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 |
Wine Tasting June 26 ’10
Of course June 26 is engraved on my memory like a burn from a branding iron. That’s the date in 1963 when I, fresh from high school at the tender age of 17, was sworn in as a midshipman at the Naval Academy…i.e., “Resistance is futile; You Too Will Be Assimilated.” Eight years later, the Beast spit me out gasping, a mutual agreement that I really didn’t Want to be assimilated, and the Borg really didn’t want me, couldn’t use me, had no idea what to make of me. But of course that was a long time ago. before most of you were even born.
All YOU need to know about this weekend is THE ITALIANS ARE HERE! THE ITALIANS ARE HERE! THE ITALIANS ARE HERE! Which is to say, the semiannual shipment from the little Italian wine importer we buy from (because they invite us to a wonderful tasting and dinner at Ciao Thyme twice a year and all the wines taste GREAT!) have arrived (first contingent, anyway) and we will be pouring three of them this weekend. ONE of those has been particularly popular around AWG the last couple of years, so this year I got two cases of the Marchetti Late Harvest Verdicchio, and yes, it is at least as luscious as in previous years. Be advised that if you want some, feel free to call and reserve it; otherwise take your chances! (see notes below)
The same goes for Marchetti’s Montepulciano (read about him here , and also a new one for us, the Palama primitivo, which I really liked a LOT, and I think you will, too. See notes below.
In addition (as if that weren’t enough, LAST weekend David and Kier brought over a bottle of an Unknown Wine (one of a substantial number sacrificed for the evening), and it was Pretty Tasty: Dynasty Cellars “DC3” bordeaux blend. It comes in a nicely designed bottle, and is well-crafted –lots of oak– and what’s more, it is made less than a mile away over on Haxton Rd., and the phone number was on the bottle! So of course I called the number and left a message. Twenty minutes later Peter the winemaker called, and on Sunday Pat and I and David and Kier and Brian and Leigh make the trek over to taste Peter’s wines, and came home with a case. All I can say is, you will like it!
As for last week…
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!
Marchetti Montepulciano ‘06 (Italy) $10
Laced with intriguing smoky cranberry spiciness over vividly flavored dark cherry and ripe plums. A joy to drink!
Palama Primitivo 09 (Italy) $12
This is the same winery on the heel of the Italian boot that gave us the delightful “Arcangelo” last year. This one is lush, intense, bright, and approachable, with notes of dark anise, cedar, and blackberry confit.
Dynasty Cellars Meritage ’06 Washington $21
Dan Radil, wine writer for the Herald, did a nice writeup on this wine in January, saying (and I agree) “Beautifully textured with layers of cherry and dark fruits, it also displays plenty of oak and a trace of chocolate on the finish. This is a big, well structured wine that will pair nicely with a beef entrée now and it promises to get even better with additional cellaring.”
Poppies
Our little apartment was in a the same building that housed the Le Chiuse winery, which lies on north slope up to Montelcino. To get there from the main road we had to drive over a series of narrow dirt roads that meander among the many vineyards on the slope. Every day as we set out on the day’s adventures, we would pass this field of poppies. And every day we would try to take the perfect picture to capture their luminescense, their sheer number, their density, and their beauty. The first week was often cloudy, the light was different through the day, and we took many pictures, each of which captures some little element of the sight, but none really does them justice…
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| View slideshow |
2072 Granger Way