lummi island wine tasting june 29 ’18
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Bread Friday this week
Kamut Levain – Kamut, aka khorasan wheat, is an ancient grain that has more protein than conventional wheat. Some people who can’t tolerate wheat find kamut to be more digestible. This bread is made with a levain fermented overnight before being mixed with with bread flour and fresh milled whole kamut. It has a nutty, rich flavor and makes a golden color loaf. – $5/loaf
Barley & Rye w/ Pumpkin Seeds – Also made with an overnight fermented levain before the final dough is mixed with a nice mix of bread flour and fresh milled rye, barley and whole wheat flours. Some buttermilk makes for a tender crumb, honey for sweetness and toasted pumpkin seeds add to the flavor and texture. A really flavorful artisan loaf – $5/loaf
and pastry this week …
Traditional Croissants – Made with a levain and “old dough” where a portion of the flour, water, salt and yeast is fermented overnight. The final dough is then made with butter, milk and sugar, laminated with more butter before being cut and shaped into traditional french croissants… some say these are the best ever! 2/$5
bard owl https://wdfw.wa.gov/living/species/graphics/owl_3.jpg
Rkaciteli
We have just received our semi-annual wine shipment of Italian wines from our friends at Seattle Importer Small Vineyards. So naturally we will be featuring a number of familiar Italian wines in the next few weeks. In recent years SV has also been branching out to bring in wines from “near” Italy, including Slovenia, Macedonia, and Croatia. New to us this time is an old Macedonian white grape varietal named Rkaciteli (“ree-kaht-see-TELL-ee.” ), which dates back nearly five thousand years to around 2800 B.C., Very Early in the Wine Game! No wonder Macedonia claims to have invented wine!
Its unique flavor profile is brisk, floral and invigorating, with a salt-tinged lemon zing, hints of spicy apricot, orange zest, honeysuckle, red apple, a hint of a sherry, and tropical notes of pineapple, mango, and papaya. Wherever you are it can transport you to the Mediterranean, imagining the warm sun on your back and a cooling sea breeze in your face. At the same time its thick skin has helped it thrive in colder climates, where it delivers an opulent texture with bright acidity, a winning combination in any wine!
Salmonberries…Rubus spectabilis
Salmonberries, stalwart staples of the Pacific Northwest, look like raspberries but occur in yellow-orange (salmon), and darker red, depending on the season. Frequencies of the two morphs vary geographically, and if this year is any indication, by climate variation. In the last week the berries here on the Island have suddenly exploded into full ripeness. And unlike previous seasons, this year we see very distinctive differences in the color of the berries from plant to plant and even on the same plant, with some berries the usual bright yellow to orange, and others ranging from red-orange to dark purple, for no known reason. We can say that both we and birds generally prefer the red berries over the salmon colored. (yes, we took this photo before we ate most of them…!).
Salmonberries are an important food source for local wildlife in early summer. Here on the Island in most years they are quite watery and bland, i.e. “taste one and call it a Season.” By comparison flavors this year of both variations are the best we can recall, and every dog walk this week has involved a fair bit of salmonberry foraging.
Both the berries and the bark have also been an important food source for the indigenous people of the Northwest, who ate both the sprouts as well as the berries, either raw or mixed with oolichan grease or dried salmon spawn. The berries, which ripen from early May to late July in most of the Pacific Northwest, were seldom dried because of their high moisture content. And, blooming in early Spring, they often enjoy symbiotic pollination by Rufous Hummingbirds, which migrate north at the time of Salmonberry flowering.
Mar a Lago Update: The Obsolescence of Political Parties
It’s been a tough week for The Resistance. Clouds of Grim Foreshadowing have begun Swirling Even More Ominously over the Tweetster’s Mt. Doom Towers Worldwide, causing us to Lament, and Gnash Our Teeth. Where are Gandalf, and Frodo, and the Elves and the Forces of Good who will Comfort us and Restore the World of Benign Equilibrium we imagined would Always Persist in our Divinely Blessed America?
Alors, avec regret, mes amis, there is no Good News about that at the moment. However, for what it’s worth, yesterday we encountered a compelling and curiously encouraging Perspective on the issue in an op-ed by Thomas Friedman that we found engaging and thoughtful.
Of course we encourage you to read it for yourselves. But the essential feature to which we invite your consideration is, perhaps the most dear and valuable vis-a-vis Our Present and Future Dystopian Landscape, a New Perspective, a Different Arrangement of the Pieces into a New and Compelling Theory of– as we ask Ourselves Every Morning, and what could be More Important– “Who Are We And What Are We Doing?!!”
Friedman’s Answer it that we are going through three Climate Changes at once, which together are reshaping our Core Concepts about work, learning, geopolitics, ethics and community (among others) in ways that demand more of our binary Left-Right Model than it is capable of delivering, including:
- from a Sometime in the Future Time Horizon to OMG we Really Shoulda done it 20 years ago! :
- from an interconnected world to an interdependent world, where Nations no longer have any True Autonomy in a Global Corporate Environment;
- from a world where Human Reasoning was the Analytic Coin of the Realm to one in which AI’s are acquiring the abilities to learn, analyze, reason, maneuver, and drive on their own, with profound implications for the Future of Labor-Capital relationships.
The This vs. That Binary Dichotomies that have defined politics in our Lifetimes are becoming Obsolete in a world in which each person is An Exception, a Unique Package with both Talents and Baggage in a Corporate Landscape that values Complete Interchangeability of Capital and Labor. Friedman argues that these forces portend a Future in which we can see emerging organically in many towns and communities across America a highly pragmatic and ad hoc approach to problem-solving which builds solidarity through the trust and bonds of friendship that are built from broad collaboration on big, hard challenges in local community settings.
All of which adds up to an Interesting, New, and in a way Post-Political Paradigm in which Locally Driven, Pragmatic Coalitions of Regional Interests with widely divergent political values can organize around Common Interests for a Common Good. Food for Thought.
This week’s wine tasting
Jordanov Rkaciteli ’15 Macedonia $11
Brisk, floral and invigorating with a salt-tinged lemon snappiness; taut flavors of dried pineapple, mango, and papaya – finishing with pleasing notes of marzipan and taffy.
Perazzeta Sara Rosato ’16 Italy $14
From the same grape as Brunello (sangiovese grosso), this beautiful rosato is rich, bold, and flinty while also crisp, summery, and light.
Monte Tondo Valpolicella ’16 Italy
The grapes are dried for about a month in a well ventilated “fruttai” before pressing, and ultimately aged for five months in oak. Not a frivolous wine, it packs loads of sour black cherry aromas, spices, violets, and rosves.
Brunelli Apricale ’16 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!
La Quercia Montepulciano Riserva ’13 Italy $18
100% organic montepulciano from low-yield vines; rich, port-like nose of candied cherries that carry through on the expressive, rich, earthy palate; nice balance of fruit and acidity.
lummi island wine tasting june 22 ’18
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Bread Friday this week
Buckwheat Rye – fresh milled buckwheat and rye 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. This soaker is mixed with bread flour, salt and yeast and a bit of honey. Makes great toast – $5/loaf
Black Pepper Walnut- made with a nice mix of flours, bread flour, fresh milled whole wheat and rye. A fair amount of black pepper and toasted walnuts give this bread great flavor with just a bit of peppery bite to it. Would go well with all sorts of meats and cheese – $5/loaf
and pastry this week…
Palmiers aka Elephant Ears – made with puff pastry rolled out, spread with sugar, folded over and sliced. Makes a delightful, crisp, crunchy, buttery, sugary pastry. – 4/$5
Short Blog Tonight
We were in town all day today, attending a wine tasting (you know, Work!), running errands, and then meeting up with some of you for another Amazing Dinner in town at Ciao Thyme. Celebrating the First Day of Summer, the menu include lots of fresh ingredients, was creative and delicious, and got us home very late…pushing midnight as I write. Hope to see you all this weekend!
Adorada Rose
Lately we seem to be on some kind of detour from our Ongoing Mission of support for small, creative wineries with Artistic and Environmental Integrity who, wherever they are on the Planet, strive to bring the fruit of every harvest into Harmony with some Cosmic Intention, helping each wine Unfold without Will and without Desire into a True and Full Expresson of Itself. Admittedly, it’s a vaguely spiritual goal and something of a long-term winemaker’s Koan: as each season yields its annual product, how can we best facilitate its True self-expression without the intrusion of personal ego?
Last week we offered for tasting an over-the-top cabernet sauvignon called Juggernaut, deliberately crafted for concentrated flavors, sensual aromas, and lingering finish. And this week we offer a similarly designed rosé called Adorada. The philosophy behind both wines is similar: begin with the marketing image and then craft the wine to match. In the case of Juggernaut, it meant big, extracted fruit with matching label graphics. In the case of Adorada, it means just the right color, flavor profile, and minimalist design profile to make the wine into a Fashion Statement. Maybe making wine is one art, and selling it is another…hard to accept for some of us old-timers. But we tasted it and priced it as with all our wines, and despite the Style Campaign, we found it a well-made wine at a reasonable price, and we think you will, too. And yes, it comes in a very stylish package. Which leads us to the basic question: are we persuaded by the package, to like it better than we would if tasting it blind (bottle and label covered by a paper bag)…?
Mar a Lago Update: Truth and Lies
Let’s face it, admit it, and give both Credit and Blame as deserved: the Tweetster is is most Blatant, Unapologetic, Compulsive, and Unrepentant Liar that any of us has ever Seen or even Imagined. And even more amazing, the Lying is such a Hallmark of Who and What he Is, or more precisely, who and what he Pretends to Be, that his supporters are Oblivious to it, and his detractors get more and more exhausted Rolling Their Eyes.
Are there really still people out there who haven’t noticed that the Official Tweetster Truth Changes from moment to moment and from day to day? Or is it more that they just Don’t Care, or can’t tell Giant, Blatant, Knock You Down and Rub Your Face in them Lies from actual, observable, reliable, the same today, tomorrow, and every day Facts?
The last two weeks of “It’s Obama’s Fault,” and “Our Hands are Tied” justifications for separating immigrant families detained at our border have been Proven to have been Lies, Whole Lies, and Nothing but Lies, yet nothing seems to have changed. The Tweetster’s supporters double down on “He’s Our Guy,” the fractious Republican Congress remains torn between Far Right and Way, Way Far Right, and both Truth and Lies have now achieved Equal Standing on our Political Stage. Opinion is no longer based on the merit of arguments, but rather on their Alignment with Our Predisposed opinions.
This week’s wine tasting
Mer Soleil Unoaked Chardonnay ’15 California $17
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.
Adorada “eau de California” Rosé ’16 California $19
Brilliant coral color with aromas of strawberries and red grapefruit, rose petal, and jasmine; palate of strawberry, orange zest and a touch of white pepper spice and bright acidity to balance the fruity creaminess.
Morellino di Scansano Maremma Toscana Capoccia ’15 Italy $11
Bright and clean with a dark color, soft cherry fruit and structure, but nice weight and a juicy finish. Fruit forward without being sweet or alcoholic. Great value.
Chateau Mayne-Vieil Cuvee Alienor ’15 France $15
Old vines merlot; serious and sumptuous with perfumed fruits and firm tannins that will soften with age into dark blackberry and generous structure.
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.
lummi island wine tasting june 15 ’18
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Bread Friday this week
Seeded Multi Grain – A portion of the flour, water, salt & yeast is mixed and fermented overnight in the refrigerator before mixing the final dough to begin the enzymatic activity and gluten development overnight in a cool environment. The next day it is mixed with bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat and rye, then flax, sunflower and sesame seeds are added for a nice bit of crunch and some extra flavor. A great all around bread – $5/loaf
Rosemary Olive Oil – Bread flour and 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 crisp crust. – $5/loaf
For pastry this week…
Pain aux Raisin – made with the same laminated dough as croissants, but 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. – 2/$5
Wild Onions
Most nice days our mid-day dog walk takes us down along the shore of Legoe Bay. The pups like little side trips onto the beach or into the meadows or woods along the road. Today Pat pointed out these little wild onions growing pretty much everywhere. Each flower is about the size of a fingernail. They smell like strong, sweet onions, with a lovely, surprisingly robust flavor. One has to imagine that some day soon, it it hasn’t happened already, a little army of sous-chefs from the Willows Inn will be out foraging them as an ingredient in Chef Blaine Wetzel’s dinner menu.
They are not only tasty, they also have an exotic beauty and aroma. Sprinkled some on our hot dogs tonight…added a savory tang!
Juggernaut Hillside Cabernet
We have learned over the years that Wine Labels are Big Business. Many of our visitors have admitted having bought wines on impulse because of the label. So it is understandable that when Judy the Wine Merchant stopped in with some samples on Bread Friday a couple of weeks ago, most people commented on the amazing label (shown at left) on this wine. Want more…? You can get an animated view of this Pretty Powerful Image as the winery page opens up here.
This wine is a project of old-time family winery Bogle in Clarksville, California, on the edge of the Sierra Foothills east of Sacramento. They make a LOT of wine, yet some 92% of their vineyards are farmed sustainably (whatever that means). The Juggernaut concept, besides its knockout label graphic, is to use blend fruit from several of Bogle’s best hillside vineyards, including Alexander Valley, Sierra Foothills, and Livermore. Then, true to the Great American Way that “Anything worth Doing is worth doing to Gross and Ugly Excess,” the wine (presumably all of it…?) then spends 20 months in new French oak barrels before bottling.
The result of all of this a a very American red wine, big in every direction, modestly priced for the Effort that has gone into it, and, like any New Ride at the Carnival, an exotic Entertainment on several levels, Addictive to some, Anathema to others, but its own Side Show with its Own Tent. Step Right Up!
Mar a Lago Update: Dead Reckoning
The term “dead reckoning” is a navigational concept. It is all the things you do to keep track of your best guess about where you think you are at sea during any period when you are unable to confirm your location. For example, aboard ship in all the centuries before GPS was available to provide moment-to-moment precision on your location on the Earth’s surface, navigators kept an ongoing plot of their best guess about where they were on the Earth’s surface. Beginning with the ship’s last confirmed position, a track was laid out a a chart based on hour to hour course and speed changes and wind and surface conditions until a new position could be confirmed with actual geographic or celestial observations. There is always some level of Uncertainty about it, and therefore some vague sense of Anxiety…maybe there is an Unknown Current, or underwater Hazard, or, you know, Pirates or Sea Monsters. The thing about Dead Reckoning is that, like addiction in general, you Never Know Where you Really Are until you Get Your Next Fix.
This past week in Tweetsterviille has been like navigating in the Twilight Zone; the dials are all spinning wildly, the airplanes are winging over and spinning toward the Ground, and Strange Drums are beating in the Distance as Prehistoric Moans, Grunts, and Shrieks echo through the air. Well, okay, on second thought maybe that’s overdramatizing a bit, but you have to admit there Is a Lot Going On!
This week we had: 1) the Kim and Don Show in Singapore (sold out!) ; 2) the FBI-Comey show about what Hillary knew and when she knew it, when others thought they knew it or thought she knew it, and when and what Comey knew and why he Had to Say Something about it; 3) Bill Clinton asserting that indeed it was Comey’s precision-timed mention of Hillary emails one week before the election that gave the Tweetster the election; 4) Robert de Niro using the F-word toward the Tweetster in his opening lines as host of the Tony Awards; 5) New York filing suit against the Trump Foundation for illegal use of campaign funds; and 6) the Tweetster storming out of the G7 in a Tweetstorm targeting Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, mortifying Americans and outraging our European allies (see iconic photo), and 7) new evidence suggest the Antarctic Ice Sheet is melting twice as fast as we previously thought, you know, whether you believe in Global Warming or not.
What we have here is a Presidential Impostor who is pathologically addicted to Throwing Monkey Wrenches into any system that seems to be working, for no particular reason besides Taking yet Another Spotlight, another Photo Op, another Curtain Call, another Hyperbolic Wedgie against Everyone he has Sworn to Defend. Things are happening so fast it is becoming impossible to step back far enough and fast enough to get and maintain a Meaningful Perspective, and all the while behind the Scenes Entire Sets are being Dismantled, Privatized, Marketed, and De-regulated. This pervasive sense of Disorder is taking a Toll, a Growing Need for Order and Predictability. Hal 9000 nailed it when he (It) said, “Stop, Dave…my Mind is going…I can Feel It…I can Feel It……I’m Afraid…!
If you are not Afraid yet, you haven’t been Paying Attention.
This week’s wine tasting
Bergevin Lane Linen Sauvignon Blanc ’16 Washington $11
Tropical aromas of pineapple, mango and a hint of lime, evolving in the mouth into fresh pear, peach and apricot with an undercurrent of citrus.
Descendants Ligeois Dupont Rosé ’16 Washington $12
Brilliant coral color.Aromas of srawberries and cream, orange hibiscus, and jasmine, with hints of white pepper and roasted hazelnut with flavors of strawberry, orange zest and a touch of white pepper spice and bright acidity that nicely balance the fruity creaminess.
Fantini Montepulciano d’Abruzzo ’16 Italy $11
Aromas of red and black cherry plus other ripe red berries; soft, fruity and easy to like, with flavors of maraschino cherries, plums and a touch of spice; velvety smooth, luscious and richly plummy.
Chateau la Croisille ‘Silice’ Malbec ”15 France $19
Plots located on the Luzech limestone plateau of Cahors, with its iron-rich siliceous red clays, aged one year in neutral oak, yielding a wine that is both rustic and polished.
Juggernaut Hillside Cabernet ’15 California $20
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.
lummi island wine tasting june 8 ’18
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Bread Friday this week
Whole Wheat Levain – A sourdough levain helps the fermentation process to start and the gluten to start developing. This particular dough adds bread flour and about 25% fresh milled whole wheat for a ‘toothy’ crumb, great texture and flavor and a nice crisp crust. – $5/loaf
Pear Buckwheat – Uses a poolish preferment of bread and milled buckwheat flours, water, salt and a bit of yeast and fermented overnight. Since buckwheat has no gluten using the preferment allows the dough to begin to develop before the final mix. The addition of toasted walnuts and dried pears soaked in white wine makes for a really flavorful bread – $5/loaf
For 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 that are placed in baking forms for baking and then brushed with sugar syrup after baking. I’ve heard some people say they hide these to keep them all to theirselves. Be sure and get your order in early as quantities are limited – 2/$5
Whidbey Island Winery
Little-known Whidbey Island Winery has been around for over 25 years, since 1992. Owner-winemaker Greg Osenbach planted his vines on Whidbey back in the late 80’s. A number of white varietals do very well on Whidbey, including an award-winning Sigerrebe we carried last year, as well as Madeleine Angevine and Madeleine Sylvanver, which locals in our area will recognize as varietals that have done well right her in Whatcom County at Mt. Baker Vineyards.
We had a chance to taste through WIW’s current releases at a recent tasting, and continue to be impressed by the care and precision represented in many of the wines. In this case we found the 2015 Rosato bright, lively, and full of summer flavor. It is a blend of sangiovese and a few other Washington-grown Italian varietals…one more expression of the Summer Magic of Rose!
Conundrum
As many of you know, Conundrum is a delicious California white blend with an established reputation for fullness of flavor and roundness of texture. It seems to be a pretty big outfit, as evidenced by the fact that our favorite Island Wholesale Wine Purveyor (you know who I mean) represents it, and brings us all manner of deals on how we can get more and more for less and less. Generally speaking, all of our Regulars love both the red and white blends when we bring them in, but much prefer to buy them in the high teens than in the low 20’s.
As a result, sometimes we have it, sometimes not. A month ago or so there was a Special Deal and we bought a case we could sell for high-teens, a few bucks off the usual retail. Today late in the afternoon we tasted some other wines and got another appealing offer: we can get a great price on some Conundrum White (we have to buy a Bunch), and get a 3-liter bottle thrown for our 2019 New Year’s Party (never too early to start thinking about these things) — if we buy several cases. Which we have decided to do. When the dust settles, we expect to have several cases available at about $16/bottle. Call if you want us to set aside a case for you!
Mar a Lago Update: The Happy Place
Ahh, it’s Nice and Quiet in Here…the Only Place we can be alone and Think. And exhale. Such a Relief! The World is so Noisy, always Blah-Blah Foolish people in our Face, wanting a Piece of us, wanting a Deal, wanting our Energy. But we don’t give it to them; we hold it out in front of them and Tease them with it, because this is what they want, what Everyone Wants, to be like Us, completely Self-sufficient, Indifferent to All of it, the only Real Person on the Planet. We learned how to make Our Own World, figured it out all by Ourselves, no Dad, no Mom, maybe a few tips from uncle Roy. We Struggled, and we found this Refuge, and it has made All the Difference.
We learned very young what a Jungle it is Out There. You can’t rely on Any One; people are such Awful Bullies, and they will Hurt you over and over, and you need to protect yourself, and you need to keep a Safe Distance all around you. No knows this like We Know This. No One is Ever Going to Hurt Us Again. Oh, no.
When the World is Crushing you Moment by Moment, Constantly making up Stories about you, lying about you, trying to get at you, trying to peck your Liver out of your Body…that’s when you need The Refuge. The first few times were Not Easy, believe me. But it was worth it to learn how to do it at all, and then to do it more and more easily, and to be able to spend longer and longer periods of Restoration Time there. Our critics have no idea of the Power of It, the Satisfaction of it, the Invulnerability of it, and the Comfort and Contentment that comes from having spent most a a Lifetime with your own Head stuck Deeply, Safely, and Rewardingly Up Your Own…well, you see what I mean…
This week’s wine tasting
Chat. Blizard Blanc d’Amour ’16 France $14
Grenache blanc, viognier, marsanne, rousanne; complex, fruity fragrances of grapefruit, white peach, lychee and acacia flower. Balanced, ample and suave, with a fresh finish.
Whidbey Island Winery Rosato ’17 Washington $14
A dry, vivacious, Provençal style rosé from Sangiovese and other Italian varietals; intriguing flavors of strawberries and cream, white cherries and kumquat…Summer in a bottle!
Fantini Sangiovese ’16 Italy $11
Garnet color, fruity bouquet of strawberries and black cherries with vinous notes and hints of wood, quite intense and persistent; medium bodied, with firm tannins and good balance, immediate appeal.
Crios Malbec ’16 Argentina $14
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.
JM Cellars Bramble Bump Red ’15 Washington $25
56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Malbec, 13% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot, made to enjoy now. Big and powerful with strong tight blue and black berry fruits.
2072 Granger Way
