Wine Tasting October 26
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Well, the day started with a very soft “bang” as a first-time couple from Seattle arrived early in the afternoon for tasting. It was a pleasant reminder of the quieter days before last May, when there were rarely more than three or four visitors, and it was quiet and easy to chat and get to know our guests. That typically gets more difficult as the day goes on.
Anyway, the “bang” was that these lovely folks decided to buy a case of the day’s wines, clearing out the few remaining bottles of the Relagnes Cotes de Rhone, and setting up later arrivals for “Here, you might like this, by the way we don’t have any more.” So when that ran out we poured the Château Saint-André Corbin St-Georges-St-Émilion 2004, which, like many wines in our shop, have been languishing in a corner for a couple of years. We have poured it a few times, but on this day it was Ready, and was a hit. I think we have just one bottle left, and I might have to “disappear” it…!
When we run out of something during a tasting, and have to replace it with something else, it is always fun to renumber the new wine as “the New Number Two,” which leads to considerable confusion and always reminds me of the old (ancient to some) TV series The Prisoner, which began with Patrick McGoohan’s abduction and awakening at The Village:
Why did you resign?
WHO are YOU?
I’m the new Number Two.
Whose side are you on?
That would be telling.
Who is Number One?
YOU are Number Six.
I AM NOT A NUMBER! I AM A FREE MAN!
…and then some spy-movie music would start and you could see him racing around in his little Lotus Super 7 and how he got captured…If you are too young to remember it (it WAS forty years ago!) then check it out on Netflix and we’ll talk about it. But I digress; the other wines for the day were also quite popular; we are down to one bottle of the Brooks Amycas, which everyone liked, and though everyone loved the OS syrah, not many buyers in the price range.
This week’s tasting:
Domaine Laurens Cremant de Limoux (France) $14 — This ancient cousin to champagne is from a little area in the SW corner of France near the Spanish border, with creamy mousse texture, and notes of baked apple, prune, yeast, and minerality.
Denis Gayte “Harmonie” ’07 (France) $10 — I haven’t actually tasted this vintage, but the wine has an interesting story (http://wsm.wsu.edu/s/index.php?id=214#) and I have liked it in the past. Made in Provence by a young American who grew up in Seattle. (http://www.lagramiere.com/blog/2007/07/meet-denis-gayt.html#). Come try it out!
Marquis Philips Sarah’s Blend Shiraz ’06 $15 (Australia) — This wine is made by an American in Australia, and was one of the pioneers of the big fat Aussie shiraz’s we all love to wallow in from Mclaren Vale; the nose is big and jammy with plums, spice, almond and chocolate aromas, and full-bodied, fruit-driven, intense flavors.
Numanthia Termes ’04 (Spain) $26 — Parker 94 pts: Inky purple-colored, it emits a beautiful bouquet of scorched earth, graphite, wild blueberry, and blackberry liqueur, followed by a full-bodied, layered, concentrated, intensely flavored wine with exceptional balance and length. (only have a few, better show up early; in most wine shops these disappeared minutes after arrival about 3 years ago!)
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2072 Granger Way