Lummi Island Wine Tasting May 19 ’12 Back from Spain
We made it home last night on the midnight boat after a really long day of traveling, finishing with a record-breaking (for us) under-two-hour drive from Seatac to the ferry dock. And that after about 24 hours of flying, waiting, flying, waiting beginning in Rioja at 5am (when it was still 5 in the evening Tuesday here on LI.) We’re still a little groggy, so this will be short.
In honor of our recent trip, our tasting Saturday will feature four Spanish wines, each from a different region. We actually visited one of the wineries (Borsao) last Tuesday, and have a few pictures of the vineyard where the grapes for the wine (Tres Picos) were grown. After a tour of the winery and a tasting of all the wines, we were treated to a lovely dinner, of course with a nice wine accompaniment.
The winery, Borsao, is actually a cooperative, like many we encountered elsewhere in Spain. The business model here is that there is a corporate “front office” that manages all aspects of vineyard management, harvest, winemaking, and marketing. Each member-grower is required to follow specific rules and guidelines, and in exchange they are guaranteed purchase of their fruit. Borsao has hundreds of small vineyards as their member growers.
This week’s wines:
Martina Prieto Verdejo ’10 Spain $14
Verdejo thrives in the hot days and cold nights of the mesa and, when harvested with extreme precision, yields one of the very best fresh white wines of the world; this one delights the palate with flavors of nettles, ripe pineapple, dried mint, and pencil dust on a crisp, fresh frame. From vines planted in clay, shells, and limestone in Rueda.
Emilio Moro Resalso ’07 Spain $13
Nice density to the berry, floral and vanilla notes in this lively red. Medium-bodied, with light tannins and enough acidity to balance the sweet oak. From younger vines in soils of clay with gravel and chalk at about 2000 ft. elevation in Ribera del Duero.
Borsao Tres Picos Garnacha ’09 Spain $14
Heady black cherry and blackberry aromas, Asian spices, incense, and mineral notes lead to a dense, layered, rich old-vine Garnacha that over-delivers in a big way. From a mature vineyard on the rugged, rocky slope of Moncayo Mountain in Campo de Borja that consistently delivers exceptional wines.
Finca Sandoval 05 Spain $27
76% Syrah, 13% Mourvedre, and 11% Bobal co-fermented on the lees with native yeasts, a year in French and American oak. Purple-colored, with alluring nose of toasty oak, mineral, floral notes, blueberry, and blackberry, leading to a full-bodied, ripe, layered wine with superb integration of oak, tannin, and acidity. From Manchuela where soils have a dominant clay-limestone component and the climate is very harsh continental.
Storks
This little post is a test to see if I can learn to post a photo to the blog using the &!## IPad…..which after several frustrating weeks of trial and error has revealed—reluctantly!— a couple of useful features.
It took awhile to find out there is a WordPress app (see, now I am throwing around meaningless Jargon as if I actually knew what “app” really means).The main thing I have learned about these app things is that some of them are fully functional right on your iPad, you know like a program on a pc. But most are not like that at all, because they require online access to be complete, because they sort of meta-exist in the so-called Cloud. All I’m saying is that the big problem with all of this is that you have to have web access All the Time to make these things worthwhile. And we don’t. Especially here en Espana.
Across the street from our little apartment is a tower with a couple of storks. We have been a bit under the weather so have stayed in a lot last few days. Storks are beautiful birds, very big and
Heron-like. so let’s se if we can show you what they look like…
Spain notes April 27, ’12
Trip notes
As our Gps is fond of saying (and it always is a welcome sound) “You have arrived.” So we have arrived in Barcelona, after a series of halting steps. First, we missed our Airport shuttle by about a minute at Tulalip…saw it there from I5, but gone three minutes later. So we had to make an unplanned trip to Seatac to find parking ($$$!), etc….not the leisurely trip we had pla nned. Call that Ouch #1.
Got to Dallas ok (surprise, no food on board for 4hour flight, never ran into that before…who knew?) Enough of a layover there to grab a quick bite before the next leg to London. Went through boarding, waited…..waited…for mechanical problem remedy, finally we all got off and a couple of hours later boarded new plane for uneventful flight to Heathrow. A little side note…I hadn’t recalled how Hot and Sweaty it was on planes during boarding! Or feeling so grungy so early in the trip!
Delay at Dallas made for close connection in London, but late afternoon flight to Barcelona on British Airways Airbus was smooth, beautiful, and comfortable, with roomier, more comfortable seats, a quiet ride, and a spectacular approach over the Pyrenees, then swinging out over the Med for sunset view of the city, the coast, and layers of mountains stretching away into the Twilight.
More later!
Ipad
This post is done on our new iPad…still low on the learning curve. So e.g., I make lots of typos, and the iPad corrects them by guessing what words Asia thinks I am at hyping and then Fills the a in S is thinks it should, willy-nilly making up words as it goes along…this last sentence is a pretty good example. All you experts feel free to lend tips!
Wine Shop
The most important thing for you to know is that while we are away Ryan will be opening the wine shop on Fridays from 4-7 and Saturdays from 2-6. I hope you will all drop in to taste wine and sChmooze with the Faithful. And just to make it more appealing…
CASE SALE!
For the next three weeks the $99 case sale we had before New Years is BACK! So come by and load up! OR call Ryan (758-2020) and ask him to put one together for you…just specify how many reds and whites!
Lummi Island Wine Tasting April 21, ’12
Earth Day Earth Day Earth Day
Earth Day is Sunday, April 22. This is the particular day in the annual calendar when many voices are raised in awe and homage to the wonder of our tiny planet and the life that sprang from it. It is true that the consciousness and concern that established the Earth Day tradition led to the passing of the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Acts in the United States— laws that, along with the Endangered Species Act, could never become law in today’s political world. So without getting into the topic in any depth, I would like to offer a toast of thanks to all those early environmentalists who made Earth Day a tradition and some level of environmental protection a legal requirement. Like “freedom,” environmental integrity requires constant vigilance. In a sense planet Earth is truly our Mother…one we can never do without. Happy Earth Day, Mom!
Today’s Wine:
Tonight as I write I am sampling a wine that caught my attention in the “close-out” section of a distributor catalog, where one can occasionally find bargains. I was intrigued by the interesting way people talked about the winemaker and his wines. It is the Puydeval “Chevalier” Syrah, from the part of France we visited last fall. It had a low price and numerous testimonials about the winery and the winemaker that are positively intriguing. My personal opinion is that it is entirely drinkable, with a strong and persistent core of blackberry and black cherry that lingers on the palate like fresh Maine blueberries. In other words, this is a great bottle of wine for nine bucks…but of course that’s just my opinion, so you had better come by and check it out for yourself!
Spain Spain Spain
About this time next week Pat and I will be arriving in Barcelona for a three-week exploration. The first week will be about history and culture in Barcelona. The second week will be in the semi-mythical wine region of Priorat (above), and will coincide with the annual Priorat Wine Fair in the little town of Falset, which we hope will provide ongoing opportunities to sample the wines and food of this dry and challenging wine-growing region from which spring some of the world’s most distinctive wines.
But don’t worry!– while we are gone, Ryan will keep the lights lit and the wine flowing during our regular hours, Fridays 4-7 and Saturdays 2-6. And we will post occasional updates and photos of our adventures…like our date with flamenco at the Palau de la Musica Catalana...!
This week’s wines– two flights!
First flight ($5)
Black Oak Pinot Grigio Italy $8
Another tremendous bargain from negociant Black Oak, a fresh, dry wine with a lovely floral bouquet, medium body and rich,layered flavors.
Puydeval “Chevalier” Syrah France $9
A great example of ripe, Languedoc Syrah, it offers bold blackberry and pepper aromas on the nose, with a velvety texture on the palate
and a fresh, lingering finish. read more
Sant’ Antonio Monti Garbi Ripasso ’08 Italy $17
(a big hit at our recent ‘Art of Wine in Italy’ tasting) Nose of roasted meats, raspberries, and red licorice; full bodied and crisp, with smooth, ripe tannin on the palate; intense and up front fruit of plum, blackberry and black cherry.
Bocelli Poggioncino ‘07 Italy $18
Big, soft, full-bodied sangiovese from Chianti region of Tuscany…entirely satisfying and highly recommended!
Second flight ($5)
Betz Syrah La Serenne ’07 Washington WA93pts $48
95% Yakima Valley Syrah from the Boushey Vineyard with the balance coming from the Kiona Vineyard in Red Mountain. A saturated purple in color, it has a brooding but delectable nose of smoked meat, saucisson, spice box, incense, and blueberry. Dense yet suave on the palate, this ripe, intensely flavored Syrah is impeccably balanced with enough structure to evolve for 4-6 years. It will offer a drinking window extending from 2013 to 2022.
Betz Besoleil ’07 Washington WA92pts $38
The 2007 Bosoleil is Betz Family’s take on Chateauneuf-du-Pape with a blend of 80% Grenache, 15% Mourvedre, and 5% Syrah sourced from three AVAs. Dark ruby-colored, it offers up a fragrant perfume of cigar box, lavender, sage, black cherry, and black raspberry. Layered on the palate, it has a silky texture, layered, savory red and black fruit, spice and earth notes, and a sweet, lengthy finish.
2072 Granger Way