Comments Off on lummi island wine tasting sept 28 ’18

lummi island wine tasting sept 28 ’18

Bread Friday this week

Fig Anise – One of the more popular breads in the rotation. Made with a sponge that is fermented overnight, then the final dough is mixed with bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat. Honey, dried figs and anise bring in all the flavors of the mediterranean. A great flavorful bread – $5/loaf

Rye w/ Currants, Pumpkin Seeds & Cracked Coriander – Made with a starter fed with rye instead of wheat flour, with final dough about half bread flour and half freshly milled rye flour, some molasses for sweetness and pumpkin seeds, currants and cracked coriander seed. – $5/loaf

and pastry this week…

Pain aux Raisin – Made with the same laminated dough as croissants, rolled out, spread with pastry cream and sprinkled with a mix of golden raisins and dried cranberries that have been soaked in sugar syrup. Rolled up and sliced before baking. Yum! – 2/$5

 

Sangiovese

The truth is that drydock has seriously depleted our inventory. We were hoping to bring in a wine order late this week, but the ferry return schedule (Friday evening after 6) has put a damper on that. A search of the cellar revealed enough wine to save us schlepping wine to the island on the passenger boat. It turns out that two of those wines are Italian sangiovese from different parts of Tuscany. And as with other wine grapes, sangiovese has a set of general characteristics with a lot of variation depending on the soil and microclimate where the vines are grown, as well as their age, local tradition, and individual winemaker.

In general sangiovese shows flavors of ripe, tart red fruit like sour cherry, herbal notes like fennel, rosemary, and thyme, local notes of tomato, iron, or balsamic; and varying degrees of minerality. While it must make up 80% of any Chianti, it is also used in many other blends in Tuscany. Both of this weekend’s wines are from Morellino, in the Maremma wine region, which requires 90% sangiovese. It will be interesting to see what distinctions we can find between the two wines!

 

This week in pictures

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Mar a Lago Update: Fake News Goes Mainstream

Here we are coming up to Two Years of the New World of Fake News. At first we thought LOL, then OMD, and then WTF, and now we are so far down a Very Long list of acronyms we don’t even have words for them anymore. Political propaganda is well along toward replacing even the most basic facts with bald-faced Lies regularly presented directly alongside said facts. We expect an Updated Official Count of the Tweetster’s Lies from the Washington Post in a few days. But that says nothing about the more broadly orchestrated Big Lies generated constantly by Darth McConnell and his minions.

Today’s All-Day Spectacle at the Confirmation Hearing of Brett Kavanaugh as the Far Right Swing Vote on the Supreme Court shows a Chilling Quantum Leap in Deceit Management. While it no doubt has its risks, their strategy has almost certainly provided the Minimal Cover Republicans want to go ahead and confirm their boy without losing any of their base.

Act One was beautifully choreographed to the tune of the Me Too Movement by funneling Republican questions to Judiciary Committee guest witness Christy Blasey Ford through motherly prosecutor Rachel Mitchell, who later told Republican Senators that based on Ford’s testimony, she would not charge Kavanaugh or even pursue a search warrant. As we go to press tonight several Republican Senators and a couple of Democrats from Red States are weighing the political costs of allowing their own ethical values (an admittedly anachronistic notion) to play a role in their decision on Kavanaugh.

If the theme of Act One was Playing Nice and pretending to be respectful of Ford’s possible traumatic experience with Kavanaugh, Act Two was a complete Reversal, energetically making Kavanaugh the Victim and changing the subject entirely from the allegations against him to an alleged Left Wing Conspiracy Against him. After categorically denying all of Ford’s charges, and refusing to answer even the most basic and direct of questions from Democratic Senators, Kavanaugh went on an emotional Rant against Ford, Democrats, the Clintons (he was a hatchet man for Ken Starr), and the Left for their Obvious Conspiracy against him, his family, and his High Reputation by taking a Woman’s word against His.

He was supported by a similarly worded and well-acted outburst by Leave it to Beaver look-alike Lindsay Graham, outraged at the Unfairness of it all. Ah, well played, gentlemen, well played. Despicable, hateful, and Unconscionable, but well played. All of this, we presume, carefully aimed two messages at their Base: 1) Golly gosh, ladies, don’t worry yo’ pretty little heads about us good ole boys bein’ misogynists, cuz we’re all  about  feelin’ yo’ pain and defendin’ yo’ honor; and 2) All you gun-totin’, Tweetster-votin’, immigrant-notin’ guys gotta help us keep them Dems from takin’ your country away from you and givin’ it to a bunch of Illegal Aliens

The Republican Calculation here is whether their long term goals will be better met by trying to save House and Senate majorities in the November election, or by taking control of the Supreme Court for the next thirty years by confirming Kavanaugh. Our bet is that a reliable majority on the Court is more valuable to the billionaires who own the Republican Party than short term House control. We shall see…

 

This week’s wine tasting

Maryhill Viognier ’15        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.

Teutonic Pinot Noir Rosé ’15 Oregon $19
An elegant rosé that’s low in alcohol, showing notes of dark plum, pink apples, and cassis. Voluptuous and succulent with fresh strawberry notes, good minerality, and zesty acidity.

Maryhill Winemaker’s Red ’12 Washington    $11
Fruit-forward and smooth with hints of cherry, blueberry and red fruit. Off-dry with fruity notes on the palate accented by cherry and vanilla. Food-friendly and perfect for everyday enjoyment.

Perazzeta Sara Rosso ’15     Italy   $12
90% Sangiovese, 10% Ciliegiolo from the Tuscan south; bright and full-bodied with cherry, crisp acidity, and tantalizing earth tones make this pretty wine a winner with savory dishes.

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.

 

Wine Tasting
Comments Off on lummi island wine tasting sept 21 ’18

lummi island wine tasting sept 21 ’18

Bread Friday this week

Whole Wheat Ciabatta – Uses an italian biga pre-ferment as well as a levain. Once mixed the dough is fermented overnight for a lot of flavor to the final bread. Made with regular bread flour, fresh milled whole wheat, and a little olive oil for more flavor. A great rustic bread – $5/piece

Pain Normand – Exemplifies the flavor of french Normandy region which is known for its apples. Made with fresh- milled whole wheat and rye flours as well as bread flour, apple cider, and dried apples. A delicious artisan bread – $5/loaf.

and pastry this week…

Bagels!also made with a bit of preferment, in this case a sponge, mixed, shaped and refrigerated overnight before being boiled and baked in the traditional manner for a delicious, chewy bagel. Your bagels come with assorted toppings: sesame seeds, poppy seeds, mixed sesame and poppy and plain. Each order is mixed – sorry no choices – 4/$5

 

Queen Anne’s Lace

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For the last month or so our daily walks have taken us past lots of Queen Anne’s lace down near Legoe Bay. It is named for Queen Anne of England (1665-1714), who according to legend, pricked her finger and  dripped blood on the white lace she was sewing. This summer revealed that it goes through a remarkable set of transformations as it flowers, arousing our curiosity about it.

 

 

 

 

 

It is also commonly known as wild carrot — the roots smell like carrots–an edible plant cultivated as a vegetable by early Europeans, the Romans, and early American colonists. It is high in sugar and has often been used as a sweetener by many cultures. Its early flowering features a single, tiny, dark purple flower in the center of a dense circle of white flowers which open for pollination. The entire cluster then closes into a basket that evolves further as it goes to seed.

 

 

The roots can be eaten, but caution is required because a number of poisonous plants (like poison hemlock) can be mistaken for this one. The roots can be used in soups and stews or for making tea. Leaves work as salad ingredients, and flower clusters can be cooked or used to garnish a salad.

 

 

 

 

 

All in all, it goes through a long series of beautiful and fascinating transformations!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Montepulciano Riserva

A year or two ago we posted a note about the sometimes confusing differences between the grape varietal montepulciano, sometimes called Vino Nobile de Montepulciano, made in the charming Tuscan hilltop town of Montepulciano from the the local version of Italy’s most iconic grape, sangiovese, and Montepulciano D’Abruzzo,  a red wine grape grown in the Abruzzo region of east-central Italy, stretching between the Apennine mountains of Italy’s spine and the Adriatic coast.

Descriptions of the aromas and flavors of the two grapes don’t add much to distinguishing one from the other, with a typical Nobile described as flavors of dark ripe berries, with notes of plum and hints of earthiness, while d’Abruzzo Riserva can be described as highly aromatic with earthy black berry notes and an inky-purple color with a thick, almost syrupy mouthfeel. Since at this very moment I am, um, sampling this weekend’s Marchetti Rosso Conero Riserva, I can tell you with some confidence that after 30 minutes or so of aeration, I endorse this description whole-heartedly. On the one hand this wine seems deeper and darker on entry than a Nobile from Montepulciano; on the other after opening it is less tannic, richer, and longer on the palate. I.e., you will definitely want some, and we only have the one case. Best get here early…!

 

Mar a Lago Update: Turning Points

In the interests of Full Disclosure, we admit being categorically opposed to any judicial nominee endorsed by the Federalist Society. By its very nature, such an endorsement is a research finding that said nominee had been vetted and found Highly Likely to support a pro-Corporate, pro-Gun, anti-Choice Political Agenda.

This is in High Contrast to the model adopted and long-practiced by our Canadian neighbors, who set a Much Higher Standard for their judicial nominees. Though that standard is unwritten, in practice it results in Review Courts made up of Justices who are so thoughtful and responsible that it is impossible to predict which way any individual judge will vote on any particular case. 

The more we think about it, the more we are in awe and a good deal of Envy because it seems like such a Perfect Criterion for an effective and balanced Judiciary: the ability to take each case on its own merits relative to the Law as written. What better Guardian of Democracy could anyone imagine?

This is in sharp contrast to our own Appellate Judiciary, which has become increasingly politicized over the last few decades, beginning perhaps with Robert Bork in 1987, the Anita Hill-contested nomination of Clarence What’s-His-Name in 1991, the Republican Refusal even to consider the President Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland in 2016, up to the current Fast-Tracking of Judge Kavanaugh in 2018.

So it is in this context that we consider the Oh-So-Chimplike Spect-Deb-Acle of the Republicans’ rush to approve Kavanaugh to the Supremes before the November Election vs. the Dems’ Last Stand for Balanced Justice over the next thirty years. In particular, at the moment there is an accusation on the table that Kavanaugh committed a felony assault as a 17 yr-old minor under the influence of a copious amount of alcohol.

One thing we can say for sure is that there are a lot of lines converging on this matter, most of them Partisan. Our view of the moment is that once again, as So Often in the last few years, we find Our Nation in an Ethical Dilemma which requires our representative government to put on their wigs and robes, step up, and Deliberate with Open Hearts and Minds and Good Intention. The Me-Too Movement has created new and higher expectations for Men in Power, and Consequences for those who do not measure up. At some Very Deep Level, this Nomination is becoming a Metaphor for our most basic philosophical differences, and the results of the meta-combat over the next few weeks may shape the Global Future for a Very Long Time. 

Washington Post Tweetster Lie Count to date: 4713 as of 9/1/18

 

This week’s wine tasting

Montinore Borealis White   Oregon   $12
Blend of Müller-Thurgau, Gewürztraminer, Riesling and Pinot Gris; scents of orange blossom, ripe honeydew, guava and kiwi; sumptuous and round, bursting with stone fruit, Meyer lemon and juicy pear drizzled with caramel.

Teutonic Pinot Noir Rosé ’15    Oregon     $19
An elegant rosé that’s low in alcohol, showing  notes of dark plum, pink apples, and cassis. Voluptuous and succulent with fresh strawberry notes, good minerality, and zesty acidity.

Chateau Mayne-Vieil Buisson Redon ’14   France     $10
From 25 year old vines; 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc from clay-loam soil. Well made, easy to drink, and very affordable. 

Ramirana Cab Reserva ’15    Chile    $12
Expressive notes of red and black berries, with notes of black pepper, chocolate, and tobacco. Nicely balanced body, acidity, and tannins, with a pleasing finish.

Marchetti Montepulciano Rosso Conero Riserva ’14       Italy     $22
Great expressions of the Montepulciano varietal; a  sleek, muscular wine aged 18 months in French oak, and made of only free run juice.  Enticing notes of exotic spice, vanilla, dried cranberry, and dark chocolate.

Wine Tasting
Comments Off on lummi island wine tasting sept 14 ’18

lummi island wine tasting sept 14 ’18

(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)

Bread Friday this week

Rosemary Olive Oil – made with bread flour and a bit of freshly milled white whole wheat for a little more flavor and texture. Fresh rosemary from the garden and olive oil to make for a nice tender crumb and a nice crisp crust. A great all around bread – $5/loaf

Oatmeal Pan Bread: A new bread to introduce into the rotation. Made with bread flour, fresh milled whole wheat and, of course, oatmeal. Plus a bit of honey. This bread has great flavor and makes perfect toast – $5/loaf

and pastry this week…

Morning Buns! – These have been made popular by Tartine Bakery in San Francisco, I use the same laminated dough as my croissants. The dough is rolled out, spread with a filling of brown sugar, orange zest, butter and cinnamon. Rolled up and sliced before baking. – 2/$5

 

Needle in a Haystack

One challenge of the last few weeks has been to get the Honda 9.9 outboard working on our little sailboat Dreamtime. We confess a broad lack of understanding of modern outboard motors, which seem fickle and moody, prone to random fits of pique today when they were running just fine yesterday.

Most of our marine engine experience for the last few decades has involved diesel engines, which, despite their many idiosyncracies, tend to run as requested despite their mood of the moment.

So it is that for the last several weeks we have been in a little dance with our outboard, trying to sort out why, after showing a willingness to start, it preferred to run with the choke engaged and with too high an rpm to allow easy shifting. Therefore it felt like the end of a long journey today finally to find and successfully adjust the idle adjustment screw that had been eluding us.

In the photo at left, in bottom center, there is visible a silvery bolt. At the right end of the bolt there is a dark opening. Inside the opening is located the idle adjustment screw. Because of the recess, the screw is not visible except from the left side at eye level. From above or forward the screw is not visible at all, which is to say, it is not visible from the boat it is mounted on. So it is with a great sense of aha! satisfaction today to have found and adjusted the previously invisible idle adjustment screw, the result of a fortuitous accident of having taken this photo that revealed it. Mystery solved…you know, for the moment…!

 

Pasanau

In the classic film “Sideways,” there is a scene where our male anti-hero asks our female heroine (as I see it) what was The Wine that did it for her, i.e., made her Love Good Wine. And frankly, I don’t remember what she said. What is important here is that the phrase “did it for you” roughly translates into, OMD, I never knew Wine Could Taste This Good! With the implication, of course, that Life would be Changed Forever from this experience, something between Transcendence and Addiction.

For us, it was a Frog’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon, probably around a 2000 vintage, which Pat’s son Donald offered as an antidote for my futile quest to find the perfect $7 wine. Bear in mind this was around 2004, when dollars bought a lot more, and that this wine at the time was about $40, Way out of our experience or comfort zone. I remember wanting to be able to inhale more deeply because the aroma was So Seductive. Life has not been the same since.

In Donald’s case the wine that did it for him was Pasanau Finca de Planeta, a blend of cabernet sauvignon and garnacha from the iconic Spanish wine region of Priorat, about two hours west of Barcelona. Pasanau is located in the Northwest corner of this very dry, rugged DOC very reminiscent of the American Southwest. It is famous for the complexity of its wines. Because its old vines have had to grow deep into the ancient schist, limestone, and licorella soils to survive and produce fruit, they have developed a certain profundity. We visited the winery a few years ago and were moved by its gnarly old vines and spectacular setting.

More important for you, by chance we have acquired a few bottles of the 2012 vintage of this wine at a substantial discount, allowing us to offer our limited supply for $35 each.

 

Mar a Lago Update: The Emperor’s New Clothes

In the original fairy tale, the scenario was that the Emperor was apparently not the Brightest Bulb in the Box, suffered from an Excess of Hubris, and liked Adulation. And for whichever of those reasons, the Emperor bought some Very Sheer Invisible Clothes and wore them in a Parade. The Moral Takeaway from the story was that only a young boy was free enough from Cultural Inculcation to be able to Name what Everybody Knew.

This week is a landmark because, after so many years of Silence, so many Witnesses have come forward on the subject. These include: 1) a fascinating NY Times OpEd about the Chaos in the White House that reeked of  misguided self-righteousness and martyrdom; 2) Bob Woodward’s methodical exposé of the Chaos in the Tweetster’s Government; 3) the Bizarre Senate Judicial Committee interviews with the Tweetster’s latest Federalist Society pro-Life, pro-Gun, Pro-Corporate Supreme Court pick; 4) the Tweetster’s claim of Total Success in rehabbing Puerto Rico after last year’s devastating Hurricane, despite troves of Evidence that the US Response was underfunded and understaffed to the point of Indifference; and 5) the Imminent Arrival of Hurricane Florence, just downgraded to Category 2 (100 mph winds instead of 130), but still LOTS of Rain and likely $100 billion damage, only the latest uptick in the now-inevitable-for-the-next-75-years annual Worsening of Storm Damage.

One is reminded of the Old Saying, “to Judge the Direction of the Wind, it is enough to look at a Single Blade of Grass.” On the other hand, as with the boy Naming the Emperor’s Nakedness, it won’t work until enough people are willing to open their eyes…

Washington Post Tweetster Lie Count to date: 4713 as of 9/1/18

 

This week’s wine tasting

Popolo di Indie Bianco ’16 Italy $13
100% Cortese; aromas of white fruits blended with sweet citrus and a hint of tropical fruit that dance delicately on the palate, intertwining with fine acidity, a touch of mineral flavor and a long, soft.

Pech Celeyran Ombline Rosé ’15 France $10
Nice fruity nose, and palate of red fruits, strawberries, and raspberries, with an appealing freshness ideal for summer afternoons.

Portteus Bistro Red ’15    Washington    $13
Fun, smooth and easy drinking blend of Malbec and Merlot. A food friendly wine with delicate, elegant texture. Notes of blackberry, pomegranate, cocoa, honey and licorice, with a creamy finish. Over-delivers for the $.

Martoccia Poggio Apricale  ’17    Italy  $14
Sangiovese Grosso with a little Merlot and Cab Franc; Fruity and persistent nose of wild berries and spice. Soft and balanced with fine tannins this Sant’Antimo Rosso works well with any meal!

Celler Pasanau Finca La Planeta Priorat ’12   Spain $35
Crisp, focused aromas of ripe berries, asphalt, and spice; flavors of spicy plum, crushed peppercorn and mineral-rich schist; thorough and complex; drink through 2028.

Wine Tasting
Comments Off on lummi island wine tasting sep 7 ’18

lummi island wine tasting sep 7 ’18

(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)

Bread Friday this week

Multi Grain Levain – Made with a sourdough culture and using a flavorful mix of bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat and rye. A nice mixture of flax, sesame sunflower and pumpkin seeds and some polenta add great flavor and crunch. And just a little honey for some sweetness. A great all around bread that is full of flavor – $5/loaf

Egg Bread w/ apples & honey – Some might call this challah, others shiksa challah, either way it is a delicious enriched bread full of eggs, honey, milk and butter, and dried apples for a lots of flavor. Braided into a round loaf ready to slice for breakfast toast. – $5/loaf.

and of course, pastry this week…

Chocolate Babka Rolls – A sweet pastry dough full of eggs, butter and sugar, rolled and spread with a chocolate filling, rolled up and cut into individual rolls – 2/$5

 

Ahhh…Drydock!

Seems as if we work toward it all through Labor Day Weekend and into the middle of the following week. In our case, Labor Day Weekend also means Artists Studio Tour, which means we are open our usual hours Friday and Saturday, Plus we are open all day Sunday, which makes for a Very Long Weekend.

Much of Thursday, Friday, and even Saturday, people are still Arriving, and there are long waits for all the cars trying to get to the Island for the weekend, carrying increasing numbers of second-home residents and VRBO renters for the Long Weekend. Then on Sunday and Monday there are long waits to get Off the Island as weekend visitors depart and full-time residents move a commuter car to the mainland for use during three weeks of annual drydock maintenance for the car ferry.

But by today– Thursday– the car ferry has gone South for three weeks’ annual maintenance and the passenger boat has begun service. Island car traffic, always light by mainland standards, becomes downright vestigial, vastly improving the quality of daily roadside dog walks. On the one hand getting off the island is bit of a hassle, with lots of schlepping from car to boat to car and back. On the other, the inconvenience sharply reduces traffic, and Life grows Quiet and Less Complicated. For those of us of a Certain Age, it is more Comfort than Inconvenience, an invitation to a slower pace. Peaceful. Nice. A time for exhlalation…

 

For a Song

A few years ago our old friend Jack (who now lives part-time down the street) mentioned he had run a across a wine called “for a Song,” and encouraged us to check it out. He was particularly interested in their merlot, which they called “The Score.” We bought some. We liked it. Many of you liked it, especially at their quite reasonable prices. We also have carried their Chardonnay and their Cabernet, with similar crowd approval.

We like the idea of this winery. If truth be known, we wish we had thought of it. The concept is that a couple of guys with a dozen years experience in the wine industry set a goal to make pretty good wines at pretty good prices. They made deals with several established Washington vineyards to buy fruit, chose several popular varietals, and started making wine.

This week we are pouring their 2015 “The Score” merlot, which is showing pretty well right now. It is 95% merlot with a bit of cab sauv and syrah, aged in mostly neutral oak barrels. For those of you from Elsewhere, be advised that Washington merlot is often more tannic than local cab sauv, and this one, for all its mongrel pedigree, still tastes like Washington: structure, depth, flavor, and smooth edges.

 

 

Mar a Lago Update: Principle, Expediency, and Woody Allen

Matthew Fontaine Maury (1806-1873) was an American Navy officer who became the Father of Oceanography through years of research, observation, and writing. A key source of his data were thousands of ships’ logs preserved at the National Observatory in Washington, D.C., where he was Superintendent in the mid-1800’s. He is credited with a famous ethical observation, among many long required to be memorized by generations of Naval Academy Plebes:

“Where Principle is involved, be Deaf to Expediency.” 

While last week’s National Farewell to John McCain (Class of ’58) did not mention this quotation, it was nevertheless the ongoing theme of the many eulogies to his life and national service. While McCain rarely strayed far from Republican Doctrine, he had the reputation of a Maverick who sometimes was alone in efforts to ramp down some of the most thoughtless and unprincipled ideologies of his party. It’s a quality we admire.

Sadly, one takeaway from McCain’s passing is that he was already an Anachronism in an era where Allegiance to Timeless Guiding Principles has been Replaced by on ongoing Bottom Line, a callous and pragmatic Governance concerned only with the accumulation and preservation of Power and Wealth. Nowhere is this more clear than in the cynical and self-serving Acceptance by Republican so-called Leadership of the Trumpster as Commander as long as he can bring in the votes to keep them in Power, and regardless of the Consequences for our country and our Global Future. The behavior of the Republican-controlled House and Senate is  guided by the exact opposite of Maury’s ethic: “Where Expediency is involved, be Deaf to Principle.”

Another way of looking at this is to recall the opening background lines from the old Woody Allen Movie Annie Hall, where he tells a story of a guy who complains to his Shrink that his brother is Crazy…believing he’s a Chicken. The Shrink asks why the guy doesn’t get his brother some help, and like Congressional Republicans, the guy says, “well, we would…but we need the eggs too much!”

To which we must Roll our Eyes, Slap our Foreheads, and Shriek, No, No, No, No, No! You WANT the eggs so much you are willing to trade Principle for Expediency and no longer know there is even a  difference! And we want to grab them by the Lapels and Shake Them until they Wake Up, and Shout to them, WTF is Wrong with you, you are Killing the Future and You Have to Stop!

Washington Post Tweetster Lie Count to date: 4713 as of 9/1/18

 

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 Rose ’16       France         $10
Fruity, juicy & spicy with a strong  floral character and aromas of ripe strawberry, dried cherry, and peach shortcake; palate of melon and cream.                       

For a Song “The Score” Merlot ’15    Washington  $11
Lush and concentrated, with big New World notes of dark plum, blackberry, and cherry, and earthy Old World notes of coffee, dark chocolate, and leather.

Turner Pageot Le Rouge  ’14    France     $19
Red wine from biodynamic vines, 80% grenache and 20% syrah; heady nose of mixed red and black fruits, brioche, polished leather, iodine, tobacco and spice; full bodied and well balanced, scarlet and spicy, bright yet brooding.

Torbreck The Steading ’12    Australia    $25
Deep-pitched cherry and blackberry aromas; sweet, expansive black and blue fruit flavors that become  firmer and spicier with air and show very good depth and energy. Closes with strong  persistence and an echo of candied licorice.

 

Wine Tasting