework.
St. Michael-Eppan Lagrein ’09 Italy $17
Intense, with firm tannins and a smoky mineral sublayer supporting the ripe black fruit, espresso bean, iron, dried sage and fennel seed notes. Big and inky, but well-knit and integrated.
Scarafone Montecucco Rosso ’08 Italy $12
90% Sangiovese and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. A rustic Italian red with aromas and flavors of dried cherry and dark blackberry, with a somewhat toasty character that includes bramble and dried herbs with a hint of leather.
Ciocca Fior Chocolate Grappa Italy $24
A decadent liqueur-like wine combining lots of chocolate with grappa (a rustic Italian brandy)…it will definitely get your attention!
Lummi Island Wine Tasting July 28 ’12
Retrospective: the Great Chili Cookoff
Last weekend’s Chili Cookoff was a huge success. True, our new vintage of “Screaming Seagull” vegetarian chili did not win any prizes, but the event was Festive and well attended, as the accompanying photos confirm. And the music was great, a bluegrass/R&B band from ( I think) Skagit County, with great rhythm and style. It was a beautiful day, the event was well attended, and a good time was had by all. And after these festivities, we figured, okay, No One is going to want to come to the wine shop, but no, we were wrong about that! Since of a lot of the cooks at the Chili Cookoff were “Artisan Gallery Regulars” (the best kind of militia!), after the cookoff we were joined by many of the chili teams: Beth and “Never met a Pepper I didn’t want to put in my Chili” Blake, Mary Jane and son John (two prizes!), Barbara and Tobey, Mary Beth and Steve, Ian and Robin (another prize!), and of course Pat and yours truly. The interesting thing is that our expected Quiet Afternoon in the wine shop after the Cookoff turned out to be quite a party, very festive indeed. You just never know how things will unfold…so, really, why bother to make plans at all…???!
Celler Capçanes & “Nit de les Garnatxes 2012”
One of the highlights of our trip to Spain in May was a week in the little village of Capçanes. It’s small, it’s totally charming, and it has its own winery, one of several small cooperativa through which many grape growers combine their efforts to produce wine. Started in 1933 by five families, more recently, Celler Capçanes has taken the path of many Spanish coops, with a centralized management and production team that sets standards for the member vineyards.
What is important about Celler Capçanes is that it is at the very entrance to the town, and looks pretty sleepy, a couple of nondescript, modestly sized block buildings of indeterminate age. So it seemed peculiar that the three-day annual Falset Wine Festival celebrating the wines of the Montsant and Priorat regions was to kick off with a Friday night event at Celler Capçanes beginning at 11pm (yes, PM!) called “Nit de les Garnatxes” (Night of the Garnachas). So we drifted down the hill from our lovely apartment to find a pretty astonishing party, spread over both buildings and the space between them; we kept finding more stairways and more levels, with throngs everywhere, lots of delicious wines, food (including the Chocolate Fountain (image left)!), music, and art. AMAZING! Unfortunately, we haven’t figured out how to get any of their wines here, but we are working on it! (SEE MORE PICTURES)
Celler Masroig
We have been slightly more successful finding wines from another Montsant cooperativa, Celler Masroig, the first winery we visited after we arrived. (Btw, Masroig is a Catalan name which is pronounced “mahs roych.”) We didn’t have an appointment, just wandered in, and were greeted cordially by shop manager Eulalia, who spoke excellent English (whew!), and who told us about the many wines made at the coop while she poured samples. We wound up buying several bottles of their wines which we drank over the next several days, and we ran into Eulalia several times in the ensuing days of the Wine Festival…it’s a small region, and an ongoing celebration, so lots of faces became familiar.
At present we have only been able to find one of the Masroig wines here, and all you need to know is that we will be pouring it this weekend. It is called Sola Fred, which doesn’t make a lot of sense for a wine. It is NOT named for someone named Fred, I am sure of that, although I can’t quite remember the story of the name, only that it was created particularly for export. (Figure out what it means and get a free tasting!) more about Masroig
This weekend’s wines:
Alvise prosecco Italy $13
Prosecco is Italy’s famous dry white sparkling wine, offering fruity freshness, notes of green apple and a nice minerality…refreshing and delicious!
Lafond Tavel Rosé ’09 France $18
Light, bright red. Fleshy and smooth, with concentrated red fruit flavors and a touch of orange zest. Rich enough to pair with strong cheeses, grilled poultry, or fish.
Clua Domenech pedres ’09 Spain $10
An eclectic blend of cab, merlot, syrah, grenache, and tempranillo, pleasingly ripe fruit, this wine is fresh and easy to enjoy, with alluring minerality and a dark, smoky complexion.
Masroig Sola Fred ’09 Spain $12
100% carignan. Bright purple, with intense, perfumed aromas of cherry-cola, black raspberry and violet, with a suave mineral underpinning; juicy and precise, with very good clarity and lift to its dark fruit and floral pastille flavors. more about Masroig
Lummi Island Wine Tasting July 21 ’12
Annual Chili Cook-off
Okay, folks, it’s that time again. A dozen or more chili competitors will be vying for your vote as best Lummi Island Chili for 2012 at Otto Preserve this Saturday beginning around noon. There will also be music, beer, cookies, and more. Two things you need to know about that are:
1) We will once again be among the competitors with the new, improved version of our famous vegetarian “Screaming Seagull” chili, for which we won the award for best name and best logo two years ago! and
2) We might be a little late opening the shop on Saturday, maybe around 3-ish (not usually a problem cuz everyone will be at the Chili Cook-off!)
Thimbleberries
I only became aware of thimbleberries after moving to Lummi Island nearly twenty years ago. They are a curiosity, growing in banks alongside the road, often alongside salmonberries, another Northwest native. According to Wilipedia they are, like other raspberries, not a true berry, but instead an aggregate fruit of numerous drupelets around a central core. The drupelets may be carefully removed separately from the core when picked, leaving a hollow fruit which bears a resemblance to a thimble, perhaps giving the plant its name.
All I know is that I often find wines with flavors that remind me thimbleberries, definitely raspberry-like, but somehow brighter and more acidic, and often with a sort of dusty quality (probably from dirt blown onto them by passing cars!). All you need to know is that this year, right now, today and for the next week or two, these little gems are out in all their glory. In most years, thimbleberries are marginally edible at best, ripening unevenly or not at all. But this year, oh yes, this year is probably the best we have seen. Look for them along roads or driveways or around the edges of fields. And yes, they are a perfect match for the many dry rosés we have in stock right now!
Summer Friends
For some months we have been looking forward to the seasonal return of dear friends we have met here at the wine shop. When people ask me, “how’s the shop doing?’ I usually have to stop and think about what in the world that could mean. And where I usually land is, “Are we still having a good time?” And the answer is generally yes, we ARE having a good time, because of all the wonderful people we meet each week. We have been to a number of events with lots of people we know and very much like, and the thought sometimes occurs to us that these are people we have met in our funny little wine shop. And we also notice in such groups that many of the people know each other from the wine shop!
So I would like to take this moment to thank all of you who have bellied up to our tasting bar upon occasion, and a special thanks to you who have made our tastings a regular event. I am prompted to mention this because, like migratory birds you only see in a certain season, some of our dearest (see pix…sorry no names!) are hereabout this month. So hoist yer glasses, lads, and Toast to Friendship! Arrrrrrrr, ‘n’ it’s a good life when ya can share a spot o’ grog wit yer mates, eh?…!
This week’s wines:
Aravo albarino ’09 Spain $15
A one-of-a-kind, lush, mineral-laden, and medium-bodied Albariño that fills the mouth with peach, pear, mint, acacia flower, and wet granite notes.
Lost River Rosé ’09 Washington $14
Blended from merlot and cabernet franc, harvested early to preserve bright notes of strawberry and cherry; excellent by itself or paired with summer fare from salads to barbecue.
Sikelia Nero d’Avola ’10 Italy $11
90% Nero d’Avola,10% Syrah. Densely purple, floral and earthy, combining the power of mountain fruit and the bold lushness of fruit grown by the sea. (a big hit two weeks ago, back by popular demand!)
Baguala Malbec ’08 Argentina $8
Rich, elegant, and full-bodied, with notes of raisins and a dash of bitters. Delicious!
D’Artagnan Gascogne ’10 France $11
Alluring nose of black raspberry, flowers, and garrigue leads into a crisp palate of plum with a touch of bitters.
2072 Granger Way