Thanksgiving dinner is a wonderful meal filled with a whole cornucopia of flavors. And each year it raises the question of what to drink with it. This Saturday we have lined up a number of answers, some classic like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and others a bit more unexpected like Washington Tempranillo, all of them guaranteed to enliven the big meal. We’ve stuck close to home as all the wines are from the Northwest. Come see what suits your dinner. If you’ve already got the wine for the big day figured out, come anyway. These wines are good year round.
 
2011 Tori Mor, Pinot Gris $14
From Dundee, Oregon this lower alcohol Pinot Gris has a forward aroma of succulent peaches, licorice, and flowers. Its crisp acidity nicely accents hints of green apple and lush blossoms emphasizing a distinct mineral quality. The finish is long and lean, with spiciness throughout. It should cut the cranberries quite nicely.
 
2010 Forgeron, Chardonnay $25
96% Chardonnay, 4% Grenache Blanc
From her winery in Walla Walla, imported winemaker Marie-Eve turns out this tasty Columbia Valley Chardonnay. Peach and pear take center stage with gentle hints of oak, caramel apple, and floral perfume, it is balanced with the pretty acids of apricot, star fruit and ruby red grapefruit flavors. Its richness is balanced by good acidity and light minerality and can stand up to the stuffing and gravy.
 
2010 Cristom, Mt. Jefferson Cuvée, Pinot Noir $30
Outside of Salem Oregon, Cristom turns out some classic Pinots that get rave reviews. “Light, bright red. Red berry and floral scents are complemented by cinnamon and black tea. Racy and light on its feet, offering vibrant redcurrant and strawberry flavors and a touch of bitter herbs. Finishes tangy and lucid, leaving spice and floral notes behind.” –Steven Tanzer
 
2010 Idillico, Tempranillo $20
Idillico is Spanish Native and Washington resident Javier Alfonso’s lable that focuses of Spanish varrietals. Washington may be Tempranillo’s home away from home. The wine shows dark fruits, herbs and soy followed by a long and smooth pass over the tounge. Only 120 cases produced, but that should last through dinner.
 
2008 Forgeron, Merlot $30
86% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon
A rich meal deserves a rich wine. The Forgeron Merlot has abundant aromas of clove, boysenberry, lilac & brown sugar. It has an amazing mix of concentrated ripe fruit, spicy notes of mineral & earth combined with lively acids. Forgeron only made 122 cases of the Merlot. Pass the gravy.

Stop by the shop after work Thursday for a special tasting of wines from the south of France. These delicious and diverse wines are a match for any meal and are a great start to the holiday season. We’ll have a few snacks to go with the wines, stop on by for a little appetizer to your evening.
 
Dubard, Crémant Brut $18
70% Semillon, 15% Sauvignon, 15% Muscadelle
Dubard’s Crémant de Bordeaux comes from a small vineyard in Côtes-de-Francs. The winemaking follows the Traditional Method, done in caves dating back to the Middle Ages. The wine has intense notes of white peach, pear, a warm toasty brioche and a pleasantly lingering richness.
 
2011 Domaine Galtier, Languedoc Tradition Blanc $12
30% Roussanne, 50% Grenache Blanc, 10% Rolle, 10% Viognier
Domaine Galtier is a typical mas (farm) surrounded by garrigue (scrubland) with its square tower built in the middle of the 17th century under the reign of Louis XIV. Its owners Lise & Jean Carbonne are both from wine-growing families. They farm by lutte raisonnée, a form of sustainable viticulture that practices organic methods. The Blanc has a warm bouquet with floral perfumes (honeysuckle, eucalyptus) and candied citrus fruit peel (citron and orange) that is rich, balanced and expressive.
 
2009 Château Galtier, St. Chinian L’Obstinée Rouge $15
60% Syrah & 40% Grenache. 30 to 35 years old vines.
Gautier’s estate St Chinian has a generous, soft nose with complex aromas of ripe blackcurrant, cherry and white pepper followed by a creamy palate with plenty of body, fine tannins with a spicy finish.
 
2008 Domaine Aime, Minervois La Livinière, Cuvée Au Gré du Vent Rouge, $22
60% Grenache, 40% Syrah
Domaine Aime is run by a 4^th generation wine-growing family in Minervois La Livinière, a small AOC is nestled in the foothills of the Montagne Noire. The Cuvée Au Gré has powerful, complex aromas packed with red and black fruits, the mouth feel is silky and round, and the tannins are melted imparting the wine with a delicate, refined (lace like) finish lingering with fruity notes.
 
2010 Domaine Labranche Laffont, Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh $23 – 500ml
100% Petit Manseng
Labranche Laffont, at northern limit of Madiran, is run by Christine Dupuy who combines innovative techniques in the cellar with sustainable vinicultural practices. His Vic-Bilh has concentrated aromas are reminiscent of confectionary, fruits (oven baked apple, pear, and apricot) and honey with notes of vanilla and praline. The wine is supple, and round on the palate. The aromas grow even more distinct as one savors the wine. It has a long, harmonious finish with an added note of yellow fruits.

Saturday we will be pouring a great line up of French wines guaranteed to tickle the palate. Gathered from the very diverse regions of cool Loire, the warmer southern Rhône, and the sunny Languedoc, the flavors flow together to make a very tasty tasting. Stop by and savor.
 
Chateau Moncontour, Cremant de Loire Brut Rosé $20
98% Cabernet Franc, 2% Chenin Blanc
Located in Vouvray, Château Moncontour is one of the oldest wineries in the Loire Valley. A traditional method Sparkler from the Loire, the Moncoutour Rosé ages 12 months before disgorgement and release. The wine is fresh and crisp with red fruit and citrus aromas.
 
2010 Chateau Moncontour, Jovly Vouvray $14
One of Moncontours still wines, the Jovly is an off dry Chenin blended from 3 different vineyards. Its floral bouquet has notes of honey and acacia that are more flavorful than sweet.
 
2010 Domaine Des Homs, La Tersande $10
80% Grenache, 20% Syrah
Domaine des Homs occupies the site of a roman farm where vines and olive trees were cultivated. The 20 hectare domaine in Minervois, has been owned by the de Crozals family for three generations which they farm all organically. The Grenache for the Tersande undergoes carbonic maceration giving it silky tannins and full fruit.
 
2010 Andrieux & Fils, Vacqueras, Cuvee André $22
75% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre, 5% Syrah
A small family owned Negociant Eleveur, Andrieux makes an array of wines from the major regions in Rhone Valley. From older vines, the Vacqueras has violet, plum and mineral aromas followed by chewy cherry, black current, pepper and sandalwood notes.
 
2007 Andrieux & Fils, Muscat de Beaumes de Venise $18 — 375ml
At 15% this lighter desert wine has fresh aromas of pears and grapefruit with a touch of honey. The flavors open up into apricot and pear with a long and lingering finish. It’s a tasty way to end any evening.

Come by this Saturday and check out a great line up of wines from Tuscany, where Sangiovese is King and they have been making it into classic wine for generation on generation. The wines we’ll be tasting are fantastically delicious but don’t cost a fortune. The kind of wines we like to drink on a regular basis. Come join us.

2011 Antonio Sanguineti Vermentino $13
Antonio Sanguineti, known for racing European cars, and listening to opera as he zooms down the autostrada, also makes some fine wine. “A truly great wine slows life down just a bit and allows us to enjoy it more.” His Vermentino is a classic Tuscan white wine that is zesty, clean, and aromatic.

2009 Selvapiana Chianti Rufina $17
95% Sangiovese and 5% Canaiolo
Selvapiana is a 5th generation wine making estate on the Rufina making traditional styled Chianti that can age beautifully. After blending, the wine is refined in French oak casks for 10 months, followed by an additional 3 months in bottle before release. “This wine is bright and juicy, redolent of black cherries, sweet spices and earth”.

2009 Selvapiana, Petrognano, Pomino Rosso $20
60% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot. 
Selvapiana’s Super-Tuscan ages for 18 months; the Sangiovese in large 20hl-casks, the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in 5hl-barrels, then bottle-aged for 6 months. The Petrogano has aromas of dark cherries and herbs (from the Sangiovese) and rich fruit and dark chocolate notes (from the cabernet) through the finish, with steely tannins, solid structure and ageability.

2007 Poliziano Vino Nobile di Montepulciano $28
85% Prugnolo Gentile(Sangiovesse) 15% Colorino, Canaiolo and Merlot 
Each region of Tuscany has its own expression of Sangiovesse. This Montepulciano from Poliziano is faithfully expressive of its deep Tuscan roots. Aromas of berries and cherries combine with leather and tobacco notes followed by full and chewy tannins.

Cleto Chiarli, Lambrusco di Grasparossa di Castelvetro, Centenario Amabile $12
We are going to end with a classic Italian red bubbly from just north of Tuscany. Chiarli is the oldest wine producer in Emilia-Romagna and a pioneer in the making of Lambrusco. The wine is made from ancient Lambrusco Grasparossa vines cultivated on the hills surrounding the village of Castelvetro. The wine is a deep ruby red with a thick froth, fruity flavors and a pleasing bitter note.

Crush is in full swing in Washington with the grapes coming in and starting their wonderful transformation into wine. To celebrate, this Saturday we’ll be pouring a fine line up of local juice, showing off just a little of the state’s depth and variety. Come have a toast to the Harvest.

Windfall Winery, Asian Pear Wine  $14
Windfall Winery is the brainchild of San Juan Island-based Larry Soll who put his science background and love of making fruit wines into the creation of AP. The pear wine, at a mellow 12% alcohol, is aged in oak for two months. This gives AP a more wine-like taste and feel on the tongue. It retains some of the exotic flavors of its Asian pear origins, but has citrus notes and subtle oak overtones.
 
2010 ShootingStar, Aligoté   $14
Shooting Star is the work of Sonoma winemaker Jed Steele, who seeing unique possibilities in Washington fruit, headed north. Aligoté is the fourth most planted wine grape variety in the world, but not widely known as itself.   It is cold tolerant and in Washington State, where cold winters are a fact of life, it has found a happy home. The grapes for the ShootingStar come from a two acre vineyard in Sunnyside. The Aligoté is barrel fermented in older oak barrels. The wine is crisp and clean, a wine with a nice balance of fruit and acidity. Flinty, mineral elements mix with a light floral hint on the nose, followed with the suggestion of tart/sweet apple on the palette.

2011 Baer, Shard   $18
Baer Winery, one of the early innovators of Woodinville, makes some complex and compelling wines. The cooler fall of 2011 was great for white wines, and the Shard is showing that to great advantage. All stainless with no oak contact and no malolactic fermentation, the Shard is an excellent food wine; the acid is balanced by creaminess, with notes of crisp pear and apple.

ShootingStar, Blue Franc $13
Lemberger
Blau Frankisch, literally blue grape from France is another name for our local Lemberger. The Blue Franc receives little, or no, oak aging. The wine is clean, crisp, and unpretentious with tons of fruit, including warm berry pie, complementing the traces of pepper, almond, cherry and cinnamon with soft tannins and a medium body.

2009 Baer, Arctos $45
64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Petit Verdot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot
A very serious Washington Bordeaux style blend, the Arctos sees 19 months in French oak barrels, 88% of which are new. Like the Shard, this is all single vineyard, Stillwater creek fruit. A blend to be reckoned with, the next evolution of Arctos is bolder than before. Structured, with lots of tannins it is concentrated and fleshy, the finish is plush and long carried on the nose by ripe blackberry and cassis, followed by espresso and roasted herb.

The different vineyards of France are known for their distinct terroir, the taste of the soil, climate and place. Saturday we’ll be pouring a diverse and tasty selection of wines from the Loire, Languedoc, Gascogne, and the right back of Bordeaux, all uniquely different and distinctively French. It is a kaleidoscope of flavor concentrated into a pleasant little corner of the weekend. Come join us.
 
2009 Domaine du Margalleau, Vouvray Brut $18
Chenin Blanc
Winemaker Jean-Michel Pieaux reserves the best of his Chenin crop for this bountiful, dazzlingly fresh sparkling wine, performing a single disgorgement following a full year of aging on fine lees. The wine is impressively complex and rich on the tongue, with notes of warm honey, lemon curd and white flowers show on the nose; the mouth delivers flavors of almonds and citrus, with savory hints of graham cracker.
 
2011 Domaine Sainte Rose, Coquille d’oc blanc $12
Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat and Viognier
Domaine Sainte Rose is a family owned and run boutique winery near Servian in the Languedoc. The Coquille D’Oc White is a deliciously drinkable blend, fresh, zingy citrus fruit flavors and wonderfully peachy aromatics combine with a surprisingly rich finish.
 
2011 Chateau Pellehaut, Harmonie de Gascogne Rosé  $10
Tannat, Merlot,
Pellehaut, from the roman pila haut (high point), is owned by the Béraut family. Gaston Béraut oversees the domaine, which also includes cattle, wheat and sunflowers. His Rosé is bled from the Les Marcottes cuvee. It is bright, fruity and clean, dry and light but full of big flavors of cherry and strawberry and pineapple with a subtle hint of spice.
 
2008 Domaine Sainte Rose, La Garrigue $13
Syrah, Grenache
The garrigue is the landscape of the Languedoc. It is a wild and arid yet fragrant and delicate mix of Mediterranean flora. The flavors and aromas of thewine are reminiscent of the garrigue. It is a wine of enormous character, which has inspired rather a cult following. Scents of the garrigue such as aromatic thyme and sage mingle with jammy, red fruit and spicy, black pepper.
 
2009 Chateau Mangot Saint Emilion $26
85% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc. 6% Cabernet Sauvignon
This is a new vintage of one of our stalwart favorites. The Mangot estate covers some 37 hectares in a single stretch in Saint Etienne De Lisse. Its hillside terraces face due south and are sustainably farmed. The wine is aged in separate batches for 14 months in French oak, 40% of which is new. The Mangot has full aromas of cedar, minerals, licorice and an earthy note, followed by dry tannins and lots of dark fruit flavors that are concentrated, rounded and full on the palate.

Stop by after work on Thursday when we’ll be pouring a lineup of great wines from Spain. We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to show off these great wines, so we fit in into the middle of the week. The wines are favorites of the critics and we like them as well. Drop in and have a bite of tapas, and check them out.
 
2011 Bodegas La Cana, Albarino $15
The La Cana comes from the most northern part of the Rias Baixas near the Atlantic Ocean. The vines are planted in the pergola system, traditional for this area, in Sandy soil. The wine is partially barrel fermented and rests sur lie. “Mineral, lemon zest, baking spices, and floral notes inform the nose of this round, smooth textured, savory white, with excellent volume and length.” WA 90pts”
 
2010 Bodegas Iluce, Rio Madre, Rioja, Graciano $10
Graciano is used in Rioja to add floral bouquet and complexity to their blends. Rarely is it used on its own. The Rio Madre lets the grape shine in its own right. From 20 year old vines, the wine is deep with exuberant aromas and luscious flavors of blackberries and cherries tell you this is not a Tempranillo. Not to be missed.
 
2010 Bodegas Atalaya, Laya $10
70% Grenache Tintoria, 30% Monastrell
From high altitude vines in Almansa comes this dark fruited , rich Spanish blend. Garnacha Tintorera is known for its deep color and here it coats the glass and imparts aromas of brooding black fruits, licorice, espresso, and pepper. Dense, savory, rich, round and succulent, it’s a lot of wine for the money.

2009 Bodegas Can Blau, Monsant $16
40% Carñena, 40% Syrah, 20% Garnacha
The Monsant appellation in Spain is shaped like a horseshoe surrounding Priorat. Can Blau’s estate there consists of acres of vineyards with an average age of 35 years. “Wood smoke, spice box, incense, lavender, black cherry and plum aromas are followed by a mouth-filling, round, dense wine with outstanding grip and length. It over-delivers in a big way.” WA 90pts
 
2007 Bodegas Muga, Rioja, Reserva $25
70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, 10% Mazuelo and Graciano.
Muga was founded by Aurora Cano and her husband Isaac in 1932, although the family were growers and did not commence winemaking themselves until the 1960s. Under Aurora’s son, Isaac Jr. Muga fostered a reputation for high quality, classic Rioja wine sourced from an almost incalculable number of tiny parcels. The Reserva is a traditional styled Rioja, aged for 6 months in wooden vats before spending 2 years in 60% new French and American oak. It has rich layered fruit that is smooth-textured and concentrated with notes of smoked meats and tobacco. WA 92pts