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Along with being a big cheese aficionado, Seattlest is a bit of a wino. As we've gotten older, our tastes have matured from guzzling Mad Dog and Boone's straight outta the bottle to being able to relish a really good medium- to full-bodied red. And all the better if the wine has a "velvety plum nose" or a "strong finish" or "hints of tobacco." It's for this very reason that we've taken to stopping by Tarragona Wine and Food on Friday evenings for their free wine tastings from 5-7pm.
Tarragona is a cute little husband-and-wife-owned shop that opened up last fall. Paula and Michael Hatch have a great selection of wines from all over the world, in addition to a modest assortment of cheeses and other wine-appropriate specialty foods. Each weekly tasting is focused on a certain grape-growing region and usually involves 4-6 wines. All of April was spent tasting wines from five regions in France: Southern Rhone, the Loire Valley, Languedoc, Southwest France, and Bordeaux. So far this May, they've featured wines from Burgundy, and some quality pinots (both gris and noir) from Oregon.
Tonight they're pouring four Washington state wines:
Wineglass Cellars, Chardonnay 2003 -- $14
Fruity nose that follows through with pineapple, apricots and mineral notes on the palate. Nice accompaniment to shellfish. This bared down version (no new oak) is lighter and exposes the fruity characteristics that the oak covers up.Bergevin Lane, Calico Red 2003 -- $18
A seductive blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Zinfandel and Cabernet Franc. Oozing with intense aromas and flavors of strawberry, raspberry, black currant, blackberry, huckleberry as well as vanilla, black pepper and freshly roasted coffee beans. Nicely structured with soft and silky tannins with a lingering finish.Dunham Cellars, Trutina 2001 -- $20
This "Trutina" (a Latin word meaning 'balance') shows cassis, black currant, toffee and sweet tobacco notes both on the nose and the rich, structured mouth. Aged in 100% tight-grained French oak.K Vintners, Milbrandt Syrah 2003 -- $25
"Deep and dark earth, bacon fat, marshmallow, minerals & tons of candied violets." (Winemaker notes) From one of Walla Walla's most irreverent winemakers, this wine shows typical big Walla Walla fruit, but also an earthy complexity.
While all three of the reds sound delightful, it's that last one that we're the most excited to sample. We encountered K Vintners at a tasting event earlier this year at Esquin and were instantly charmed by their gregarious, larger-than-life, self-described El Presidente Charles Smith. His syrahs are quite possibly the best we've ever tasted, and the name---K Syrah---just sealed the deal.
So stop by Tarragona, drink their wine, and give 'em some business. It's Seattlest's favorite way to kick off the weekend, whether we then follow it up by celebrating the birthday of one of our contributors, or by attending the wedding of a very special couple.
Tarragona Wine and Food
1125 E. Olive St. at 12th Ave. in Capitol Hill
206-329-2399
Join their email list to find out which wines will be featured at upcoming tastings.
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