Wine Tasting December 26 ho ho ho
Last week was interesting. Different and fun. In the spirit of Solstice, we poured wines from Lost River, and took turns reading passages from Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. And then every time there was a word like dark or gloom or oppression, everyone would repeat it and moan and wince. Definitely got into the spirit of the thing. And trust me, it is a dark (Daaarrrrrrkkk, oooh ooh daaarrrrk…!) story.For example, this from the second paragraph: “The air was dark above Gravesend, and farther back still seemed condensed into a mournful gloom, brooding motionless over the biggest, and the greatest, town on earth.”
This week, being Yuletide season, Boxing Day after all, we have no idea how many will venture out to lift a glass to the Season. But what we do have to offer besides the usual Good Cheer are:
On the Day after Christmas my True Love gave to me (sing along…!)
Three French reds, Two-oo purple gloves, and a Martorana In-sol-i-a…
Well you get the idea, any excuse to help figure out what to pour.
The wines:
Martorana Insolia White 2008 (Italy) $16 : Lush, aromatic, crisp, and lovely with fish, fowl, or pasta.
Domaine Piquemal ’05 (France, Roussillon) (video) $13 : Nose of blackberry, flint, and leather gives way to sumptuous flavors of fresh, ripe cherries.
Domaine Faury Vin de pays Collines Rhodaniennes syrah (France) $20: Gorgeous, sense-filling, rich, and sensuous, this is a current favorite!
Perrin et Fils Gigondas “La Gille” ’05 (France) $23: Perfumed nose of cherry, rose blossom, plum sauce, charcoal, and spice; plush texture, long finish of wild berries, black currant, cocoa, and tar.
Wine Tasting December 19
Well, here it is, Winter Solstice 2009, and we wanted to do something special to mark the turn away from the Dark Times toward the Light. I looked around for a copy of Heart of Darkness with John Malkovich, and figured we could show it in the wine shop in the early part of the afternoon. But lo, Netflix doesn’t even list it, go figure! Not that it was that great a movie, but definitely Dark, dark, dark, the template for Apocolypse Now! So I guess we could show that, but that’s not just Dark, it’s also a little close to home, a little too crazy, a little too much like what is now happening all over the place, so we oughta stay away from that. So maybe there will be a movie. Or maybe not.
Whether there is or is not, there WILL be POPCORN! We just didn’t have the energy reserve to do the food thing we were planning, but Pat had the idea of popcorn. We are gonna try a bunch of different savory spices, butter, salt, whatever, and see how it goes. Of course, we want to match munchies with the wines for the day. In keeping with the Darkness theme (sort of), we will be pouring a selection of wines from Lost RIver winery in Winthrop. Winemaker John Morgan spent many years in Bellingham, and makes some great wines for sitting by a cozy fire and making winter actually quite pleasant after all.
We also have a new shipment of Theo’s chocolate bars just in time for stocking stuffers or pigging out all on your own, including a couple of new concoctions…the new 92% bars from Costa Rica beans, and a new dark bar featuring spicy chili…warms you up just thinking about it, huh…?
The wines:
Lost River Pinot Gris 08 $14: aromas of citrus, pear and tropical flowers; fruity and crisp with just a hint of residual sugar.
Lost River Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 $23: Smooth and silky with notes of ripe raspberries, black currants and spice.
Lost River Cedarosa 06 $25: Cabernet Franc and Merlot blend, rich and pruney with notes of blackberry, currant, cassis and licorice.
Lost River Syrah Walla Walla 06 $23: distinctive black pepper and cherry notes with strong character of dark chocolate, coffee, and meat.
Wine Tasting December 12
The slide into Winter is showing up as very quiet Saturday afternoons until about 4, then everyone arrives at once for a fairly raucous last hour. That made for a nice visit with Nancy, Joan, and little Sammie for a relaxing mid-afternoon.
The wines were unusual and interesting, and pretty tasty. Virtually NO ONE had ever heard of marzemino, much less tasted it, but it won general approval for its unique combination of pruney leather and bright berry acidity. The soave was a pleasant surprise, definitely worth keeping around, and the Poderi sangio/alicante was a crowd-pleaser, as was the Kiona red blend, a terrific buy.
Nice shot of Mary Beth and Mary Jane, maybe they are secret sisters…? Little preview: mark your calendars for next Saturday and our Solstice “Le Coeur de l’Obscurite” tasting featuring Lost River wines from Winthrop and matching munchies by our Food Correspondent Mary Beth. Watch for details!
Also, please note that THIS SUNDAY from 2-4 we will be hosting a Meet the Candidate event for Richard May, who will be running for State Senate in 2010. Come on by, say hello, let him know what is important to you.
This week’s wines:
Dry Creek chenin blanc (Calif) $10: luscious notes of melon, peach, and lemon peel, a great buy!
Juan Gil 06 (Spain) $14: From 45 yr old vines come superb aromatics of wood smoke, damp earth, violets, and blueberry pie. Layered, succulent, and long.
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.
Jaffurs Thompson Syrah ’01 (Cal) $18: layered flavors of black fruits intermixed with earth, licorice, and smoke presented in a long, pure, concentrated style.
Wine tasting December 5
Last weekend, Saturday after Thanksgiving, brought echoes of the past several months and harbingers of winter days to come. Early on Joan came by to pick up selections for their late Thanksgiving dinner, then actually in progress (no time to deliberate!), followed by a periodic visit from a charming Canadian benefactor who drops in a few times a year to restock white wine at the Lummi getaway, always a welcome treat!
After that it was Very Quiet till about 4, when some newbies and some of the usual suspects came by.Here are Del and Terry celebrating Terry’s second week living on Lummi, and second Saturday in the wine shop…!
And a bit of drama and mystery: “Omigod, do you see what’s down there…???!!!”
And here’s a nice one of Ian and Robin, who skated in just before every bottle was completely empty…whew, that was close!
This week’s wines offer some unusual grapes from Italy:
Villa Erbice Soave Superiore ’06 (Italy) $14: Garganega with Trebbiano for freshness, spends a year on the lees (yeast cells & grape solids left from fermentation.)
De Tarczal Marzemino 06 (Italy) $14: A rare grape, marzemino is a relative of Barbera, with lots of bright, fully ripened fruit, with crisp acidity and ripe tannins.
Podere Ciona 07 (Italy) $14: SuperTuscan blend of sangiovese and alicante delivers ripe fruit, spices, and a long, lingering finish.
Kiona cab-merlot ’04 (Washington) $10: Rich, earthy, spicy, and crisp; good showing of Washington fruit at a real bargain price; great for sipping or with any meal.
2072 Granger Way