October marks three years since we started pulling corks in Madrona.  Saturday we’re pulling a few more to celebrate.  We’ve got a lineup of tasty deals that have come our way, several limited to stock on hand.  Stop in and see what strikes your palate.  We’ll be starting with the Champagne at 2pm.

Sunday — Mark will be opening two new southern French wines that just hit the shelves. 

2012 Domaine de Mougin VDP L’ Aude      $10
30% Syrah, 30% Merlot, 20% Carignan, 10% Grenache, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon
A easy everyday drinking wine with enough going on in it so your tongue never gets bored. What Vin de Pays should always be.
 
2012 Domaine Roque Sestière, A L’Orée des Pins   $13
60% Syrah, 40% Carignan
From Corbieres, this hearty red blend show a lot of muscle for the money.

 It has been three years since we opened our doors in Madrona.  That calls for a bit of a celebration!  So this Saturday we’re going to be pouring some Very Tasty deals that we have in stock.  We like finding deals and we like sharing them with you.  There are some exceptional values here, and most are limited to stock on hand.  Come tip a glass with us.
 
Delahaie, Champagne, Brut Prestige  $35
50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay
The top wine from a small family Champagne house, the Delahaie has crisp and layered flavors of buttered toast, baking spices and baked apple. Was $50 now $35 
 
2011 Domaine Ragot, Givry  $20
Pinot Noir
This wine comes from a total of 1.25 hectares of Pinot Noir vines that average 50 years of age, growing on clay and limestone soils.   The wine is aged in oak barrels, (20% new) for 12 months. The Givry has notes of black fruits, cassis, blackberry, and raspberry along with some vanilla and spice. It is a great deal on a solid Burgundy.  Was $23 now $20

2011 Guimaro Ribera Sacra  $17
Mencia
Ribeira Sacra’s steep terraced vineyards are some of the most picturesque and treacherous to work in the world of wine.  From 40-year-old organic vines, this mencia all about immediate pleasure with pure, lush, red fruits, spices, and slate-laden minerality.  Was $20 Now $17

2010 Roccafiore Prova d’Autore  $20
30% Sagrantino, 30% Sangiovese 40% Montepulciano
From Umbria this big reserve red is stored for two years in new barriques and left to stand for a year in bottle.  It is a rich complex wine with layers of tobacco, dark smoky fruit and lingering tannins.
Was $30 now $20

2010 Renwood, Gold Coast Zinfandel  $25
A very complex and slightly feminine example of Zinfandel, Gold Crest offers up a nose that at first is peppery, but finishes with lingering notes of violet and ginger. Holiday spice and vibrant red fruits on the palate are followed by interesting notes of citrus, green pepper and eucalyptus with a mild tobacco leaf finish.  Was $40 now $25
 
2010 Le Pradey, St Croix du Mont  $15
90% Semillon, 10% Sauvignon Blanc
This is a crazy deal on a Sauternes satellite.  St Croix is just across the river from Sauternes and usually goes for less than its neighbor but to find it at this price is remarkable.  Drink it regularly now or put it away and watch it get better.  The Pradey has botrytised fruit with notes of pear, apricot and honey.

Don’t Miss This!

Saturday

Orange Wines get their name from the darker, slightly orange that the white wines receive due to their contact with the coloring pigments of the grape skins.  The skins contain color pigment, phenols and tannins (typically considered undesirable for white wines) that gives Orange wine its color, flavor, and texture.

The practice has a long history dating back thousands of years to the Eurasian wine producing countries of Armenia and Georgia. In recent years the practice has been adopted by Italian winemakers, while there is also production in Slovenia, Croatia, France, Germany and a bit in the New World. 

Orange wines were not uncommon in Italy in the 1950s and 1960s, but gradually became obscure as technically correct and fresh white wines came to dominate the market. 

Come try these terrific and uncommon wines today at 2pm.

Sunday, Mark will be pouring some more common but no less delicious wines all day from 11 to 5.

2012 Kalem’s Downs, Cabernet Sauvignon  $10
The new incarnation of the popular Lorelle Cabernet.  New label but still a great deal.  Full dark fruit with green pepper and Jalapeno notes.  Medium tannins and a smooth finish.
Was $15 now $10

And we’ll be comparing it to a Cab blend from the Lanquedoc.

2010 Aubai Mema Laverna  $12
70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Grenache, 10% Merlot

Showing new wines at our Saturday tastings is always a pleasurable experience, but every so often we get a chance to do something REALLY FUN!!  This Saturday we’ll be showing some very special wines from two different wineries using some very old fashioned techniques with amazing results.  These wines spurn the use of sulfites and other additives instead letting the grapes develop their own character and preservative qualities.  Their amazing color character has earned them the nickname Orange Wines.  These are totally unique wines. 
 
The Movia estate dates back to 1700 and extends over 22 hectares of of the best vineyards in the borderland between Slovenia and Italy.  Aleš Kristancic has put Movia’s wines on the map with his radically biodynamic winemaking.
 
2011 Quattro Mani Tokai  $10
Quattro Mani’s [toh-kai] is grown in Movia’s organically farmed Exto Gredic vineyard and made in accordance with the biodynamic principles.  It is a brief introduction to his wine making style.  Light but complex aromas of spice, herbs and flowers lead to a body that is full and crisp at once with a bit of nutty depth.
 
2010 Movia Rebula $32
100% Ribolla from 66 years old vines
The name Ribolla stems from “ribollire”, meaning to re-boil. The Bora wind in the littoral cooled the cellars stopping fermentation, only for the wine to then “re-boil” in the spring.  Movia uses hand-picked harvesting with a short period between the picking and fermentation – 2 hours maximum — with natural yeast picked out from the same grapes harvested during pre-harvesting (5 %). Quiet fermentation is completed in wooden barriques where wine matures on its own lees without decanting. Until it is bottled no sulphur or any other conservation additive is used. Thus the wine has gone through all natural processes and becomes sound and stable naturally, ready to last lifetime.  The wine has aromas of fresh fruit, spice notes and a brilliant balanced acidity.
 
2008 Movia lunar $47
100% Ribolla
Movia’s Lunar take their winemaking to the next level The grapes are destemmed by hand and placed in new oak barrels with custom caps. Fermentation begins in the berries themselves, which gradually release the wine. After 8 months of maturing, at full moon, the wine is gravity racked into bottles, no added sulphur, no filtration, no pressing. This is as close as it gets to the wine ancient man found in nature.  Nature, with a helping hand from the moon, does most of what is usually done by man. “Our most healthy and pure wine.  Pure nature in your wineglass.” The wine shows unexpected complexity — notes of nectarine, anise, spice, and lemon curd conspire to make this seductive, fresh wine with plenty of character and a fine, long aftertaste.
 
Azienda Agricola COS was founded in Sicily by three friends who wanted to recreate the work of their ancestors.  In 2007 they completed their new cellar with the old oak barrels were replaced by terracotta amphoras of 400 and 250 liters capacity , one of the largest collections in the world, and they began making their Pithos  wines – “absolutely lacking in external substances.”  We’ll be trying both Pithos wines.
 
2012 COS, Pithos Bianco Bianco  $44
100% Grecanico form 22 year old vines.
 
2011 COS, Pithos Rosso $40
40% Frappato, 60% Nero d’Avola

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. No matter what day you stop by we always have something open to sample.

This Sunday we have a special treat – we will be pouring FOUR vermouths from Woodinville’s broVo. They are Washington’s FIRST Appellation Vermouth producer. Their marketing phrase is “Lady-Made Liquors”. Mac Kenney of broVo will be answering questions from 2-4PM, but we will be pouring these four unique vermouths all day. Drop in and savor in the flavors.

broVo Witty: Dry White Vermouth $18
ABV: 19.9%, 1.25% sugar
Wahluke Slope Sauvignon Blanc
Angelica, chamomile, lemon peel, rosemary, coriander, fennel, pao d’oro bark, orange peel, burdock root, cardamom, dried rose, sage, damiana, hyssop, basil, marigold.
Acidic, herbaceous, great with Saké, gin

broVo Pretty: Floral While Vermouth $18
ABV: 19.9%, 6% sugar
Wahluke Slope Pinot Gris
Vanilla bean, elderflower, chamomile, cardamom, lemon peel, comfrey, angelicaxwell.
Balanced, nuanced, sippable.

broVo Pink: Rosé Vermouth $18
ABV: 19.9%, 6% sugar
Wahluke Slope Rosé from Pinot Noir
Orange peel, hibiscus, chamomile, anise, sage, tarragon, pink peppercorn, grains of paradise, juniper berry, rose geranium
Well balanced, nuanced, sippable.

broVo Jammy: Sweet Red Vermouth $18
ABV: 19.9%, 10% Sugar
Wahluke Slope Merlot
The inspiration for this is a nod to Washington inspired ingredients – cherries, hibiscus, ginger, tellicherry peppers, coriander seed, orange peel, lemon peel, cacao nibs, coffee bean, vanilla bean, sweetened with agave nectar.
Spicy and bold – holds up to a Rye.

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.

Italy has more different wines than any other wine growing country.  That makes exploring its wines a seemingly endless pleasure.  Join us Saturday as we take another dip into its vast variety.

2012 Medici Ermete, Lambrusco Rosé Secco Quercioli Reggiano  $12
Lambrusco Marani
Lambrusco is normally thought of as inky dark with a balance of sweet fruit and bitter tannins, but there are different Lambruscos that are lighter and more supple, like this Secco Quercioli from a fourth generation winemaking family in Emilia-Romagna.  The wine is pleasant and persistent, with violet scent, dry, fruity, fresh, lively, pleasantly harmonious.

2012 Fantinel, Pinot Grigio $13 
This third generation family estate in Friuli has prized vineyards in the Collio, Grave and Colli Orientali del Friuli DOCs.  The Pinot Grigio has fresh, floral scented aromas and an excellent body.

2013 Kermit Lynch, Rosso del Monferrato $18
50% Barbera, 20% Dolcetto, 15% Bonarda, 10% Croatina, 5% Freisa
Sustainable
Kermit Lynch seems to have his fingers everywhere.  This unusual Rosso from the Piedmont is made by Alessandra Bodda at Tenuta La Pergola which Kermit helps blend and puts his blessing on. Kermit says that it reminds him of the Piedmontese wines of old. It is made using carbonic maceration where the winemaker loads whole clusters of grapes into a vat and lets gravity break the skins and start fermentation naturally with native yeast. This wine is all about umami (savory) flavors: earth, mushroom, rock along with an encyclopedia of Piedmontese grapes.

2012 Velenosi, Lacrima di Morro d Alba,  $18
Lacrima di Morro is a classic indigenous variety that is found only in the Marche noted for its intensely floral aromas.  The nose is packed with intense, fruity, floral, strawberries, cherries, violet, pink.  In the mouth it is round, fresh, slightly tannic, almond and harmonious with a long and persistent finish.

2009 Borgogno, no name  $45
Nebiolo
From the winemaker:  “I have chosen one of my best wines and called it No Name as a quiet protest against the bureaucracy that afflicts the Italian agriculture and wine world.”   The wine comes from the cannubi, Fossati and San Pietro delle Viole vineyards which Borgogno farms organically and sustainably. They use at least 80% less sulphites than permitted.  As for food matches:  “We believe that advice with what to drink our wines is wrong, each has its own ideas and its pleasures, but we can advise who to drink it with.  Drink it with everyone!”  Come drink it with us this Saturday.

This Sunday we have a special treat – we will be pouring FOUR vermouths from Woodinville’s broVo. They are Washington’s FIRST Vermouth producer.  Mac Kenney of broVo will be answering questions from 2-4PM, but we will be pouring these four unique vermouths all day. Drop in an savor in the flavors.

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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. No matter what day you stop by we always have something open to sample.