Wine Tasting September 11 ’10
So here it is again: “Nine-Eleven.” One of those days we all remember vividly: where we were, what we felt, what we thought. We were anchored at Clark Island. Later that day we sailed to Sucia and in the evening someone came around to all the boats to arrange a sort of ceremony ashore. Someone brought a flag. There might have been a Pledge of Allegiance. It was weird. We were all trying to make meaning of it, Somehow the patriotism thing was all anyone could think of, but it felt weird and misplaced.
A few days later I read an article in (I think) that offbeat Seattle Weekly called The Stranger, by a poet whose name I can’t remember, in which she was talking with her mother on the phone and her mother said “People are saying it’s just like Pearl Harbor; but it’s really our Hiroshima—now we are part of the suffering of the World.”
As it turned out, the depth of our public inquiry into the Why of it stopped at “They Hate Our Freedom,” as every thoughtful person was shouted down and the world got turned upside down by our own sweet America, pumped up on Patriotism, hopped up on Hubris, and vested in Vengeance, all nice convenient excuses for invasion and destruction of wherever for whatever.
So here the anniversary has rolled around again, and the usual Chicken Hawks will wave the Flag and talk about Sacrifice and try to make the last nine years of history into something Glorious, which it isn’t.
It is a good time to reflect on what the past nine years might have been like if a different path had been chosen. For a few days after 9/11, we were all touched by the global outpouring of solidarity with us. For a few shining moments, an opportunity existed to unite the world toward peace, understanding, and tolerance, leaving no room for terrorism, and maybe no need for it. But such moments are rare, and fleeting, and it was quickly squandered with “If you’re not with us, you’re against us” and all that went with it.
Nine years, two wars, the destruction of two countries, the deaths of hundreds of thousands, and the near-collapse of the world economy later, all with no particular inroads on “terrorism,” it’s a good time to reflect mindfully on how different things might have been if our national response had been driven by wisdom, compassion, and humility rather than adolescent egotism and corporate opportunism.
So let’s all look around today and notice what rhetoric surfaces: let’s see if we’re still stuck on “it’s just like Pearl Harbor,” or if there has been any movement toward “it’s our Hiroshima; now we are part of the suffering of the world.” From where I sit, we haven’t made a lot of progress, and that is a disturbing thought.
Last week was of course Studio Tour, and it was Busy both Saturday and Sunday, lots and lots of visitors! Brendan’s paintings are awesome, so if you didn’t have a chance to come by, don’t worry, they will be up through October!
Finally, please take a moment to vote for us as Best Wine Shop in the Northwest on King5 (I think it’s a tv station)!
Here’s the link!
This Week’s Wines:
Marchetti Later Harvest Verdicchio (Italy) $14
Full-bodied with lush notes of pear and melon, and beautiful acidity. An extra month on the vine delivers not sweetness, but rather greater body, structure, and fruit essence. Entirely satisfying!
Condesa Crianza ’04 Spain $10
This supple red shows balance and density, on a modest scale, with black cherry, tobacco and leaf flavors and a spicy, toasty finish.
Durigutti malbec 08 Argentina $14
A lush, toasty style, with lots of cocoa and roasted vanilla up front, followed by dark, well-layered fig, boysenberry and mulled currant fruit flavors. The long finish lets all the fruit hang nicely, with an underlying graphite hint supporting it all.
Finca Sandoval 05 (Spain) Parker 94pts $27
76% Syrah, 13% Mourvedre, and 11% Bobal fermented with native yeasts followed by malolactic fermentation in barrel with lees stirring, 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; this outstanding effort should be at its best between 2012 and 2025.
Studio Tour Wine Tasting Sept 4-5 ’10
We have several important announcements today!
First, please take a moment to vote for us as Best Wine Shop in the Northwest!
Sure, sure, we’re up against Goliaths who sell more wine in one afternoon than we do all year. And okay, maybe one or two of those places have a bigger or fancier selection. But NONE of them create the laid-back comfort of our ongoing neighborhood salon atmosphere that you have all created here. So let’s show those Big Guys! Tweet your friends to do the same! Here’s the link!
Second, mark your calendars and be sure to drop by this weekend for the Labor Day Artists’ Studio Tour. We are featuring vibrant and colorful oil paintings and drawings of Lummi Island, Hawaii, Italy, and Croatia by Lummi Island artist Brendan Dunn. See more of Brendan’s work on his blog!
As for last Saturday…“What kind of a day was it? A day like all days, filled with those events that alter and illuminate our Time.” Where do these things come from? How can I still remember things I saw on TV (or heard on the radio!) fifty years ago? (Anybody remember who said that week after week in the fifties?)
All the wines were above average last week, that’s the consensus. The Stephen Vincent wines deliver a lot of substance for the price, and both the chardonnay and the Crimson blend showed very well. The Borsao Tinto is a standard around here, and it seemed to please people, too. And everyone agreed that the Mas de Can Blau was a big, beautiful bottle of wine (both literally and figuratively–it’s packaged in one of those big, heavy 750’s and it is a big, well-structured wine that is still maturing).
This weekend’s wine tasting(might change for Sunday)
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.
Vente Morales Tempranillo ‘09 Spain $8
I was impressed with the gravitas of this inexpensive offering. It has weight, texture, and flavor, none of which is reasonable to expect from a wine in this price range. Entirely enjoyable! (yes we just did this recently, but it is the perfect wine for a sunny weekend!)
Vente Morales Tempranillo ‘09 Spain $8 88pts
I was impressed with the gravitas of this inexpensive offering. It has weight, texture, and flavor, none of which is reasonable to expect from a wine in this price range. (imho, the wine buy of the year!)
Palama Primitivo 09 (Italy) $12
This is the new vintage of the delightful “Arcangelo” we enjoyed last year. This one is lush, intense, bright, and approachable, with notes of dark anise, cedar, and blackberry confit.
La Colline St Jean Vacqueyras VV 06 France WA91 pts $20
Deep ruby/purple-tinged wine with an opulent mouthfeel. A delicious concoction of black cherries, black currants, cedar, licorice, and bouquet garni emerges from this full-bodied effort.
Wine Tasting August 27 ’10
There was a full moon a couple of days ago. Got up during very early morning twilight to this scene out the front window. Our view is out over Legoe Bay toward Orcas Island– compare this with the Legoe Bay Winery Label…uh oh, can’t find a picture of it not even on their website! You’ll have to take my word for it and come by to check it out, we have a framed picture on the wall…it’s a really attractive label, clearly inspired by this same view.
Slow start last week, very laid back conversations with our early arrivals– probably the main reason we do this thing–and then it opened up into a festive parade, lots of newcomers (still no name for ’em, the contest is still open for what to call first-time visitors to our offbeat little wine shop, so keep those posts coming in. What’s that?? No one is posting? Hmmph, “Fine thing!” as my stepfather used to say. )
Among our guests were longtime friends of the don’t see very often variety, which added to the warmth.
Last week I was worried about the Lapostolle sauvignon blanc which I had ordered some while back for some reason I couldn’t remember, and found that several wine publications had given it terrible ratings. On top of that the distributor delivered two cases (thought I only ordered one, having never actually tasted it). As it turns out one critic (Tanzer) gave it a reasonable score and a very nice description that hit the mark exactly. I am beginning to like these latest sauv blancs from Chile; they don’t show the big kiwi-lime flavors of the wonderful New Zealand wines, but rather seem to share a grassy, stony, somewhat floral citrus character and a rich texture along with a clean minerally finish. The other hit was the Storybook 2003 Mayacamas zin, which was showing very well indeed!
This week’s tasting:
Stephen Vincent Chardonnay 08 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” 07 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.
Borsao Crianza 08 Spain $10
Purple-colored with a fragrant nose of cedar, spice box, black cherry, and black currant. Smooth-textured, savory, and ripe, it has excellent depth, concentration, and length.
Can Blau Mas de Can Blau 05 Spain WA95pts $31
35% Carinena, 35% Syrah, and 30% Garnacha. Purple-colored, complex, sophisticated perfume of toast, slate, smoke, espresso, black cherry, and blueberry. This leads to a wine with a full-bodied personality, layers of flavor, gobs of fruit, and a pure, lengthy finish. It will be at its best between 2013 and 2025.
Wine Tasting August 21 ’10
It was hot on the island, steaming hot. So hot that people were digging in trunks and attics and basements (Actually I don’t think anyone on Lummi Island really has an attic OR a basement) for shorts and sandals, which you can only wear around here two days per, you know, decade. So hot I had to dig in the back closet of the wine shop (Nooooooooooooo!) to pull out the old standup air conditioner (a Wonderful Invention!) and we had to actually Turn It On for a few hours in the late afternoon for the several days of the Heat Wave (yeah yeah-ah, yeah yeah-ah, oh oh ohhhh….Heat Wave!).
All you need to know is that it was So Hot I added a fifth wine to the weekly tasting, the Chateau Donjon Minervois Rose’, On Ice, as well as the Nefarious Riesling, also On Ice. This is important because even though we once had an ice tray in our refrigerator, it was long ago used for something else, cuz we never use ice for anything. I mean, who needs to make Ice at the North freaking Pole? So here we had this old cooler, and bought a bag of ice and had the riesling and the rose’ in it, you know, chilled, and they tasted Really good, if you get my drift here.
And the amazing thing: people who would NEVER drink either rose’ or riesling were like Raving,” OMG this is GOOD!” And we all tasted, and It was Good. No, no, I mean REALLY Good! So that’s what the occasional Hot Day will do for your palate…Rose’ tastes Wonderful! That’s all I’m sayiing.
Last Saturday was entirely festive, with a cheerful crowd and a beautiful day and so many new faces I didn’t write them all down,. so rather than embarrass myself by leaving someone out or getting their names wrong we’ll skip the names today. We could instead just caption the photos, I guess. Feel free to add your own…and hey best caption wins a free tasting, how about that? The photos are numbered 1-6, in three rows.
then he says, “To get to the other side!!!
it’s a little disturning to see it, you know, in public!
whaddaya mean no sandwiches?
Sunscreen schmunscreen
We know something you don’t know… 
I’m so glad we finished off the Bailey’s before we came
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.
Chateau Lancyre Pic Saint Loup la Coste d’Aleyrac 06 France $15 88pts
Offers sweet cherry and plum fruit with contrasting bitterness of their pits and a dusting of cardamom and nutmeg; a fetching combination of creamy texture and refreshment; and a lip-smacking finish.
Villa des Anges Cab Sauv 09 France $10
A wine of great freshness, intensity and concentration. Well-structured, offering aromas of black cherries, with hints of red pepper and light, spicy cumin/coriander notes.
Storybook Mountain Zinfandel Mayacamas 03 California $25
Deep ruby/purple-tinged color, and an earthy, peppery nose with lusciously sweet black cherry and currant scents. Neither as plush nor seductive as the Eastern Exposure, and dominated by its mineral/structured personality, it is, nevertheless, a refined, elegant California Zinfandel with medium body, excellent purity, and sweet, well-integrated tannin
2072 Granger Way
