We are as busy as Santa’s elves this coming week at Madrona Wine Merchants. But we have time to pop the corks on a few wines that we think might make great gifts or go with that holiday dinner. Here is what we have planned but we will be opening things throughout the coming week so keep your eyes open.

Saturday

2020 Col Sandago, Wildbacher Brut Rosé $22
A distinct bubbly from Northern Italy. Delicate, fresh and alarmingly easy. Pale pink, laced with cherry and black forest fruits, a twist of bitters and a suggestion of fragrant rose.
12% alcohol by volume
2020 Juan Gil “Bluegray” Priorat Red Blend $22
40% Garnacha (Grenache), 30% Cariñena (Carignan), 20% Syrah, 10% Merlot
From Priorat’s blue slate soils, this Tinto is very much alive with aromas of blackberries and cherries and delicate notes of nutmeg and star anise on the nose. The wine is very elegant with well integrated tannins with dried Mediterranean herbs such as thyme with a lingering finish.
2018 Maison Brotte, Chateauneuf du Pape Les Hauts de Barville $42
70% Grenache, 15% Mourvedre, 15% Syrah
Rich symphony of red fruits (strawberry dominates), spices, truffles and guarrigue. Rich and unctuous, with long lasting aromas of red fruits and spices, the cuvée will seduce the amateurs of fruit in its youth, and those who will age the wine (up to 10 years) to savor its full potential and unique truffles and garrigue notes.
Kopke, 10 year old Tawny $20
A blend of different vintage, barrel aged tawny ports with the average age being 10 years old. Elegant and complex, it shows aromas of spice, with prevailing notes of dried fruit and elegant hints of wood and honey. Smooth and round on the palate, it shows complexity amidst intense flavors of dried fruit.

The 375 ml bottle would fit nicely into someone’s stocking.

Sunday

2013 Vinosia, Rajamagra Taurasi Reserva$55

Aglianico

Looking for a special present? This top of the line bottling from Vinosia fits the bill. Taurasi is to aglianico what Barolo is to nebbiolo. Made with grapes from the village of Paternopoli, it is a deep and long-lived Taurasi. Full bodied, intense and complex with flavors and aromas of blackberries, sour cherries, vanilla, and leather with notes of cocoa, espresso on the finish. The wine is 10 years old but will last much longer.

Two renowned Washington winemakers strut their stuff.

New wines from David O’Reilly and one from ????.

David O’Reilly Who built his reputation in Northwest winemaking at Owenroe recovers from the wineries split up and is kicking out some very nice wines using his contacts and contracts. We’ll be pouring 3 of them this Saturday along with a little mystery project from another cloaked big wig (scroll down).

Saturday

2022 Rocks of Bawn, “Shafts and Furrow” White $20
84% Sauvignon Blanc, 16% Sémillon
Washington
The Shafts and Furrow SB is crisp and fresh without being too tropical. The Sémillon smooths out the edges and adds a bit of richness.
2021 Rocks of Bawn, Pinot Noir Willamete Valley $22
100% Pinot Noir
A single vineyard PN from in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA. It delivers dark cherry and ripe strawberry with a hint of cola all enhanced with pleasant notes of earth. A savory quality rounds out the fresh finish.
2020 Rocks of Bawn, Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $22
Sourced mainly from the Frenchman’s Hills Vineyard on Royal Slope and blended with a bit from Red Mountain and the Horse Heaven Hills come together in a well-made Washington Cab with Earthy tones, cherry aroma and a bit of black olive in the finish.
2018 Top Source, Columbia Valley Red $25
70% Syrah, 30% Grenache
Rumor has it that Cayuse did a bit of consulting (maybe more) on this project. But whether that is true or not, this is a bold Washington red. Rich, dark fruits enveloped in a beautiful bouquet of earthy, savory aromas followed by a full-bodied, multi-layered palate of black pepper, baking spices, bacon, black olives and dark plum combined with velvety tannins and a long finish.

Sunday is Lambrusco!

Cantina Settecani, Lambrusco Grasparosso di Castelvetro Secco, $13

This dry red Italian sparkler’s taste is round, full-bodied, crisp and fruity; an explosion of ripe red fruit, persistent to the palate, fresh and enveloping. Get ready for those holiday parties.

December has arrived, the nights are dark, the days are wet and we all need a bit of socializing and holiday cheer to make it through. The booze and buffet season is here, time for some sipping and supping. It doesn’t matter if it is a couple of friends or a crowded living room, you are going to need some good wine. Stop in at Madrona Wine this weekend as we are tasting good candidates for the month ahead.

Saturday – a crisp sparkler and three robust reds.

Steenberg, Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc $18
Constancia, South Aftrica
Made with 100% Sauvignon Blanc grapes, this wine is bursting with citrusy flavors and has a bright and effervescent mouthfeel.
12.5% alcohol by volume
2021 Domaine de Pallus, Messanges Rouge $21
100% Cabernet Franc
Messanges is an old Loire Valley name for Cabernet Franc. It was made to be drunk young. Fruity aromas with nuances of raspberries and cherries and some leather and bay leaf. The balanced taste sets in full, round and smooth and ends with a light and ripe tannin in the aftertaste.
12.5% alcohol by volume
2019 Lorenzo Sassetti, Pertimali Montecucco Rosso $25
100% Sangiovese
Tuscany
This Rosso presents crushed blackberries and wild herbs spiked with a twang of sour citrus. The textures are silky and pliant with masses of ripe fruits and wild berries offset by penetrating minerals and brisk acids. This tapers off long and lightly structured.
2019 Triennes, Saint August $22
Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot
Tis Provence red blend offers alluring aromas of ripe black cherries, nutmeg and clove. It is full and concentrated and is a wine that can be enjoyed upon release and over the following ten to fifteen years. Organic

Sunday—A winter white

2017 Tenuta Santi Giacomo e Filippo, Bellantonio $22

A unique white from the Marche region. The nose is abundant with fruit and has complex notes of citrus fruit, tomato leaves with a hint of tropical lychee fruit. The palate is fresh and vibrant with a near perfect balance of fruit and acidity. Stunning wine. Organic

We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and happily digesting yesterday’s delicious food. Here at Madrona wine we are regrouping and getting ready to pour some great wines this weekend. We will also be pouring something today, but you’ll just have to stop in to see what it is. Enjoy the sunny fall weather.

Saturday — We’ll be tasting these as long as the bottles last.

2021 Domaine de Chevilly, Quincy $22
100% Sauvignon Blanc
Loire
One of the neighboring villages to Sancerre, the Quincy is classic Sauvignon Blanc aromas and flavors of grass and citrus, but without going over the top. Filled with citrus and lined with great cut (acidity) leaving the palette ready for more. A crisp, delicious white wine.
2020 Poderi Luigi Einaudi, ‘Dogliani’ Dolcetto $22
A fantastic wine to drink while you wait for Einaudi’s Barolo to age. Ripe and fruity red, featuring black cherry, blackberry, violet and earth notes. Velvety in texture, with terrific harmony and a lingering aftertaste of dark fruit and spice, with a slight almond final note.
2018 Château Moncets, Lalande de Pomerol $21
86% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc
One of our best selling Bordeaux.. This wine, hugely rich and packed with tannins, has equally powerful black fruits . . . rich texture and blackberry and licorice flavors.
2021 Syndicat La Figuera, Montsant $24

100% Garnacha

Sindicat La Figuera is a small co-operative in the Montsant Mountains founded in 1932,

La Figuera is highest village of the region, their garnatxa vines –planted in goblet and with ages between 30 and 80 years old -This is a medium-bodied red, with high-toned red and black fruit, bright acidity, fine tannins and chalky minerality.

Sunday

2018 Casetta, Barbaresco $33
100% Nebbiolo
A fantastic price on a classic Barbaresco with aromatics full with red and black berries with notes of fresh herbs. The palette is full of red fruit, smoke, leather and earthy tannins. Tasting great already, but don’t take our word for it..

Saturday tastings are back for the holidays.

Saturdays back before Covid hit us were great tasting days at the shop with 3-4 things open and a little cheese and crackers to clear the palate in between. Since then we have been a bit more restrained, but between now and New Years we are bringing back the Saturday line ups. This Saturday of course are wines to go with Thanksgiving.

This coming week we will be open Tuesday and Wednesday,

Closed on Thanksgiving, and open again on Friday and the weekend.

We’ll have something fun to taste open each of those days so stop on in..

Saturday

Les Caves du Prieure, Cremant de Bourgogne $22
60% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir and 10% Aligote
Champagne taste on a Bougogne budget. The wine spend 24 months on lees before disgorgement. Bright, lively, and dry, this offers up attractive notes of spiced apple, white peach, mixed citrus, almond, and hazelnut.
2022 Luigi Baudana, Dragon Lagnhe Bianco $20
Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Nascetta & Riesling
The Dragon opens to fresh fruit aromas such as kiwi, lime and pear. Hints of minerality like flint and sea stones complete the elegant bouquet. The palate is citrusy whit flavors of orchard fruit, macerated elder flower and candied orange peel that shine through the fresh and vibrant acidity.
2021 Van Duzer, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir $30
Aromas of bright cherry, strawberry and rose petal with notes of black tea and licorice. Leading with bright red fruits and vanilla, the flavors are complex with hints of black pepper and barrel driven spices. With soft and supple tannins and brown sugar notes, this wine has a light and lingering finish.
Salmon Safe, Live Certified
2018 Lame Delisle Boucard, Bourgueil Vieilles Vignes $20
Cabernet Franc
Pure Cabernet Franc exclusively from vines over 40 years of age. Invitingly ripe on the nose and tinged with earth, it enters the mouth silkily, revealing its underlying minerality as it moves across the palate, and it closes with a gentle clench of supremely elegant tannins.

Sunday

2016 Henri Bourgeois, Sancerre Rouge “Les Barrones” $20
100% Pinot Noir
Loire
The bouquet is marked by Morello cherry, violet, wood notes and with aging it develops aromas of game, truffle and cherries in brandy. On the palate, it reveals good roundness and a light, pleasant astringency (tannins from the grapes as well as the oak barrels).

It is Thursday with Thanksgiving only a week away. Stop in and Taste an Alsatian Riesling that will cut the gravy.

2019 Domaine Agapé Vin d’Alsace “Expression” $22
100% Riesling
Perfect for a place on the Thanksgiving day table. The nose is “expressive” with floral notes of lily of the valley and honeysuckle, and fruity with aromas of green apple and white peach. On the palate, we find a characteristic freshness supported by a beautiful minerality. This wine awakens the taste buds and envelops the palate well.
13% alcohol by volume

It is Tuesday with 9 more days until Thanksgiving. Why not come and Taste a Sauvignon bland that will fit on the Table.

2022 Reverdy & Fils, ‘Charme de Loire’ Sauvignon Blanc $14
The’Charme de Loireis the entry Sauv Blanc from a solid Sancerre producer. This wine offers a complex and elegant nose of white flowers and boxwood. The attack is fruity, the mouth balanced and fresh. A wine with elegance and personality And it is priced to serve the crowd on Turkey day..
12.5% alcohol by volume

Thanksgiving is 12 days out, and between now and then we are going to be pouring some wines (both traditional and unexpected) that are fit for the feast. We are starting this weekend with a few wines from Italy. Stop in and check them out.

Saturday

2018 Nino Negri Cellars ‘Quadrio’ Valtellina Superiore $20
90% Chiavennasca (Nebbiolo), 10% Merlot
Lombardy
This wine shows distinctive, fine aromas of small fruits, raspberry preserves, roses and violets, with an herbal note. In the mouth, the wine has full, lively tart fruit flavors, elegant tannins and a lingering aftertaste, with traces of prunes and toasty oak.
Sustainable
Sunday

2021 Casale del Giglio Bellone Bianco $12
Lazio
Bellone is a grape variety cited by Pliny the Elder and has been present in the Latium region since Roman times. The wine evokes ripe tropical fruit such as mango and papaya. It is rich, ample and lingering on the palate with light floral, spicy notes, a pronounced acidity and zesty tang.

It is grey and wet outside but you can be warm and sunny inside. Come have a taste this Tuesday.

2020 Fantinel, Sun Goddess $15
Sauvignon Blanc
Produced with love and passion from sun-kissed vineyards owned by Fantinel family in Friuli Venezia Giulia, where the peculiar microclimate and the precious terroir guarantee premium quality wines. aromatic, with tropical and spicy notes of yellow bell pepper, banana, and melon. The palate is: particularly structured with a balance between an intense acidity and a velvety smoothness with a long finish.

Was $20 Now $15

Raise a Glass

Mark Stephen Souder passed away this last week after a year and a half struggling with cancer. Mark loved travel, good food, intoxicating beverages and invigorating company. Mark co-founded Madrona Wine Merchants with me 12 years ago and his influence is embedded in every aspect of the shop. It really never would have existed without him.

Mark was a longtime fan of Bonny Doon Winery and was one of the early members of their wine club in the mid 1980’s. This weekend we will be pouring Bonny Doon’s le cigare volant Blanc and Rouge both Saturday and Sunday at the shop. Come have a toast to Mark.

Mark with Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon at the shop.