Wine Tasting April 17 ’10
By far the most memorable aspect of last weekend’s tasting was a little wine called Palama Arcangelo Salice Salentino, selling for $11. The wine region is way down on the boot of Italy. The grapes are Negro amaro and Primitivo, a predecessor of the fruit-intensive zinfandel. It’s not complicated, but it is quite enchanting. The wine is expansive, rich, and robust, with aromas of steeped plums, cracked pepper, blackberry confit and cinnamon. What was memorable was our first group of guests, three couples and a couple of small children on the Island (Willows) celebrating a birthday. (somehow in the excitement I didn’t get a picture of them…doh! )They ALL liked this wine, to the extent that early on they had decided as a group to buy all I had (13 bottles). What ensued was a long conversation about who would get how much. Trust me, it was VERY Confusing, but somehow they worked it all out, and all of our little supply Went Away. Working on getting more….stay tuned!
All YOU need to know is that they cleaned out every bottle. and YOU might have missed the Wine of your LIfe! Ha!
The other interesting theme was that one of the women in the same group made an absolutley Wonderful Face when I said the word “chardonnay” (Extreme Distaste). In particular we were tasting the Byron chard, which I happen to like Very Much– it IS from California, and it IS on the oaky side, but it also has rich, ripe fruit, a very seductive mouthfeel, and, well, is deeply satisfying. So this guest (I am SO bad with names!) was in Disbelief that she actually enjoyed a chard…I LOVE it when that happens! They may even have bought a couple…!
Then AFTER that a whole bunch of other stuff happened, something of a blur, with some lovely and zany people who really seemed ( I am not making this up!) to be having a really good time, and as everyone knows, that is the ONLY criterion for getting your picture in this strange little blog!
This week’s wines:
Martorana Insolia White 2008 (Italy) $16
Lush, aromatic, crisp, and lovely with fish, fowl, or pasta…I know we just poured this a few weeks ago, but I just found the next wine buried in the cellar….
Martorana Colonna nero d’avola/syrah Italy $13
Lush, ripe, fleshy aromas and flavors of ripe plum, Moroccan spice, mincemeat, and sweet ginger.
Apaltagua Envero carmenere 04 Chile $14
Deep ruby. Explosively fruity, with strong raspberry, cherry jam and redcurrant scents, with a complicating note of cinnamon. Lush and silky on the palate, with a pure raspberry quality that’s extremely easy to like. Pliant, suave and elegant, with a long, sweet red berry tone to the finish and very soft tannins.
Alto Moncayo Veraton ’04 Spain $28
100% Grenache ; A brilliant wine, reminiscent of a top-notch Chateauneuf du Pape. Full-bodied, with gamy, meaty notes, hints of roasted herbs, plenty of kirsch liqueur and blackberries, and loads of glycerin and alcohol…a stunning wine.
Wine Tasting April 11 ’10
It’s been a crazy week in the “day job,” the one that has been keeping this place afloat. Plus something going on every evening, no time for blogging. So here it is near midnight, and at the very least you should have some idea of what we will be pouring this weekend, while last weekend fades into the kaleidoscopic past.
Two things stand out, though. One is that there were only four truffles left over after pre-orders, i.e., one box. If I hadn’t stolen one (just the inside, at that) on Thursday night, I would have missed out altogether. I think you all need to lobby Pat and Janice to make a LOT MORE of these scrumptious treasures.
Second, we had a rare visit from longtime friend and former colleague Rene and longtime Island friend Randy. Here we have one photo of them with Bobbie, who stopped by to pick up her truffles and stayed for the tasting.
By the way, Pat and I are booked for two weeks in Italy in May…we are trying to set up substitute hosts for you on the two Saturdays we will miss, and hope to find some way to blog to you from Italy so you can share the trip with us. More on that later!
This week’s wines:
Byron chardonnay ‘06 (California) $19
Supple, rich and creamy up front, with fig, marshmallow and floral-honeysuckle flavors that are pure, clean and mouthwatering; nice balance of fruit and oak.
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.
Salice Salentino Arcangelo 08 (Italy) $11
80% negroamaro, 20% Primitivo; expansive, rich, and robust aromas of steeped plums, cracked pepper, blackberry confit and cinnamon.
Marquis Philips Shiraz 07 (Australia) $14
These guys wrote the book on Big Shiraz–Fruit forward, with mouth-filling notes of crushed strawberry, blackberry, and dark chocolate.
Wine Tasting Easter Saturday April 3
The first thing you need to know is that there is a new batch of TRUFFLES this week! I did sneak one in the Dark of Night (it was amaretto apricot, and all I can say is OMG THIS MAY BE THE BEST THEY HAVE EVER DONE YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS IT!)
These truffles that Pat and Janice turn out just keep getting better and better, and part of me is Really Happy about that, but part of me laments the early days when lots of rejects were around that didn’t make the quality cut, and, you know, a guy got a lot of, um, samples. Nowadays you reach for one of these precious ((Pwwweshhhhhuusssss) treasures and are likely to get a good scolding…thus we measure our progress, huh..? All YOU need to know is that this new batch is astonishingly good, and if you haven’t pre-ordered (CALL NOW!) you are probably out of luck, that’s all I’m saying.
Like the arrival of spring birds to mark the changing seasons, we are noticing an uptick in visitors from B&B’s, vacation rentals, and the Willows. There aren’t that many things for visitors to do on the Island on a Saturday (or, let’s face it, any other day of the week…I mean DUH, like that’s the Whole Point of this island!) so it is a treat for us to welcome visitors, tell them all the gossip (we just make it up) , and of course hear stories about their Home Planets: “Oh, you’re from Mars?…and your politicians are mindless idiots, too?…well, I guess it’s just Universal, n’est-ce pa?”
I REALLY liked all the wines last week. In fact, I have liked all the wines for the last SEVERAL weeks! Our regulars have figured out by now that I am very fond of OS wines made by Bill Owen in Seattle from some of Washington’s finest vineyards. But I think my favorite last week was the La Colline St Jean Vacqueyras 07-–here’s a nice write-up about it, and yes, we still have a few left, and no more to be had)
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This week’s wines:
Kiwi white 04 New Zealand $10
Chardonnay in a crisp and fruity style, with a solid center of kiwi, apple, and lemon twist. Great buy!
Garnacha de Fuego 08 Spain $8 WA89pts
From 70-year-old Garnacha vines, a glass-coating opaque purple, nose of brooding black cherry and blueberry. Concentrated, ripe, and balanced on the palate; an outstanding value.
Maryhill Cabernet Franc Columbia Valley 05 (Washington) $18
Showing intense tobacco, tar, and leather character, it’s a real powerhouse that cries for a rich and savory food pairing, and with a little fat to evoke the cherry, blackberry, and licorice notes on the finish.
La Spinetta Barbera d’Asti Ca’ di Pian 07 Italy $20 WA89pts
Offers up plums, dark cherries, herbs and flowers on a rich, mid-weight frame, revealing plenty of length and fine overall balance. The bright, focused acidity of Barbera from Asti comes through on the finish, and the wine is best enjoyed at the dinner table.
Reminder from Pat: Last chance to order Easter Truffles!
Hi all–it’s Spring! (Is that hail I hear on the roof??!)
Janice and I are making up some batches of truffles for the Easter bunny to deliver this weekend for pre-orders, with any extras (usually not many) for sale in the wine shop on Saturday while they last (usually not for long!). If you’d like some for your grown-up Easter baskets (peeps are for kids, silly rabbit!) call now to order.
There will be four flavors– some new inspirations and some standards–and they’re available in boxes of 2 for $3, boxes of 4 for $5, and boxes of 8 for $10, beribboned and ready for gifting or eating on the spot, or both. Any extras will be available for $1/each, too, at the shop.
Artisan Wine Gallery Truffles are hand-made at our shop from high-quality chocolate and real flavorings.
Flavors: Triple Chocolate Macadamia Amaretto Apricot Fresh Mint
Please call Janice at 758-2559 or Pat at 758-2959 to order; you can pick them up this Saturday at the wine shop or by special arrangement.
Wine notes tomorrow!
2072 Granger Way