lummi island wine tasting jan 12 ’19
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Bread Friday
Rosemary Olive Oil – made with bread flour and freshly milled white whole wheat for
a little more flavor and texture. Fresh rosemary from the garden and olive oil make
for a nice tender crumb and a nice crisp crust. -$5/loaf
Multi Grain – Made with pre-fermented dough of bread flour, fresh milled whole wheat, and rye with flax, sunflower, rolled oats and sesame seeds for a nice crunch and extra flavor. -$5/loaf
Pain aux Raisin – From the same laminated dough as croissants, rolled out, spread with pastry cream and sprinkled with a mix of sugar-soaked golden raisins and dried cranberries, rolled up and sliced before
baking. These are my favorites! – 2/$5
Thackrey and Co.
Sean Thackrey (see website) has been an iconic California winemaker for several decades, based mostly north of San Francisco in Marin County, where “normal” has, at best, a Vague Meaning. He has many eccentricities (read more), including skepticism about Global Warming and the importance of terroir in viticulture. A bit of a “wine outlaw,” he ascribes to numerous arcane winemaking practices (like letting newly picked grapes rest overnight to begin fermentation).
Over the years his wines have earned serious acclaim from major wine critics, so he must be doing something right, right…?
Pleiades is essentially a non-vintage “field blend” of sangiovese, pinot noir, viognier, zinfandel, syrah, and more, mostly from the Rossi vineyard in St. Helena in the heart of Napa Valley, but which may include fruit from different California regions and vintages. As a result he has developed the habit of naming each vintage in sequence; this weekend as the photo shows, we are pouring version XXVI , released last spring. It looks like pinot noir, but the complex flavors are not quite like any other single wine you have likely tasted. Come by and check it out!
Mar a Lago Update: Graham-A-Doodle Shows His Stuff
1/6/19, 2:12pm ‘The goal is not to open up the government’
Graham repeated his belief that because the Radical Left Wing of the Democratic Party are (sic) not being “reasonable partners,” the Tweetster “is right to dig in to get money for a wall as part of border security.” He continued: “We’re not going to put any offers on the table as long as people in charge of these negotiations accuse all of us who want a wall of being Racist…” Graham said. “Until you get that crowd put to the sidelines, I don’t see anything happening.”
1/09/19, 7:45pm Graham launches last-ditch push to end shutdown
As a Petulant Tweetster keeps refusing to play with the other kids visiting the White House this week until he gets his way, Republican boot-lickers have become increasingly more concerned, not as one would expect, about how the lingering Ego-Tantrum that is the Shutdown can be Ended, but how they can each play their conniving little hands to avoid being Gutted by a Tweet of Pique for appearing Disloyal. As if, you know, the one who can hold his breath the longest at the Ship Goes Down wins some kind of Prize.
1/10/19: 02:01 PM ‘Never been more depressed’: Trump kills Graham effort to end shutdown
Supposedly Graham and other GOP Senators had been working So Hard to come up with a plan the Tweetster would like enough to reopen the Government they were, like, So Surprised and Disappointed when the Tweetster didn’t go for it that they haven’t been able to stop wringing their Tiny Hands. Awwwww
1/10/19: 6.55 pm EST: Graham calls for Trump to use emergency powers to fund border wall
With this last we see the Uncanny Resemblance of Graham to a deranged mini-poodle running in circles trying to catch its tail, putting on a Good Show although it has No Idea what a tail Is, or whether it has one, but Does know how to Bark, Distract, and, you know, Suck Up to Power. But then, if you think about it, he Does have his Buddy Mitch to Lead him down the Slimy Path of the Spineless Toadie…
Washington Post Tweetster Lie Count to date: 7,546 as of 1/1/19
This week’s wine tasting
Maryhill Viognier ’16 Washington $14
Vibrant aromas of orange zest, honeysuckle, and pink grapefruit; flavors of lemon, pear, and white peach. The mouthfeel is delicate, yet full-bodied, withnotes of fresh flowers.
Domaine Donjon Minervois Tradition ’15 France $16
60% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 10% Carignan; aged 12 months in stainless steel. Meaty and complex, with sweet, ripe red and black fruits, loads of white and black pepper, bay leaf and wild roses, it stays fresh and lively on the palate, with medium-bodied richness and length.
Tenuta Rubino Oltreme Susamaniello ’14 Italy $14
Fresh, fragrant notes of cherries, pomegranate, raspberries and hints of ripe plum; fruity, minerally, and round on the palate with soft, pleasant tannins, a versatile and seductive pairing with richer dishes.
Can Blau Can Blau ’16 Spain $16
Long a favorite; always shows aromas and flavors of ripe, dark fruits and berries, a seamless texture, and long, silky finish. Generally improves with lots of aeration.
Sean Thackrey Pleiades XXVI California $23
26th version from this semi-legendary winemaker, an eclectic blend of sangiovese, pinot noir, viognier, zinfandel, syrah, and more; voluptuous and fragrant now, likely to improve with age.
lummi island wine tasting jan 4 ’19
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Bread Friday
Flax seed currant Ciabatta – Made with a poolish that ferments some of the flour and water overnight before being mixed into the final dough with fresh milled whole wheat and rye flours, and loaded up with flax seeds and dried currants, for a really flavorful artisan loaf – $5/piece
Black Pepper Walnut- Also made with a nice mix of bread flour, fresh milled whole wheat and rye with a fair amount of black pepper and toasted walnuts with a good bit of peppery bite to it to pair well with all sorts of meats and cheeses – $5/loaf
and pastry this week…
Brioche Tarts au Sucre – aka brioche sugar tarts. A rich brioche dough full of eggs and butter is rolled into a round tart and topped with more eggs, cream, butter and sugar. – 2/$5
Fourteenth Annual “East Coast New Year’s Eve” Report
In truth, attendance has been falling in recent years, making the celebration warmer, quieter, and more conversational than in earlier years. So it was a surprise this year when sometime around 8pm more and more people began showing up, bringing with them their Body Heat, their Voices, and yes, Bless Them, Wonderful things to Eat! One of the many Great Things about this event is that the Food just keeps Getting Better! Everyone obviously put Great Effort into their dishes, and we are all (burp) Grateful. YUM!
We managed to Impress (i.e., Shanghai) an Unsuspecting Guest to take on the Thankless task of picking both the Best Looking and the Best Tasting dishes of the night, which receive gift certificates of $15 and $25 each, respectively.
Best-Looking dish went to Vicki D, who assembled this colorful platter of cheese-tomato-basil-balsamic mini-skewers, decked out in Holiday Colors, and in Precise Formation. Lovely and Delicious!!!
Unfortunately, we seem to have missed out getting a photo of Mary Beth’s Best-Tasting Dish, which involved a delicious construction of pastry-wrapped salmon with a spicy jam that made a perfect complement! Two Yums Up!
January Hours
Our habit over many years has been to close the shop for January and much of February. This year there is no plan as yet, so for the time being we will be open as usual through January, including Bread Fridays from 4-6:30 and Saturday afternoons from 2-6.
So, weather permitting, Bread and Wine Will Happen through January!
Mar a Lago Update: Lessons from Psychohistory
Okay, folks, today marks a Turning Point in the Tweetster’s Home Invasion Plan. He has Officially been evicted from several dozen Congressional Districts, and whether or not that turns out be a Great Thing, it is in itself a Hopeful and Comforting Thing.
The unexpected and unwanted Anomaly he represents in the Political Order of our Time, reflected globally in the ascension of nascent Authoritarians across the Planet in recent years, is reminiscent of a similar Dystopian Diversion from Expections described in great detail in Isaac Asimov’s Foundation Trilogy, a pioneering work of Sci-Fi with plot elements dating back to the 1940’s.
The Big Idea in the series is the that the science of Psychohistory, a melding of history, sociology, and statistical analysis, could, in very broad strokes, predict the general trends of future history with a surprising degree of accuracy. And for a Very long time predictions went pretty well. However, the tools of Psychohistory had no way to predict anomalous phenomena. We could call it the “S%it Happens” Problem; all kinds of things happen Out of the Blue, without warning, that No One Could Have Foreseen.
Such was the case in the Foundation Series with a character known only as “The Mule,” who exemplified for Asimov the Wild Card, the embodiment of the Unexpected and Irrational. The Bad News is that we have Our Own Mule in the Oval Office, and no one saw him coming. He has a certain hypnotic and Destructive Charisma and a Mastery of Modern Media that let him Hold the Spotlight on Himself while he clumsily dismantles the very Structure of Government.
The Good News from Asimov’s Vision is that the Big Trends in Human History, like the Tides, follow an Abiding Rhythm that may veer off course from time to time but in the long run return to normal Seasonal Variation. We shall see…
Washington Post Tweetster Lie Count to date: 7,546 as of 1/1/19
This week’s wine tasting
Phantom Chardonnay ’16 Calif $17
Fermented and aged sur lie without oak; delivers rich aromas of white and yellow fruits, with bright crisp notes of citrus zest, honey, apple, and spicy minerality on the long, broad finish.
Chehalem Three Vineyard Rose ‘17 Oregon 91pts $23
Showcasing strawberry in all its delicious forms, accented by rose petal, gravel and pale spice. A rich palate with bright acid tension lends to subtle notes of pomegranate and dried cherries.
Altos Colonia Las Liebres Bonarda ‘15 Argentina $11
Bright ruby color; spicy aromas of fresh cherries and a balanced acidity that makes it fresh and juicy in the mouth, where fine tannins provide a long and pleasant finish.
Perazzeta Maremma Toscana Sangiovese ’15 $12
Handpicked grapes from soils of ancient seabed fossils and aged for a year in neutral oak; bursts rich, ripe flavors and aromas of dark cherry, rosemary, sea salt, and violets.
La Baronne Alaric ’12 France $27
Made from 120 yr-old Carignan vines (1892); aromas of plum, pepper, toast and spicy oak; palate is smooth, complex, and long on the finish with cask aging of great class (12 months in Taransaud/Darnajou barrels). Organic culture. Ideal with rich meat dishes.
lummi island wine tasting dec 28 ’18 New Year’s Weekend
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Bread Friday
Pain au Levain – Made with a nice mix of bread flour and freshly milled whole wheat and rye flours. After building the sourdough and mixing the final dough it gets a long cool overnight ferment in the refrigerator. This really allows the flavor to develop in this bread. A great all around bread – $5/loaf
Cinnamon Raisin- Made with a nice mix of bread flour and freshly milled whole wheat as well as rolled oats. Some honey for sweetness, a little milk for a tender crumb and loaded with raisins and a healthy dose of cinnamon. This is c with a swirl of cinnamon sugar, instead the cinnamon is mixed into the dough and flavors the entire bread. It is a hearty rustic loaf. Great for breakfast toast, even better for french toast – $5/loaf
And pastry this week…
Panettone – Panettone is an italian brioche traditional during the Christmas holidays, when it includes candied orange peel and raisins and is made as a large loaf. It includes lots of sugar, butter, eggs and honey and is flavored with almonds, dried cherries, and chocolate chips and topped with a chocolate glaze. Great as a pastry, sliced for toast or french toast, or for bread pudding – 2/$5
Fourteenth Annual “East Coast New Year’s Eve” and Finger Food Faceoff
¤ 7-9pm on New Year’s Eve!
¤ We provide the wine, and You bring something delicious to share!
¤ For you Newcomers: When The Ball drops in Times Square three hours East, we all hoist our glasses, toast our Good Fortune to live in this wonderful community, belt out Auld Lang Syne, and toast our Best Hopes that 2019 brings Healing, Kindness, and Wisdom to our Country and our Planet.
¤ This event is our annual opportunity to Thank all of you for your warm support during past year and toast to even more good times in Aught-Nineteen!
¤ Arrrr, lads and lassies, mark yer calendars ‘n’ start plannin’ yer finger foods, cuz we will again be circulatin’ a Secret Operative to sample the dishes and select the Yummiest (wins a $25 credit!), and Yummiest-Looking (wins a $15-dollar credit! So make ’em Tasty an’ make ’em Purty, eh…?!
Holiday Hours
Bread Friday, Dec 28, 4-6:30pm
Saturday, Dec 29, 2-6 pm
Monday, Dec 31, 7-9 pm New Year’s Eve Party
Mar a Lago Update: Countdown to Divided Government
It’s been a Long and Agonizing Two Years, and we welcome the return of Divided Government a mere week from today. It is Comforting to hope that the Worst might be Over. At the very least, control of the House and its Committees should slow the gleeful dismantling of the New Deal that Republicans have been wetting their pants about for the last 80 years, and working at with a Vengeance since the Tweetster stole Power with the help of the Russians.
Numerous reports in the last two years suggest the existence of (we are not making this up) “Tweetster Anxiety Disorder” that has driven millions of Americans, especially Boomers and Millennials, to seek counseling. Depression and anxiety have both been on the increase since the 2016 so-called “election.” We have been experiencing it ourselves for two years now, as have many of our wine shop regulars. It feels like the crushing out of life-long hopes, dreams, and expectations that we really were the Good Guys, we really were a Melting Pot, and America really was a Dream Come True.
Those of us who were kids in the Fifties, even in the lower middle class, grew up in a post-WWII Bubble of safety, security, and the expectation of a Benign Future, and everything the Tweetster says and does seems to deliberately Target those long-held assumptions and expectations in deeply threatening ways. His basic Daily Message is Angry, Self-centered, Humorless, and Blaming. He has a Gift for Division by appealing to people’s Worst Instincts, perhaps because they are the only instincts he has. And in the process he manages to say “Make America Great Again” feel as if he really means “Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here.”
So we offer a Toast that the coming year gives our Lost Dreams of Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité New Hope and puts them Back on Track. Aye mates, raise yer glasses ‘n’ Let It Be…!
Washington Post Tweetster Lie Count to date: 6,420 as of 11/2/18
This week’s wine tasting
Mer Soleil Unoaked Chardonnay ’15 California $16
A pure, clean expression of Chardonnay, fermented and aged in a combination of stainless steel and small concrete tanks. Aromas of flower blossoms and crisp pears, round and layered on the palate, with vibrant acidity and depth.
Fabre en Provence Cru Classe Rose ’16 France $12
Steely pink color. Aromas of watermelon, lime, kiwi, and agave nectar with a bright, dryish light body and a breezy underripe strawberries and flint finish with soft, fruit tannins and no oak. A tart rose;
Bocelli Sangiovese ’16 Italy $14
Bright, lush, and appealing; deliciously ripe and smoky, with notes of marasca cherry, granite, and rhubarb compote. Finish is long and dry, with admirable acidity that makes the palate taut and pleasing.
Carmen Carmenere ’16 Chile $16
Aromas of fresh berries, baking spices and chocolate get this wine going; full bodied yet balanced, with toasty black fruit flavors with grip and intensity.
Maryhill Zinfandel ’13 Washington $14
Aromas of toasty chestnuts; bold red fruit is well framed with rich leather and cedar, awash with holiday spice, cinnamon and marionberry flavors. A deep cherry undertone leads to a velvety soft coconut finish.
lummi island wine tasting dec 21 ’18
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Bread Friday
Pain aux Noix- The noix in this bread are hazelnuts. This is a delicious bread made with bread flour and fresh milled white whole wheat, with milk and butter for a tender crumb and some honey for sweetness. Then it is loaded up with toasted hazelnuts. a traditional holiday bread. -$5/loaf
Cranberry Walnut Braid – This is a yeast bread enriched with buttermilk, eggs, sugar, butter and lemon, and stuffed with dried cranberries and toasted walnuts. This bread has a soft, tender crumb, is bursting with flavor and is a great addition to your Christmas table -or Christmas morning french toast! – $5/loaf
and pastry this week…
Stollen – A rich and delicious traditional Christmas bread, loaded with dried and candied fruit, fresh orange and lemon peel, almonds, almond paste, and plenty of spices. Brushed with butter and powdered sugar after baking. Rich and decadent – $5/loaf.
Fourteenth Annual “East Coast New Year’s Eve” Gala Extravaganza!
Please join us for our annual “East Coast New Year’s Eve Party” from 7-9pm on New Year’s Eve! We provide the wine, and You bring something delicious to share! When the ball drops in Times Square three hours East, we will all hoist our glasses, toast our good fortune to live in this wonderful community, belt out Auld Lang Syne, and toast our Best Hopes that 2019 unfolds well for our Country and our Planet.
This event is our annual opportunity to thank all of you for your support during past year, and toast to even more good times in Aught-Nineteen!
Arrrr, lads and lassies, mark yer calendars ‘n’ start plannin’ yer finger foods, cuz we will again be circulatin’ a Secret Operative to sample the dishes and select the Yummiest (wins a $25 credit!), and Yummiest-Looking, which wins a $15-dollar credit! So make ’em Tasty an’ make ’em Purty, eh…?!
Holiday Hours
Bread Friday, Dec 21, 4-6:30pm
Saturday, Dec 22, 2-6 pm
Bread Friday, Dec 28, 4-6:30pm
Saturday, Dec 29, 2-6 pm
Monday, Dec 31, 7-9 pm New Year’s party 7-9pm
Solstice Thoughts
On the left above is a photo (tampered with) from our front yard around December 18, 2013, and another from 2012 of the actual Solstice sunset, about where the arrow is on the first photo. Considering all of the present day evidence of ancient solar observation (Stonehenge, Chaco Canyon, e.g.), this “Sun in Everyday Life” stuff has been around for a long time and is part of our inquisitive nature. Or as I have been putting it for some years now, at least several times a day, “Okay…who are we and what are we doing?” Or, as Suzuki Roshi put it, “before you chew your food there is rice, pickle, and soup. When you have chewed your food there is no rice, pickle, or soup. Otherwise the food will not serve its purpose.” Whichever way you look at it, infinity is still infinity, even if we can’t understand it, but there is still some comfort in knowing that the days will start getting longer on Saturday!
Chocolate Stocking Stuffers
In case you haven’t noticed, we have recently stocked up on our favorite chocolate bars from Theo’s in Seattle and from Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate in Eureka. Both are made from “bean to bar” from fair trade beans, and both are Delicious! Yes we will have some for tasting this weekend, and both make Great Stocking Stuffers!
Mar a Lago Update: Uh-oh, Even the Marines are Leaving the Ship
There was an Op-ed some months ago suggesting that a bunch of Administration appointees were in ongoing disagreement with the Tweetster’s policies and were working on Continuous Damage Control to minimize his ongoing Penchant for Chaos. The apparent Takeaway was that we should all be Grateful they were keeping Things On a “Sane” Track. A lot of public opinion suggested we would be More Grateful if they would stop covering up for him and just, you know, sew him into a bag and throw him Overboard. Or, for the more Squeamish among them, maybe just drop him off on a Desert Island in a Galaxy Far, Far Away.
Fast forwarding to Today, we have just learned that two of the most Grounded-in-Reality Players on the Tweetster’s Team, Marine Corps Generals John Kelly and Jim Mattis, will soon be leaving. Mattis’ resignation letter seems to have been precipitated by the Tweetster’s sudden new policy of removing troops from Syria; his tactful resignation letter paints a picture of a serious and responsible leader with intact values of duty, honor, and loyalty that he is unwilling to compromise. While it remains to be seen how General Kelly will handle his own transition, by all appearances he has done the thankless task of maintaining some semblance of Order in an Administration prone to Chaos. Both men have been Swimming Upstream against a Torrent of Vain Stupidity, and regardless of their personal politics, it appears they have been bulwarks against things being even Worse than they are.
These personnel changes are part of the Tweetster’s ongoing need to surround himself with Sycophants who will not Question his motives, his intelligence, or his sanity by being Real with him. In that environment, the loss of Mattis and Kelly is akin to an anchored ship going adrift in heavy weather with no one on Watch and a Madman in his cabin watching Fox News. Scary stuff…
Washington Post Tweetster Lie Count to date: 6,420 as of 11/2/18
This week’s wine tasting — six wines
La Bella Prosecco NV Italy $11
Italy’s refreshing, festive and crisp sparkling wine; aromatic, fresh and lively with a distinctive taste; fine, persistent perlage, good minerality and notes of apple and peach.
Schloss Lieser Mosel Riesling ’14. Germany $15
Light gold hue, with lively acidity and notes of lime and Citrus blossoms. Great pairing with Christmas turkey!
Amalaya Malbec ’16 Argentina $15
From high in the Andes, notes of crushed currents, plums, fig, and raisins.
Giuseppe Lonardi “Bepi” Rosso Veronese ’16 Italy
Something of a ripasso, but with very bright black cherry flavors, high tannins, good acidity, and amazing structure.
3 Rings Shiraz ’15 Australia $17
Rich and full-bodied with attractive aromas and flavours of fleshy ripe black plum and blackberry liqueur; squid-ink black with expressive and powerful aromas of dark and exotic berries and palate of chocolates, tar, leather and spice.
Juggernaut Hillside Cabernet ’15 California $17
Huge, rich, and opulent, with complex flavors of chocolate, coffee, blackberries, cassis, mint, and velvety tannins. New French oak adds notes of vanilla and toast; concentrated, rich, and smooth on the palate.
2072 Granger Way