lummi island wine tasting oct 26 ’18
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Bread Friday this week
Polenta Sourdough – Made with a levain, also known as sourdough, in which the sourdough starter is fed and built up over several days, then mixed with bread f lour and polenta in the final dough mix. This is not the sweet corn cranberry bread that I have done in the past that is enriched with milk and butter, this bread is a nice rustic loaf with great corn flavor. – $5/loaf
Levain w/ Dried Cherries and Pecans – Also a levain bread using a sourdough starter. This allows the fermentation process to start and the gluten to start developing. The final dough adds bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat and then loaded up with dried cherries and toasted pecans. A nice rustic loaf that goes well with meats and cheese – $5/loaf
and pastry this week…
Fruit & Spice Rolls – Not as sweet as many of the pastry choices they include almost half whole wheat, butter along with dried cranberries and golden raisins, fresh orange peel and orange juice, and an interesting array of spices. Brushed with an egg wash and topped with demerara sugar before baking for that extra bit of sweetness and crunch. – 2/$5
War on The Verizon
While generally our trip is going well, there have been a few glitches. First, we find we have bitten off quite a bit more mileage commitment than is comfortable. But, as we tell the dogs, migration is its own reward, and like vacations of all kinds, the whole point is to change your routine enough that you have to pay attention to This Moment, because you can’t rely on Habit to get you through.
One source of Dissonance has been Pat’s new Ipad, bought a few months ago. Our old one was slowing down, not having the same energy it once had, forgetting how to do things it used to do easily…you know, signs of Old Age.
So the new ipad (her old one was a 2012 ipad 2) is faster and more efficient. But unlike the old one, which operated on a month to month contract with Verizon, this one was Bought from a Verizon Store, at an attractive price compared to the Apple Store. Or so we thought. The catch is that it came with a 2-year Contract, which included 2GB of data per month. And all seemed well till we started this trip. Yesterday we found we were out of data already, which is baffling for many reasons. Because we needed the GPS function that being online gave us, we spent hours finding a Verizon store, finding creative ways to reimagine the passwords, pin codes, Apple id’s, and several other arcane numbers that we had to know for Verizon to add data or even acknowledge that we or our machine or our account existed.
The customer service people at Verizon seem to do their best to cope with one’s frustration, but the overwhelming impression is that they are following rote scripts designed to sell us more time and more products rather than respond to our issues. The way the past couple of days have gone, we find ourselves longing for the good old days of pay phones and impossible-to-refold road maps; they were affordable, they worked, and you never had the feeling one gets today of Monster Corporations whipping legions of panting MBA’s to extract every last penny from every last Consumer. But, as I say, it’s been a frustrating couple of days…
Mar a Lago Update: You Have Mail!
It seems logical that there should be as many leftist Assassins and rightists. But since the news today about the bomb-threat packages sent by Someone to a dozen or so high-profile Progressives, we are again reminded that it is easier to name left-leaning victims of Assassins that right-leaning ones. Or is it?
To be sure, we have done no official Research on this topic. This is a much more casual philosophical inquiry: how many people around the world can you name who have been assassinated during your lifetime?
Let’s see…in no particular order: JFK, MLK, RFK, Gandhi, Allende, Rabin, John Lennon, all pretty much Lefties. Then you have some Righties, maybe done in by Lefties, but maybe by Further-Righties…Khadafi, Saddam Hussein, there are long lists on both sides.
Either way, they seem the result of deeply held political biases, the Frustration of not Feeling Heard, and the Ongoing Burden of feeling Misused, Abused, Exploited, Ignored, Insulted, and more by the Unfeeling Powers that Be (see above). We all have our own values and the biases that come with them, and many of us pile on with like-minded friends in pillorying leaders and ideas we deplore. As individual citizens we are Free to do that. As so-called Leader of All, the Tweetster’s Job is to represent the Entire Country. But like the Witches in Macbeth, he is Compelled to Stir the Pot, every moment, every day. And it takes an inevitable Toll.
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.
J Lohr Cypress Merlot ’16 California $10
Classic varietal aromas of black cherry and plum with subtle hints of oak; savory red fruit and comforting weight finishes with a touch of chalky tannin. Seriously over-delivers for its modest price.
Crios Malbec ’17 Argentina $13
Bright, dark red. Redcurrant, black cherry, ripe strawberry and spices on the nose; sweet red fruit flavors are complicated by earth, licorice and menthol; creamy fruit is firmed by smooth tannins…a terrific value.
Celler Can Blau Can Blau ’16 Spain $16
Aromas of ripe black and blue fruit with smoky mineral and licorice notes; Seamless texture, with sweet boysenberry, floral pastille and snappy spiciness. Finishes silky and long, with a sneaky tannic grip.
Piaggio Carmignano Il Sasso ’13 Italy $29
Rich, ample and voluptuous, with black cherry, plum, lavender, spice, tobacco and dried herb notes, and int3ense fruit and texture. There is not much subtlety here, just plain gorgeous!.
lummi island wine tasting oct 19 ’18
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note: some photos may link to larger formats when clicked
Bread Friday this week
Polenta Sourdough – Made with a levain, also known as sourdough, in which the sourdough starter is fed and built up over several days, then mixed with bread flour and polenta in the final dough mix. This is not the sweet corn cranberry bread that I have done in the past that is enriched with milk and butter, this bread is a nice rustic loaf with great corn flavor. – $5/loaf
Levain w/ Dried Cherries and Pecans – Also a levain bread using a sourdough starter. This allows the fermentation process to start and the gluten to start developing. The final dough adds bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat and then loaded up with dried cherries and toasted pecans. A nice rustic loaf that goes well with meats and cheese – $5/loaf
and pastry this week…
Fruit & Spice Rolls – Not as sweet as many of the pastry choices they include almost half whole wheat, butter along with dried cranberries and golden raisins, fresh orange peel and orange juice, and an interesting array of spices. Brushed with an egg wash and topped with demerara sugar before baking for that extra bit of sweetness and crunch. – 2/$5
Placing comments on the blog
It has recently come to our attention that some of our subscribers have been sending replies to the email subscription version of the blog that you usually goes out very early on Friday mornings. Please note that these emails come from our subscription service, not from us, and your replies disappear into the Cloud somewhere.
Since WE DEFINITELY WANT TO ENCOURAGE COMMENTS, we want you all to know how to do it.
Method 1: click on the link we are now placing at the beginning of each post. We think that will work, but if it doesn’t, try:
Method 2: click on the post heading “lummi island wine tasting & date” at the top of the email page to open the post in a browser window. At the top of that page click on CONTACT US and enter your comments on the form that opens.
Hoping to hear from you!
October Schedule Reminder
We are now on the road for the next three weeks. As has been the case with this post (why our email subscribers didn’t receive this at dawn on Friday), internet access is intermittent and uncertain.
The key takeaway here is that wine shop will be open Fridays only between Oct 19 and Nov 6, and closed Saturdays during the same period, Oct 19, 26, and Nov 2. We regret any inconvenience, but know you will be comforted by the continuing Luxury of Bread Fridays during our absence. And we will keep you posted on our adventures as circumstances allow…!
Mar a Lago Update: Notes on Election Prediction
In a recent article statistical poll researcher Nate Silver talks about some of the more geeky aspects of polling and the meaning of poll results. As you will all recall from your basic statistics courses, the best understanding of statistical predictions is that, given everything we know about the relationships among the co-variability of a large set of measures, any given election result, however improbable, WILL happen sometimes. Yes, think 2016, roll your eyes, raise your fist to an uncaring Heaven, and have another glass of wine.
The coming midterm elections bring with them lots of predictions, and for every prediction, there will be endless punditry about why the numbers most pleasing to them are the most credible. Also, because the midterms are all local or regional races, the populations are more diverse and harder to predict, although common trends cross many regional boundaries and can be predicted with a bit more confidence. One possible takeaway, according to Silver, is that there is a statistical linkage between the outcome of the Senate races and the House races. That means roughly that it is quite likely that Blue will take the House and Red the Senate, somewhat likely that Red will take both, somewhat less likely but possible that Blue will take both, and quite unlikely that Blue will take the Senate but not the House.
The thing about all of these numbers is that they are probabilities, not predictions, and Anything could happen. The job of voters and campaigns is to do everything they can to improve the probabilities for their side. There will be Spin and Lies and Muck and Theater all aimed at Fooling as many of the People as possible. The best we can hope for is that everyone sorts fact from fiction and actually casts a vote.
This week’s wine tasting
Conundrum White ’15 California $17
Blend of Chardonnay, Sauv Blanc, Viognier, and Muscat Canelli. Nose of citrus orchard in bloom. Tastes sweet without being cloying, showing fig, apricot, exotic spice and melon flavors. Ends clean and pure.
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.
Bodegas Ateca Atteca ’15 Spain $14
Displays aromas of cedar, an earthy minerality, black cherry, and lavender leading to a savory, deep, well-balanced red with succulent fruit and a lengthy, seamless finish.
Sant’ Antonio Monti Garbi Ripasso ’15 Italy $18
A gorgeous, expressive, tasty Valpolicella; floral notes give lift to the expressive, beautifully centered palate and a long, polished finish.
Pomum Red ’14 Washington $19
Bordeaux blend; aromas of red fruit and exotic spices; On the palate, it shows black cherry, red cranberry and garrigue, fine elegant tannins and a long finish.
lummi island wine tasting oct 12 ’18
Bread Friday this week
Black Pepper Walnut- Bread flour, fresh milled whole wheat and rye. A fair amount of black pepper and toasted walnuts give this bread great flavor with a peppery bite. Goes well with all sorts of meats and cheese and makes a great grilled cheese sandwich – $5/loaf
Flax seed currant Ciabatta – Made with an overnight poolish ferment mixed with the final blend of bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat and rye flours, flax seeds and dried currants for a really flavorful artisan loaf – $5/piece
Pastry this week…
Pumpkin Spice Muffins – Delicious autumn muffins made with pumpkin and all the spices that go with it, and topped with a streusel made with butter, brown sugar, pumpkin seeds and a cream cheese filling. Yum! some have called these crack muffins because they are so addictive…! – 4/$5.
St. Peray
Here is is Year 13 in our little wine shop adventure. And over those years, following whatever Eccentric Muse has caught our fancy, we have developed a curious fondness for wines from a number of small and vaguely obscure growing regions. One such region is St. Peray, which sits at the southern end of the Northern Rhone Valley of France, and which totals only 130 acres of vines, most of which are Marsanne and the rest Roussanne. Marsanne is the most popular white wine grape planted in the Northern Rhone wine region.
In Saint Peray the best vineyards are found high on steep hillsides of granite, limestone and clay. In the nineteenth century wines from St. Peray were in high demand but gradually fell from favor. Now they are again being produced by serious producers willing to make the investments necessary to extract the unique characteristics of this tiny region.
Then again, we have established over these many years that there are certain wines that we really enjoy but which turn out to draw only puzzled expressions from our Faithful. In any case, we did just open a bottle, and yeah, okay, it Definitely Strikes a Chord. It is quite light in the mouth on entry, with a subtle, minerally, white-peachy, and slightly peppery weight that lingers in a seductive yet refreshing– and habit-forming– way. It will be fun to see how it is received…!
October Schedule
We will be here this weekend for our usual schedule, Friday 4-7 and Saturday 2-9 pm. However please be advised that we will be away and the wine shop will be open Fridays only between Oct 12 and Nov 6, and closed Saturdays during the same period, Oct 19, 26, and Nov 2. We regret any inconvenience, but know you will be comforted by the continuing Luxury of Bread Fridays during our absence. We will keep you posted on our adventures.
Hauling Out
Well, as it turned out it wasn’t a great summer for sailing. Actually, it was a great summer for sailing, but very little sailing happened. Nevertheless, a number of little projects got completed on Dreamtime, including some veneer replacement in the cabin that had been damaged a few years ago, replacing some failing shrouds, and learning more about tuning the #@8% outboard, which has been very finicky. The lesson learned, or “re-learned,” is that time “simply messing about in boats” is a relaxing distraction, whether it is actually sailing or rowing out to pursue maintenance chores.
Yesterday we sailed her into town for haulout this morning. Both went well, and she is now safely moored on her trailer in town for the winter. The trip to town from the Island was marked by light winds and sometimes glassy seas and abstract reflections.
Mar a Lago Update: Power and Women Scorned
Heav’n has no Rage, like Love to Hatred turn’d,
Nor Hell a Fury, like a Woman scorn’d. — William Congreve, The Mourning Bride, 1697
It is difficult not to see the recent confirmation of Judge K to SCOTUS as an affront to the last fifty years of Feminist Progress in our Country. True, there has been some learning in the Senate since Anita Hill confronted Clarence Thomas 25 years ago. Then, as now, the Witness was poised, intelligent, thoughtful, courteous, dignified, and Credible, while the Accused was none of those things. And then, as now, the Nominee was confirmed to a lifetime position on the Supreme Court as if the Woman did not exist, or even worse, Existed but Did Not Matter.
This time feels a little Different, with a few Signs of Minor Progress. This time comes after a year of MeToo has marked the Fall of many men from high positions. This time it touches More Deeply than MeToo, beyond workplace discrimination to the day to day cross-cultural Battlefield that girls and women face every day in growing up and going about the business of living as Prey in a world of Predators. This is discussed eloquently in an article read earlier this week (sorry, can’t remember where) that makes a compelling case that This Time, as with PTSD, it is evoking deep resonance and personal memories in ways that are empowering Rage in women across every cultural Divide.
While we cannot remember the name of the article or the author (or as former Poet Laureate Billy Collins put it in an amusing poem):
All you need to know for now is that the Article we can’t remember ends with the compelling line that prompted this note: “Before Kavanaugh, I was just Angry; Now, I’m F~#king Furious!” Here on Lummi Island, where all the women are Strong, and most of us Old Guys are more Handy than Handsome, that sounds like a Mantra we can all Get Behind. see more
This week’s wine tasting
Paul Jaboulet Aine Saint-Peray Blanc Les Sauvagères ’15 France $22
100% Marsanne; A pure, fresh, mineral style of Saint-Peray, saline and citrus driven – a true Rhone revelation from steep hills of pure limestone.
Montes Classic Merlot ’13 Chile $11
Bright and complex, with blackcurrant and black cherry flavours and a rich, juicy finish. Aged in oak for six months before release.
Atalaya Laya ’17 Spain $11
70% Garnacha and 30% Monastrell; Cassis, blueberry, pungent herbs and mocha aromas lead to an open-knit palateof fresh cherry, dark berry, and a hint of black pepper and a subtle floral note.
Colome Amalaya ‘16 Argentina $12
From one of the highest and most remote vineyards in the world (8000 ft). Dark, with a core of crushed currant and plum fruit laced with black tea, fig, raisin and cherry with hints of mesquite and fruitcake. Stays fresh on the finish. Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Tannat.
Glaetzer Wallace Shiraz Grenache ’15 Australia $22
From century-old vines; heady aromas of dark berry liqueur, candied licorice and mocha; supple, broad and seamless, with sweet blueberry and cassis , and lush, decadent style, smooth and long, with repeating spiciness and velvety tannins.
lummi island wine tasting oct 5 ’18
Bread Friday this week
Whole Wheat Levain – Made with a sourdough starter that is built up over several days. The bread is made with levain and bread flour and about 25% fresh milled whole wheat, giving it a ‘toothy’ crumb, great texture and flavor and a nice crisp crust. – $5/loaf
Buckwheat Rye – Fresh milled buckwheat and rye flours are soaked for 8 hours without any yeast in a method known as an autolyse. As buckwheat and rye don’t have much gluten this allows what little gluten there is to start developing and really gets the enzymes going before the final mix, which is then fermented overnight in the refrigerator. The buckwheat, rye soaker is mixed with bread flour, salt and yeast and a bit of honey. Goes well with all sorts of meats and cheese – $5/loaf
and pastry this week…
Brioche au Chocolate – A rich brioche dough made with plenty of butter, eggs and sugar, fermented overnight in the refrigerator before being rolled out, spread with pastry cream and sprinkled with dark chocolate. 2/$5
Fior D’Arancio
A few weeks ago we posted a note about a wine from Colli Euganei, a series of ancient volcanic hills north of Venice, where 50 million year old mineral deposits add depth and character to local wines. In that case we were talking about the success of red Bordeaux varietals like cab and merlot in the region.
This week we offer an unusual sparkling dessert wine from the same region, made from a local clone of muscat, which either through its own genetic identity or from some kind of cosmic osmosis (cosmosis…?) from nearby orange orchards, has strong scents and flavors of orange. This wine is surprising and pleasing in many ways, with its lovely orange blossom bouquet, fine perlage, and fluffy mousse. It makes a great afternoon treat on the deck, or a fine accompaniment with fruit tarts, pies, puddings, or cakes.
October Sunset
Mar a Lago Update: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Kavanaugh
Legend has it that the idea for Robert Louis Stevenson’s original story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde came to him in a dream, and the first draft was completed in a few days. The basic story is that Jekyll the upstanding scientist has a few flaws, and experiments with a dangerous chemical cocktail that transforms him body, mind, and spirit into the morally corrupt Hyde, through whose debauchery he can explore his own Dark Side. The tension between the two characters, one good and one evil inhabiting the same body, makes for a compelling story.
It is less well-known that late in life Stevenson suffered from tuberculosis and the effects of medicinal cocaine used to treat it, and there is speculation that he was experiencing some of the elements of his own personality split when he wrote the story.
Recently we have all witnessed a similar transformation in the Senate hearings on the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. In week one of testimony he played a casual game of softball with Republican Senators, while openly defying Democrats. Then we saw an astonishing day of hearings which featured a composed, guileless, and credible Christine Blasey-Ford describing in detail how he assaulted her when they were both teenagers, followed by a disturbing, defiant, bullying, scowling, sneering, self-righteous and infantile Kavanaugh raging against the Gross Injustice of the Obvious Conspiracy by the Democrats, the Clintons, and Blasey-Ford to keep him from his Birthright to be a Supreme Court Justice.
He was painful to watch, and his Schtick was entirely familiar to those of us who grew up in alcoholic families. Self-righteous and self-deceiving, his basic message of How Dare You Question Me? is a classic psychopathic strategy for asserting Power. If you look back at the recordings of his Performance, you will see not Mr. Kavanaugh, but Mr. Hyde, sneering and outraged, blaming and vowing revenge, and wallowing in a strangely defiant self-pity. His demeanor, his language, his rudeness, his disrespect, and his bullying are all Familiar Hallmarks of Being Under the Influence of Something, maybe beer in high school, but something more intense, coke maybe, while watching Blasey-Ford’s testimony.
Retired Justice John Paul Stevens just today withdrawn his endorsement for Kavanaugh’s nomination, saying there’s merit to the criticism that Kavanaugh’s Senate testimony last week showed a “potential for political bias.” Seems like a Fair Assessment and an Understatement. But it ain’t likely to keep Mr. Hyde off the Court. Sad times.
This week’s wine tasting
Ottella Lugana Bianco ’15 Italy $12
Trebbiano di Lugano (Turbiana). Intense straw yellow color with green tinges. Exotic notes of candied fruit and citrus, warm and very deep on the nose. Widespread expressive finesse, with rich and persistent texture.
Château Lamothe de Haux Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux ’14 France $12
A fine wine, with wood and fruit both rich and concentrated, with notes of spice, juicy black fruits and ripe tannins. It is developing slowly and surely and will be ready to drink from 2019.
Zenato ‘Alanera’ Rosso Veronese ’13 Italy $15
Dark, inky color; rich and focused nose, with ripe berries, dusty oak and a precise note of waxy vanilla bean. On the palate delivers extracted flavors of cherries, strawberry, clay and even a hint of crushed mint. Soft tannins, rounded finish.
Betz La Cote Rousse Syrah ’10 Washington $55
Black raspberry, flowers, minerals and spices on the nose; juicy on entry, then sinewy and penetrating, with obvious Red Mountain structure. Minerally, spicy, peppery finish with fine-grained tannins and lovely persistence.
Lovo Fior d’Arancio Sparkling Moscato ’17 Italy $15
A very rare clone of Moscato with an unmistakable citrus scent from nearby orange groves for a sparkling wine with refined bubbles and beautiful, pearlescent color, a perfect aperitif with or without dessert!
2072 Granger Way