Built to last
Everywhere in Tuscany are stone walls, cities, buildings, and bridges, endlessly repaired and reconstructed, showing layers of styles and materials, yet all displaying a continuing dedication to fine masonry skills. This is somehow coupled with the aesthetic (and economic) sensibility and the political will to preserve this style of architecture as a central element of the region’s identity.
The amazing thing is that this could NEVER happen here, of course. First, we just don’t have enough history. And second, even if we did, some developer would want to tear it down and build condos. And they would do just that. In America, the Aesthetic of the Moment is a passing whimsey, a momentary fashion, expendable. Everywhere are the tailings of our obsession with destruction, a shock wave that moves through time leaving one trail of new goodies, and ten others of Trash and Rubbish.
So there is something reassuringly stable about these stone walls, stone towns, stone streets. Solid. Substantial. Enduring.
SLIDE SHOW : Built to Last (note: on some pictures the captions disappear for lack of contrast; sorry, could find no way to change font color in Picasa…???)
A little history of Montalcino
Wine Tasting July 10 ’10
Last week, you will recall, I finally gave in to the idea that had been in my mind for years that we should pull out those old bottles of Longoria Blues Cuvee (2000!), and in celebration of the great enjoyment we have gotten from our series of their posters, to have an annual 4th of July tasting called “Red, Whites, and Blues cuvee.” So we did! I also wrote to Longoria winery in Los Olivos to order the four newer posters we did not yet have, and told them about our event. Come to find out, only the previous weekend they had had THEIR OWN Blues Cuvee celebration, and we were all invited to take a bus down to the next one, and maybe that is a pretty good idea! Stay tuned! (so to speak!)
Exceptional crowd last weekend…the pictures speak for themselves…it is a wonderful thing that so much Life happens in this funny little shop every Saturday; yes, this is why we are here!!!
This week’s wines:
Aveleda vinho verde Portugal $9
Our old favorite– light and refreshing with a bit of spicyness that tempers the melon, green apple and peach flavors…a perfect summer white!
Donjon Minervois Rose ’09 France $14
A 60:40 blend of Syrah and Grenache, this Minervois Rosé brims with red raspberry, strawberries, and melon, all tinged with an invigorating hint of herbs, salt, and pepper. Ah, songs of summer…!
Bricco del Tempo Barbera d’Alba Italy $9
Modern viticultural techniques and warmer regions have made Barbera a medium-bodied, full-flavored wine with bright, red fruit tones that feature hints of violets, earth and plum with just a whisper of tannin.
Reds, Whites, and Blues Cuvee: Wine Tasting July 3, ’10
About six months before we opened this place, in fall of 2004 (could it be that long?) we went to our first distributor tasting, a private one, actually, over in the industrial netherworld of West Seattle. We had NO idea what we were doing, and we didn’t know (this is where we Learned!) that when you are tasting a bunch of wines, you can’t let yourself swallow ANYTHING, or you will wind up as we did, sleeping it off in the car for a couple of hours before heading home.
One of the wineries this little outfit carried was Longoria, a boutique winery in Los Olivos (think “Sideways”). Fast forward–a couple of years later, we were in Los Olivos with some college classmates, and went to the Longoria tasting room. To make a long story short, they also make a wine they call Blues Cuvee, which is mostly cab franc, and for a number of years they have commissioned a poster for the label. You may have noticed that when we are not showing a particular artist, we have a set of “default” posters, and four of those are the very ones, and I am sure you will agree they are Very Cool! Here is the whole gallery (I just ordered the four we don’t have yet!).
The other part of that is that every year since then I think “Oh, yeah, Fourth of July…we oughta have an annual tasting called “Reds. Whites, and Blues Cuvee,” and of course it would be even better if we had a blues band or musician…but alas, I have always been talked out of it. NOT THIS TIME! No, this time we are going to do it. I have NO idea where the Blues music is going to come from, might have to dig out some old records, or some of you could bring your bands or your instruments and play on the little deck out front (NOTE: FREE TASTINGS FOR PERFORMING MUSICIANS!). Just in case no musicians show up I may set up the old turntable, though, so bring your old blues records and we’ll give’em a spin!
she’s saying “THAT wine is AWESOME!”
Mandrake gestures hypnotically…(am I the only one who knows what that means..???)
This week’s wines have to match our theme…!
Gordon Bros sauvignon blanc Washington $8
Aromas of citrus, melon and mango; flavors of lime, pink grapefruit and melon; a clean, crisp, versatile partner with fish or fowl.
Ninet de Pena Viognier ‘07 France $8 (remember, if it weren’t for the French, there wouldn’t BE a Fourth of July!)…Straw in color. On the nose, youthful, medium intensity, slate, lilac, dandelion, honeysuckle, frisee, endive, not oaky, with lots of earthy elements. On the palate, off-dry notes of nectarine, peach, & intense floral element. For the price this stuff is fabulous!
Lost River Merlot 06 Washington $20
Notes of black currant and cassis, cherry, and licorice. 2006 represents a near perfect vintage for Washington Merlot. Tasted this last fall…you’re gonna like it!
Longoria Blues Cuvee ’02 California $20
This is the wine featured in the great posters we show in the gallery as part of our “default” art, when we are “between artists.” The wine is from the hills near Santa Barbara, and is mostly based on cab franc. Only have two bottles left, should be enough for tasting, and of course we can order more (now on the 2007).
Tuscany from the top
Much has been written about the Tuscan landscape and the walled towns and cities built centuries ago on many of the hilltops. At 500-600 meters, which doesn’t seem like much, they are comparable to the height of our own Lummi mountain at 505 m. That doesn’t SOUND all that high, but if you have made the hike, you know that a) the view from that altitude is really quite stunning, and b) it takes a fair amount of energy to get up there.
Which makes me wonder, okay, so the good news is that you have this secure haven up on the hilltop, which is a hassle to invade, and easy to defend, but on the other hand, you have to schlep EVERYTHING up the hill. Interesting tradeoff…makes me think that whoever the Bad Guys were (it’s always the Other guys’ guys, whoever they are, and other guys’ guys being what they always are, they wanna come in and take your stuff, and mess you up, and take all your women, you know, the usual), you did NOT want to let them in. Like, if you are going to spend CENTURIES schlepping huge stones up a hill like that to build a wall, you have to be SERIOUSLY motivated, that’s all I’m saying.
So today’s slide show (link below) shows a few of the views from some of the hilltop towns, including “our own” Montalcino. (see terrain map), which, as you can see from the image, is the toppiest top in a sea of other tops, an intense landscape, and even if the wine is really good, who is going to go to all the trouble to invade a place like that? Seriously. I think you can get the picture from this photo from Wikipedia, which I am assuming must be taken not from an airplane, but from the top of the walls of the fortress at Montalcino, which, by the way, has in it now one business, at which you can taste and buy from a wide selection of Brunellos and Rossos, sort of the local Chamber of Commerce de Vino.
Montalcino from atop the fortress wall (wide angle Wikipedia photo):
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| Slide Show: taken from the top |
2072 Granger Way