Lummi Island Wine Tasting April 9 ’11
I have restocked our April “Wine of the Month,” the Altos las Libres Colonias Bonarda from Argentina. We don’t often have a “wine of the month,” but every once in a while a wine shows up that so over-delivers for its price that it really gets your attention. I don’t know how long this will be available, and I highly recommend buying this one by the case: our price $96. It’s an incredible value.
We stocked up on our supply of Pleasant Valley Cheese today, and have very small amounts (more in the future) of two very special new cheeses: lavender (subtle and perfect for an Easter cheese plate with maybe a pinot noir or a rose) and a new variation on Fines Herbes, this one Herbes de Provence, to enthusiastic reviews. Very limited supplies of both for the moment, so be sure to ask!
We are planning a trip to France in October. One of the wine regions we want to visit is Languedoc-Roussillon, which stretches from the southern Rhone at the Northeast down to the Spanish border along the Mediterranean. Today’s rose is from Minervois, which lies northeast of Carcassonne. We’ve been reading a lot about the century-long crusade to hunt down and burn at the stake (oh, and by they way, take all the lands ) of a “heretical” group called the Cathars in the 1200’s. a gruesome bit of history, and ample reason to devoutly eschew mixing religion and politics.
More importantly, last weekend we met new Lummi Islanders Ryan and Ryan (I have NO idea what you say when you try to call one of them on the phone), who lived in France for six years, and one of them was — this is so awesome– in the wine business, and knows all about the wines of the area we are planning to visit! Our new Best Friend!
Ryan and Ryan
Usually our standard for posting photos is “look like you’re having a good time!” This photo kinda looks like “yeah, it was a good wine, I’m sorry I said bad things about it, we’re really gonna miss it”…
This week’s tasting:
Chateau Donjon Rose ’09 France $10
Blend of syrah, cinsault, grenache, one element in my fascination with Minervois. Fruity, with berry, melon and red cherry flavors that are bright. Features mineral and spice on the finish.
Bricco del Tempo Barbera ’09 Italy $10
An old standby, this barbera is a well-priced, medium-bodied barbera with bright, red fruit tones that feature hints of violets, earth and plum with just a whisper of tannin.
Almira Los Dos ’09 Spain $9
Unoaked blend of 85% Garnacha and 15% Syrah. Deep crimson-colored, it reveals a Gamay-like, fruity, black cherry and blueberry-scented bouquet. Ripe and succulent on the palate with no hard edges.
Seghesio Zinfandel Home Ranch ’04 California WA92pts $26
Kirsch liqueur, raspberries, a true field blend of 94% Zinfandel and 6% Petite Sirah and Carignan from a vineyard planted in 1895, it boasts a dark ruby color, savory notes of raspberries, cherries, minerals, and flowers. Ripe, fruity, deep, medium to full-bodied, and beautifully etched. Vineyard usually shows some “graham cracker” notes as well…do you taste them?
Wine Tasting April 2 ’11 ***********
REMEMBER, this Friday, April 1 from 4:30-6:30 we will host an opening Gallery reception for our friend, neighbor, and April artist Anne Gibert, (free wine and goodies!) who will be showing new and old paintings and etchings she describes as “various creatures, some real, some imaginary. Some are from Lummi or recent travels. Some animals (bear, coyote) some birds, some people. A couple of small landscapes and one big one of that green sailboat that was moored off my beach last summer.” All YOU need to know is we already have our favorites!
Note: The eleven stars *********** above (count’em!) are to acknowledge our 11th anniversary. On April 2, 2000, we were married right here on Lummi Island, on a beautiful sunny day, in Ann Morris’ lovely guest house, followed by dinner for 40 at the Beach Store Cafe, a special meal with special friends on a special day. Worth a toast, I’d say! Cheers!
Last week’s wines were (what can I say???) another hit, with our lovely, grassy little Casa Lapostolle sauv blanc from Chile (I am really enjoying these lately); our old favorite Santa Digna carmenere (also Chile of course); the big, fat, rad, red blend from Martinez & Martinez (we still have some), and the day’s big winner, the suave and satisfying Browne Family cab.
Last week we found ourselves hosting a series of charming new couples, one getting married in June, one celebrating an anniversary, a couple of others just, you know, lost on Lummi Island with no idea how they got here. Maybe romance is in the air. Maybe everyone’s GPS went haywire. Maybe they had no idea how much the ferry fares have gone up in the last month or two. For whatever reason we were graced with lots of new faces and a festive atmosphere.
try to act married!…
Did he just say what I think he said…??
no kidding you can fix our flat tire while we taste wine?
sure they’re cute, but don’t be fooled they have other partners!
This week’s wines:
Delaille “Unique” Cheverny sauv blanc 08 France $12
Shows a pronounced thyme note, with good nerve to the lime flavor on the back end.
Colome Amalaya ’09 Argentina $9
From one of the highest and most remote vineyards in the world (8000 ft). Dark, with a core of crushed currant and plum fruit laced with black tea, fig, raisin and cherry with hints of mesquite and fruitcake. Stays fresh on the finish. Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Tannat.
St. Cosme Deux Albions ’08 France $20
Forward, with solid raspberry and ganache notes backed by graphite and tobacco on the finish. Slightly taut, but with solid length and depth.
Lost River Nooksack Redd ’08 Washington $18
Our friends at Lost River make this special blend of cab, merlot, and cab franc to benefit the Nooksack River Salmon Enhancement Administration…a worthy cause, AND it’s DELICIOUS!
Wine Tasting March 26 ’11 Earth Hour Day
Take part in the worldwide observation of Earth Hour by lighting a couple of candles, turning off the lights, and sipping a meditative glass of good wine (we can help you get ready!) for an hour beginning at 8:30 pm.
Several announcements this week:
NEXT Friday, April 1 from 4:30-6:30 we will host an opening Gallery reception for our friend, neighbor, and April artist Anne Gibert, who describes this group of paintings thus: “They are various creatures, some real, some imaginary. Some are from Lummi or recent travels. Some animals (bear, coyote) some birds, some people. A couple of small landscapes and one big one of that green sailboat that was moored off my beach* last summer.” * (long story!)-
New card rack! Over the past year several of our artists have featured their work on cards (does anyone actually send real cards anymore???). Our neighbor Eberhard made us a lovely rack where we can display a selection from the past year’s artists, including Kim Gardner, Eberhard, and Brendan Dunn. The new rack is at the top of the stairs–take a look!
What can I say, last week was another great tasting! I think we are starting to see some of the fruit (literally and figuratively) of the global wine glut we have been anticipating. As part of the continuing process of big economic fish swallowing up smaller big fish and becoming Huge Fish, many small family wineries continue to be bought up by giant corporations, sometimes keeping the same standards, sometimes not. And, like fishermen trying to catch everything in the ocean, everyone tries to make as much wine as possible and sell it for as high a price as possible. But at the same time, since about 1980 (Reagan economic mythology began ) real wages in America have remained static even while the very rich have become the ultra rich.
All YOU need to know is that now the world is making more wine (and ever better wine at that) than ever, and yes, there are some really fabulous and expensive wines out there none of us can afford, and all the wineries want to get into the cult wine category (few will make it) so it also means a lot of great deals on a lot of pretty tasty, well-made, inexpensive wines!
So following the trend for the last few months, last week’s tasting featured four gems. The new Stephen Vincent chardonnay and “Crimson” blend were typically overdelivering fruit and flavor; the new Terre Antiche montepulciano is even better than last year (and only eight bucks!), and the ’06 Pasanau Ceps Nous “baby Priorat” was absolutely delicious!
Sean and Shawna on their honeymoon
This week’s wines:
Casa Lapostolle sauv blanc 09 Chile $10 88pts
Green-gold color. Smoky peach and yellow plum on the nose, with a subtle lemon note adding energy. Fleshy and a touch sweet, with deep orchard fruit and melon flavors and firmer orange and lemon pith qualities. Finishes with good breadth and lingering citrus character. (what Rich calls “grassy minerality”–!)
Santa Digna Carmenere 07 Chile $10
Chalky notes of toasty plums, blueberry, raisin give way to finish of dark prunes and spicy white pepper…a great value and longtime AWG favorite!
Martinez & Martinez Red ’07 Washington $20
Bright, expressive wine with aromas of raspberries, pencil shavings and cherries, followed by ripe, plump flavors of red and black fruit atop a rich, silky palate.”
Browne Family Cabernet 06 Washington $27
Wine Tasting March 19 ’11
Visiting Lummi Island? Flying in from Sydney for dinner by sensational new chef Blaine Wetzel at Willows Inn? Why not pick up a bottle of knockout Washington wine from our extensive cellar selection of the highly acclaimed Quilceda Creek and Betz wines from the last several years??? Our weekly tasting hours are Saturdays 1-5 pm, or anytime for “Wine Emergencies”…!
Very interesting selection of wines last Saturday, beginning with the very unusual white nebbiolo with its range of complex flavors, followed by an intriguing, densely flavored pinot noir from the southern-most reaches of Argentina in Patagonia.
The Fernandez Dehesa la Granja offered full-bodied flavors and texture in the Spanish style, and the Novelty Hill syrah was perfectly situated to be the Wine of the Day with its satisfying texture and full-bodied flavors.
This is also the week after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and at this writing several nuclear reactors are on the brink of catastrophic meltdown, which would have severe and long-lasting impacts. Heavy stuff…here’s hoping the world manages to dodge that bullet.
We are off to Snohomish on Sunday for the annual Quilceda Creek wine pickup, our one chance a year to taste these fantastic wines, so always a high point in our annual wine calendar! We do have several vintages tucked away; feel free to ask if you are looking for a world-class cabernet for a really special occasion.
Just got home from another awesome dinner at Ciao Thyme in Bellingham. Not exactly a restaurant, and operated by once upon a thyme chef at Lummi island’s own Beach Store Cafe (Mataio), Ciao Thyme offers periodic dinners where every bite is little poem to to the experience of taste. There is some talk of arranging some sort of Ciao Thyme dinner somewhere on Lummi Island, so stay tuned!
Hope to see you this weekend!
Stephen Vincent Chardonnay 09 California $10
A terrific value, the 2008 Chardonnay offers attractive melony, buttery citrus, and tropical fruit characteristics as well as a hint of minerality. Elegant, fresh, and medium-bodied, it tastes far better than its humble price suggests.
Stephen Vincent “Crimson” 09 California $10
Firm and spicy, with appetizing blackberry, wild berry, pepper, spice and chicory notes that firm up on the finish. Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Terre antiche montepulciano 09 Italy $8
Stylish, medium to full bodied, has essence of tarragon and rosemary on the nose, and violets, raspberry jam and black cherry on the palate.
Pasanau Ceps Nous 06 Spain $22 WA 92pts
Blend of Garnacha, Merlot, Mazuelo, and Syrah. Dark crimson-colored, it has a fragrant bouquet of garrigue, mineral, black cherry, and blueberry. On the palate it delivers gobs of bright, lively fruit buttressed by good acidity, excellent intensity and concentration, and complex flavors. It is a fine value and a great introduction to Priorat.
2072 Granger Way
