< Tasting Notes

Wines to Finish Summer with a Bang!
- August 2026

Hello friends and wine lovers!

Let’s end summer with some bangers. I just know you’re going to enjoy all these offerings from the West Coast and the Iberian Peninsula.

Three cheers to porch pounding whites and grill friendly reds.

Salud!

(**NOTE - Links are embedded in each winemaker’s names to direct you to their respective websites. Know thy vintner!**)

DAY WINES 'Isla' Vermentino 2024 * Applegate Valley, Southern Oregon
Brianne Day founded Day Wines in 2012 with just 125 cases after spending eight years traveling harvest circuits worldwide. She now produces nearly 20,000 cases annually from 32 vineyards, making her one of Oregon's most innovative rising stars. Day sources exclusively from biodynamic, organic, or sustainable growers, crafting minimal intervention wines that express specific terroir without compromise. Her philosophy centers on varietal diversity—working with 25 different grapes from Pinot Noir to experimental rarities. She describes her approach through orchestral metaphor: a piano solo might express specific music, but many varieties show different sides of a place. That multiplicative thinking defines everything she does.

Named for Brianne's beautiful niece Claire Isla, this Vermentino comes from Layne Vineyard in Applegate Valley, planted in 1975 at 1,600 feet elevation on alluvial soils over granitic bedrock. The vineyard's age, elevation, and wide diurnal shifts create what Brianne describes as "a vacation in a bottle"—racy yet ripe, salty and tropical, reminding her of sunbathing on a beach with a piña colada in hand. The fruit was fermented and matured in a blend of 500L and 288L neutral barrels, then bottled without fining or filtration. Bright straw yellow with aromas of lemon oil, lemon curd, lime, white peach, and soft florals. The palate shows the wine's salty bright zesty finish that makes you want another sip immediately.

NERD ALERT!! - Vermentino has been grown in northern Italy for centuries but is most closely associated with Corsica, where it's the most widely planted variety. The grape migrated to Corsica from Spain, making it genuinely cosmopolitan—much like this wine, which refuses to acknowledge Oregon's reputation as Pinot Noir country and insists on thriving where conventional wisdom says it shouldn't. Brianne's refusal to specialize, her embrace of "oddball varieties" as she calls them, turns what traditionalists see as scattered into what modern winemaking recognizes as resilience. Vermentino's natural salinity and minerality come from its Mediterranean origins, yet Oregon's cool climate gives it additional freshness that warmer regions can't achieve. It's like the grape was waiting for exactly this place to fully express itself.

Grape(s) - 100% Vermentino

Flavors - Lemon oil, lemon curd, lime, white peach, soft floral aromas. Racy yet ripe. Salty, bright, zesty finish. Tropical character with minerality.

Serving - Chill this wine and serve it poolside, beachside, or at minimum somewhere warm where you can pretend you're on vacation without actually leaving. The tropical character pairs with ceviche, grilled fish, light seafood preparations, or anything with citrus and heat. Honestly, it pairs best with an afternoon where your only agenda is enjoyment. If you must eat something substantial, try herb-forward preparations, summer salads with goat cheese, or literally any preparation involving fresh mint. This wine exists to make summer taste better.

Album Pairing - MAC DEMARCO - ‘Salad Days’ - 2014 * Mac DeMarco makes music that sounds effortless, beachy, genuine without being try-hard—exactly like sipping this wine. Both feel like summer vacation bottled. Both refuse to take themselves seriously while clearly caring deeply about craft. Mac's jangly guitars and breathy vocals sound like the musical equivalent of a Vermentino's tropical ease: accessible, warm, immediately likable, yet revealing layers if you pay attention. Brianne named this wine after her niece with genuine love; Mac named his album after salad days—innocent, carefree moments you don't appreciate until they're gone. Both capture that bittersweet joy of temporary perfection. The album's production is intentionally lo-fi, just like this wine's refusal to age in new oak or hide behind pretense. What you get is what you get, and what you get is delightful.

MILES GARRETT Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 * Willow Creek AVA, Humboldt County, California
Miles Garrett operates one of fewer than ten wineries in Humboldt County's remote, rugged AVA. He farms organically (CCOF certified), dry-farms without irrigation, and practices natural winemaking with zero sulfur additions. He works alongside his wife Carla and leads a harvest crew with Johanne Rapine, a French woman who has been with him since the beginning. Miles compensates his crew generously ($15-$25/hour) and participates with WWOOF, providing workers with wooden yurts, loaner bicycles, hot showers, WiFi, and meals in exchange for their labor. His approach treats winemaking as a community endeavor rather than an extractive industry. The vineyard sits on an ancient river shoulder at 900 feet elevation on south/southwest-facing hillsides in the Trinity River Valley, a wild and mountainous region where warm inland air during the day and cool ocean breezes at night create optimal ripening while maintaining crisp acidity.

This Cabernet comes entirely from Peach Tree Lane Vineyard, picked early to maintain vibrant acidity and what Miles calls "early Cabernet characteristics." The grapes were fermented with a mix of whole cluster and destemmed fruit using indigenous yeasts, employing semi-carbonic maceration to preserve brightness and aromatic lift. The wine aged in neutral French oak before being bottled without fining or filtration, with no sulfites added at any point. The result shows lightly pyrazinic green notes balanced against juicy dark fruit, all streaked with the high acidity that marks Humboldt County's cool climate heritage. Red currant, blackberry, mulberry, cigar leaf, and light vegetal notes emerge. Medium-bodied with crunchy acidity and structured tannins that prevent this from reading as a fruit bomb.

NERD ALERT!! - Humboldt County sits 300 miles north of Napa Valley, closer to Oregon than to San Francisco, in terrain that most wine professionals assumed was too cool and rugged for quality viticulture. Miles and a handful of others are proving the skeptics spectacularly wrong—which is fitting, because the whole vibe of this wine is "you're not the boss of what I can do." The own-rooted vines are possible here because phylloxera hasn't colonized these isolated valleys, allowing Miles to farm ungrafted vines that, some argue, provide a purer expression of terroir without rootstock interference. Whether that's true or just wine geek mythology, the wine clearly expresses something real about this place: it's not trying to be Napa. It's being Humboldt, which is wilder, greener, and more interesting.

Grape(s) - 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Flavors - Red currant, blackberry, mulberry, cigar leaf, light vegetal notes. Medium body with crunchy acidity. Structured tannins. Juniper, sage, resin aromatics.

Serving - This wine's structure and savory character make it ideal for grilled meats, hearty stews, aged cheddar, or mushroom dishes. The acidity keeps it food-friendly despite the concentration, and the mountain herb aromatics pair naturally with preparations that incorporate rosemary, sage, or thyme. It's also excellent with charcuterie boards, particularly aged cured meats. The wine demands to be taken seriously, but not pretentiously—serve it to people who appreciate unpretentious seriousness.

Album Pairing - SUBLIME – ‘Sublime’ - 1996 * Sublime emerged from Long Beach, California, a few hours south of Miles' vineyard, with the same DIY ethos and refusal to fit conventional boxes. Ska-punk-reggae fusion shouldn't work, but it does—much like a dry-farmed Cabernet from Humboldt County shouldn't achieve this balance, yet here we are. "What I Got" is about appreciating what you have without needing more, which perfectly captures Miles' philosophy: grow grapes the right way, pay people fairly, don't add chemicals because some consultant says you should. Both made it big not by compromising but by being authentically themselves. Sublime's success came from community and genuine vibes, not from chasing trends. Miles' success came from knowing that Humboldt County had something to say and refusing to silence it with manipulation. The whole album radiates coastal California sunshine mixed with underground punk ethics—exactly this wine's character.

TOMADA DE CASTRO ‘Flor de Verano’ 2025 * Val do Salnés, Rías Baixas, Galicia, Spain
Elisabeth and her father Carlos Castro Serrantes founded Tomada de Castro in 1998 after years of making wine solely for local consumption in Val do Salnés, the original and oldest sub-zone of Rías Baixas. They work exclusively with their own seven hectares of estate vineyards, scattered across tiny individual parcels as dictated by Napoleonic ancestral code. All fruit is trained high on pergolas to capture ocean breezes and reduce mildew and rot risk—a practical solution to a coastal climate's genuine challenges. The vineyards sit on sandy soils over granite bedrock. Fermentations happen using ambient yeasts entirely in stainless steel, with no oak aging. The winery never bottles before 8-9 months, letting wines rest in steel tanks so time can give them the personality characteristic of their Albariños.

Flor de Verano (Summer Flower) comes from the lowest elevation vineyard on the property, so close to the sea that one vineyard sits only 10 feet from the beach. The increased moisture and sea spray from the coastline shapes these vines in ways higher vineyards never experience. Low-temperature, natural yeast fermentation creates a wine with remarkable personality and liveliness. Bright and straw yellow in color, the nose presents just the right intensity with sensations of white fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with right acidity, sufficient fruit, and a pleasant finish. Citrus, green apple, pear, and stony minerality define the character. The wine showcases both the climate and the granite soils beneath, expressing place with effortless clarity.

NERD ALERT!! - Rías Baixas means "low tides" in Galego, referring to the region's dramatic coastal estuaries. These aren't gentle beaches—they're serious geological features shaped by Atlantic currents and Atlantic moods. Albariño thrives here because it wants challenge; the grape's high acidity and minerality make it perfect for this humid, cool, demanding place. Elisabeth and Carlos' decision to never bottle before 8-9 months of steel tank aging represents a commitment to patience that modern winemaking often abandons. It's not about oak complexity or aging in barrel—it's about letting the wine settle and find itself naturally. That's old-school thinking in a world obsessed with new-school techniques. There's something quietly revolutionary about refusing to rush.

Grape(s) - 100% Albariño

Flavors - Citrus, green apple, pear, stony minerality. Bright straw yellow color. Medium body with right acidity. Pleasant finish. White fruit aromatics.

Serving - This wine is made for seafood and coastal living. Raw oysters, grilled fish, ceviche, or seafood rice dishes pair beautifully. The stony minerality and bright acidity cut through rich sauces while complementing delicate flavors. Try it with preparations featuring lemon, white wine reductions, or butter-based sauces. The wine's refreshing quality makes it ideal for warm weather drinking or as a natural aperitif. Realistically, serve it to people who understand that not all good wine needs to cost money or age decades.

Album Pairing - NINA SIMONE – ‘I Put a Spell on You’- 1965 * Elisabeth and Carlos have been quietly performing magic at this small winery for nearly 30 years—no marketing blitz, no Instagram presence, just consistent excellence emerging from genuine commitment. Nina Simone's voice carries that same quiet magic: pure, unmanipulated, honest to the point of being almost overwhelming. Both represent tradition carried forward by people who refuse to let it become museum pieces. "I Put a Spell on You" opens with Nina's voice utterly alone, vulnerable, powerful—exactly like this wine's clarity. There's no filter, no pretense, nothing added to make it more palatable. Elisabeth's father-daughter partnership running this small operation mirrors Nina's solo artistry: one voice, completely honest, completely arresting. Both prove that simplicity executed with integrity creates its own kind of magic.

LOPEZ DE HEREDIA ‘Viña Bosconia’ Rioja Reserva 2015 * Haro, Rioja Alta, Spain
Bodegas R. López de Heredia is one of Spain's most esteemed and historically significant wineries, founded in 1877 by D. Rafael López de Heredia y Landeta, who built what some call a "Cathedral to wine." Now under the leadership of María José López de Heredia, the family continues without meaningful change from founding principles. Unlike many Rioja producers who source grapes from networks of small growers, López de Heredia cultivates all its own fruit from four historic vineyards: Viña Tondonia, Viña Bosconia, Viña Cubillo, and Viña Gravonia. They rely exclusively on natural yeasts, avoid filtration, and age their wines in wood for six to eight years using barrels they craft themselves. Since 1890, they have declared only twenty Gran Reserva vintages in 130 years—a study in patience and principle.

Viña Bosconia Reserva comes from El Bosque vineyard, located next to the Ebro River at 465 meters elevation on south-facing foothills of the Sierra Cantabria range. The soil is clay and limestone with vines averaging 40 years old: 11 hectares of Tempranillo, two of Garnacha, and one of Graciano-Mazuelo. The wine spent five years in American oak, which lends a fine veneer to the aromas. Mostly Tempranillo (85%) with 15% Graciano and 5% Graciano-Mazuelo, it presents juicy red fruit—strawberry and cherry—allied with delicious savory notes in perfect balance. López de Heredia ages this wine ten years total: five in American oak barrels and five more in bottle in consistent cellar temperatures, hand-racking around ten times before release. Everything you'd want from a classic aged Rioja, which is precisely the problem: in a world obsessed with fruit-forward, early-drinking wines, López de Heredia insists on making something that requires patience and rewards it completely.

NERD ALERT!! - López de Heredia refuses to participate in modern Rioja's obsession with smaller French oak and shorter aging. While other producers brag about releasing wines young and fruity, López de Heredia takes wines off the market for a decade before consumers can touch them. This isn't contrarian posturing—it's conviction rooted in 145 years of history. The American oak choice, scorned by trendy producers, creates a distinctive character that defines the house style. Graciano and Mazuelo add complexity and structure that time transforms rather than diminishes. In an era of maximum yields and minimum patience, López de Heredia's approach feels like an act of defiance. They're betting that quality and tradition will outlast fashion, a bet they've been winning since before most modern wineries existed.

Grape(s) - Tempranillo blend with Graciano and Mazuelo

Flavors - Strawberry, cherry, juicy red fruit. Savory notes in perfect balance. Complex aromatics from extended aging. Fine veneer from American oak. Medium to full body with integrated tannins.

Serving - This wine is not casual drinking—serve it to people who understand that good things take time. Grilled lamb, aged beef, wild game, or hearty stews pair beautifully. The wine's structure handles rich sauces and intense flavors while its savory notes complement herb-forward preparations. Classic Spanish dishes—chorizo, jamón ibérico, beef ragu—are natural partners. The wine benefits from a slight chill to enhance its complexity. Serve it at dinner with people willing to linger over the glass, people who understand that wine is something to experience, not consume.

** AUDIOPHILE LP OF THE MONTH CLUB VINYL**

Album Pairing - PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND – ‘That's It!’ - 2013 * Preservation Hall Jazz Band has preserved New Orleans jazz tradition for 50 years while Ben Jaffe, now the tuba-playing director, ensures that tradition lives as active practice, not museum piece. Their first album of entirely original material proves that honoring tradition doesn't mean refusing innovation. López de Heredia, now under María José's stewardship, operates identically: 130 years of unchanging commitment to method, yet producing wines that evolve and deepen through time. Both are family operations passing leadership to the next generation with the understanding that stewardship means continuity, not stagnation. That's It! features original compositions that sound both traditional and fresh—exactly this wine's balance. The album's joyful brass work and communal spirit mirror the collectivity of López de Heredia's multigenerational vineyard work. Both prove that the deepest traditions are living practices, not historical artifacts. Both understand that to truly preserve something, you must keep it alive by engaging it fully, by letting it breathe, by trusting that what's worth keeping will prove its worth across time.

REMINDERS

• To celebrate our valued club members we offer 20% off all food ordered on the day you pick-up. 

• If you can not pick up on the pick up dates please contact mckay@barmiriam.com and we will hold your allotment offsite and can arrange for a future pick up.

• Email mckay@barmiriam.com to buy more single bottles or a case with special club pricing.

• Queen Anne Bottle Shop is open Tuesday-Saturday from 3:00pm — 8:00pm.

• Wine pairs best with friends. Tell your friends.