Comments Off on “Twas the week before Christmas”…

“Twas the week before Christmas”…

Posted at December 18, 2011

For the next few days we are trying something new, so we may bother you with a few extra posts. Don’t worry, after Christmas we will go back to our once-a-week entries (and occasional travelogue).

Our $99 per case offer was popular this weekend  (see previous post), but we still have a lot of wine, and the offer continues till Dec 30. This is a great chance to stock up for the holidays and for January (when we will be mostly closed). I feel like the old-time car dealers with the marathon sales campaign: “we must be crazy to offer these prices!” But sorry, we don’t take trade-ins, so don’t have your old cars (or old wines) pushed, pulled, dragged, or airlifted in!

THIS WEEK    THIS WEEK    THIS WEEK
As an experiment we will be open M, Tu, Th, & Fri this week from 4:30-6:30. Each night we will offer two exceptional wines from our cellar for tasting for $5-10 per person, depending on the wines. These are mostly collectible wines from the last ten years that have received exceptional reviews and disappeared from shelves long ago (if they were ever there in the first place!).

 

 

 

THE GOOD STUFF THE GOOD STUFF THE GOOD STUFF THE GOOD STUFF

Monday we will start with these:   “Betz Family Winery, run impeccably by Bob Betz, MW, remains a Washington benchmark for top quality Syrah and Bordeaux blends. With his connections from decades of service at Chateau Ste-Michelle, Betz is able to purchase choice fruit from some of the state’s finest vineyards including Boushey, Red Willow, Ciel du Cheval, Alder Ridge, Kiona, and Klipsun. Regarding the 2006 vintage, Betz says, “I took a long time to warm up to the vintage, but the wines have come on strong.”  Robert Parker, Wine Advocate


  Betz   La Serenne Syrah 04      Washington      WS 93pts       $39
WineSpectator: Polished, elegant and refined, but packing a punch of intensity to the spicy, peppery blackberry and dark plum flavors, lingering on the sharply focused finish. This has pizzazz and depth. Best from 2008 through 2014.

 Winemaker: As in the past the 2004 La Serenne is 100% Boushey Syrah, with its characteristic, abundant silky tannins. For me the overriding impression with this wine is its seamlessness on the palate. Sure, there are the dense black fruits, roasted coffee, earthy aromas and the black berry, smoky flavors, but the overall palate impact, huge and yet supple, is what lingers in my mind.

 

 

Betz Family Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Pere de Famille 2006    WA 95pts     $65
Parker: 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot and Malbec. Opaque purple, the wine has a brooding nose of wood smoke, earth notes, mineral, spice box, black cherry, and blackberry. This is followed by a layered, opulent wine with superb depth and concentration and 6-8 years of aging potential. This promising effort should be at its best from 2015 to 2030.

 Winemaker: The blend yielded a wine of serious proportion, lush and silky structure, and a complex tangle of fruit, spice and wood notes. There’s a deep core of black currant, with plum and black cherry beneath, then the sweet pipe tobacco, black olive and sandalwood set in. It’s full bodied, with a fundamental grip of tannin for longevity (79% of the fruit comes from Red Mountain), but a lifted and plush texture (composed of equal parts from the Horse Heaven Hills and Yakima Valley)

These wines are a real treat, and not often available for tasting.

More tomorrow!

Wine Tasting
Comments Off on Wine Tasting and Holiday Wine Sale December 17 ’11

Wine Tasting and Holiday Wine Sale December 17 ’11

Posted at December 16, 2011

Xmas Sale   Xmas Sale   Xmas Sale   Xmas Sale 
Maybe it’s the weather, or maybe it’s the creeping buildup of inventory, or perhaps the marketing tips we have been getting from many of you over the last few weeks. Or, maybe we just want to give our Faithful a good deal on wines for the holidays. For whatever reason, through the rest of December you can buy a mixed case of wine from our “Under $12” corner for a mere $99!  Ohmidog, that’s only $8.25 a bottle! (plus tax, of course). Choose from a selection of over 30 wines. So come in and load up!
Download notes on the sale wines

Four Bottle Deal    Four Bottle Deal    Four Bottle Deal    Four Bottle Deal
For some years now we have offered an 8.6% discount on purchases of four bottles or more, which essentially means we pay the sales tax if you buy more wine. We periodically have signs up about this in the wine shop, and most of the regulars know about it, but still we find people who didn’t know about it and are pleasantly surprised! But I don’t think it has made it to the blog before, so now it’s Official!

Bubbly Bubbly   Bubbly   Bubbly   Bubbly 
have stocked up with some great choices for Holiday Bubbles, all of which have been crowd-pleasers at the shop this year. We are very likely to be pouring one or more of these Friday and Saturday, so come on by! They include:

FINAL REMINDER!    TRUFFLES    TRUFFLES     TRUFFLES     TRUFFLES  
For Christmas there will be four flavors of Pat and Janice’s famous truffles, made right here in the fabulous Artisan Wine Gallery “kitchen,” packaged in boxes of four for $5. Flavors will include four old favorites, all made by hand from exquisite French chocolate. Will be available for pickup December 22-23 by appointment, or during regular hours Dec 24. If you have not had these, you have missed one of Life’s Most Pleasurable Experiences!

SPECIAL PRE-HOLIDAY HOURS  Week before Christmas
Okay, let’s have a little heart to heart. We know you buy wine from Otherwhere, though of course we can’t imagine why, and like long-time lovers, we have learned not to talk about it. We even had a close friend recently tell us how pleased s/he is to buy wine from the Coop because, you know, it keeps them in business. Through the tears I tried to hint that, well, gee, that’s nice, but really, they are a pretty big business compared to, er…some of us.

We all have reasons why we shop where we shop. And we have reasons for wanting you to buy more of your wine from us and to get others to do the same. (Back of the envelope calculations suggest that about 80% of folks on the Island have never visited our shop, which is kind of a head-scratcher…). And to do that, we don’t want you to have to give up anything. We want you to GAIN something! Which is to say, we would like to engage you in a conversation about how we can be your main source for wine, giving you the wines you like best at the lowest possible prices and the least possible inconvenience.

(Disclaimers: 1: No small business can compete with Costco; if they have wines you like, you should buy them there because Mom and Pop simply cannot compete.  2. If you buy full cases of favorite, readily available wines, The Islander has a minimal markup, and we encourage you to order from Brad for the best deal on those.) But for the rest maybe we could deliver right to your door??!

One possible problem is “duh, you guys are, like, never open!” which is, okay, fair, cuz yes, our hours are pretty limited. But for THIS WEEK as an experiment we will be open EVERY DAY (M-F) from 4:30 – 6:30 just in case you would like to drop in, chat, and enjoy a free glass of something nice. We will also be open for our regular hours on Friday, December 23, and Saturday, December 24 for the usual do-it-yourself Happy Hour (2-6) and last-minute shopping.

Sixth Annual “East Coast” New Year’s Eve Gala Extravaganza
From 7-9pm on New Year’s Eve! We provide the wine, you bring something delicious to share, and when the ball drops in Times Square we hoist our glasses and toast the Year of the Dragon. You young folks can move on to your next party, and we old timers can get to bed at a decent hour! It’s our chance to thank you for your support this past year, and to look ahead to more fun in aught-twelve. Mark your calendars and start planning your finger food. And please–RSVP if you are coming! (758-2959)

This week’s wine tasting:
The fact is that we spent much of the evening enjoying the Gadjo Gypsies concert at the Church, and I don’t have a clue about what wines we will pour on Saturday. I’m thinking they will involve something bubbly, and several choices from the markdown list. And maybe Something Extra Nice.

Wine Tasting
1

Lummi Island Wine Tasting December 10 ’11

Posted at December 8, 2011

SECOND REMINDER    TRUFFLES    TRUFFLES     TRUFFLES     TRUFFLES TRUFFLES  
For Christmas there will be four flavors of Pat and Janice’s famous truffles, packaged in boxes of four for $5. Flavors will include four old favorites, all made by hand from exquisite French chocolate. Will be available for pickup December 22-23 by appointment, or during regular hours Dec 24.

ITALY     ITALY     ITALY    ITALY     ITALY     ITALY      ITALY  
Twice a year we get shipments from our Italian importer, Small Vineyards. We received some of the wines last week, and the rest this week. We will be pouring two of this week’s arrivals on Saturday, the La Quercia aglianico (a personal favorite) and a new wine for us, the Giacato merlot, from the Tuscan coast. I confess this is my first Italian merlot, and I think you will really like it. Finally, a year or two ago I bought several bottles of an interesting Italian wine on the basis of its absolutely stunning review (see below), the Rocca di Montegrossi Geremaia ’04. I just have four bottles left, so come check it out!

HOLIDAYS    HOLIDAYS     HOLIDAYS     HOLIDAYS    HOLIDAYS     HOLIDAYS
During December we will be open our usual hours on Fridays from 4-7pm and Saturdays from 2-6, including Christmas Eve. However, we will NOT be open usual Saturday hours on New Year’s Eve. Rather, we will be open from 7-9pm for our gala, fun-filled, Seventh Annual East Coast New Year’s Eve party! We provide the wine, and you bring the most delicious finger food you can to share the other revelers. And when the Big Ball drops in Times Square (9pm our time!) we cheer, toast the New Year, and sing! (and you young folks can go on to your next party while those so inclined can go home and call it a day, month, year…!)

BLOG WINE    BLOG WINE    BLOG WINE    BLOG WINE    BLOG WINE    BLOG WINE
I have developed a sort of ritual about writing this blog each Thursday night. First, I rummage around the wine shop to pick the wines for the Saturday tasting. As you regulars know, that usually means one white and three reds, representing different varietals, regions, and price points, and which we haven’t poured in the last few months. Second, I download pictures from our trusty camera, edit as appropriate, and select which ones to post here. As you know, the main criterion is that people have to look like they are having a good time! Of course, almost always everyone is having a good time, but cameras being what they are, and people being what they are, it may not show. So we have to be selective. (Last week I forgot the camera, so the photos below were taken on Steve’s phone…thanks, mate!)

And through this whole process, of course, I sip some vino (duh, it’s a wine blog!). Sometimes, computers being what they are, for no reason whatsoever several paragraphs will suddenly disappear, and I am forced to rewrite them, as happened last week. And, objectively speaking,  depending on the hour, that could be a blessing or…perhaps…a curse. Whichever the case, I did update the version that was emailed to you last week. Which brings me to the basic point, that those of you who receive this missive by email should know that the title above is a link that you can click on to visit the online version, complete with photos and links which may or may not appear in the email version (I have NO idea!). Once in a while you might want to try that…and please let me know if it doesn’t work!

Anyway. Tonight while posting I finished the Quilceda Creek Red Wine 2004 ($40) that we opened last night, which was showing really well (heartbreakingly good for its mere 92 points from Parker!), and continued with what is still my favorite malbec, the Familia Marguery 2004 ($22). Like most malbecs, it is sharply focused on black cherry notes, but with ample elements of leather, anise/fennel, and food-friendly acidity. Such a simple thing is wine, and how good it makes everyday Life!. Who could ask for anything more? (Both wines are available, even if they are not on the shelf…)

 

  As you regulars know, I am so laid back I occasionally fall asleep while pouring wine…here’s Judy (dutiful Wine Professional that she is) about to wake me up with a smart backhand…!

Our special guests last week, David’s parents Bob and Sandy, spent most of the afternoon, apparently in disbelief that we all waste perfectly good Saturday afternoons in this decadent fashion…!

This week’s wines:

Selbach Riesling Pierporter Mikelsberg  ’10   Germany    $10
Light, clean, crisp, and refreshing, a great match for the holiday turkey!

La Quercia Aglianico  ‘10    Italy   $11
The new vintage of one of our favorite italian reds last year; full bodied with notes of ripe plum and white pepper on smooth, fine-grained tannins. A lovely match with a wide range of savory dishes.

Giacato Merlot  ’10    Italy       $10
Merlot from Italy? Huh? Rich, earthy, and smooth, this Tuscan merlot is bright, expressive, and piercingly fresh, with generous fruit, inticing spiciness, and food-friendly acidity.

 Rocca di Montegrossi Geremaia ’04     Italy    WA93pts   $33
60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18 months in Allier oak barrels. Awesome richness and depth with a remarkable level of juiciness and mid-palate generosity. The wine remains extremely fresh and primary in its expression of dark macerated cherries, minerals, spices and sweet toasted oak. Despite its lushness, the wine also possesses considerable structure that begs for extended bottle aging– a thrill to taste, offering phenomenal quality for the price.

Wine Tasting
Comments Off on Lummi Island Wine Tasting December 3 ’11

Lummi Island Wine Tasting December 3 ’11

Posted at December 1, 2011

It is December 1 as I write this. I have been hearing on the radio today (weekly trip to town!) about the Bazillions of dollars in sales for Black Friday, apparently the day of the year that makes Americans the King and Queen of Shoppers, the Sine Qua Non of Shoppers, the Biggest buying extravaganza of the year. Somehow I can picture Stephen Colbert leading the chant: “We’re Number One, We’re Number One, We’re Number One…!

People that track such things, however, are very concerned that BF was not THE big day…rather THAT was the Sunday BEFORE Thanksgiving. (BF was a measly $11.2 billion…hardly worth getting out of bed for). And even though Black Weekend was disappointing, it was still a percent or two bigger than Last Year, so you’d think they’d be happy. But they’re not, you know. It’s like the famous quotation from Charles de Gaulle: Comment voulez-vous gouverner un pays qui a deux cent quarante-six variétés de fromage?, which, roughly translated, means: “How can anyone govern a country which has two hundred and forty-six varieties of cheese?”

You can imagine the one-tenth of one percent sitting around with wine (Really Good Wine, of course, because.after all, they can afford the best) and cigars, and musing about the whimsical nature of the Consumer Nation they have created and Rule, the same way that ranchers complain when cattle or sheep don’t happen to like the latest Monsanto-engineered pseudo-food. “Yeess,” one would say with some foreign accent, “Bloody inconvenient, eh? And after all we’ve done for them…makes you wonder why we bother…!” Except of course they are not English, they are multinational, which basically means, as “W” was fond of saying, “Who cares what you think?”

Of course, American Culture (I use the word loosely) being what it is, like any great River, there is always a counter-current to everything, and yes, that means a counter-current to every counter-current. So of course Black Friday is also Buy Nothing Day, which has been renamed as (I am not making this up!) #OCCUPYXMAS. And in case you haven’t been paying attention, the “occupy” label is now attached to a wide range of activities reminiscent of a long ago movie featuring the line “I’m mad as hell and I’m not gonna take it anymore!” Make of all of that what you will…but these are interesting times.

HOLIDAYS    HOLIDAYS     HOLIDAYS     HOLIDAYS    HOLIDAYS     HOLIDAYS

We, of course, like everyone else, have our own “Shameless Commerce Division,” as Click and Clack call it, so of course we have our own concerns about sales. Having been at this for a number of years, however, we know that December marks the beginning of our slow season, as some people head south, others visit family, others just curl up by the fire until the Groundhog says it’s safe to come out again. So stop by when you can, enjoy the coming holiday season, and remember that during December we will be open our usual hours on Fridays from 4-7pm and Saturdays from 2-6, including Christmas Eve.

However, we will NOT be open usual hours on New Year’s Eve. Rather, we will be open for our Seventh Annual East Coast New Year’s Eve party from 7-9. We will provide the wine, and guests are invited to bring finger food to share. And when the ball drops in Times Square (9pm our time) we celebrate the New Year! (and you young folks can go on to your next party while those so inclined can go home and call it a day, month, year…!)

TRUFFLES    TRUFFLES     TRUFFLES     TRUFFLES     TRUFFLES
For Christmas there will be four flavors of Pat and Janice’s famous truffles (the chocolate kind, not the fungus kind—someone last weekend was confused), packaged in boxes of four for $5. Flavors will include four old favorites, all made by hand from exquisite French chocolate :

 

    

Last week we sold our only two cases of the just-arrived Honoro Vera garnacha, which was, as you can guess, delicious. Unfortunately, the distributor sold out, no more till January (aaarrrggghhh!) . We were able to score some of the Honoro Vera Monastrell, however, and I am tasting it as I write. It is maybe not the silky knockout the garnacha was, but for $9 it still over-delivers in a big way! I only have a few bottles of our last wine for this week’s tasting, the Domaine Maxime Magnon”Rozeta” ‘ 09 which Parker gave 93 points and an absolutely mouth-watering review (see below). Come on in and try it, and I will tell you an interesting story about it…!

This week’s tasting:

Chateau L’Ermitage 09     France    $9
It’s Back! Rousanne, grenache, and viognier blend; light gold in color with aromas of peach, flowers, and honey; the Grenache provides the richness and the Roussanne the balancing acidity. Delicious!

 Honoro Vera Monastrell   ’09       Spain      $9
Tank aged 100% Monastrell. Its pleasing nose reveals notes of underbrush, mineral, and blueberry leading to a savory, spicy, nicely balanced medium-bodied wine.

St. Cosme Cotes du Rhone  ’10     France       90pts     $14
Has lush, silky-textured layers of dark plum, anise and crushed blackberry fruit, woven with black tea and graphite notes through the finish. Impresses with its length and depth.

Domaine Maxime Magnon”Rozeta” ‘ 09    France     93 pts    $26
60% Carignan, with the rest split about equally between Grenache and Cinsault. Black raspberry in fresh and distilled form is beautifully complimented by heliotrope and peony perfume that persist inner-mouth with luscious refreshment and uncanny levity. Smoky black tea notes on the nose have their counterpart in invigoratingly nippy, tea-like tanninity, while toasted hickory, chalk, and saliva-inducing salinity add to the irresistible intrigue of a lingering finish. The almost explosively intense, dizzyingly-dynamic aromatic interplay of flowers, fruits, and sea breeze left in the empty glass is in itself worth the modest price of admission to this garden of delight and outstanding value.

 

Wine Tasting
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