It is Labor Day weekend, a “holiday honoring the American Labor movement and the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of their country.” This Saturday we’ll be celebrating with some Hard Working Washington wines. These wines diligently labor to provide solid, quality value that greatly our well-being. Come taste the rewards of their labor.
2014 Parejas Cellars, Albarino $15
Parejas is a boutique winery in the Yakima Valley that produces high quality, great value wines from locally grown Spanish varietals. Their Albarino has stone fruit and spice notes and a good crisp mouthfeel. 13% alcohol by volume
2012 Shooting Star, Blue Franc $14
Lemberger
Shooting Star is Jed Steele’s Washington label, and Lemberger is a founding Washington grape. The Blue Franc is very clean and fresh with medium body and cherry and plum fruit along with notes of traces of pepper, almond, cherry and cinnamon.
Vina Salida Vino Rojo $15
Malbec, Temprnillo
Vina Salida is Doug McCrea’s new project focusing on Spanish varietals with a side trip into Malbec. This non-vintage bottling of Vino Rojo comes mainly from the cooler 2011 vintage with some 2010 added to fill out the body. The combo is totally successful balance between the spiciness of the cooler vintage and the full fruit flavors.
2010 Basel Cellars, Estate Claret $20
45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 12% Syrah, 7% Cabernet Franc, 3.5% Malbec, & 0.5% Petit Verdot
Basel Cellars is based in Walla Walla. Their Estate Claret is an example of precision blending and a minimal use of new barrels and emphasizing the grapes. The wine has aromas of dark fruit, cherry-cola, plum and cassis. The mouth provides a balanced acidity interwoven with dark fruit and a graphite-like minerality. The lingering finish is reminiscent of the dark spicy wrapper of a good Maduro cigar.
2011 Soos Creek Wine Cellars, Palisade Red $20
82% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon
Soos Creek pulls it’s fruit from some heavy hitting Washington vineyards (Champoux , Ciel du Cheval, Boushey, Klipsun and Sagemoor,) The Palisade has aromas of dark raspberry, dark chocolate, musky spices and earth. At once broad and juicy, it offers savory currant and dark raspberry fruit flavors complicated by licorice and smoky soil nuances. The wine is nicely concentrated wine with a restrained sweetness, and finishes with tongue-dusting, supple 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.