Wine Tasting June 19 ’10
By any standard you would have to call last Saturday “Quiet.” MJ came by early to get ready (?!) for her drive to Woodinville to hear Crosby, Stills, and Nash at Chateau Ste. Michelle. While she was still there D & K came by, and pretty much we had a long, easy schmooze till sometime after four when some o’ the regulars stopped in to, you know, make it all worthwhile. I think we went the whole day with no new faces– well, not quite true; Zack bicycled out from Bellingham with two newbie friends.
Maybe chalk that up to the ferry’s being sidelined with the leaky stern tube, although I am still trying to work out the math on having to drive way down the beach to find a parking place Friday night. Given that all the people who move their thirteen cars to fill up the Gooseberry parking lots during dry dock were caught with their cars marooned on the island by the sudden ferry outage, and given that all week there had been oodles of empty spaces, how is it that Friday night the overflow lot was as full as the third week of drydock, and evening arrivals had to drive pretty far down the Point to find a place to park. Who ARE these people?? Where did all these cars COME from??? I like SO don’t get it…
All the wines were lovely last weekend, as many commented. The Secreto sauv blanc drew many an appreciative nod; the Borsao tinto started slow but the crowd warmed up to it as it opened up; the OS red–still the 2006– just keeps getting better and better, the favorite of the day; and the Darnaud Crozes Hermitage was in a class by itself, deep, dark, and brooding.
Zack & friends
Arrrrrrr, here’s lookin at you, matey
Wines for this weekend:
Montinore Borealis White Oregon $10
Back by popular demand! Grapefruit, pineapple, peach, and quince with aromas of fresh flowers
Savanha Pinotage-Shiraz ‘08 South Africa $9
Forward, with cherry jam and pomegranate notes over a backdrop of smoke and leather.
L’Oustal Blanc Minervois ’04 (France)– Parker 93 pts $25
“Lavender, marjoram, black pepper and black cherry on the nose lead to a velvety, expansive palate full of pure, sweet, almost honeyed black cherry essence. Vanilla, clove, and lavender add complexity…”
Seghesio Zinfandel 08 Califiornia $19
Copious amounts of blue, red, and black fruits as well as excellent purity, medium to full body, a supple texture, and enough acidity to provide vibrancy. It is pure, elegant, and substantial.
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…!
2072 Granger Way