Wine Tasting March 20 ’10
Living in the comparative isolation of Lummi Island and running this campy little wine shop has its challenges, the main one being to attract enough people to make it sustainable, to borrow a word from my Day Job (nursing an Institute of Sustainability into being at WWU). In the Early Days in ought-five and ought-six many was the time when one or two visitors would be the business for the day. All that seemed to change last Spring with the arrival of our web gurus Brian and Leigh, the start of this blog, and having developed a little following of friends and neighbors here on the island. (although rough calculations suggest that about 90% of the residents of this tiny rock have never come by, go figure…).
So it was with some surprise that we sat back in curious bepuzzlement last Saturday. B & L came by early on their way across the Big Water, and then Craig the rep from one of our distributors came by and hung out for the afternoon, and naturally I wanted him to meet The Gang, who would, as had been the case for the past six months, magically show up en masse around 4 o’clock and fill the place.
Anne also came by early for short while, and our tiny group whiled away the afternoon sipping, tasting, talking about food (he knows a lot!) and munching on our crackers and cheese and Craig’s homemade buffalo jerky, very tasty! But it remained VERY Low Key (where IS Everyone?) until around 4:45, when a few folks stopped by. Colleen sent Kevin in for a bottle or two, a charming couple from Chilliwack (Mike and Glenda–actually from Capetown!) and another from Vancouver slipped in just at 5, and Mary Jane touched down briefly at 5:30 after a long drive from Seattle to pick up a few for the week (including the newly released ’07 Betz Clos de Betz blend, which is according to Robert Parker the best yet at 94 points!) .
Then of course we rushed off to the annual Lummi Island Heritage Trust Dinner at the Grange, transformed into a welcoming space by dedicated volunteers. Note to self: don’t expect much business the day of the annual fundraiser dinner, which features unlimited pours of donated “wine.” There seems to be a message here….
All the wines lat week were quite delightful. I still have an abiding fondness for the Argiolas vermentino, an entirely satisfying and nuanced Italian white that seems to go with every food; the Stephen Vincent always seems to over-deliver for the price; the Kamiakin syrah has matured nicely to a pruney richness; and the new Seghesio zin satisfied with the soft elegance we have come to expect. IN ADDITION, those few who came by were treated to samples from several wines from, well, shall we just call it “Craig’s List” (?!), including another Zin and a luscious viognier for $11 that we haven’t carried for awhile, but will be ordering soon!
************** This week’s wines:
Borsao Rosado 08 Spain 87pts Special! $6
Aromas of strawberry and rhubarb; a light, dry, nicely concentrated rose, refreshing and crisp on the palate
Nefarious Cellars “Consequence” White ‘08 Washington $15
Off-dry in style, a blend of Aligote and Viognier, a great patio sipper, with aromatics of tree fruit (huh??) and grass, with flavors of peaches, apricots, green apple, stone fruit, and ruby red grapefruit, with really lovely mouth-cleansing acidity.
Cousino Macul Merlot 07 (Chile) $10
Dark ruby-colored with an expressive nose of cherry and cranberry, with supple and savory flavors of ripe plums and violets.
St. Hallett “Faith” Shiraz 06 Australia 89pts $13
Velvety, open-textured and appealing for its blackberry and tar flavors, hinting at tobacco.
Bonterra McNab Ranch 02 California $29
Nose is dark, vivid, fresh, spicy and full. The palate is plump and full with generous, elegant ripe fruit, soft texture, a compelling presence, and a nice spicy finish.
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2072 Granger Way