Ever since Dom Perignon started having his wine ferment again in the bottle, giving it an effervescence, people have loved it. Since then sparkling wine has spread the world over. Stop by the shop this Saturday when we will be trying a great sampling of Bubbly wine. It will be fun and festive.

Adami, Prosecco Garbèl $15
Garbèl, which in ancient local dialect means a dry, crisp, pleasantly tart wine, is produced from hilly vineyards in Veneto in the north of Italy. Garbèl’s 13 grams of residual sugar place it between Brut and Extra Dry. The ample nose releases crisp-edged, complex fruit notes, and the palate is full-flavored with a crisp acidity with scents of green apple, minerals, and glazed almond.

Gruet, Blanc de Noir $15
At 4300 ft. Gruet’s vineyards are some of the highest in the United States, so regardless of how hot the days get in New Mexico the temperature at night can drop as much as thirty degrees, cooling the fruit and slowing down the maturation process. Made from Pinot Noir, the Blanc de Noir is made using the traditional champagne method. It has a rich and toasty character with rich complex flavors. Winemaker’s Note: A fine salmon color, aggressive mousse and a lovely fruity wine with plenty of immediate charm and toasty aromas. There is also an explosive juicy flavor of raspberry.

Scharffenberger, Brut Mendicino $18
2/3 Chardonnay, 1/3 Pinot Noir
This California Brut is made with the traditional methode champenoise. The full malolactic style adds a vanilla cream character, producing a round and full-bodied wine. After approximately two years on the yeast lees, there are notes of freshly baked bread and pastry that enhance the more fruit-forward style of the wine. In bottle the wine develops caramel and hazelnut notes.

Louis Roederer Brut Premier $46
56% Pinot Noir, 34% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Meunier
Not a small house , Lois Roederer own 450 acres of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in Montagne de Reims, Côtes des Blancs, and Valleé de la Marne. The Brut Premier spends three years ageing on its lees, plus another six months after disgorging. The wine has fine bubbles and a nose of fresh fruit and hawthorn. The smooth and complex palate minges flavors of apple and pear with red berries and notes of toast and almonds. It got 92 points from both The Wine Spectator and The Wine Advocate.

The Holidays are upon us, full of parties, festive dinners and rubbing elbows with family and friends. This Saturday we will be pouring some wines to set off those occasions. These wines are hardly typical, but then so are the holidays. Break out of the everyday winter gloom and come celebrate.

2007 Delmas Blanquette de Limoux ($12)
80% Mauzac & 20% Chardonnay
Organic and Vegan
Blanquette de Limoux may be the world’s first sparkling wine, dating as far back as 1531 when the monks of the Benedictine abbey of Saint-Hilaire, near Limoux, were producing a somewhat unusual white wine in their cellars. Inside its glass flask, with a cork top – very rare for wines at this time – it acquired a natural sparkle. It caught on. The Blanquette de Limoux is made from Mauzac, a traditional variety that gives body and aroma, and Chardonnay that reinforces the bouquet and adds freshness and finesse. The Delmas is a creamy-textured, full-bodied wine with a fine yeasty character, subtly fruity, with toasty green apple and lemon flavors. It’s great for effervescing any party or dinner.

2009 Cave de Vignerons de Buxy,
Montagny 1^er Cru “les Chaniots” ($20)
This Chardonnay comes from Premier Cru Vineyards located in Montagny with soils of brittle limestone and calcareous clay. The nose is dominated by floral hints which gradually give progress to honey and dried fruits. It is a full-bodied, elegant fine wine that can add a touch of class to any occasion.

2006 Prorprietà Sperino, Uvaggio ($20)
65% Nebbiolo, 20% Vespolina, 15% Croatina.
From the north of Piedmont, comes this special Nebbiolo blend made with the same care as a Barolo or a Barbaresco. The grapes are handpicked, and co-fermented for 19 days. The wine then remains sur lie for 9 months before being aged for 18 months in a mix of oak barrels. The wine is complex with aromas of rose, earth, smoked meats and a touch of vanilla followed by full berry flavors with notes of tar and spice. The Uvaggio is an exceptional wine made for any exceptional dinner or gathering.

2007 Montmartel Visan ($15)
50% Grenache and 50% Syrah
Montmartel is a family run estate in Visan, a village in the Côtes du Rhône. The vineyards are certified Organic. The wine has more Syrah than most Southern Rhônes. Full good fruit, lush body, and the right bit of age on it. It is great with food and rich enough for drinking just by itself. It would be the hit at any party.

Thanksgiving is fast approaching and pretty near everyone needs a bottle or two of wine to go with the day’s feasting. Stop by the shop this Saturday when we will be tasting some wines we think will go great with the traditional meal. It will be a fun tasting. And it even counts as getting some of your chores done in preparation for Thursday.

2007 Domaine du Margalleau, Vouvray Brut $18

100% Chenin Blanc. Winemaker Jean-Michel Pieaux reserves the finest of his Chenin crop for this bountiful, dazzlingly fresh sparkling wine, performing a single disgorgement following a full year of aging on fine lees. Impressively complex and rich on the tongue, the Brut has notes of warm honey, lemon curd and white flowers along with almonds and citrus flavors. A great wine to start the meal with, or continue straight through.

2009 Eyrie Pinot Gris $14

In the winter of 1965, after earning a degree in viticulture and enology from UC/Davis, and research in Europe, 25-year old David Lett moved to Oregon “with 3,000 grape cuttings and a theory”. He planted the cuttings in a rented nursery plot, and went looking for the perfect vineyard site. It was the first planting of Pinot noir, Chardonnay, in the Willamette Valley, and the first Pinot Gris in America. Today some of those vines still go into their estate Gris. The 2009 is rich and creamy textured with notes of spice, minerals and round fruit. Pour a glass and pass the gravy.

2008 Cottonwood Winery, Marina Piper Pinot Noir $16

Sourced from three vineyards in separate Willamette Valley AVAs, (Chehalem Mountain, Yamhill-Carlton, & Dundee Hills), the Marina Piper is blended to make a well balanced Oregon Pinot Noir. The wine is medium-bodied and packed with red fruit and mineral flavors that develop over a long period in the glass. A classic pairing for salmon, but also excellent with turkey.

2009 Owen Roe, Ex Umbris Syrah $25

For those who want a bolder flavor with their dinner we might suggest the Ex Umbris from Owen Roe. Always a favorite with the critics, the wine got 93 points from Wine Spectator: Even in a powerful Washington vintage like 2009, David O’Reilly managed to produce a balanced, acid-driven Syrah that is a showstopper. There’s peppery red fruit dripping with bacon fat on the nose, and a palate full of strawberries and plums, anise and root beer. Fresh with supple tannins.

Sodovino, a small but excellent micro winery, was happily located in the shadow of Safeco Field until construction forced them to move. That left them with the big problem of a lot of wine and a shortage of space to keep it. Desperate times require desperate measures. As a result, Madrona Wine Merchants is able to offer Sodovino’s fantastic wines at incredible prices.

2007 Sodovino Lewis Vineyard Syrah

100% single vineyard Syrah

Sourced from one of Washington’s premier vineyards, this Syrah exhibits lovely hints of chocolate covered strawberries and is elegant enough to pair with almost any meat or pasta dish. Aged 14 months in new American and neutral French oak.
Silver Medal Winner – Seattle Wine Awards 2010

from the winery $25, NOW $15

2007 Sodovino So’ Syrah

86% Syrah, 14% Mourvedre

Blackberry pie and loads of dark berry fruit accompany earth notes and pepper on both the nose and palate. So’ Syrah has a smooth full mouth feel with firm tannins and a long finish. Aged in 75% neutral French oak and 25% new American oak for 14 months.

Gold Medal Winner – Seattle Wine Awards 2010
from the winery $19, NOW $13

2007 Sodovino Red Wine
50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Mourvedre, 23% Syrah

Aromas of cherries and fresh blackberries combine with forest floor and spicy cedar, followed by cherry liqueur, chocolate and vanilla on the palate. This wine has a full mouth feel with firm tannins, balanced acidity, and a long finish of cinnamon and cloves. Aged 15 months in new and neutral American and French oak.

Bronze Medal Winner – San Francisco Chronicle Wine Contest 2010
from the winery $19, NOW $13

Try Them!

We’ll have all the Sodovino wines open for tasting Wednesday, November 16^th from 4:30 to 7pm. Come by and revisit how good they are.
Save Even More!

Buy 6 bottles of any mix of our wines and get 5% off.

Buy any mix of 12 of our wines and get 10% off.

Order ahead any full case of these or any other wine from us, and get 15% off. (please allow a week for us to get it in.)

Rioja is one of the oldest and best known wine making regions of Spain with a strong tradition of aging the wines to develop elegance and finesse. Stop by the shop this Saturday and sample some selections from two great Rioja wineries –CUNE and Beronia. CUNE began in 1879 in Rioja Alta. They make very traditional styled wines that typify old school Rioja. Beronia on the other hand was founded in 1970 by some friends who wanted to make wines more to their own tastes. Their wines are more modern in style with more extraction. Both are delicious. Come see which style you like best.

2009 CUNE Bianco $11

100% Viura

Fermented at low temperatures in stainless steel vats, the CUNE Bianco is aromatic, fresh and complex white. The wine has fresh, fragrant fruity aromas of green apple and lemon, typical of Viura. Bright and fresh in the palate, with good balancing clean acidity and a lingering rounded finish.

2007 CUNE Crianza $13

80% Tempranillo, 10% Mazuelo, and 10% Garnacha Tinta

The grapes for the Crianza are hand harvested, macerated and fermented in stainless steel tanks to retain varietal aromas. The wine is then aged in American oak casks for at least 12 months, with regular rackings to develop its finesse. The wine has aromas of red berries over the oaky and balsamic notes from its aging in wood. It has a full mouth feel, lively cherry fruit with some spice back notes and a balanced acidity. This wine usually sells for $18 to $20 but due to the vagaries of the market we get to sell it at $13.

2008 Beronia Crianza $15

84% Tempranillo, 13% Garnacha, and 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. It is a fine blend of full fruit flavors, smooth tannins with a spicy toasted finish.

2001 Beronia Rioja Gran Reserva $27

84% Tempranillo, 8% Graciano and 4% Mazuelo.

Rioja Gran Reserva wines are aged at least two years in oak and three years in bottle. Tanzer’s wine colored prose says it better than we can. Bright red. Attractive aromas of candied cherry, plum and cedar, with vanilla and clove notes coming up with air. Sweet, open-knit and nicely focused, offering palate-staining red and dark berry flavors and mounting vanilla and cocoa qualities. A musky herbal quality lingers on the long, sweet, sappy finish. There’s a decadent quality to this wine that calls for lamb or a piece of dry-aged steak.- Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar