Wine Tasting Sept 25 ’10

Posted at September 23, 2010

It was a Quiet Day at the wine shop. Clouds and rain had cleared about lunchtime, treating us to a surprisingly warm and sunny afternoon. “Quiet” means that many regulars were off to places like Russia and France and LA, so that left it for new and occasional visitors to fill in.

Kristin and Ron inspired us with stories of marathons (she talked him into it) and Iron Man events (her thing), where the athlete runs a 26-mile marathon AFTER swimming a few miles and biking a hundred or so. She hasn’t been in for a year or so, but you tend to remember a person with a hobby like that, especially a smallish woman who, other than that, seems, you, know, quite sane! The early hours are really the best for having actual conversations with our guests, so we got to have a nice visit. We’re not quite ready to sponsor the First Lummi Island Marathon, but I could see how the next Run on the Rock might be set up to draw some serious competitors. Stay tuned!

If you’ve followed this blog the last several weeks, you know that Rachel and Andreea have been doing a lot of entertaining. First they brought in “the Smalls” (August 7), and then “the Talls” (Sept 11), and this weekend it was “the Family” (though I think they had a nickname, too!). All you need to know is that the VERY COOL hat on the head of the handsome young man in the back is called a “Tuesday cap,” and it may be the Hat I Have Been Looking For. He let me try it on, and all hands thought it very well could be the Baldness Cozy a man in my situation needs at a certain age. We found a shop online (that’s how we found out it is a Tuesday cap), and it just remains to put in the order. So Thanks, “Tuesday cap” man!

Wine responses were mixed last week. The Byron chard always seems to show well; the Gardies had a surisingl intensity. The Sorenson malbec got really mixed results; those of us who liked it liked it quite a bit, while those who didn’t were not ambivalent, either. It does have some unusual nuances of flavor, which I find pleasant and intriguing. We’ll pour it again soon.

Possibly the hit of the day was the Port o’ Call from Fairwinds winery in Port Townsend. This heart-warming, port-like dessert wine is a definite crowd-pleaser; pick some up now for the coming holidays!

This week’s wines:

Maryhill Reserve Chardonnay 08    Washington   $14
Lovely Topaz color and beguiling aromas of cooked apricot, vanilla, nuts and caramel that continue onto the pleasantly lingering palate.

Peirano Six Clones Merlot 07   (Calif)  $10
Aromas of rich ripe cherries and blackberries with hints of leather and vanilla; robust flavors of cherry, plum, cranberry, raspberries and strawberries with lingering hints of cocoa and cinnamon. Terrific buy! (note: Wine Spectator got this one Really Wrong: “Lean and clumsy, with earthy herb and ripe cherry notes.—79 pts)!

Layer Cake Cotes du Rhone  06   France     $14
Unique combination of rich, forward fruit more commonly found in wines of the New World, yet with pleasing accents of Old World minerality; a true food wine with balanced richness; offering earthy flavors of wild blueberries, black currants, and star anise.

Maryhill Reserve Zinfandel 2005   Washington   $28
Deep notes of plums, cherry tobacco, and hints of freshly ground coffee. As it opens you’ll find smoked bacon, maple syrup and campfire aromas. On the palate it’s rich and full of candied fruits, butterscotch and holiday spices.

Wine Tasting

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