Spring is our favorite time of year.  Not only does it bring the blossoms and flowers, but it is also the time when our distributors stroll through their warehouses and decide what wine they need to move to make room for their coming shipments.  They want to clean out and we like to clean up.  This Saturday we’ll be pouring a selection of these tidy offerings.  Come by and sweep some up for yourself.

2011 Domaine de Pignan, Château Neuf Blanc  $22
40% Grenache Blanc, 20% Clairette, 20% Rousanne, 10% Bourboulenc, 5% Picpoul, 5% Picardan
A full and layered CNDP Blanc with complex herbal and honeydew melon notes.  Often eclipsed by their rouge counterpart, Château Neuf blancs should not be overlooked.  Was $37 now $22

2013 Pélaquié Tavel Rosé  $15
60% Grenache, 40% Cinsault
From an old family winery, (16th century) this blend of Grenache and Cinsault is full, generous with aromas of “scrubland” read herbal and fruity with a touch of tannin. But the next shipment is coming. . .Was $20 now $15

2009 Ronchi Terle, Barbera D’Alba  $20
Sweet perfumes of a just-baked cherry pie; abundant spices that remind of a lively Moroccan market. “Terlé” grows on similar soils as does the family’s Barbaresco, and is raised with equal care. 100% barrel aged, with 30% new wood. Outstanding vigor and silky balance, with penetrating, limpid flavors of black cherry and cranberry. Excellent length, with a peppery finish that keeps on giving.  Was $24 now $20

2007 Château Gigault, Cuvee Viva  $12
85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon
Côtes de Blaye
The Cuvee Viva is lush, seductive, ripe, dark and full-bodied – scented with black olive and dried herbs, notes of coffee and cacao; silky soft with an iron and mineral finish. 2007 was a cooler vintage, but the wine is tasting great right now.  Was $25 now $12 

2011 Notre Dame des Pallières, Les Ribes Rasteau  $13
75% Grenache, 15% Mourvedre, 10% Cinsault.
Fuller-bodied, dry. This wine has a youthful purple color and a complex nose of clove and earthy tobacco. The palate is full of dark plum, mocha, and licorice followed by a very long finish of fine tannins. Was $17 now $13

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.