The French countryside produces an amazing amount of solid quality wines that, with the exception of certain much coveted plots, sell for amazingly reasonable prices.  The flow is like a faucet and Madrona Wine Merchants is happy to tap into it.  Stop by the shop this Saturday as we’ll be playing with the spigot and tasting some great wine.  Come join us.

2012 Chateaux Martinot Bordeaux Blanc.  $14
50% Sauvignon Blanc, 50% Semillon
Martinot is a 4th generation family winery in the town on Lugaignac.  Their Blanc has rich aromas of citrus and green apple.  The flavors are crisp but with good body.  

2011 Moncontour, Jovly Chinon  $14
Cabernet Franc
Moncontour is one of the oldest winery in the Loire Valley –The Château dates from the end of the 15th century. Their Chinon is completely Cabernet Franc, done in a modern style with ample fruit, ripe red fruit aromas and flavors of cassis, cherry, violets and cocoa. 

2010 Chateau du Bernat L’Exception$14
80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc
Du Bernat is a family owned vineyard with limestone soils.  L’Exception is a full bodied Bordeaux with aromas of red fruit with touches of peppery spices and lightly smoked wood.

2012 Domaine des Homs L’Amandier, Coteaux de Peyriac  $15
1/3 Grenache, 1/3 Cinsault, 1/3 Syrah
L’Amandier is a single vineyard surrounded by Almond trees that is organically farmed. The wine is made with native yeasts and no sulphites are added throughout the entire winemaking process.  It is rich, soft and full of dark fruit flavors.

2010 Andrieux and fils Vaqueras   Vieilles Vignes $22
75% Grencahe, 20% Mourvedre, 5% Syrah
From old vine vineyards and a great year, the Andrieux has beautiful violet scents and purple-plum filled aromas. The mouth has notes of cherry, black currant, hints of light spice, and touches of sandalwood. It is well rounded, smooth, and delivers a long silky finish. 

Now that the snow is over – stop by today from 11-5pm and pick up some good snow day wines to go with that comfort food you are having for dinner.

Today we have open (until they are gone) a couple of more bargains from Italy.

2011 Podere Il Palazzino Rosso    ($11)
Sangiovese
A Tuscan Everyday drinker that has a lot going on in it. Smoky cherry, good body, and a long finish. Was $13 now $11
Organic

2010 Menhir Salento 5passi    ($11)
Negro Amoaro
A clean and modern style, all stainless steel Negro Amaro from Puglia. Nice dark fruits, blueberry, bing cherry. Was $13 now $11
13% alcohol by volume

It’s a little chilly in Seattle, but picture yourself on the Mediterranean, in Summer with the grape ripening in the sun and the breeze floating in off the sea.  No we can’t send you there right now but on Saturday we can pour a little of it into your glass.  Brave the Arctic blast and come taste some great wines form Campania, Sicily, and Sardinia. 

2012 Colosi Bianco Sicillia $10  — Sicily
Inzolia, Catarratto, Grillo 
This 24 acre estate in Salina, a small island in the Eolian Archipelago, has volcanic soils ideal for vine cultivation.  Their Bianco has aromas of flowers and vibrant fruit, round and generous fruit flavor and excellent length.

2009 Terredora di Paolo, Lacryma di Christi del Vesuvio, Rosso DOC $15  — Campania
Lacryma Christi
Terredora di Paolo focuses on rediscovering and restoring Campania’s ancient and native varietals such as Lacryma Christi. Legend is that Lucifer when cast from Heaven, desperately grabbed a piece of it with his fingernails as he fell and placed it on earth near the Gulf of Naples. Noticing the loss, the Lord wept, and where each of his tears fell the first vines grew on Earth. Whether or not that is its true origin, the wine has intense fruit aromas of cherry, raspberry, black currant and spicy overtones with hints of minerals and cloves.  The flavor is soft and elegant, with pleasant tones of mature red fruits, plums and hints of tobacco, coffee and ground pepper.

2010 Feudo di Santa Tresa Frappato $15  — Sicily
Lying close to the Mediterranean, Feudo di Santa Tresa’s vineyards benefit from cooling sea breezes.  Frappato is a native Sicilian varietal that has a thin skin and large berries. It is a lively, fruit-forward wine when vinified on its own. The wine has fresh aromas with lots of red berries and delicate sweet spices, a smooth lively acidity, with a spicy, long-lasting after taste.

2011 Nuraghe Crabioni Cannonau  $19 — Sardinia
Nuraghe Crabioni is an 85-acre property is located in Sorso, Sardegna where Cannonau is the local variety of Grenche.. The wine has sweet notes of ripe red fruit reminiscent of Maraschino cherries under spirits; lightly spiced persistent aromas; balanced with developed structure and nuanced layers that can be attributed to its rich terroir.

2009 Azienda Agricola Cos, Cerasuolo di Vittoria  DOCG $32  — Sicily
Frappato 40%, Nero d’Avola 60%
A group of friends Giambattista Cilia (C), Giusto Occhipinti (O) and Pinuccia Strano (S) began making wine together renting their parents’ lands and harvesting, pressing the grapes, and making innovative wine and their reputations started to grow.  Their Cerasuolo di Vittoria has aromas of dried cherry, chocolate, smoke, herb and  licorice It has dried cherry, truffle and smoky flavors in the mouth and a long finish.

Veneto, the land of Romeo & Juliet, is the land of lovely wines; and there is nothing star crossed about these lovers.  This Saturday we’ll be pouring a range of wines from that part of Northeast Italy that you’ll fall for.  Come compare the three styles of Valpolicella and see what amorous feelings they can arouse.  Valentine’s Day is just around the corner.

Sassello Prosecco $11
Made from the grape Gerla, Prosecco is probably the friendliest sparkling wine in the world.  The Sassello has delicate bubbles with citrus fruit and flowery aromas and pear and apple fruit.   It might be the perfect wine to toast the Seahawks win on Sunday.

2012 Gambellara, I Basalti Soave  $9
85% Garganega, 15% Trebbiano Veronese 
Cantina di Gambellara started in 1947 by 26 vine growers as the first cooperative winery in the Vicenza Province.  Their Soave has fresh fruit perfumes, especially apple and pear, along with a mineral presence from the volcanic soils.

2010 Campagnola Valpolicella Classico Le Bine  $11
70% Corvinone Veronese, 30% Rondinella
Carlo Campagnola founded the winery in 1886.  Carlo’s wife Caterina was recently widowed and had ten children. She bravely began to run the winery. Giuseppe one of the sons with his sons Luigi and Giancarlo run the winery today. Their young Valpolicella is fresh and has a spicy bouquet with dry, soft flavors of cherry and plum.

2011 Campagnola Valpolicella Classico Ripasso  $15
55% Corvina Veronese and Corvina, 40% Rondinella, 5% Molinara 
In February the fresh pomace from the Amarone is added to the Valpolicella giving the wine richer flavors and complexity. Their Ripasso has aromas of ripe fruit, soft, rich flavors lengthening into a pleasantly bitterish finish. 

2009 Secoli Amarone della Valpolicella $34
A blend of Corvina, Rondinella, Molinara grapes that are dried on mats before fermentation to increase its structure and intensity. The wine is aged for 3 years oak casks and six months in bottle before it is released.  The Secoli has a silky, sexy texture with a mouthful of deep dark fruit and raisiny notes followed by a long, dry finish of chocolate and dried cherries.

The sun is out and we are pouring some sunny reds from Spain today from 11-5pm. Stop on by.

2009 Beronia Rioja Crianza    ($11)
84% Tempranillo, 13% Garnacha, 3% Graciano
Beronia’s Crianza is aged for 12 months in mixed oak barrels and one year in bottle. The wine has aromas of tobacco, vanilla and dark fruit flavors, smooth tannins with a spicy toasted finish. Was $15 now $11

2012 Rio Madre Rioja    ($10)
Graciano
Graciano has long been used in Rioja to add floral bouquet and complexity to their wine. Rarely is it used on its own. This estate grown Graciano make you wonder why. The exuberant aromas and luscious flavors of blackberries and cherries out shines most Tempranillo at this price level.

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.

Saturday we’ll be touring the rugged landscape of Portugal, traversing its regions glass by glass. Come have a taste of these great wines from the west side of the Iberian peninsula between the mouth of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.  The wines are delicious and are great values.   Laura Stiff from Casa Ventura Imports will be here to tell you all about them.  

2011 Pazo do Mar, Albarino  $15
The Ribeiro region is located in Galicia in northwest Spain noted for its steep, terraced vineyards. Pazo do Mar, family owned & operated for over 70 years, makes their wine from all estate-grown fruit. Inviting aromas of slate & mineral & melon lead to an intense, concentrated, nicely proportioned Albarino with very good volume and length. Enticing notes of spring flowers, honeysuckle & lemon-lime keep this wine bright, crisp & refreshing.

2010 Tellus Tinto, DOC Douro $8
Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca 
The Douro is one of the wildest, most mountainous & rugged wine regions of Portugal, cut through in deep twists & turns by the river Douro. Defying gravity on the steep slopes along the banks of the river & its tributaries, the vines are planted in poor, schistous soils.  The wine shows ripe dark fruit, underbrush & blackberry bramble along with a vibrant acidity & smooth, balanced tannins.  Normally $15 today $8

2010 Floral D. Henrique, Tinto DOC Dao $8  
Touriga Nacional, Aragonez (Tempranillo), Alfrocheiro Prieto, Jaen (Mencia) 
Surrounded on all sides by mountains, the Dao region is protected both from the direct influence of the continental climate, and from the chill & rains from the ocean. This is ‘high country’ rising from 200 meters at its lowest to 1,000 meters in the highest points. Soils are very poor & granitic. High altitude makes for cool nights, slow ripening & good acidity.  Floral D. Henrique is a cooperative set up by a group of farmers in 1963.  The wine has dark blackberry fruit with hints of leather, cocoa, earth and some peppery spiciness.   Normally $10 today $8

2011 Herdade De Gambia Red from the Setubal Peninsula $13.  
65% Touriga Nacional , 25% Syrah, 10% Aragonez (Tempranillo) 
The Setubal Peninsula takes the title for being the pioneer in viniculture for the region, achieving great prestige for their fortified wines. It has a temperate Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers & mild, rainy winters. The most visible characteristics in the wines of the Setubal Peninsula are soft spice and red berry flavors and supple tannins.

2005 Quinta Seara D’Ordens, Late Bottled Vintage Port  $24
From a little known, family owned single vineyard estate that was started in 1796; this LBV has a unique personality.  It was made from the Quinta’s best grapes, slowly foot treaded in the lagar, as traditional in Douro Valley. The wine was aged in tank for the first 20 months, and then in old wood casks until bottling at the 4th year. It boasts a bouquet of ripe red fruit & forest berries; elegant, fruity & full-bodied on the palate.