Wine Tasting December 4 ’10
Last weekend? Pretty festive! We had some surprising wines, lots of visitors out after the snowbound Thanksgiving Holiday. Just picked up the Black Oak chardonnay, an incredible bargain at $7, and it was a big hit with the crowd. An even bigger crowd pleaser was the Hahn pinot noir, which we sold out. As pinots go, for this price ($11) it is really spectacular! Got another case this week, so come in and load up!
Daniel (he in the gray) and Magdelena (she in the red) are getting close to embarking to Ecuador for six months (around New Year’s). It is hard to imagine a place at the Equator at 8000 feet; comfortable temperature, but I bet it’s easy to get burned. Supposedly there will be a blog, and we will link to it so all can follow their adventures and decide if, you know, we should go visit before they leave!
This week’s wines:
Chateau L’Ermitage 09 France $9
Light gold in color with aromas of peach, flowers, and honey; the Grenache provides the richness and the Roussanne the balancing acidity.”
Black Oak Pinot Noir ’09 Italy $7
Pleasant, red-fruited red with a soft and smooth palate. Same negociant as last week’s chardonnay, but a pinot from Italy? I have no idea…come check it out!
Mt. Baker Sangiovese 05 Washington $15
Rich aromas and flavors of ripe plum, truffle, and moist earth.
Donedei Merlot ’04 Washington $26
As is typical of many Merlots hailing from Red Mountain, this Merlot may fool you with its assertive Cabernet character. Not for the faint of heart, this wine is voluptuous and powerful while retaining smooth tannins and a finish that seems to go on and on. (I LOVE this winery!)
Wine Tasting Saturday November 27 ’10
As all the locals know, we had a bunch of snow on Thanksgiving Day. So our little attempt to get them out to the wine shop to have a glass of bubbly and hopefully buy some wine for the holiday dinner went about as well as last Saturday, which is to say most people stayed home by the fire.
It was so nasty out there we figured, okay, no one will be out today, and we didn’t even turn the lights on. However, around one Mark and Lis drove up in their big Totota GoAnywhere, so we clomped upstairs, popped a bottle of cava, and were pretty much through it when John and Judy came by with the whole family–Judy’s mom, sister, brother, and brother in law, so we popped another cork, and it was all quite festive. You just never know what to expect around here. Great fun!
Mostly this post is to let you all know that we WILL be open Saturday!
Likely wines:
Black Oak chardonnay ’09 California $7
Comes highly recommended, and it’s dirt cheap. Might even be drinkable, come find out!
Hahn pinot noir 08 California $11
Softly fruity California pinot, with classic notes of strawberry and peach, good acid balance, and an unbelievable price.
Quinta de Bons Ventos Tinto ’08 Portugal $9
Lively and generous bouquet of red berries, plums, ripe figs, smoke, liquorice and vanilla. Soft and rounded on the palate, with rich fruits over easy tannins and smokey oak. Another great buy!.
Stevens cabernet franc ’07 Washington $26
We are suckers for Washington cab franc, and we have not tried this one yet. Winery notes say “wonderful stone, pencil and mountain berry characters.” We always look for varietal characteristics of coffee and dark chocolate in a nice cab franc, but we won’t know til we try it!
Thanksgiving Wine Suggestions
This snowy cold snap definitely bit into our business last weekend. A few stalwarts came by to keep us company with Di and Cheryl, who thought some of their friends from town might stop by to see their show, but hey, nobody was going much of anywhere in the snow, ice, and wind.
That’s too bad, because we departed a bit from the wine list we posted last week to include some new arrivals aimed at making good wine pairings with the traditional Thanksgiving feast. It is also too bad because a lot of you did not get by to pick up your truffles, which are here and ready for pickup. DON’T FORGET!
That’s why we will be open from 11-2 on Thanksgiving Day with a complimentary taste of something bubbly– so you can pick up your Truffles and maybe a few of our recommended holiday dinner wines to wow your guests (or hosts!) and make all those wonderful dishes taste even better!
Choosing wines for a smorgasbordy feast like Thanksgiving or Christmas is tricky because of all the traditional rich fare that gets piled up on the same plate with the turkey. While almost any wines will do , some will work better than others; the key is a nice fruitiness with bright acidity.
Bubbly is always a good choice because of its light flavors, festive bubbles, and crisp acidity. So start the meal with appetizers and a glass of Italian Prosecco, Spanish Cava, or your favorite champagne .
For a dinner wine, a dry or slightly off-dry riesling is tough to top. They are usually fragrant and fruity, with good acidity that pairs well with almost everything. For the same reasons, alternatives would include an Austrian gruner veltliner or an Italian vermentino.
Reds are trickier, but can work with all the fat and butter in so many typical dishes if you stay with fruity and crisp. Choices might include a fruity California pinot noir, an Italian barbera, or perhaps a sangiovese, which is the predominant grape in a number of Italian blends. Big tannic reds like cabs or deep dark syrahs go better with red meats and seem a bit overpowering with turkey to my taste. Not, of course, that there’s anything wrong with that…!
Below are specific recommendations we have on the shelf. Bon appétit! And yes we will be open Saturday as usual!
Segura Viudes Cava Spain $9
Classic Spanish bubbly: festive, tasty, crisp, and cheap! How can you go wrong?
SA Prum Essence Riesling 06 Germany $10
Pale gold color, aromatic with scents of apricot and peach and flavors of fresh fruit perfectly balanced by a racy acidity and mineral character that is perfect for turkey and trimmings.
Hahn pinot noir 08 California $11
Softly fruity California pinot, with classic notes of strawberry and peach, good acid balance, and an unbelievable price. Like the riesling, this should pair well with just about everything on the table.
La Serena Rosso di Montalcino 06 Italy $15
Deep, intense ruby red colour. Ethereal, deep, balanced nose with a rich scent of fruit; Full bodied, mouth-filling, and round on the palate. I only got one case of this, and am seriously thinking about hording a few for myself!
Barbolini Lancillotto Dry Lambrusco (Italy) $16
Handmade since 1889–briny, not sweet, with a lush body, ripe fruit/berry aromas, and delicate bubbles; especially good match with cranberry sauce!
Fair Winds “Port O’Call” dessert wine Washington $20
Definitely port-like in character, this lightly fortified dessert wine from Port Townsend has a seductive warmth and aromatic richness; perfect with dessert or sip by the fire!
Pre-Thanksgiving Wine Tasting November 20 ’10
Okay, Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! No doubt we will all be thankful that our Wise County Council will have just veered away from the disastrous fare increase they will be debating just before the holiday, and will have lots of reason to celebrate! To that end, you are all reminded that this Tuesday is the Council Meeting in which the issue will be voted on, after a time for public (that’s you!) comment. Please show up and speak up about how the astronomical new rates will affect you and your bottom line.
Last week was winter Studio Tour, and it was a madhouse all weekend! Who would have guessed? Back when winter tour was the first weekend in December, more often than not it was icy, pouring rain, blowing a gale, or snowing. or various combinations. Last weekend weather was not so great, but not so bad, either, and we had a lot of traffic on the island, a good thing for our artists. Our guest artists Cheryl and Di sat through most of it, schmoozing with visitors about their great bird photos. I especially like the groups of three photos, great compositions. Their show will be up through New Year’s, so come by and see. And buy!
Truffle Alert! If you ordered truffles for Thanksgiving, you can pick them up Saturday. Or call Pat (2959) to make pickup arrangements.
Eric and Susie popped in on a rare visit from Sitka, really nice to see them,a real Boat Family. Heck, we should all sail up to visit!! We had visiting young vets (thank you, gents) and their parents, Islanders, and Mary Jane’s visiting dinner group, and lots and lots of others over the two-day event.
Sunday was made extra special by a visit from our Pleasant Valley cheesemaker Joyce and husband Barry. Joyce provided samples of delicious extra-aged goudas that went perfectly with our two Italian reds. Delicious, a wonderful treat! If you are out in the County toward Birch Bay, drop in…they’re on Kickerville Road just off the Birch Bay road. And if you can’t make it, remember, we keep many of their goudas in stock.
This week’s tasting:
Calera Chardonnay 08 California WA90pts $15
Offers abundant notes of honeysuckle, orange marmalade, white currants, and tropical fruits. Crisp, elegant, mid-weight, and revealing no evidence of its wood aging, it will provide plenty of pleasure over the next 1-2 years.
La Serena Rosso di Montalcino 06 Italy $15
Deep, intense ruby red colour. Ethereal, deep, balanced nose with a rich scent of fruit Palate: Full bodied round taste.
Mt. Baker Sangiovese 05 Washington $15
Rich aromas and flavors of ripe plum, truffle, and moist earth.
Barbolini Lambrusco Lancillotto (Italy) $16
Handmade since 1889–briny, not sweet, with a lush body, ripe fruit and berry aromas, and delicate bubbles; especially good match with balsamic or smoked salmon.
Fair Winds “Port O’Call” dessert wine Washington $20
Definitely port-like in character, this lightly fortified dessert wine we discovered last weekend in Port Townsend has a seductive warmth and aromatic richness; you could wait for winter to uncork and sip by the fire, but why wait?
2072 Granger Way