lummi island wine tasting oct 31 ’20
click on photos for larger images
Bread Crumbs
Friday Bread pickup will continue at the Ferry Parking Lot on Fridays from 4 – 5:30 pm through October. We are exploring how to bring Bread Fridays back to the wine shop. perhaps in the partial shelter of the wine shop garage door opening beginning in November.
We are open on Saturday afternoons from 3-5 pm for purchases and perhaps a wee splash of the “Wine of the Week. (see below). We don’t think reservations will be necessary, at least for the time being, but since only one group will be allowed inside at a time, you might encounter a short wait if another party is already inside. Appointments possible if timing is important to you.
The usual social distancing guidelines (see below) will apply. Windows will be open and fans and air filters will be in place as necessary to maintain a rapid air exchange cycle while the shop is open.
Social Distancing Guidelines:
1. Only one group (up to four people) will be allowed in the shop at once for up to 20 minutes.
2. Everyone must wear a mask while inside;
3. Each group must be a “pod” that willingly takes responsibility for managing social distance within their group.
4. Reservations optional (most likely not necessary).
Wine of the Week: La Spinetta IL Nero di Casanova Sangiovese ’15 Italy
Okay, okay, yes, this is the same Wine of the Week as last week. But since no one came by last Saturday, it will still be new to anyone who happens by this weekend! That could be you!
Ruby red in color with intense cherry and spicy mint characteristics on the nose. Densely rich on the palate, this magnificently structured Sangiovese is rounded with a good grip and fine finish.This is a pure expression of Sangiovese from 20-year-old vines surrounding the Casanova winery. i offers a complex aromatic profile of pressed rose, wet earth, liquorice and wild Mediterranean brush, fully expressing its Tuscan fingerprint. This wine has a distinct structure and power not unlike the more well-known Brunello or Montepulciano and aging in ten-year-old oak casks adds further integration, definition and stability to this exciting win
La Spinetta IL Nero di Casanova Sangiovese ’15 Italy $20
Intense ruby red color. Aromas of wild cherry, black currant and sweet plum. On the palate, this wine offers silky tannins and a fruity chewy finish as well as lots of cherry with elegant richness. A funky and intense wine. A better under $20 Tuscan Sangiovese might be impossible to find! This vintage of Il Nero is delicious! Intense ruby red in color with intense cherry and spicy mint characteristics on the nose. Densely rich on the palate, this magnificently structured Sangiovese is rounded with a good grip and fine finish.
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Mar a Lago Update: Looking Back with Exhaustion
Over the past four years we have seen and felt our country grow polarized as never before, not so much by ideology as by deliberately targeted political manipulation from the Right. The uneasy partnership between the Tweetster and Darth McConnell has never been one of the heart* (see below) so much as some kind of ongoing, mutually distasteful political arm wrestling. Their uneasy alliance is that the T gets to stay in the Spotlight, and the D gets to eat all the puppies he can lure into his lair.
This week’s “column” marks something like the 180th weekly edition of this little commentary feature here on our wine blog, our ongoing fearful lament against the increasingly virulent Tyranny of Ignorance perpetuated on our country and our planet by the petty vainglory of self-righteous Republicans. The pilot edition of this feature was in late April, 2017.
Now here we are (Finally!) on the eve of another Presidential election. We find ourselves deeply fearful that Republican attempts to stifle Democratic votes by slowing postal deliveries of mailed ballots, deliberately leaving valid ballots uncounted, and legally challenging Democratic ballots in courts across the land will occur and may succeed in at least some states. As amply evident during the Mueller report hearings, the Impeachment hearings, and the Supreme Court nomination hearings, we know that Republicans place Party and personal political advancement far above loyalty to, say, Truth, Justice, Honor, Integrity, or the Constitution.
It’s a tense time, with the whole world in the middle of a deadly pandemic, and voting rules varying wildly among states. In any case, now finally comes our chance to bring our country back on track with the values enshrined in our Constitution, and to bring all Americans together in the pursuit of our common goals. Raise yer glasses, lads and lassies, and unite in the hope for a better future!
* “Mommy, is it true Republicans have hearts of Stone?”
“No Dear, not at all; Republicans don’t have hearts.”
lummi island wine tasting oct 24 ’20
click on photos for larger images
Bread Crumbs
Friday Bread pickup will continue at the Ferry Parking Lot on Fridays from 4 – 5:30 pm through October. We are exploring how to bring Bread Fridays back to the wine shop. perhaps in the partial shelter of the wine shop garage door opening beginning in November.
The wine shop is presently open for sales on Saturdays from 3-5 pm for purchases and perhaps a wee splash of a “Wine of the Week.” We don’t think reservations will be necessary, at least for the time being, but since only one group will be allowed inside at a time, you might encounter a short wait if another party is already inside. Appointments possible if timing is important to you.
The usual social distancing guidelines (see below) will apply. Windows will be open and fans and air filters will be in place as necessary to maintain a rapid air exchange cycle while the shop is open.
Social Distancing Guidelines:
1. Only one group (up to four people) will be allowed in the shop at once for up to 20 minutes.
2. Everyone must wear a mask;
3. Each group must be a “pod” that willingly takes responsibility for managing social distance within their group.
4. Reservations optional (most likely not necessary).
Wine of the Week: La Spinetta IL Nero di Casanova Sangiovese ’15 Italy
Ruby red in color with intense cherry and spicy mint characteristics on the nose. Densely rich on the palate, this magnificently structured Sangiovese is rounded with a good grip and fine finish.This is a pure expression of Sangiovese from 20-year-old vines surrounding the Casanova winery. i offers a complex aromatic profile of pressed rose, wet earth, liquorice and wild Mediterranean brush, fully expressing its Tuscan fingerprint. This wine has a distinct structure and power not unlike the more well-known Brunello or Montepulciano and aging in ten-year-old oak casks adds further integration, definition and stability to this exciting win
La Spinetta IL Nero di Casanova Sangiovese ’15 Italy $20
Intense ruby red color. Aromas of wild cherry, black currant and sweet plum. On the palate, this wine offers silky tannins and a fruity chewy finish as well as lots of cherry with elegant richness. A funky and intense wine. A better under $20 Tuscan Sangiovese might be impossible to find! This vintage of Il Nero is delicious! Intense ruby red in color with intense cherry and spicy mint characteristics on the nose. Densely rich on the palate, this magnificently structured Sangiovese is rounded with a good grip and fine finish.
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Mar a Lago Update:
It’s been a challenging week around the wine shop. In politics, the Republikans appear ready to clamp down on their opportunity to cram yet another highly Conservative Justice onto the Supreme Court.
Turmoil in election forecasts shows increasing volatility and improving odds for Democrats to take over White House and both houses of Congress. (oh please, oh please!) while Republikaners pat themselves on the back for their moral courage at the ability to break any rule at any time.
Al told there is tremendous volatility in our national body politic.
And being as how some of us have gotten very little sleep the last few days, for this week we are signing off early.
to be continued…
lummi island wine tasting oct 17 ’20
click on photos for larger images
Schedule Notes
Bread pickup will continue at the Ferry Parking Lot on Fridays from 4 – 5:30 pm through October. We are making progress toward havingFriday bread pickup in the partial shelter of the wine shop garage. More on that over the next couple of weeks.
As most of our locals know, the Island tallied its first case of COVID recently, apparently transmitted by a visitor to the Willows Inn. The entire staff has been placed in quarantine for the next week or two. Everyone is keeping a low profile.
We are still open at the wine shop Saturdays from 3-5 pm for purchases and perhaps a wee splash of a “Wine of the Week.” We don’t think reservations will be necessary, at least for the time being. However, only one group will be allowed inside at a time, but appointments will remain an option for the future.
The usual social distancing guidelines (see below) will apply. Windows will be open and fans and air filters will be in place to maintain a rapid air exchange cycle while the shop is open.
Social Distancing Guidelines:
1. Only one group (up to four people) will be allowed in the shop at once for up to 20 minutes.
2. Everyone must wear a mask;
3. Each group must be a “pod” that willingly takes responsibility for managing social distance within their group.
4. Reservations optional (most likely not necessary).
Wine of the Week: Penley Phoenix Cabernet
A bouquet of dark, berried, inky fruit with plenty of sawdusty/smoky oak. While it’s warm with alcohol it remains smooth, supple and persistent. It’s all blackcurrant, bay leaves and aforementioned oak on the palate. Tannin is fine-grained. This is a complete and harmonious wine with great persistence of flavor. Bright and delicious, speaking of contemporary Coonawarra Cabernet.
Penley Estate Phoenix Cabernet Sauvignon ’17 Australia $18
The first vines were planted in Coonawarra in South Australia in 1890, predominantly shiraz. The terra rossa soil was quickly recognized as something special covering limestone and dolomite bedrock.
And yes, we will have a bottle open if you drop by!
Mar a Lago Update: Supremes Greatest Hits?
#1 Someday We’ll Be Together (again)
The almost certain appointment of Amy Coney Barrett to the U. S. Supreme Court will unite three judges who all worked as lawyers for George W. Bush after the 2000 election. You will recall that the result of those many weeks of haggling over “hanging chads” and “butterfly ballots”was the judicial selection of Bush as the winner over Gore some six weeks after the election had taken place. Those three judges are John Roberts, Bret Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett, now together again at last just in time to resolve the next contested Presidential election.
This little “reunion” adds another layer of significant concern about the Tweetster’s ongoing insistence that the election is going to be rigged by the Democrats and would have to be resolved (in his favor, of course) by the Supreme Court. He has consistently ranted that ballots submitted by mail are by their nature unreliable and corrupt (except for “absentee ballots” which are fine, especially in Florida, where he believes he has an edge.
At the same time, Republican Party lawyers have filed suits all over the country in a massive effort to keep states from counting as many mailed ballots as possible by challenging any that arrive on or after Election Day. These efforts are on top of the major effort underway at the Post Office by the new Republican Postmaster General to decrease the Post Office’s ability to process the large volume of absentee ballots expected all over the country this year due to Covid.
Meanwhile, one of the standout presentations at the Barrett hearings was that by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse from Rhode Island, who used a simple set of posters to show how hundreds of millions of $ of Dark Money has poured in from corporate sources over many years to the Federalist Society and a number of shadow organizations to promote the advancement of very conservative appointees to fill vacancies on the Supreme Court. The purpose of these efforts (summarized here) has been to reverse three important precedents involving: 1) abortion rights (Roe); 2) national health insurance (Obamacare), and 3) same-sex marriage (Obergefell).
Whitehouse went further to talk about things eighty cases narrowly decided 5-4 by the conservative majority under Justice Roberts in recent years have several properties in common: 1) passed by a bare majority; 2) majority was partisan (all Republican appointees); 3) strong donor interest in having unlimited dark money allowed in politics so that these interests could buy the influence they wanted in Congress.
Specifically, these eighty cases fell into four broad categories of financial interest:
- Weakening or eliminating civil jury trials, because “it’s a crime to tamper with juries, and standard practice to tamper with Congress;”
- Weakening environmental regulations and penalties;
- Opening the door for restricting access to voting by targeted minority groups; and
- Allowing states to use unrestricted gerrymandering to gain significant representational advantages for the dominant party.
Bottom Line 1: Judges Barrett, Kavanaugh, Gorsuch, Alito, and Thomas will be the new conservative majority to rubber-stamp what the Big Money wants, leaving Roberts free to go either way, and leaving the “liberal” minority pretty much out of luck for the foreseeable future.
Bottom Line 2: Any plausible reason for throwing out enough selected results to give the election to the Tweetster is likely to gain traction in a sympathetic new Court.
lummi island wine tasting october 10 ’20
click on photos for larger images
Moving Inside
Please note that weekly Bread pickup will continue at the Ferry Parking Lot on Fridays from 4 – 5:30 pm through October. And since Janice is reluctant to return to the old Friday night format upstairs in the wine shop, we are exploring ways to set up bread pickup in the partial shelter of the wine shop garage. More on that over the next couple of weeks. So for the next few weeks, Friday Bread pickup will continue to be at the ferry overflow parking lot.
However, beginning this weekend the wine shop is re-opening Saturdays from 3-5 pm for purchases and perhaps a wee splash of a “Wine of the Week.” We don’t think reservations will be necessary, at least for the time being. However, only one group will be allowed inside at a time, but appointments will remain an option for the future.
The usual social distancing guidelines (see below) will apply. Windows will be open and fans and air filters will be in place to maintain a rapid air exchange cycle while the shop is open.
Social Distancing Guidelines:
1. Only one group (up to four people) will allowed in the shop at once for up to 20 minutes.
2. Everyone must wear a mask;
3. Each group must be a “pod” that willingly takes responsibility for managing social distance within their group.
4. Reservations optional (most likely not necessary).
Wine of the Week: Townshend Red Table
Townshend Cellar is located in Greenbluff, Washington, in rolling farm country a little northeast of Spokane. They have been making wine sourced from Columbia Valley fruit since 1998. Their wines are regularly fruit-driven, easy to drink, and good values.
This wine is their low-end — you guessed it — table wine! (The red table on the label always brings a smile.) It is a non-vintage blend of cab, merlot, and syrah from more than one season’s harvest.
Anonymous reviewers sum it up this way:
— Dark, earthy cocoa notes you only get from a PNW wine;
— Mysterious and lovely for the price;
— Medium-bodied, nice dark red with notes of blackberry and a nice pepper finish.
— Delicious red blend and very easy to like.
Townshend Red Table NV Washington $12
Appealing red wine crafted of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. Bursts with sun-ripened fruit on the nose and entry, with generous fruit and satisfying flavors of purple plums, Bing cherries and boysenberries accented by vanilla bean and toasted oak.
And yes, we will have a bottle open if you drop by!
Mar a Lago Update: Embers of Hope
Don’t know about you, but we are feeling deeply fatigued. As our friend Kevin put it back in the Dubya years, “Things are getting worse faster than I’m getting older.” There was an article in The Nation back in 2003 titled “Rolling Back the Twentieth Century” that explored, based on Reagan, Bush I, and Bush II the rise of the Right over those years and put what we were feeling into clear perspective:
…Movement conservatives envision a restored society in which the prevailing values and power relationships resemble the America that existed around 1900, when William McKinley was President. Governing authority and resources are dispersed from Washington, returned to local levels and also to individuals and private institutions, most notably corporations and religious organizations. The primacy of private property rights is re-established over the shared public priorities expressed in government regulation. Above all, private wealth–both enterprises and individuals with higher incomes–are permanently insulated from the progressive claims of the graduated income tax.
Now, nearly twenty years after the article was written, we can see that the plan has continued to unfold with little effective resistance from the Left. Since it was written we have seen 4 more years of Republican Rule under Bush and eight years of Republican stonewalling of every initiative of the Obama Administration to pass legislation, appoint judges to long-vacant seats, or otherwise participate in the give-and-take compromises that have kept our country moving forward as one indivisible nation for some two centuries.
On top of all that these last four years of the Tweetster have provided the cover of nonstop Distraction and Chaos in his role as their Puppet President while behind the scenes they have indeed continued to transfer vast amounts of wealth from the poorest to the richest and to develop and deploy ubiquitous media platforms that deliver nonstop propaganda to discredit all opposition, including science, truth, compassion, fairness, and ethics.
So. Everything is at stake in this election. Everybody knows that climate change has already made life Economically Uninhabitable in many places, and it is getting worse every year. Everybody knows that the Tweetster is a compulsive liar and less qualified than most of the ordinary people we know to be President. Everybody knows he did in fact commit serious impeachable offenses. And Everybody knows from Republican performances in the Muller, Kavanaugh, and Impeachment hearings that from top to bottom Republican Senators and Representatives are motivated only by expediency and never by principle.
It was, therefore, a little bit comforting that the fly on Pence’s head in last night’s debate seemed to pick up on that…
2072 Granger Way