December is here and we need a little sustenance to make it through til the New Year. So of course we contacted Bill Meyer of Sustenance Distributing to come pour some wines to get you through the holiday season. He’ll be in the shop this Saturday sharing his wares. Come and taste some real holiday winners.
 
Pascal Ponson 1er Cru Champagne $39
80% Pinot Meunier, 10% Pinot Noir, 10% Chardonnay
Pascal Ponson is a small grower producer from Montagne de Reims. His Brut has rich and creamy aromas of red and yellow apple, quince, lemon blossom, white mushroom, honeysuckle, hazelnut, and delicate purple flowers are woven around a strong core of mineral notes. There is a lot of complexity here for the price.
2017 Dauvissat Petit Chablis $20
Chardonnay
Made from Vincent Dauvissat’s outlier vines located above Les Clos, on limestone soils, this wine has good focus and minerality with some of the savory complexity that’s the domain’s hallmark. It is very rich with classic notes of white flowers, citrus zest and struck flint over its silky fruit.
2007 Becker Landgraf Riesling, Gau-Odernheimer Trocken $24
Julia trained as a chartered engineer, Johannes as an oenologist, subsequently making the wines at his parents’ estate in Rheingau. In 2005 they married, and Johannes joined Julia in running her family estate in Gau-Odernheim. They dry-farm with as little intervention as possible, using only organic fertilizer, and interspersing green fallow plots in the vineyards. Their vineyard sites are distinctive, but are essentially calcareous clay. This aged Riesling has a pure, mineral driven Riesling notes accompanied by all the secondary note that only age provides.
2016 Edmond Monnot Maranges Les Saugeot $26
Pinot Noir
After taking over his father’s estate, Stephan Monnot built a new winery on the steep hillside below the family home designed to facilitate all movement of the wine by gravity for a more gentle journey from press to fermentation tank to barrel. His wines offer a great ratio of price to quality. This Maranges shows hints of pine and earth, mingled with tangy cherries and silky tannins on the finish. Drinking great now.
2015Domaine de la Gonorderie, Anjou Rouge $16
Cabernet Franc
Domaine de la Gonorderie is a 30-hectare. Family-owned and operated winery located only 15km away from Angers. Their Cab franc is a light bodied red, with soft red berry aromas, a fresh acidity and mineral finish. It is great for any occasion.

Sunday we’ll be pouring a pair from Piedmonte.  Both ore on special for $12
2012 Tacchino Dolcetto d’ Ovada  $12
Ripe, clean, fragrant strawberry-raspberry-scented wine with dusty tannins and brisk acidity. On the palate it is dry, medium-bodied, well balanced, with plenty of fruitiness. 13% alcohol by volume. Was $22 now $12
2016 Cantine Valpane Rosso Pietro  $12
Barbera di Monferrato
A deep, earthy fruit nose and a palate loaded with bright, spicy Barbera fruit and smooth tannins followed by a deliciously perfumed finish.  Was $15 now $12

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.