Wine Tasting June 12 ’10
Last weekend marked our very first encounter with the new glass “corks” that were introduced in 2006 by Alcoa. I wasn’t expecting it, if fact didn’t even know there was such a thing. Saturday morning I was opening wines for the day’s tasting, and had some trouble getting the foil cutter around the top of the bottle–that was my first clue. When I peeled off the foil, there was this glass wafer sitting there where the cork should be. It has a rubbery o-ring that pulls out easily, yet also goes back in easily for an airtight seal. Read more.
The closure was on the Calera chardonnay, which was very tasty, and mostly sold out. Will order more when the ferry is back in service. The Pend Oreille Bistro rouge was also popular (Leigh says this wine is “fun on the tongue), but the Peirano Immortal Zin was the show-stealer. The Viu Manent is still on the young and tannic side, but should be delectable by winter.
It was a small turnout as Saturdays go, but specially marked by the return of Kir and David, here again for a month (it’s been almost a year!) at Jennifer and Brendan’s (our Labor Day Artist)…Welcome back!
This week’s wines:
Secreto sauvignon blanc ‘08 Chile $9
Nice weight, with fresh lemon verbena and grapefruit notes backed by a juicy finish.
Borsao Crianza 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.
OS Red 2006 Washington $16
The nose exhibits cedar, cassis, spice box, and violets leading to a medium-bodied, smooth-textured wine with plenty of spicy fruit.
Emmanuel Darnaud Crozes Hermitage ’05 France $35
Bright, open and very floral, with violet and sanguine notes leading the way for high-toned cherry fruit. There’s a lingering hint of red licorice on the finish.
Wine Tasting June 5, ’10
Just so you know, I always read the titles to this year’s entries as “Wine tasting June fifth ought-ten” because as I have argued early in the year this whole century has a zero before the two-digit year, so every year can and should be referred to as “ought-ten,” “ought-thirty-seven,” and so forth. Pass it on, maybe we can get this going!
Our first weekend back from Italy and a Studio Tour to boot. Kim’s pictures formed the perfect backdrop and many of them sold to two days of pretty intense traffic. As in Lake Wobegon, all the wines proved considerably above average, and a good time was had by all, as the following photos attest…Capella enters the fashion parade, so now we have Myra, Mary Jane, and Capella bringing class to this joint on a regular basis (see previous posts…we all really do need to start having more fun with our clothes!), and this weekend brought lots of first-time visitors…!
Capella 
Joann & Ray 
Lee
Paul & Wendy
Sean’s shoulders make a nice hat for Nancy!
Naomi and Jenna 
Brenda, Kim, and Mike
This week’s wines:
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.
Pend d’Oreille Bistro Rouge 07 Washington $13
Very aromatic blackberries and a chocolate note on the nose. Blackberry, blackcurrant, and blueberry flavors fill the palate and continue through a longish dry finish that includes modest oak and a cinnamon highlight.
Peirano Estates The Immortal Zin ’08 California $10
Hand selected from 113-year-old vines; deceptively subtle aromas of this wine combine red and black cherry, mineral, earthy rhubarb and slightly spicy red fruit; palate is wrapped in velvety layers of sweet red cherry, strawberry, cocoa and juicy red fruit leading to a lengthy, almost breathless finish.
Viu Manent San Carlos Malbec Chile WA91pts $18
Great aromatic complexity, depth, and grip, succulent spicy black cherry flavors, and a lengthy finish; best from 2011 to 2019.
Back yard views from Le Chiuse
Le Chiuse is a winery. It has converted the old building above the winery into five agriturismo units. We have the one on the south end, #4, or “oregano.” We are situated on north side of the steep hill to the old walled city of Montalcino, famous for its Brunello de Montalcino (some consider it the most expensive wine in the world) and little sibling, Rosso de Montalcino. Much more on that later.
For now the essential story is that after our rendezvous with other Untours people who just flew into Florence, we bussed to Siena, picked up rental cars, met our host “innkeepers,” and followed them to our homes for the next two weeks. They stock the kitchen with enough food for dinner and breakfast, and our stash included a bottle of Le Chiuse Rosso de Montalcino– young and chewy but a welcome treat– so within minutes of arrival we are sitting on our little private patio, sipping some rosso, nibbling some pecorino, and enjoying the view, so lovely we take a picture of the beautiful landscape and the dramatic clouds. Within minutes, we notice a rainbow begin on the right and expand across our horizon. So here are our first impressions of our home away from home in Tuscany…!
Wine Tasting Memorial Day Weekend Studio Tour ’10
We are just back from Italy, jet-lagged and jet-weary; flying is trying. By all accounts last weekend was a big crazy crowd. Not sure exactly what wines were poured in our absence, but rumors are that a good time was had by a large and boisterous crowd, about what we expected with Judy pouring…! Pictures!
This weekend is Artists’ Studio tour, and we are showing an array of really interesting photos by Kim Gardner; try to get here early, as many are already sold from last weekend’s preview.
In honor of our recent return from Italy, this week’s wines are Italian:
Avanti Pinot Grigio 08 Italy $9
Inviting aromas of pineapple, fresh lime, and crisp mineral notes that linger softly in the mouth.
Martorana Nero d’Avola 08 (Sicily) $12
Easy drinking red wine with crowd-pleasing notes of ripe plums, blueberry, almond, and sweet rhubarb
Bibbiani Treggiaia 07 (Italy) $10
A great value blend of sangio & cab, the ultimate pizza wine, serious but friendly!
Perazzeta Rita ‘06 Sangiovese Italy $26
From the southern fringe of Montalcino (Montalcino? Doh,, we coulda gone there!) comes this stunningly powerful, lush Sangiovese; aged in French oak barrels, and pushing the boundaries of the varietal; named after winemaker’s wife AND mother, he said of his wine: “I had no choice but to name it Rita!”
2072 Granger Way