lummi island wine tasting dec 10 ’20
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Friday Bread Crumbs
Bread pickup continues for the next two Fridays from 4-5:30 in our open garage (see photo at left). And as long as the national surge in Covid cases continues, we are not allowing visitors inside to shop. It’s chilly, but still festive. Wear your mask and hang out for a few minutes of socially distant schmoozing!
Similarly, for wine sales we are going back to email/phone ordering only until Covid is under better control, whether it be sooner from a return to more responsible social behavior, or later from the hoped-for but slow to realize effects of budding vaccination programs.
Click on the Order Wine link in the header above to browse a list of currently available wines with tasting notes and prices. When you have made your selections you can phone us with your order or email us using the Contact Us link above. We will confirm your order and make arrangements for pickup/delivery at your convenience.
Wine of the Week: The Wolftrap Syrah Mourvèdre Viognier ’18 South Africa $11
Boekenhoutskloof farm was established in 1776. Located in the furthest corner of the beautiful Franschhoek Wine Valley of South Africa, about 50 km east of the Cape of Good Hope, the farm’s name means “ravine of the Boekenhout” (pronounced Book-n-Howed), which is an indigenous Cape Beech tree greatly prized for furniture making. In 1993 the farm and homestead were bought and restored and a new vineyard planting programme was established that now includes Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Grenache, Semillon and Viognier.
When the farm was founded, the Franschhoek valley was far wilder than it is today. Though the mountains are still alive with indigenous animals, including the majestic leopard, the only evidence that wolves once roamed here is an ancient wolf trap found long ago. This wine was named in homage to the mysteries and legends of days gone by.
Most of the Syrah in The Wolftrap comes from the Swartland region (photo, left), where it develops its robust character and elegant aromas of violets and ripe plums, accentuating its spicy, peppery profile while retaining the juicy, fruity character which is its hallmark. The Mourvèdre, also from the Swartland, lends a red fruit character and smoky body while the dash of Viognier brings perfume and vibrancy to the blend and makes for a rustic Rhône-style blend that seriously over-delivers for its $11 price point.
The Wolftrap Syrah Mourvèdre Viognier ’18 South Africa $11
Ripe plums, red currants, violets, Italian herbs and exotic spice dominate the nose. The perfume of the nose follows through with a certain smokiness and flavours of darker berries, liquorice, cardamom, star anise and cinnamon. The wine is fresh, plummy and vibrant with hints of fennel seed, orange peel, cloves and black pepper lingering on a juicy finish.
Mar a Lago Update: Uphill In Every Direction
Back in the 80’s when I was a potter, I had a little gallery in Laconner, WA, a charming little town on the Swinomish Channel. I became friends with poet, artist, and calligrapher Robert Sund, who had lived there for a long time among the likes of painter Guy Anderson (who also came by the shop occasionally). Robert came by the shop from time to time, and we had many enjoyable conversations over several years. We also displayed some of his work, including what he called “Wind Letters.” These were pieces of heavy paper on which he would pen haiku-like quotations in lovely calligraphy. One that I have always treasured is a quote from DT Suzuki: “To judge the direction of the wind it is enough to look at a single blade of grass.” (photo below; click to expand). So let’s look at a few blades and guess which way the wind might blow.
If we have learned anything in the month since the 2020 election, it is that Trump Nation is not a political party in the usual sense. Rather, it is a Cult, reminiscent of the “Unification Church” followers of South Korean guru Sun Myung Moon (hence the term “Moonies”) who were for many years the young, spaced-out, shiny-eyed fixtures accosting travelers for donations at airports around the world.
Like the Moonies, Trump supporters are immune to facts. They are completely committed to Trumpism, whatever that means to them. As reported during the 2016 election campaign, supporters often became attached to a single sound byte Trump might have uttered in passing. For some it was about immigrants, for some about racism, for some about taxes, for others about feeling oppressed by “liberal elites.” Like Reverend Moon, Trump has built his entire career on his Gift for Grift, and for the last four years Congressional Republicans have been willing accomplices in supporting his lies. As with Woody Allen’s fictional brother, they know he’s a phony, but they “need the eggs too much.” Which is why most Republicans are afraid to cross him.
The crisis of this particular moment is typical of what we can expect for the next four years if Darth McConnell maintains control of the Senate. For the past several days we have seen glimmers of hope that members of Congress might pull together to help American families keep roofs overhead and food on the table until the risk of contagion is brought under control by newly developed vaccines. But today the process has again gotten stuck over the details.
It is wonderful that in six weeks a new Biden administration will control the Executive branch of government and Democrats the House. It would be even more wonderful if Democrats could win control of the Senate in the Special Election in Georgia on January 5, so our country could finally begin to move forward against the ticking clock of climate change. Sadly, it is likely the Evil Mr. McConnell will remain in control and extract a heavy tab for even the slightest cooperation toward that goal. So we must make him offers he can’t refuse. All we have to do is find ways to make carbon reduction more profitable than carbon production.
And we can do that. Yes, we can…!
lummi island wine tasting dec 4 ’20
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Friday Bread Crumbs
After taking Thanksgiving weekend off, Janice’s bread pickup returns Friday from 4-5:30 at the wine shop. And while the national surge in Covid cases continues, we are backing off from allowing visitors inside. Therefore bread pickup remains outside the shop (see photo at left). It’s chilly, but festive; please wear a mask and hang out for a few minutes of schmoozing!
Similarly, for wine sales we are going back to email/phone ordering only until Covid is under better control again, whether it be sooner from a return to more responsible social behavior, or later from the hoped-for but slow to realize effects of budding vaccination programs.
Click on the Order Wine link in the header above to browse a list of currently available wines with tasting notes and prices. When you have made your selections you can phone us with your order or email us using the Contact Us link above. We will confirm your order and make arrangements for pickup/delivery at your convenience.
Wine of the Week: Liberty School Cabernet Sauvignon ’18
We have regularly kept at least a few bottles of this wine on our shelves for several years. Liberty School is one of several labels of Hope Family Wines in Paso Robles (California). They have five different labels (Austin Hope, Treana, Quest, Liberty School, and Troublemaker). We have regularly carried a couple of their lower-end wines, the Liberty School cab and the Treana white blend. They both pretty consistently pack a lot of wine pleasure for the price, so we tend to keep a few of each available most of the time.
Over recent decades, Paso has become increasingly recognized for its high quality vineyards and good wine, now with more than 200 wineries and some 40,000 acres of vineyards. The Paso Robles AVA’s reach within six miles of the Pacific Ocean to the inland side of the Santa Lucia coastal mountains in San Luis Obispo County, forming a rectangle 35 miles from east to west, and 25 miles from north to south. The area includes diverse soils from weathered granite, marine sedimentary rocks, volcanic rocks, and younger marine sedimentary rocks. As with much of the California coast, the combination of hot days and ocean-induced cool nights makes for consistently favorable growing conditions.
Liberty School Cabernet Sauvignon ’18 $15
Aromas of fresh dark cherries and baking spices evolve into flavors of bing cherries, savory herbs, and a touch of cinnamon; on the palate it is fresh yet very smooth and balanced with a touch of bright acidity.
Mar a Lago Update: Intimations of Relief
The Relief is almost beginning to seem Real. But even at this late date, seven weeks till Inauguration, our hopes are still tender and tentative. The last four years have been a kind of Purgatory, an ongoing assault on facts and reason.
Those of you of a certain age will remember the old Ed Sullivan variety show back in the fifties and early sixties. Besides being an introductory showcase for young headliner stars like Elvis and the Beatles, there was also a regular roster of familiar acts that appeared many times over the years. One of those memorable acts was Señor Wences, (see video) a ventriloquist with a very entertaining set of skills. He had two main characters, one a child-puppet painted on his hand, and a bearded man’s head in a wooden box. Wences would frequently open the door of the box and say “All right?” and the head would say in a deep voice, “All Right!” And they would go back and forth like that, door opening and closing, “All Right?…All Right!..“All Right?…All Right!…
What does this have to do with the last four years? Okay, imagine we are all Señor Wences, and every time we do our act and open the door to the box expecting the head to say All Right!, instead a bunch of Wild-Eyed Clown Jacks-in-the-Box would spring out with insane laughter. And it goes on like that, over and over and over and over, a hundred times a day for four very long years.: Torture by Insane Clown-in-the-Box.
It’s been grueling. It’s been a global Nightmare. We never imagined it could possibly go on This Long, or go So Far off the Tracks. But eventually the true Horror of it sank in and we have crawled under the covers at night for these four years, emotionally exhausted and moaning in disbelief: “OMD, this isn’t a Dream, This is Really Happening! Why? Why?…
Well, knock on all available wood, but glimmers of Hope are appearing like little spring flowers reaching up from the mud. Even though the most likely scenarios show little hope of national unity any time soon, it IS starting to look like we have gained a little foothold on at least a small chance at a survivable future for Life on Planet Earth.
Let it be.
lummi island wine tasting thanksgiving ’20
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Friday Bread Crumbs
As those of you on the Bread email list have known all week, our baker Janice is taking Thanksgiving weekend off from bread baking. That, combined with the national resurgence of The Virus, means that the wine shop is also closed to visitors this weekend.
Until the national surge in Covid cases abates, we are backing off from allowing visitors inside for wine shopping. Instead we are going back to email/phone ordering only. Click on the Order Wine link in the header above for currently available wines with tasting notes and prices. We are making progress on setting up enough of an online store to allow our members to order and pay online for pickup on Fridays or by arrangement. For the time being, when you have made your selections you can call us with your order or email us using the Contact Us link above to send us your order. We will contact you to confirm your order and to make arrangements for pickup/delivery.
Wine of the Week: Sea Sun Pinot Noir
Sea Sun is one many wine labels created by the Charles Wagner family which began with the inauguration of the Caymus winery in Napa Valley in 1972. They were among the pioneers who made Napa cabernets sought after and collectible. In the fifty years since then, the family has expanded its portfolio of wineries to include Mer Soleil, Emmolo, Conundrum, Bonanza, and Sea Sun. Their wines tend to be big, fruity, flavorful wines with rich flavors and pleasing mouthfeel that evokes a pleasant sense of self-indulgence without breaking the bank.
Sea Sun Pinot Noir ’17 California $18
A bountiful deep red, this wine features scents of baked cherries, toasted wood and fresh out of the oven baguette, with hints of cranberry and flinty graphite. On the palate, there is an intensity and creaminess to the fruit, evoking the ripe richness of pie filling. Toasted oak and vanilla add intriguing layers, while grippy tannins create depth and dimension. The finish tapers off with this wine’s lush fruit.
Mar a Lago Update: Our Imperfect Union
Georgia. Not Wisconsin, not Michigan, not Pennsylvania. Georgia. To a substantial degree, perhaps measurable in various ways over the next decade and beyond, the outcome of the two U.S. Senate seats remaining to be determined in the 2020 election may very well have a huge impact on the future of the entire world.
In an editorial last June, columnist Jennifer Senior wrote an opinion piece in the NY Times tracing “Trumpism” back some thirty years to the Gingrich Revolution in the Republican Party: Gingrich wrote the playbook for it all. The nastiness, the contempt for norms, the transformation of political opponents into enemies…You really could argue that today’s napalm politics began with Newt: The normalization of personal destruction. The contempt for custom. The media-baiting, the annihilation of bipartisan comity, the delegitimizing of institutions.
Her story was strongly influenced by the release of Burning Down the House, a book by historian Julian Zelizer, which traces how Gingrich’s scorched-earth politics transformed the Republican Party: So much that’s associated with the Republican Party under Trump, Zelizer argues — the rowdiness, the bare-knuckle name-calling, the white-knuckle clinging to power at all cost — dates back to Gingrich’s ascent in the late ’80s.
Gingrich spawned a generation of Republican politicians who had no respect for tradition or inter-party comity in the House or Senate. Rather, Gingrich made it fashionable for aspiring Republicans to use mockery, hyperbole, anger, personal insult, and other forms of ad hominem attacks against electoral opponents. Since Gingrich, the point has never been to argue a platform; it has consistently been to manage public perception.
All of this division has been fueled not only by these Republican politicians, but also their joined-at-the-hip Media Echo Chambers at Fox News, Brietbart, and a national network of anger-mongering radio pundits. Curiously, having managed to make the Tweetster the Star of their Show, the Party now needs his support to win these crucial Georgia Senate seats. And no, he isn’t going to do it out of party loyalty.
This could all be the last Scene of some sci-fi Shakespeare play. In the romance version the world is saved. In the tragedy version, Darth McConnell launches the Death Star and it’s the end of Ever..y….t…..h……i……..n…………g…………………………………
lummi island wine tasting nov 20 ’20
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Friday Bread Crumbs
The second outing of the new outdoors-at-the-wine-shop weekly bread pickup went even better last week. Janice and David are set up under a rain shelter (now with heaters!) just outside the wine shop garage door. Both pickup and payment can be conducted quite efficiently with masks and social distancing as well as a bit of winter weather protection.
Pick-up hours are from 4-5:30pm. At present sunset is about 4:30, which should provide decent light at least till 5. But as we slide toward winter solstice sunset gets earlier until December 7 when it sets at 4:14pm, and continues to set at 4:14 for another week before starting to creep later until summer solstice in June. Chances are bread pickup hours might move a bit earlier in December…stay tuned!
Until the national surge in Covid cases abates, we are backing off from allowing visitors inside for wine shopping. Instead we are going back to email/phone ordering only. Click on the Order Wine link in the header above for currently available wines with tasting notes and prices. We are making good progress on setting up enough of an actual online store to allow our members to order and pay online for pickup on Fridays or by arrangement. For the time being, when you have made your selections you can call us with your order or email us using the Contact Us link above to send us your order. We will contact you to make arrangements for pickup/delivery.
Wine of the Week: Chateau Auzias Cabardès ’18
The tiny wine region of Cabardès is a small group of villages directly north of the medieval walled city of Carcassonne, which sits on the western edge of the Languedoc wine region. It consists of only some 500 hectares of vineyards. To the west are the rolling farmlands of the Sud-Ouest, stretching toward the Bordeaux region on the Atlantic Coast.
Because of the mixed influence of both the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, vignerons of Cabardès are allowed to use both Bordeaux (cab, cab franc. merlot) and Rhone varietals (syrah, grenache) in their wine blends. It is the only wine region in France permitted to make such blends.
The region has been growing grapes and making wine since the Roman days, but only since the 70’s has the region been allowed to explore the possibilities its unique micro-climate provides. The resulting blends have their own unique charm, and again illustrate how soil and climate shape the wines of every particular place.
Chateau Auzias Cabardes ’18 France $11
60% Cabernet Franc, 30% Syrah, 10% Grenache. Enticing aromas of black raspberry and mulberry that showcase the Cabardes appellation where both Rhone and Bordeaux varietals may be grown. Fine-grained tannins and lacy, billowing acidity carry that raspberry/mulberry fruit all the way to a fresh, graceful finish.
Mar a Lago Update: Lies, Damn Lies, and Simon de Montfort
There is an old phrase of dubious origin that has plagued statisticians for over a century, that there are “Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics.” An interesting exploration of the origin of the phrase ties it to a series of comments about false statements found in influential newspapers circa 1891, making a case that it went something like this:
-Thomas Henry Huxley, 1885: Talked politics, scandal, and the three classes of witnesses—liars, d—d liars, and experts.
-Sir Charles Dilke, October 21, 1891: false statements might be arranged according to their degree under three heads: fibs, lies, and statistics.
-Benjamin Disraeli (1895): I think Lord Beaconsfield said that there were three degrees of veracity—viz., lies, d—d lies, and statistics.
Everyone lies from time to time, whether by half-truth, omission, evasive statement, or protection from embarrassment. To that extent, Truth is a somewhat fluid concept, with little consequence one way or another. In that sense, everyday lies are just part of the ongoing lubrication of the Facts that helps us all oil the wheels or our progress.
That is a very different thing from compulsively lying, as with narcissistic personality disorder. A person with NPD may lie without reason, or to distort reality to fit the emotions that they are feeling. Some evidence suggests that they invent facts that will make them feel or look better, that they may be unaware when they are lying, and that they may not be able distinguish between truth and lies.
We are mentioning all this because while reading background on wine of the week (above) we were reminded of the Albigensian Crusade, a twenty-year long persecution of the Cathars in southwest France. Pope Innocent III considered them heretics, and offered lands stolen from the Cathars to those who imprisoned or killed them. Foremost among them was sometimes crusader Simon de Montfort. In 1210 he burned 140 Cathars in the village of Minerve who refused to recant. In another village, he had the eyes of a large number of prisoners gouged out, their ears, noses and lips cut off, and led back to their village by a prisoner who had been left with a single good eye. He is also sometimes credited (charged?) with having ordered the slaughter of over ten thousand men, women, and children at Beziers in 1209, and when asked how the soldiers could distinguish Cathars from Catholics, said “Kill them all; let God sort them out.”
All of this old history is timely because it illustrates so cruelly and vividly how extremely human norms can be tossed aside in the passion of religion or politics under the leadership of a narcissistic psychopath. Normal rules of civilized society are thrown away in the passions of hatred in the name of politics and religion. As the old saying goes, attributed to Sinclair Lewis, “When Fascism comes to America, it will be draped in the Flag and carrying a Cross.”
The election is long over but the battle continues, amid irrational anger, unabated national tension, and the flagrant complicity of Republican office holders.
It’s gonna be a Long Winter.
2072 Granger Way