lummi island wine tasting august 10 ’18
(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
Bread Friday this week
Cranberry Walnut – Made with a nice mix of bread flour and freshly milled buckwheat and whole wheat flours. Orange juice and olive oil are a unique combination in this bread that add flavor and keep a soft crumb, then loaded up with dried cranberries and toasted walnuts. Makes great toast- $5/loaf
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
For pastry this week…
A baker’s choice surprise! Sometimes inspiration for pastry comes later in the week than the email. Be assured it will be delicious! $5
Montagne d’Alaric
We have spoken before of our attraction to the wines of Chateau La Baronne in the Corbieres region of France, which we visited several years ago on a whim, passing by and knowing nothing about it. We met Andre Lignères, second generation winemaker on the verge of retiring, who poured his wines for us. He talked of the attention they paid to site selection and triage of the grapes. They have been registered with Qualité France for organic viticulture since 2007.
La Baronne makes numerous wines from several properties in the Corbieres region, with its broad vistas, long slopes, and rocky canyons. High pinnacles with the ruins of Cathar castle refuges stand as lonely markers of an entire people exterminated over many decades by opportunistic Papists who probably saw them as economic opportunities more than religious or political threats. As the nastiest of these is often quoted as he ordered the execution of thousands of Cathars at Perpignan over the concerns of his officers about how to tell Cathars from Catholics, “Kill them all and let God sort it out.”
Now hundreds of years later, these lands produce lovely wines. Today’s wine from La Baronne is the 2012 Alaric, a blend of 60% Syrah with 20% each of Mourvèdre and Carignan from vineyards on Montagne d’Alaric, a limestone mass that creates its own microclimate by cooling the air and maintaining optimal acidity and balance in the grapes, grown between 270 – 300 m. Alaric is aged in older neutral oak barrels to keep it unmarked by oak.
Looking for the New Normal
But as Michael Mann, Director of the Earth System Science Center at Penn State pointed out after Brown’s statement, as long as we keep building up the stock of CO2 in the atmosphere by burning things to create energy, we will continue to see more and worse fires, floods, storms, droughts, habitat destruction, species extinctions, food shortages, killing heat waves…you know, pretty much Hell on Earth.
According to a recent report from the Dept. of Commerce, the annualized economic burden from wildfires
is estimated to be between $71.1 billion and $347.8 billion, including annualized costs from $7.6 billion to $62.8 billion, and annualized losses from $63.5 billion to $285.0 billion.And this is just the Beginning…they will continue to increase until many decades or even centuries even if we stopped using fossil fuels tomorrow.
Since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution a mere century ago, the average global temperature has risen some 1.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Most climatologists agree that another mere 0.4 degree Fahrenheit rise in temperature, representing a global average atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) of 450 parts per million (ppm), could represent a Tipping Point of No Return. Continued below…
Mar a Lago Update: The Economics of Global Climate Disaster
The above Facts are agreed upon by some 97% of the World’s Scientists (including us), and every other country on the Planet but ours. Some while back we mentioned the alarming comment of environmental journalist David Suzuki at a public appearance here in Bellingham almost ten years ago when asked if we should be worried about Global Warming. His immediate response was, “You should be Shi#*ng Your Pants!,” which roughly translates into an old Zen line, “Awake, Awake, be Mindful in Practice…Time flies like an Arrow, It will Not Wait for you!”
Fast forward to Today, after we have all witnessed across the Globe many consecutive Years of increasing temperatures, worse and more frequent hurricanes, storms, floods, tornadoes, droughts, wildfires, landslides, and heat waves, more and more species at the brink of extinction, increasing food and water scarcity at lower and mid-latitudes, and the expansion of resource-based conflict and upheaval. Yet despite this Overwhelming Evidence, Tweetster and Company continue to recruit converts to their Baseless, Lemming-Leaning Mantra that Global Warming is a Vast Left-wing Conspiracy to take away people’s guns, give their jobs to illegal immigrants, and cripple the US economy with silly environmental regulations.
At some intellectual level we have all known for many years that Propaganda is an effective tool– an Art really– for convincing people that Lies are Truth. But we have tended to think of it as in some other Time and Place, nothing to do with Our Safe American Cocoon. Yet here we are today, with Neo-Nazis marching in our streets, middle-aged White Men wearing T-shirts proclaiming “I’d Rather be Russian Than Democrat,” and Supreme Court nominees who support the concept of the Unitary Executive. We see a wide swath of our population more than willing to surrender their autonomy to a Central Government Authority under the paradoxical auspices of protecting their Freedom from Liberals, Intellectuals, and Immigrants, all of whom seem to them More Threatening than the Comforting Reassurance of Big Brother’s Fake News.
Washington Post Tweetster Lie Count to date: 4229 in 558 days
This week’s wine tasting
Disruption Chardonnay ’15 Washington $13
Beckons with aromas flavors of apple, pear, and lemon; calcium-rich soil adds complex minerality, and eight months on the lees adds creamy texture and notes of brioche, balanced perfectly with a zing of acidity stitching it all together.
La Croix Belle Caringole Rosé ’14 France $11
Syrah-Grenache blend; intense nose of rose petals and pear-drop candies; palate of alpine strawberries, raspberries, and cranberries, with a citrus accent on the crisp finish.
Popolo di Indie Rosso ’16 Italy $14
55% Nebbiolo, 30% Barbera, 15% Dolcetto; the Barbera brings the acidity and bright fruit, the Nebbiolo brings the tannins and the aromatics, and the Dolcetto brings the softness and rounds out this harmonious blend.
Maryhill Winemaker’s Red ’11 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.
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 aug 3 ’18
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Bread Friday this week
Both breads this week use “pre-fermented dough,” aka “old dough.” Historically, bakers would hold some dough back from the daily bake and then add that old dough into the next day bake. Since I don’t bake everyday I make a preferment that incorporates some of the flour, water, yeast and salt, so it is a complete dough by itself.
Sonnenblumenbrot – Otherwise known as Sunflower Seed Bread; made with a pre-fermented dough mixed with bread flour and freshly milled rye, then loaded up with toasted sunflower seeds and some barley malt syrup for sweetness. This is a typical german seed bread- $5/loaf
Pain Meunier – aka “Miller’s Bread;” made with pre-fermented dough including all portions of the wheat berry, plus flour, fresh milled whole wheat, cracked wheat and wheat germ. A consistent favorite – $5/loaf
and pastry this week…
Fruit & Spice Rolls – About half whole wheat with plenty of butter, sugar and egg for flavor and a tender crumb. Dried cranberries, golden raisins, fresh orange peel and juice plus anise, cinnamon, mace and cardamon. Topped with demerara sugar before baking for that extra bit of sweetness and crunch. An interesting and flavorful bun to have with your morning coffee. – 2/$5
Island Quilters Opening!
Today from 4-7 Pat, Mary, and Myra unveiled their more recent works to a warm and appreciative gathering. Shown at left are a few samples from the showing, which will be on display through August.
Don’t miss it!
Mary Boire, quilt
Pat Hayes, embroidery
Pinotage
There are famous wine grapes, the ones so popular (mostly of French origin) even most Americans have heard of them: cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc. Then there are many more with which lots of Americans have some familiarity: cab franc, grenache, mourvedre, sangiovese, pinot noir, viognier, even marsanne or roussanne. Beyond that there are thousands of other varietals we seldom encounter, such as, for example the Slovenian Refosco we poured for you a few weeks ago.
Like politics, to some degree all wine is Local, meaning not only does it come from a specific Place, but also it has probably been coming from that place for a Long Time. Such is the case with a South African varietal that is an everyday wine in South Africa but unfamiliar to most Americans: pinotage. It was created as an experiment in 1925 by crossing pinot noir with cinsault, then known in South Africa at Hermitage. The experiment was forgotten for a number of years, but on a Twist of Fate the resulting varietal was noticed and resuscitated a few years later, when it proved somewhat easy to grow but more difficult to harvest and translate into desirable wine. On the one hand it tends to show nice concentration of fruit, but has a tendency to develop odd aromas and flavors.
This weekend we are pouring a nice example of South Aftrican pinotage with flavors and textures we hope you will find interesting.
Mar a Lago Update: The Dumb Cycle
A basic Characteristic of Human Childhood is to develop a toolbox of mental/behavioral Shortcuts to help us deal with Stress. On the Plus Side, it is very helpful to have Strategies on hand to deal with Unanticipated Stressors, particularly familiar ones. On the Down Side, most of us keep repeating Strategies we learned as children despite abundant evidence that they Don’t Work.
A consistent strategy of the Character many schools of psychology have labeled a “psychopath” is Lying. In the endless quest for Approval, because the Psychopath has an instinct for knowing what people want to hear, he goes to great lengths to woo their Approval by Lying their Truth to them. According to an ongoing tally by the Washington Post, the Tweetster has told some 3500 Certified Public Lies since pretending to Take Office some 18 months ago– pretty convincing Evidence that we do in fact have a Psychopath on our hands.
Since all habitual Character Strategies are formed in early childhood, they become Unconscious Habits of thought and behavior as long as they work enough of the time with parents, teachers, or siblings to deflect or defuse Punishment or Judgment. Indeed, from the standpoint of the Psychopath, the Truth IS what people Want to hear, not some abstract principle. The resulting behavioral Dumb Cycle is:
Tell a lie–> Get caught in the Lie –>
Tell a Bigger Lie –> Get caught in the Lie –> , etc.
In an ordinary world, a very few cycles are enough to get your Garden Variety Psychopath Thrown Out. In today’s world, we seem to have 40% of our population Committed to Not Seeing the Lies. So in Today’s World, where the Lies have been Repeated Far More Often than the Truth, the Tweetster’s Disciples Still Believe Him, no matter what he says, which suggests another Dumb Cycle:
Hear a Lie–> Ignore enough facts to believe the Lie –>
Hear a Bigger Lie –> Ignore enough facts to believe the Bigger Lie –> , etc.
Weird times…
This week’s wine tasting
Mer Soleil Unoaked Chardonnay ’15 California $1
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.
Casal Garcia Vinho Verde Rose
Fruity notes of raspberries and strawberries on the well balanced acidity and the youthful, nouveau-beaujolais-like freshness which makes white vinho verde a perfect match for warm afternoons and fresh summer fare.
MAN Vintners Pinotage ’16 South Africa $11
Dark berries, plum and a whiff of woodsmoke on the nose. Rustic yet silky and juicy, with wild cherry on the palate; smooth, pleasant tannins and well-controlled acidity. good intensity to the plum and mocha flavors. Finishes broad, with a fine dusting of tannins and a hint of chocolate.
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.
Kerloo GSM Majestic ’15 Washington $24
Aroma of leather, black cherries, plums, black pepper, and earth. On the palate smooth and silky with bright, spicy-salty red cherry notes, dusty roses, tobacco, light baking spices, and wet stones.
lummi island wine tasting july 27 ’18
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Bread Friday this week
Breton – Incorporates the flavors of the french Breton region. Bread flour and fresh milled buckwheat and rye make for interesting flavor and the salt is set gris -the grey salt from the region that brings more mineral flavors to this bread. Goes great with meats and cheeses – $5/loaf
Semolina w/ Fennel & Raisins – A levain (also known as sourdough) bread made with bread flour, semolina and some fresh milled whole wheat. A little butter for a tender crumb and fennel seeds and golden raisins round out the flavors. Judy A. says this is her favorite! These flavors also go really well with meats and cheese, but it also makes pretty darn good toast – $5/loaf
and pastry this week…
Bear Claws! – Made with a danish pastry dough rich in cream, eggs, sugar and butter, rolled out and spread with almond paste, powdered sugar, egg whites and just a bit of cinnamon to round out the flavor. Then, because bears love honey, topped with a honey glaze after baking! – 2/$5
Ferry Perspectives
Last weekend one of our visitors shared this photo she took of our trusty Whatcom Chief heading back to the mainland. Hale Passage isn’t often this calm, so the combination of the reflection of the boat in the smooth water and the Imposing Perspective of Mt. Baker in the background makes it quite Spectacular!
Speaking of the ferry, for those of you who don’t live on Lummi Island, over the past several months there has been considerable public discussion about replacing our nearly sixty-year old ferry. In the last few years maintenance expenses and unscheduled time out of service have been increasing at an increasing rate, and there is pretty much a consensus that it is time for a replacement vessel.
Late in 2017 the County contracted with an engineering consulting firm ($350k!) to conduct an analysis of replacement options. Now anyone familiar with consulting knows that most studies like this are mostly “boilerplate,” i.e., the same for all similar clients– in this case, those in the market for a new ferry. But the Good Ones qualify the Boilerplate with an appropriate deference to the specifics of each Client’s situation.
Unfortunately in this case the consulting firm has an ongoing relationship with a Seattle shipbuilder which happened to have in hand a design for a 34-car vessel, but none, unfortunately, for a smaller vessel. So perhaps it was Coincidental when last week our joint Island-County ferry committee recommended only a single option, i.e., buying the 34-car vessel recommended by the consultant (as opposed to far less expensive 24-car vessel another Recovering Economist and I recommended).
Since it will no doubt be some years before any replacement ferry goes into service, from a personal perspective these issues are of little consequence. From a social welfare perspective, however, we find ourselves curiously attached to the conviction that Small IS Beautiful, especially when it delivers comparable service at far lower cost, both monetary and social. The Good News is that this advice does NOT cost you $350k; it is our 2-cent donation for today! And whatever ferry serves this community in the future, it will still be an Awesome place to live!
photo courtesy of Karen Van Winkle
Island Quilters Show Next Weekend!
click photo to enlarge
“Island Quilters” (aka ‘IQ’s’) is the name chosen many years ago by our beloved Wine Gallery and Life Partner Pat and fellow Islanders Myra R. and Mary B. for their collaborative Quilting Support Group. They have met regularly for many years to share work in progress, commune with Peers, share a bit of wine and conversation, and encourage each other’s Creative Muses. In the fifteen years or so that they have been working together, they have done a number of group shows here on the Island and at Galleries on the Mainland. Each of their pieces is at the very least months in the making and richly deserving of mindful contemplation. DO NOT MISS THIS SHOW!!
Since in recent years it has been difficult to conform their schedules to the Studio Tour (Labor Day and Memorial Day weekends), they have chosen to open their next show Next Weekend here at the Gallery. This will be their first group showing since Spring 2014, and will remain on display through August.
Opening Reception Thursday August 2 from 4-7 pm All three artists will be present, along with complimentary wine and snacks. Since these are not our regular hours, Mark your Calendars and plan to come by! The show will continue through August during our regular hours: Fridays 4-6 pm and Saturdays 2-6 pm.
PS: The quilt in the photo (click to enlarge) was done by Pat back in 2014 during what now seems like minor Angst during the Obama years– and which has, sadly, metastasized into Donald Trump’s Brave New World of 1984 Newspeak.
Pouilly Fuissé
The vineyards of Pouilly-Fuissé rest on a foundation of 200-million year old limestone fossil corals of Jurassic origin mixed with clay and schist which have crumbled down over the ages, leaving hillsides cut by small, steep-sided streams and a south-easterly exposure.The only grape grown in this little region is Chardonnay, where depending on the vintage and precise vineyard, shows great minerality from the limestone soil, with aromas that can range from almond and hazelnut to citrus, white peach, bracken, acacia, breadcrumbs, buttered brioche, and honey. The texture is rich, well-structured, and full of flavor.
It is their minerality which makes these wines perfect partners for prawns, lobster, and other shellfish.. With a great balance of acidity and smoothness they also pair well with poultry and many varieties of goat cheese. Their structure and minerality also pair well with spicy couscous, savory fish tajines, sweet-and-sour sauces, and even sushi.
Our white wine this week is fifth-generation winemaker Pierre Vessigaud’s “Vielles Vignes,” blended from the fruit of seven different plots, picked by hand, vinified together with the stems, and fermented naturally using only local wild yeast in mostly neutral barrels (only 5% new oak). Bottom line: white burgundy is the global standard for the best that chardonnay can be, and this is a worthy example!
Mar a Lago Update: Fooling Enough of the People Enough of the Time
One of Abe Lincoln’s famous quotes was something to the effect of “You can fool Some of the people All of the time, and All of the people Some of the Time, but you can’t fool All of the People All of the Time.” As with much of his speech, it was elegant, instructive, and True.
Fast forwarding to Today, we find that Truth is no so much the Realm of Agreed Upon Fact, but rather just another Variable to be Manipulated by Media, Malice, Money, and Malarkey. Below you will find a link to a recent PBS discussion about how the Tweetster has been effectively and systematically undermining not just individual facts, but the Very Idea That Facts Exist.
We have to accept that for Whatever Reason, he Owns nearly forty percent of the population, Zombies who have Surrendered their Independent Reason to the extent that today they can Believe Proposition A, and tomorrow they can Prefer its Exact Opposite while feeling no sense whatever of Cognitive Dissonance. It is Baffling Beyond Reason, and only seen heretofore in the Realm of Cults, Gurus, and other Brainwashing Experiments.
So it was with some sense of Reassurance and Relief that we watched a recent PBS Panel Discussion on the nature of Truth, which did a nice job of inviting consideration of the Policy Implications of a Deliberate Political Policy of Undermining Facts. Most obviously, a Charismatic or Religious Leader who can successfully claim Infallibility is Irresistible to Authoritarians of All Stripes. All of our attention and effort through the next Electoral Cycle should be focused on supporting Reason and Rejecting the Simplistic Dualism that the Psychopathic, Misanthropic, Parental-Approval Deprived Tweetster uses so successfully to manipulate that huge proportion of our population that seems to have suffered the same Disillusionments.
This week’s wine tassting
Vessigaud Pouilly Fuissé Vielles Vignes ’12 France $21
Blend from several Fuissé vineyards, ripe and expressive nose of floral and mineral notes with hints of spice, tea and honey; rich and unctuous on the palate, with notes of peach, pear, and almonds, with good mineral freshness. Delicious!
Bieler Bandol Rosé ’16 France $17
The fruit shows a beautiful balance between red fruit and the acid structure without either overpowering the other, or the savory, citrus and mineral core. Shows bright and lively fresh fruit in its aroma and flavors, and its crisp and chalky finish pair it well with simple seafood dishes.
Carmen Carmenere ’14 Chile $16
Composed berry, spice, herb and oak aromas are complete and inviting. In the mouth, this is ripe and dense, with chewy tannins. Blackberry, mixed herb and dark chocolate flavors are integrated, while this settles nicely on the finish.
Avignonesi Rosso de Montepulciano ’14 Italy $18
Perfumed aromas of red berries, violets, cinnamon, and almond flower. Juicy and bright, with precise strawberry and redcurrant flavors and lively acidity. Finishes long and fresh, with lingering floral perfume.
Tomas Cusine Geol ’12 Spain $21
Carinena, merlot, cab sauv; Elegant notes of cedar, eucalyptus, chocolate, and black currants with elegant and sweet wood on the nose. A wide and silky entrance, with rounded tannins; powerful, deep and persistent finish.
lummi island wine tasting july 20 ’18
(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
Bread Friday this week
Honey, Wheat, Lemon & Poppy Seeds – Made with a very active poolish pre-ferment using some of the flour, yeast and water, but none of the salt, overnight and mixed the next day with bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat. Some honey, poppy seeds and freshly grated lemon peel round out the flavors- $5/loaf.
Prairie Bread – Named for the ingredients that reflect all the goodness of the grains that grow on the prairie. Using regular bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat as well as oats, and cornmeal, plus poppy, flax, sesame, sunflower and pumpkin seeds with just a hint of brown sugar- $5/loaf
and pastry this week…
Brioche Tarts au Sucre – otherwise known as 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
Refosco
We opened the wine shop in May, 2005, with only a vague idea of what we were trying to do. Now thirteen years later, we still have only a vague idea of what we are trying to do, but realize it doesn’t matter very much, because the whole process just unfolds by itself…!
Sometime that first summer in 2005 a young man came by for wine and conversation (our stock in trade) and asked if we had any Refosco, wherein ensued a lengthy conversation about his favorite wine, a Slovenian varietal of the same name. He returned a year or two later for another visit, during which he continued to extol the virtues of this obscure varietal, inspiring in us a curiosity and a vague sense of Duty to track down this Mythical Varietal and pour it for our Faithful.
Fast forward to last week when after several months of ineffectual communication, we managed to connect with a boutique importer specializing in organic and biodynamic wineries for a wine tasting, which included what may be Slovenia’s best example of its elusive refosco grape. It comes from winemaker Uroš Rojac, who has long been committed to producing organic/biodynamic wines, bottling when the moon is new, adding only as much sulfur as necessary to protect the wine, and using only native yeasts to initiate spontaneous fermentation.
We are pleased to report that after all these years since a customer’s original request, this weekend we will finally be pouring for your Education and Pleasure a Slovenian Refosk that is rustic, compelling, and rare. It finishes with notes of sappy, herb-inflected dark cherry and blackberry fruit complemented by hints of leather, smoke, and pipe tobacco. Stock up now and enjoy over the coming five years with hearty stews, lamb shanks, rich bean casseroles, and marinated Portobello mushrooms!
Sharecropping
There are lots of ways for Capital and Labor to coordinate: Slavery, Capitalism, Socialism, Communism, among others. As in any coordinating agreement, there is a negotiation for Power. Capitalism in practice has been an ongoing Contest to allocate relative returns to Capital and to Labor. All you need to know is that since 1980 the real value of the share going to Labor has remained constant while the real value of the share going to Capital has increased exponentially.
At various times in Human History (our source for both Tragedy and Comedy), the ongoing battle over Shares of the Pie among workers, owners of land, natural resources, and machines has created circumstances for innovation, ingenuity, and compromise. One of this week’s wines is called “Sharecropper,” in acknowledgment of one of the particular compromises once made between owners of land and workers, under which growers contracted to deliver their crops to a particular Buyer, rendering them Interdependent, so that the better either one does, the better they both do. These days this is a relatively common arrangement between wineries and vignerons in many parts of Europe.
Friends of the wine shop know that we have a long-standing Issue that Oregon pinot noirs are Overpriced, and therefore we are always looking for examples that deliver Good Value. We recently met the founder of Owen Roe, which begat Sharecropper, which now has its own label, and will soon offer examples of his newer wines (Lady Hill). In the meantime, this weekend we offer, untasted and sheerly by reputation (always Dangerous) we offer for your Pleasure the latest vintage of Owen Roe Sharecropper Pinot Noir.
Mar a Lago Update: A Bridge Too Far
Wow. It’s been a Big Week for the Tweetster. And for All the Rest of Us. Wow…like, did All of This Really Happen??? We seem to have arrived at a point in our Collective Cognition at which our Tiny Brains refuse to accept More Nonsense, and where we have no better choice than to throw up our Tiny, Ineffectual Hands in Consternation and Disbelief while looking for a Viable Exit.
This is the point in the Dream where we expect to Wake Up, but instead we just see more and more Dots Connect. OMD, we Realize, the Russians have not only put the Tweetster in Charge of America; they have also broken up the EU with Brexit, sown Populist Dragon’s Teeth to disrupt even the most Remote local elections across the Globe, and look forward with Glee to the Collapse of NATO, the EU, and Global Free Trade. As when seeing for the first time the Alien juvenile bursting forth from a human body, we are both Horrified and Frozen with Existential Horror. Really? Has it all come down to this?
We find ourselves at a critical Inflection Point. Mathematically this occurs when a curve changes from increasing at an increasing rate to increasing at a decreasing rate. It marks a first detectable change in Trend, a Small Sign of Hope in a Dark Hour, inspiring us as In the immortal words of Captain James Lawrence as he lay dying aboard the USS Chesapeake, “Fight her Till she Sinks and Don’t Give Up the Ship!” Or, more or less along the same lines, Obiwan Kenobi saying “Use the Force, Luke!”
However we phrase it, our Path is Clear; we are at War, and Everything We Hold Dear is Suddenly at Stake.
This week’s wine ta sting
Popolo di Indie Bianco ’16 Italy $13
100% Cortese; aromas of white fruits blended with sweet citrus and a hint of tropical fruit. These fruits appear delicately on the palate, intertwining with fine acidity and a touch of mineral flavor. The finish is long, yet soft.
Campuget Tradition Rose ’17 France $11
Pale brilliant pink. Nervy, mineral-tinged aromas of orange zest and strawberry; Silky and light on its feet, offering zesty, light-bodied red berry and blood orange flavors and a bracing touch of bitter quinine.
Sharecropper’s Pinot Noir ’16 Oregon $15
Aromas of bing cherry, rose petals and pomegranate with hints of baking spice and forest floor, and flavors of cherry, and olive with toasty cinnamon notes.
Dom. Belair Moulin a Vent Beaujolais ’15 France $19
Perfumed and rich in tannins and generous, ripe black fruits. Aged nine months in wood, it shows hints of caramel and spice that adds extra dimension. It is juicy, ripe and needs to age further.
Rojak Refosk ’15 Slovenia $16
Opaque black-plum hue with classic Refosco aromas of wild blackberries, elderberries, cured meats, bitter medicinal herbs, and piquant soil. Wild and rustic on the palate, with big layers of blackberry, huckleberry, violets, star anise, and white pepper.
2072 Granger Way