It is no secret that Madrona Wine favors small growers and wine makers, but it isn’t just cheering the underdog.  Smaller producers use hand harvested grapes.  They pay attention to individual lots.  And as a result, if they do it right, they can use less chemicals and preservatives in their wine, making it fresher and more distinct and lively.  Saturday we’re pouring a few wines from small producers bought to us by Petit Monde, a new local importer.  Cyril Frechier, long time sommelier for Rovers and Café Campagne will be back in the neighborhood pouring the wines.  It’s a small world.
 
2013 Dominique Andiran,” Vain de Ru”, Vin de France $15
95% Colombard, 5% Ugni Blanc
Dominique makes Gascon wines in a natural way, utilizing organic farming principles and minimal intervention. Andiran likes to say his winemaking philosophy is “vineyard first, second and third and I like to stay out of the way in the winery because I am basically lazy.” Dominique has embraced the natural wine movement, using only wild yeasts, not adding sulfur when at all possible and bottling without fining or filtration.  The wine has aromas of ripe nectarines, honeysuckle and pine needles and a trace of salinity followed by a nice palate of lemon curd and marmalade.
 
2013 Cave de la Bouquette, Sancerre $22.
Sauvignon Blanc
Cave de la Bouquette is a 5.5 hectare estate of 30-year-old vines on the sloping hills around Chavignol, and is one on t smallest producers in Sancere.  It is run by Thierry Veron who inherited it from his father.  The Savignon Blanc has a dry citrus body packed in a mineral wrapper.
 
2013 Domaine de la Biscarelle, Debut d une Histoire, Vin de France $17
90% Cinsault, 10% Grenache
Domaine de la Biscarelle is owned by a couple Jerome Grieco and his wife, Christelle in the the Côtes du Rhône, with vineyards in Orange and Châteauneuf du Pape. They farm their vineyards with minimal intervention.  The “beginning of a story” is a Côtes du Rhône turned on its head with more Cinsault than Grenache.   It has aromas of fresh red fruit and lively spice accents, thyme and pine mingle with this olfactory dance. Freshness and fruit expression combine on the palate.
 
2011 Chateau Mazeris , Canon Fronsac $23 
80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc
Chateau Mazeris was built in 1769, and given as a dowry in 1805 to Jeanne-Modeste Couvrat, when she marries Jean-Baptiste Cournuaud.  Nine generations later the family still runs the farm.  Their Canon Fronsac is a nicely balanced Bordeaux with classic notes of graphite and leather to balance the dark fruit.
 
2011 Domaine de l’Hermas, Terrasses du Larzac $27
60% Syrah, 40% Mourvedre
Run by Matthieu Torquebiau, Domaine de l’Hermas in the Languedoc makes just one white and one red wine.  His red has a large percentage of Mourvedre and is deeply knitted and full with notes of red and black fruit and, menthol, thyme, and small fine tannins.

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. No matter what day you stop by we always have something open to sample.