Greetings, Friends of West Seattle Cellars,

It’s hard to believe that it’s already September and school is back in session; it’s always surprising to see how quickly time goes by these days. We’ve got another in our continuing series of French wine tastings coming up this Thursday, and we’ve also begun to fill out the fall and holiday event schedule.  All of the relevant information is in the calendar at the end of this e-mail, including the salient details for the fall class schedule that we published last week. Feel free to call or e-mail us or to stop by if you have any questions about any of our events or to sign up for the in-shop classes.
 
In another sure (and tasty!) sign that fall is coming, Cider Week begins at Beveridge Place Pub on Friday, and we’ll do our part by pouring European artisanal ciders next week at the Thursday tasting.
 
And for those interested in Jan’s trip along the Silk Road, she arrived in the city of Xi’an in China last week, eastern terminus of the road and the home of the famous terra cotta warriors. Her itinerary says she’s now in the city of Dunhuang, if you’d like to follow along on the map.
 

This Week’s Tasting:

Thursday, September 5, 5:30 to 8:00 pm — Wines from the south of France
Last month at our tastings we poured wines from the Loire Valley, Burgundy, and the Rhone Valley to kick off our exploration of French wine regions. This week we further explore the south, adding wines from the Languedoc (specifically, Corbieres and Montpellier) and Cahors to Rhone wines from Lirac and Crozes-Hermitage. We’ll continue the series with visits to Bordeaux and Beaujolais in October and November, and then conclude with our grand Grower Champagne tasting in December.
 
Our guide this week will be our good friend Tristan Ohms of Vinea Imports. Tristan has carefully selected the estates represented in this week’s tasting, as his company expanded from just importing Spanish wines to bringing in wines from many different countries. And they are all good values, all $20 and under. We hope you can join us for the tasting!

Bergerie de Bedel, Vermentino  — Our first white is 100% Vermentino, fermented in stainless steel, from Chateau Haut-Blenville in the Gres de Montpellier region. It is bright, fresh, and mineral driven, with stone fruits, apple skins, and salinity. Great with seafood and spicy fare.
 
Chateau le Devoy Martine, Lirac Blanc — A classic Rhone white, it is one quarter each Bourboulenc, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, and Clairette. Sourced from 30 year-old vines and also fermented in stainless steel, it is one Tristan’s favorite fall whites and a great match with spicy chicken kabobs.

Chateau de Caraguilhes, Corbieres Blanc — A somewhat richer white, this one is 65% Roussanne, 20% Marsanne, and 15% Grenache Blanc. It undergoes partial malolactic fermentation and sees  months in older oak barriques. It comes from an organic winery in western Languedoc that is surrounded by 500 acres of woodlands. Great for chicken and root vegetables.

Chateau de Croisille, "Croizillon" — We’ll start the reds with a 100% Malbec from an organic winery in Cahors, a city about 150 miles inland from Bordeaux. It is fermented in concrete to give it some richness and some of it undergoes carbonic maceration, the in-grape fermentation that gives Beaujolais its freshness. Dark and meaty, perfect for late summer barbecues.

Domaine de L'Olivette, Rouge — The second wine of Chateau Carguilhes in Corbieres, it's a blend of 40% Merlot, 40% Grenache, and 20% Syrah, fermented in stainless steel. The Merlot imparts soft, chalky tannins, and the Grenache adds some cracked pepper notes. Tristan suggests pariing it with grilled skirt steak.
 
Chateau de Caraguilhes, Corbieres Rouge — A blend of 60% Syrah, 30% Carignan, and 10% Grenache, all vinified separately, blended, and then aged in oak barriques for 10 months. Substantial and complex, with some bitter olive notes on the black palate that make it a perfect match for cassoulet.

Domaine Melody, Crozes Hermitage — We’ll end back in the Rhone Valley with a 100% Syrah from the northern Rhone, aged for a year in neutral oak barriques. It has the classic notes of fall herbs and smoked meats from the region, and would go well with lamb, rib eye steak, or other rich meals.


Upcoming Tasting Schedule:
 
Our tastings are free and take place in the shop every Thursday, between 5:30 and 8:00, except as noted. (November & December Thursday tastings are still to be finalized.)

September 6, Thursday, 5:30 to 8:00 — Wines from the South of France
 
September 13, Thursday, 5:30 to 8:00 — Artisanal Ciders from France, England, Spain, and Switzerland
 
September 20, Thursday, 5:30 to 8:00 — Wines from Oregon
 
September 27, Thursday, 5:30 to 8:00 — October Collector’s Club (open to all)
 
October 4, Thursday, 5:30 to 8:00 — Wines from Italy
 
October 6, Saturday, 3:00  to 5:00 — Special tasting of “orange wines”
 
October 11 & 18 & 25, Thursdays, 5:30 to 8:00 — tbd
 
October 20, Saturday, 3:00  to 5:00 — Kerloo Cellars, with winemaker Ryan Crane
 
November 1, Thursday, 5:30 to 8:00 — November Collector’s Club (open to all)
 
November 3, Saturday, 2:00  to 5:00 — Special Holiday tasting, featuring the wines of Burgundy
 
November 17, Saturday, 3:00  to 5:00 — Avennia, with winemaker Chris Peterson
 
November 23, Friday, 5:00 to 8:00 — Bubblies from around the world
 
November 29, Thursday, 5:30 to 8:00 — December Collector’s Club (open to all)
 
December 8, Saturday, 3:00  to 5:00 — Longshadows wines
 
December 15, Saturday, 1:00  to 5:00 — Grower Champagne tasting ($10 fee, refundable upon purchase of a bottle of Grower Champagne)
 
December 27, Thursday, 5:30 to 8:00 — December Collector’s Club (open to all)
 
Fall Class Schedule:
 
October 12, Friday, 6:00 to 8:30 – Food and Wine Pairing  - Italy class at the Northwest Wine Academy at South Seattle College, taught by Tom. ($39 plus $15 materials fee)  Sign up at http://learnatsouth.org/.
 
October 26, Friday, 6:00 to 8:30 – Food and Wine Pairing  - Spain class at South Seattle College, co-taught by Greg Finger, American Northwest Distributors, and Tom. ($39 plus $15 materials fee)  Sign up at http://learnatsouth.org/.
 
November 9, Friday, 7:30 to 9;30 – Wines of Burgundy, taught by Greg Finger, American Northwest Distributors. ($35 per person, $30 for club members) Sign up at the shop.
 
November 30, Friday, 7:30 to 9;00 – Grower Champagne, co-taught by Dan Armstrong, Bianco-Rosso Imports, and Tom. ($35 per person, $30 for club members) Sign up at the shop.
 

Tom and Jan

 

West Seattle Cellars
6026 California Ave SW
Seattle WA  98136
206.937.2868
westseattlewinecellars.com

Hours:
Tuesday through Friday: 11:00 - 7:00 (later on Thursday for our free tastings)
Saturday: 12:00 to 5:00
Closed Sunday and Monday
Contact us at: info@wscellars.com