There is also an ancient tradition of celebrating the “cross-quarter days” that fall halfway between these major events. February 2 has long been known as Candlemas, Imbolc, Oimelc, Brigit, Brigid’s Day, Bride’s Day, Brigantia, or Gŵyl y Canhwyllau, falling midway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. In many ancient traditions it is considered the beginning of spring. In the picture, it is labeled “1st.” Our culture (yes, I use the word loosely) usually refers to it as “Groundhog Day,” but it has–literally–cosmic significance.  Who knew??

As it turns out, we had a lovely, mostly sunny day today, and that probably means that the Groundhog saw his shadow, and by popular belief that means there will be six more weeks of Winter. Of course, as we can see from the diagram, it doesn’t really matter, because whether the Groundhog sees his (or her) shadow or not, there are STILL six more weeks until Spring Equinox, i.e., “winter.” I only mention this because I think here in the PNW we should just declare that Groundhog Day, aka the winter-spring cross-quarter day, is officially Our First Day of Spring. Judging from the pussy willows and other buds that are starting to appear around here, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!  Yay!

The Evidence is before us: six weeks ago the sun set over the hump of Orcas Island on the far left in the first picture (center of right pic). Tonight it was over Mt. Constitution. See? Spring can be anytime we say it is!

FRIDAY      FRIDAY      FRIDAY
We WILL be open Friday evening this week (Feb 3) from 4-7. Ryan will be pouring a couple of nice wines, and there will be munchies. We like Fridays because we get to sit on the other side of the bar and schmooze, and because they are a little “salon-like.” Come on by!

RYAN’S TASTING WORKSHOP SERIES
Ryan is kicking off the New Year with a new series of FOUR tasting workshops on Sunday afternoon, two weeks apart, beginning . This series will be modeled after the last workshop in the summer series, in which he explored the cultural influences of the region along with the wine. So you taste the wine with regional food, experience the literature, see the art, learn about the land the the climate, and at some level make connections that link them together. It’s fun, it’s interesting, it’s amazing, and we are really looking forward to it! It puts wine into the broader context of its cultural setting to show how this wine could only come from this place. See flyer for details, and call soon to reserve your place! And I can’t resist posting this photo I took of Ryan at our New Year’s party…

Saturday’s Tasting:

La Cana Albarino 09 Spain  90pts      $14
Light gold-colored with an unusually fragrant nose of mineral, lemon zest, and spring flowers that jumps from the glass, on the palate it exhibits a creamy texture, vibrant acidity, and a lengthy, refreshing finish.

Honoro Vera Monastrell   ’09       Spain      $9
Tank aged 100% Monastrell. Its pleasing nose reveals notes of underbrush, mineral, and blueberry leading to a savory, spicy, nicely balanced medium-bodied wine.

Yellowtail Reserve Shiraz  ’08   Australia    $8
Cherry, blackberry, and chocolate aromas, plush mouthfeel, spicy finish with seamless tannins…

Goose Ridge Vireo 06 Washington $20 WS93pts
Firm, rich and distinctive for the black olive and roasted meat overtones that swirl around the red berry and cherry flavors, persisting impressively on the long, expressive finish. Stylish and focused, this has miles to go. Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot

Okay, we’re BACK! We count ourselves fortunate to have hit the road heading south before the weather turned, well, ugly around here. We spent a few days with friends on the Oregon Coast at Yachats (“yah- hats”), where we enjoyed sunny days, walks along the water, and endless pounding surf…not to mention this amazing blowhole about a five minute walk from our rental (or as we learned many years ago in Mexico, “la Bufadora!” (click on photo for larger version)

After that we had a lovely drive from the coast along the Umpqua river into the Umpqua Valley wine region. We were so impressed with the scenery and the wines that we are going to work on setting up a little wine tour there, possibly also including the Rogue River appellation near and around Medford, where we also had some surprisingly good wines. Stay tuned, more on that down the road!

We also spent several days in Napa Valley, enjoying the sun, food, wine, and family. Even there it was freezing in the morning, but warmed up to the mid-fifties by afternoon…ahhhh! Tasted some wine here and there, and I did order a bunch from one of my favorite winemakers, David Coffaro, which should arrive next week sometime. When it comes in we will have a special event to let you try them. David is sometimes called the “Mad Mixmaster” because he grows a wide selection of varietals, some quite unusual, and blends them together in unusual combinations. Trust me, this is real winemaking, and you are gonna love these wines. Warning: they are a little more expensive than most of us drink daily, but you won’t be able to resist. Below is a photo of the winery; yes, that is a big screen and big speakers, more often the winery is cluttered with barrels, the latest high-tech wine equipment, hoses, a forklift, and activity. Watch the blog for more on this, and don’t miss it! (click on photo for larger version)

FRIDAY      FRIDAY      FRIDAY
We WILL be open Friday evening this week (today, January 27) from 4-7. Ryan will be pouring a couple of nice wines, and there will be munchies. Come on by!

TASTING WORKSHOP    TASTING WORKSHOP    TASTING WORKSHOP   
Ryan is kicking off the New Year with a new series of tasting workshops. This series will be modeled after the last workshop in the summer series, in which he explored the cultural influences of the region along with the wine. So you taste the wine, experience the literature, see the art, learn about the land the the climate, and at some level make connections that link them together. It’s fun, it’s interesting, it’s amazing, and we are really looking forward to it! It puts wine into the broader context of human culture to show how this wine could only come from this place. See flyer for details, and call soon to reserve your place! And I can’t resist posting this photo I took of Ryan at our New Year’s party…

Looking forward to seeing you all again soon!

This week’s wines:

Altarocca Arcosesto Orvieto ’10 Italy     $14
A crisp, clean, fragrant white wine (grechetto, procanico, malvasia), bright and sunny with minerally notes of flowers, citrus, and dried fruits.

Portteus Bistro Red 09   Washington      $10
58% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Franc, aged in small French oak barrels; medium body with flavors of blueberry, chocolate, cola, cigar, plum and a nice creamy finish.

Bodegas Ateca Atteca ’09     Spain    $14    90pts
Displays aromas of cedar, an earthy minerality, black cherry, and lavender leading to a savory, deep, well-balanced red with succulent fruit and a lengthy, seamless finish.

Emilio Moro Ribera del Duero   ‘05    Spain       WA92pts     $21
Purple-colored with a complex bouquet of wood smoke, toast, crushed stone, and blackberry. Supple, ripe, and forward, this tasty wine can be enjoyed now through 2015.

At the moment we are ensconced in a motel in Weed, CA, after a fairly challenging drive on I-5 in snow with chains required, a few hours at 30 bumpy mph. The feeling is very similar to being safely anchored in a snug harbor after too much wind and too many waves on the water…safe, snug, and happy to get off the road.

Ryan opened the wine shop last Saturday, but no one came by so he closed about 5pm. Given the continuing nasty weather, the shop will also be closed this weekend. We hope to be back in a day or two, and hopefully we will reopen to nice weather next weekend, possibly Friday evening as well as Saturday.

Wishing you all well in this challenging weather, and looking forward to seeing you soon!

(Picture below posted by Lummi Island photographer Robert Keller. )

ANNOUNCEMENTS       ANNOUNCEMENTS       ANNOUNCEMENTS
1. The shop will be closed for inventory this weekend, January 7. We regret any inconvenience.
2. We will be open regular hours (2-6pm) the remaining Saturdays in January (Jan 14th, 21st, 28th).
3. We NOT be open Friday evenings during January–ONLY Saturday afternoons.

THANKS     THANKS     THANKS     THANKS
Thank you all for being part of the special community that has evolved around our little wine shop, and for the continuing nourishment that you all bring and share with us and with each other. Here’s looking forward to another great year together!

NEW YEAR’S EVE PHOTOS   

Collage

Slide Show

There is an old joke that goes something like:

Q. How do you make God laugh?
A. Tell him (or, in the interest of gender, species, and divine neutrality, “her,” or “it”) your plans..!

With that in mind, anytime we change our hours we introduce a random variable about “will anyone know or care?” and it is always interesting to see what unfolds…

So tonight we had a small and dear group of visitors that came and tasted and mused about the Four Malbecs we poured: two from Argentina (Graffigna and Piatelli) and two from Washington (Mt. Baker and Sorenson). The differences between the Argentina and Washington pairs were striking compared to the differences within the Washington pair or the Argentina pair. The favorites seemed to be the Piatelli and the Sorenson.

Anyway, we have decided to do the same tasting Friday night, maybe with a white (bubbly?) thrown in somewhere. It’s Friday, it’s New Year’s Eve-Eve, and we are open from 4:30 -7pm. And of course our $99 per case sale ENDS TODAY!

NOTE NOTE NOTE NOTE NOTE
WE ARE NOT OPEN SATURDAY AFTERNOON NEW YEAR’S EVE! INSTEAD WE ARE HOSTING:

Our Sixth Annual “East Coast” New Year’s Eve Gala Extravaganza
From 7-9pm on New Year’s Eve! We provide the wine, you bring something delicious to share, and when the ball drops in Times Square we hoist our glasses and toast the Year of the Dragon! You young folks can move on to your next party, and we old timers can get to bed at a decent hour! It’s our chance to thank you for your support this past year, and to look ahead to more fun in aught-twelve. Mark your calendars and start planning your finger food. And please–RSVP if you are coming! (758-2959 or Email us.)

As we approach the start/end of another calendar year, I am moved again to mention that I have fallen into the habit of reading the above heading as: “New Year’s Week Wine Tasting Schedule ‘aught-eleven.’”  That may just be a figure of speech, or it may be that so far this year/decade/century/millenium (that’s a lot of beginnings!) I haven’t been all that impressed with our collective prospects  for the future. While individual human beings have risen to various challenges and prevailed for the Greater Good in many noble ways, the collective karmic scales which measure the merits of our kind as stewards of our One Tiny Planet over the last few years look to be tipping precariously against us.

Sale
That is probably all the more reason our $99 per case offer has been so popular it will continue through Friday, Dec 30. Our stock was starting to look a little picked over, so we just brought in even more “Best Buy” wines that have been popular with many of you during the past year. You can see tasting notes for the sale wines here. See tasting schedule for this week below. And do your part to take these great buys off our hands!

Solstice
From the wine shop, this is where the sun sets on the winter solstice, just at the south end of the ridge line on Orcas Island…it is somehow comforting to know that for the next six  months sunset will move continually north till the Summer solstice, and that the cycle just keeps repeating…no matter what we do.

Hours this week
We will be open Thursday and Friday nights (December 29-30) this week from 4:30 -6:30. On Thursday we will be pouring four interesting malbecs for your comparison. On Friday we will be open the same hours, wines as yet to be determined.

Sixth Annual “East Coast” New Year’s Eve Gala Extravaganza
From 7-9pm on New Year’s Eve! We provide the wine, you bring something delicious to share, and when the ball drops in Times Square we hoist our glasses and toast the Year of the Dragon! You young folks can move on to your next party, and we old timers can get to bed at a decent hour! It’s our chance to thank you for your support this past year, and to look ahead to more fun in aught-twelve. Mark your calendars and start planning your finger food. And please–RSVP if you are coming! (758-2959)

On Monday and Tuesday evenings we offered Betz syrah La Serenne ’04 and the Betz cabernet Pere de Famille ’06 (see previous posts), and they were delightful. In case you haven’t had the experience, a really nice bottle of wine can take the edge off just about any kind of blues, angst, or general ennui. A little luxury goes a long way toward alleviating frustration. So even though we don’t have them out on the shelves, we do have a stash of, um, therapeutic wines in the cellar for restoring a positive outlook. Or making a great gift. Just ask; we have something to please everyone, even the most discriminating connoisseur.

Our $99 per case offer continues till Dec 30. This is a great chance to stock up for the holidays and for January (when we will be mostly closed). We’ve had many takers, and the shelves are starting to look a little leaner, but there is still a LOT left, and this is the biggest sale we have had in our six years with the wine shop. It’s an experiment to see if volume really can make up for idiotically low pricing. (The jury is still out, so I suggest you take advantage while you can…)

Friday night we will continue the “Week Before Christmas” evening tasting, offering two exceptional wines from our cellar for tasting, $5 for one, $8 for both. One we opened tonight, the 2006 Pedestal Merlot ($55) from Long Shadows. The Long Shadows family are wines made in Washington with Washington grapes, by some of the world’s best winemakers. Here’s Parker’s review: 94 pts; The 2006 Pedestal features Michel Rolland who was at Long Shadows on the day of my tasting to do some blending. His wine is 86% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec aged for 22 months in 85% new French oak. Purple-colored, it offers an alluring bouquet of sandalwood, pencil lead, spice box, incense, black currants, and black cherry. Seamless on the palate, this plush wine has layers of ripe, savory flavors, well-concealed tannin, excellent aging potential, and a 60-second finish. It will provide much pleasure between 2013 and 2026.”

As for the second wine…who knows? Ryan will be here as usual on Friday night (think festive!), and I think he has some ideas about that. Just know that it will be good, so please drop by.

TRUFFLES

I can tell you that Pat has been working all week to fill the huge number of orders that have come in for Christmas truffles. All you need to know is that they are done, they are delicious, and they are now available for pickup. Regular hours before Christmas are Friday from 4-7 and Saturday from 2-6. If those times don’t work, please call (758.2959) to make other arrangements.

Who goes wine tasting on Christmas Eve? Even when it’s on a Saturday when their favorite wine shop is open? Well, we hope YOU do! We would love to see you and wish you good cheer and a warm hearth on this Deep Winter observance, which our ancestors have been celebrating for tens of thousands of years, the time when the sun stops going away and starts coming back. Yes, Winter has its comforts, and high among them are warm fires, warm food, and the fruit of the vine!

Sixth Annual “East Coast” New Year’s Eve Gala Extravaganza

From 7-9pm on New Year’s Eve! We provide the wine, you bring something delicious to share, and when the ball drops in Times Square we hoist our glasses and toast the Year of the Dragon. You young folks can move on to your next party, and we old timers can get to bed at a decent hour! It’s our chance to thank you for your support this past year, and to look ahead to more fun in aught-twelve. Mark your calendars and start planning your finger food. And please–RSVP if you are coming! (758-2959)

Christmas Eve wines:

Nera ‘La Novella’ nebbiolo ’10      Italy         $15
White wines (like riesling) can pair magnificently with traditional holiday dinners. This unusual white (nebbiolo is typically a red wine) offers surprising complexity: zesty lemon cream, yellow apple, and white grapes, with a touch of nut skin, white pepper, and dusty earth.

Terre Margaratelli Mirantico ’09      Italy       $17
This delightful blend of sangiovese, canaiolo, merlot, and cab sauv is fresh, dynamic, organic, and delicious; a beautiful wine in search of a rich meal to pair with!

 La Rocaliere Lirac Rouge  ’09      France      $18
This little winery in Lirac, just across the river from Chateauneuf du Pape, was among our favorites on our visit to France in October.  Aged in cement tanks with no oak at all, this lovely grenache blend shows a profusion of ripe raspberry and black cherry, with notes of violet, spices, wild rosemary, thyme (i.e. “garrigue”); velvety and brightly focused, finishing with a clean minerality.

Lost River Merlot 06   Washington   $20
Notes of black currant and cassis, cherry, and licorice. 2006 represents a near perfect vintage for Washington Merlot…you’re gonna like it!

NOTE we will NOT be open Wednesday evening (December 21), mostly because we will be enjoying a lovely Incognito dinner at Ciao Thyme, a special holiday treat. But this year Winter Solstice is on Thursday, December 22, and we will be here to help you celebrate. We will continue the week’s theme of pouring two exceptionally good wines for tasting, and invite you to come by!

I just missed the last bit of the solar disk setting behind Orcas tonight…on the Solstice it sets into the curve below the end of the broken tree limb…as far south as the sun goes before heading back north…! No wonder our ancestors have celebrated it for time out of mind…!

Our $99 per case offer (see previous post) continues till Dec 30. This is a great chance to stock up for the holidays and for January (when we will be mostly closed). Help us clear the $12-and-under shelves before the dreaded January inventory by taking home a case of great wines at a great price!

THE GOOD STUFF THE GOOD STUFF THE GOOD STUFF THE GOOD STUFF

Tuesday tasting: generous pours of two highly rated wines, $10.

Betz La Serenne Syrah 04 Washington WS 93pts $39
WineSpectator: Polished, elegant and refined, but packing a punch of intensity to the spicy, peppery blackberry and dark plum flavors, lingering on the sharply focused finish. This has pizzazz and depth. Best from 2008 through 2014.

Winemaker: As in the past the 2004 La Serenne is 100% Boushey Syrah, with its characteristic, abundant silky tannins. For me the overriding impression with this wine is its seamlessness on the palate. Sure, there are the dense black fruits, roasted coffee, earthy aromas and the black berry, smoky flavors, but the overall palate impact, huge and yet supple, is what lingers in my mind.

Betz Family Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Pere de Famille 2006 WA 95pts $65
Parker: 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot and Malbec. Opaque purple, the wine has a brooding nose of wood smoke, earth notes, mineral, spice box, black cherry, and blackberry. This is followed by a layered, opulent wine with superb depth and concentration and 6-8 years of aging potential. This promising effort should be at its best from 2015 to 2030.

Winemaker: The blend yielded a wine of serious proportion, lush and silky structure, and a complex tangle of fruit, spice and wood notes. There’s a deep core of black currant, with plum and black cherry beneath, then the sweet pipe tobacco, black olive and sandalwood set in. It’s full bodied, with a fundamental grip of tannin for longevity (79% of the fruit comes from Red Mountain), but a lifted and plush texture (composed of equal parts from the Horse Heaven Hills and Yakima Valley)

These wines were showing really well tonight. should be even better Tuesday! Come on by, taste and visit!

Our $99 per case offer was popular this weekend  (see previous post), but we still have a lot of wine, and the offer continues till Dec 30. This is a great chance to stock up for the holidays and for January (when we will be mostly closed). I feel like the old-time car dealers with the marathon sales campaign: “we must be crazy to offer these prices!” But sorry, we don’t take trade-ins, so don’t have your old cars (or old wines) pushed, pulled, dragged, or airlifted in!

THIS WEEK    THIS WEEK    THIS WEEK
As an experiment we will be open M, Tu, Th, & Fri this week from 4:30-6:30. Each night we will offer two exceptional wines from our cellar for tasting for $5-10 per person, depending on the wines. These are mostly collectible wines from the last ten years that have received exceptional reviews and disappeared from shelves long ago (if they were ever there in the first place!).

THE GOOD STUFF THE GOOD STUFF THE GOOD STUFF THE GOOD STUFF

Monday we will start with these:   “Betz Family Winery, run impeccably by Bob Betz, MW, remains a Washington benchmark for top quality Syrah and Bordeaux blends. With his connections from decades of service at Chateau Ste-Michelle, Betz is able to purchase choice fruit from some of the state’s finest vineyards including Boushey, Red Willow, Ciel du Cheval, Alder Ridge, Kiona, and Klipsun. Regarding the 2006 vintage, Betz says, “I took a long time to warm up to the vintage, but the wines have come on strong.”  Robert Parker, Wine Advocate

  Betz   La Serenne Syrah 04      Washington      WS 93pts       $39
WineSpectator: Polished, elegant and refined, but packing a punch of intensity to the spicy, peppery blackberry and dark plum flavors, lingering on the sharply focused finish. This has pizzazz and depth. Best from 2008 through 2014.

 Winemaker: As in the past the 2004 La Serenne is 100% Boushey Syrah, with its characteristic, abundant silky tannins. For me the overriding impression with this wine is its seamlessness on the palate. Sure, there are the dense black fruits, roasted coffee, earthy aromas and the black berry, smoky flavors, but the overall palate impact, huge and yet supple, is what lingers in my mind.

Betz Family Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Pere de Famille 2006    WA 95pts     $65
Parker: 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot and Malbec. Opaque purple, the wine has a brooding nose of wood smoke, earth notes, mineral, spice box, black cherry, and blackberry. This is followed by a layered, opulent wine with superb depth and concentration and 6-8 years of aging potential. This promising effort should be at its best from 2015 to 2030.

 Winemaker: The blend yielded a wine of serious proportion, lush and silky structure, and a complex tangle of fruit, spice and wood notes. There’s a deep core of black currant, with plum and black cherry beneath, then the sweet pipe tobacco, black olive and sandalwood set in. It’s full bodied, with a fundamental grip of tannin for longevity (79% of the fruit comes from Red Mountain), but a lifted and plush texture (composed of equal parts from the Horse Heaven Hills and Yakima Valley)

These wines are a real treat, and not often available for tasting.

More tomorrow!