Wine Tasting August 7 ’10
Well, once again Mary Beth proved that she actually reads these posts by bringing us a charming little demi-bouteille of limoncello, complete with recipe. Man, that stuff is good. So MB racked up another free tasting, as she did with the “Screaming Seagull” logo contest a couple of weeks ago. This woman needs some competition, folks! So the offer still stands: you bring in limoncello and your recipe, and get one free tasting. Sometime or another we will pick a winner, whatever that means, and it will win something good.
Our first guests were waiting for us on the deck at our new summer opening time of 2pm, bless their hearts. They (Tom and Joanie) are from Seattle, and annually spend their anniversary weekend at the Willows. Riley told them we opened at noon, when he should have said one, but now we have changed it to two, so they were very patient. Tom makes beautiful Craftsman furniture in Seattle, AND he is just about to bottle his first commercial wine. When it is available, we will be sure to pour some for you here!
And I don’t know how this works, but on the rare occasions that we are pouring a Portuguese wine, David K, Lummi Island artist extraordinaire somehow knows about it, not by reading it here, but, you know, Cosmically, and drops by, not entirely sure why he is here. This time it was a festive occasion, with Kim, Sally, and Steve, and they had all boated to Lummi from Sinclair…Arrrrrrrrrr, a stalwart crew they be!
The Portuguese wine, by the way, the Maias Jaen Dao, was very interesting and seductive, although the Pomum Red was probably the WOTD, closely followed by the Viento riesling. It is a curious thing that whenever we pour a riesling a fair number of people are reluctant to taste it at all, and then are surprised that they like it. What’s not to like, it’s a wonderful varietal!
The festivities really got into high gear with the arrival of Rachel and Andreea with three charming friends: Molly, Megan, and Sarah. All were in a Festive mood, and at some point decided they would sing Mr. Sandman, so I looked up and printed out the words, and a couple of verses actually came out pretty well before dissolving in laughter and chaos. Also, all five were Dressed in Black, so we got one Happy Picture in color and one Outlaw photo in a sort of sepia tone, you know, like Bank Robbers! All You need to Know: a Good Time was had by All!
Chordette sing-a-likes (there are 26 “dum’s” in every chorus…count’em…it’s two groups of 13!…Who Knew?)
Molly, Megan, and Sarah go Outlaw Punk
auntie and niecie reunion: “So THIS is OZ!”
This week’s tasting:
Mt. Baker Chardonnay ’07 Washington $12
Light, floral, and unoaked, a refreshing white wine not easily identifiable as chardonnay...
Castelnoble Tinto Roble “06 Spain $8 WA 88pts
100% Tempranillo with an enticing bouquet of raspberry, blackcurrant, and spice box. Elegant on the palate, it has tons of flavor and an easy-going finish with no hard edges.A great buy!
Rosa d’ Oro Primitivo (Calif) $15 Fascinating aromas and flavors of ripe cherry and roses that begin on the nose and carry through the finish; primitivo is an ancestor of zinfandel, and you can tell with these rich, nearly jammy flavors.
Atalaya ‘07 Spain WA91pts $14
First release, blend of Monastrell & Garnacha; expressive bouquet of violets, spice box, leather, game, blueberry, and black cherry; lots of easy-going flavor, superb depth, complexity, and a 45-second finish. Awesome!
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2072 Granger Way