This Saturday we are pouring wines from two of our favorite Spanish producers.  We have the core wines from Torre Muga, a classic Rioja winery that seems to do everything right (for instance they have their own master cooper and three in-house barrel makers to get their barrels just the way they want them.)  We also have two wines from Bodegas Juan Gil who specializes on very modern but delicious wines.  Come by and see what they have going.
 
2014 Bodegas Shaya, Arindo Verdejo  $10
Bodegas Shaya is part of the Gil Family of wineries and is located in Rueda.  The wine is hand harvested and fermented in stainless steel tanks on its lees. It is a refreshing white with lemon, peach and fragrant floral aromas, a lemon pucker and notes of pear, melon, and apples.
 
2015 Muga, Rioja Blanco  $15
90% Viura, 10% Malvasía
Mugas Blanco ferments in new French-oak casks and then rests on the lees for 3 months before bottling.  On the nose the fruit (mainly citrus and green apple) is “sweetened” by pastry aromas from the fine lees and spices from the Nevers oak.  On the palate, the attack is at the same time mineral and silky, with pineapple, scrub land and vanilla.

2015 Muga Rosado $13
60% Garnacha, 30% Viura and 10% Tempranillo.
The Grenache a for this rosé is grown on north facing slopes , more sheltered from the sun and much cooler so as to preserve better the notes of fresh, sharp fruit, citrus and green apple aromas hints of apricot and faint reminders of pastries. It combines sweetness, freshness and acidity.
 
2011 Muga Reserva  $25
70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, 10% Mazuelo & Graciano.
A traditional styled Rioja, the Reserva is aged for 6 months in wooden vats before spending 2 years in 60% new French and American oak.  It’s then bottled (unfiltered) one year before release.  Its rich layered fruit is smooth-textured and concentrated with notes of dark fruit, bitter chocolate and spices such as pepper, vanilla and a little mountain scrub.  The attack is broad and long, with an evolution in the mouth which spreads silky and mineral sensations before concluding with sweet tannins which still have a bit of “grip” and will benefit from some “time out” for their full integration.
 
2013 Juan Gill, Jumilla Red Wine  $16
Monastrell
Juan Gil Jiménez built his first winery in 1916.  Now in its 4th generation this family winery runs a collection of wineries in different regions of Spain.  The Jumilla Red comes from old vineyards with chalky, stony soils ideal for the growing of the Monastrell.  It is a big shouldered Monastrell, rich without being jammy, structured without being too tannic.

Madrona Wine Merchants offers free wine tastings featuring 4-5 selections on a theme every Saturday from 2 until the bottles run out and on Sunday we offer a mini-tasting of two wines all day from 11-5.