We look all over to find delicious wines. This Saturday’s tasting is a prime example. We’ll be tasting wines from Italy, France, Spain and Columbia Valley. They come in different colors and styles but somehow together they all fit. Come find the common denominator.
2013 Casale del Giglio, Satrico $13
34% Chardonnay, 33% Sauvignon, 33% Trebbiano
From a 100-year-old winery in Lazio comes this uncommon blend of international and local varieties that really works. Fruity, lightly aromatic with mineral aromas which are confirmed on the palate along with a pleasing crispness and a lengthy finish.
2014 Dupeuble Beaujolais Rose $15
Gamay Noir
Domaine Dupeuble has been running almost continuously since 1512. The wine according to how Google translates their web site has “Dress salmon with raspberry nuances with many tears. A fruity nose spawning and reveals aromas of gooseberry and white flowers. Bouches fresh, drinkable, light and round.”
2009 Torre Oria, Reserva $9
70% Tempranillo, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon
This 100 year old winery in Valencia Spain kicks out some good juice for a very low price. The wine has aromas of wild fruits with spicy notes and a vanilla background from its time in oak. The palate it is full-bodied with long persistent notes of forest fruits that are accompanied by sweet tannin ripeness that is well integrated into the structure of the wine with a long and pleasing finish.
2012 Matteo Correggia, Roero Nebbiolo. $17
Matteo Correggia’s one hundred percent Nebbiolo Roero DOC comes from a single vineyard in Canale d’Alba. The Nebbiolo is aged for 12 months in neutral barrique and then eight months in steel vats. It is very pure, clean, expressive and loaded with varietal cherry fruit, spice and fine tannins.
2013 Owen Roe, Abbots Table $20
41% Zinfandel, 34% Sangiovese, 11% Malbec, 9% Blaufränkisch, 5% Merlot
Reminiscent of the bold Abbot’s Table blends of past vintages, this 2013 bottling is rich and structured. Sweet aromas of baked blueberries, pomegranate, violets, pencil shaving, clove, pepper and Grand Marnier. These sweet aromas give way to a more serious palate brimming with blueberry, white pepper and black tea with lasting 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.