Spain is a land of contrasts and Spanish wines are no different.  They are masters of young fresh wines and are also masters of letting wines age and develop complexity.  Join us Saturday as we taste a couple of wines from Lopez de Heredia one of the masters of aging.  For 139 years, four generations of the López de Heredia family have devoted themselves to producing exceptional and unique wines. They are masterpieces which the founder of the company, Rafael López de Heredia y Landeta, defined in the late nineteenth century as the “Supreme Rioja”. We’ll also have some young fresh youngsters to put up against them.

2015 Eira dos Mouros, Riberiro Blanco  $15
Treixadura
A lively white from Galacia in the northwest of Spain.  This Treixadura  is fresh, vivid and bright with notes of exotic fruits and beautiful minerality. It has lovely purity of fruit and a spicy bite on the finish.

2006 Lopez de Heredia, Rioja, Viña Gravonia  $25
Viura
The Gravonia come from 45-year-old Viura vines in poor and stony soil. It has aged 4 years in barrel and 6 years in bottle before release.  The wine is complex, nutty and truly unique with notes of petrol, beeswax and chamomile.

2013 Castell del Remei , Gotim Bru Costers del Segre  $14
45% Tempranillo, 25% Garnacha, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 8% Syrah
Castell del Remei was built in 1780 in Penelles (Costers del Segre) and was the first Catalan winery to sell its “aged wine” on the market.  The wine has complex aromas of red fruit preserves with hints of toffee, sweet spices and toasted notes.  It has a long finish with notes of dried fruit ad lingering tannins.

2008 Lopez de Heredia,  Viña Cubillo Crainza $23
65% Tempranillo, 25% Garnacho, 5% Mazuelo, 5% Graciano
From the vineyard Viña Cubillas, whose vines average 40 years of age.  The soil is from the tertiary age and is a mixture of clay and limestone. The wine is aged for three years, being racked twice per year before bottling.  It then rests in bottle until they think it is ready for release. The palate is tight but well sculpted and the tannins will surely mellow further with time, allowing the beguiling mixture of fruit and savory notes to rise from the depths.  For any other winery this would be a Gran Reserva, for Lopez de Heredia it is labeled Crianza.

2012 Hnos Perez Pascuas, Vina Pedrosa  Crianza $30
Tempranillo
Hnos Perez Pascuas began in 1980, when three brothers, Benjamín, Manuel and Adolfo Pérez Pascuas, Started making wine out of the vineyards owned by their father, Mauro,  The Vina Pedrosa spends 18 months in barrel and then 6 months in the bottle.  A more modern styled wine it is a meaty, sumptuous and characterful wine with abundant fruit, and solid layers of tannin and toasted oak.

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.