In honor of the Perseid Meteor showers we’ll be laying out our blankets this Saturday and drinking some crisp wines from the Loire. Not sure what to sip on your blanket? Stop by Saturday afternoon and we’ll give you some hints. Don’t worry about clouds; the wine will light up the night.
2016 Vignerons de Saumur, Saumur Blanc Les Pouches $10
Chenin Blanc
The Pouches vineyard is located on a hillock composed of a shallow soil of very hard limestone. The favorable exposure on the slope offers good drainage of the soil and a high precocity. This Chenin is tangy with notes of white fruits, rose and grapefruit with a suave finish.
2016 Domaine Pierre Riffault, Sancerre Blanc $20
Sauvignon Blanc
A shop favorite, the Riffault Sancerre is blended from different terroirs; the caillottes (clay- limestone) lend fruit and freshness while flint-based soils lend minerality. The wine is vinified in stainless steel tanks with lees stirring for more body, aroma and favors. Look for aromas of fern, hawthorn, floral aromas, white fruits, grapefruit zest with peppery hints. The finish displays intermingling notes of citrus zest and minerals.
2016 Henri Bourgeois, Chateaumeillant Rosé Amphores $15
Gamay
Henri Bourgeois is an 11 generation family estate based in Sancerre. The Les Amphores rosé is made with Beaujolais region’s premier variety, Gamay. The wine has is a bouquet of wild berry and red cherry, with a sprightly acidity that dances on the tongue.
2016 Gerard Fiou, Sancerre Rosé $23
Pinot Noir
Gerard Fiou is a small family domaine in the east of the Sancerre appellation in the town of Saint Satur. There are only a handful of producers here and the soil is unique in that it has a high percentage of silex (or flint) which typically is identified with Pouilly Fumé, which lies just across the Loire river. The domaine has 10 hectares, and they are in the process of converting to certified organic viticulture. Only 15% of the Sancerre appellation has these special silex soils. The terroir, coupled with the older vineyards (an average of 60 years old), gives the wine have a unique and intense mineral expression that is distinctly Sancerre.
2012 Alpha Loire, Cheverny Rouge, Enclos du Petit Chien $13
60% Pinot Noir, 30% Gamay and 10% Cot
The little dog is named after a constellation, but also a reference to Snowy, the faithful dog of Tintin. No cartoon, the wine offers a powerful nose of red fruits with licorice accents. In the mouth, it unwinds an ample, round and supple material, flattering a gourmet fruity (small black fruits) which finds the freshness to perfect its balance.
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.