Two old Bordeaux that are new to our shelves.

We love old Bordeaux, and we love to drink it without hitting our cellar.  Here are two new arrivals that would go nicely to your table or to your cellar.  We were able to grab a few case of each of these, but we are willing to share.

2011 Chateau Malaison, Moulis en Medoc  $25
80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon
An old Bordeaux estate bought by the Rothchilds in 1978 and revitalized.  Fresh fruit (black currant and plum) aromas, a touch of menthol, and delicate hints of oak. The wine starts out rich and full-bodied, going on to show considerable elegance and a fine balance between well-focused, velvety tannin and acidity that contributes freshness and length.   Was 38 Now $25

2010 Château du Grand Bos, Graves  $35
47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot.
A steal in an aged Bordeaux from a great year.  Medium-to-full-bodied, it envelops the senses with ripe blackberries cassis, and black cherries, with layers of vanilla, saddle leather, tobacco, savory herbs, graphite, and cedar adding depth and dimension. The tannins are firm yet plaint, making this beauty drinkable now with a brief decanting but also giving it considerable aging potential.

MASK UPDATE
Per Governor’s Order
Masks Are No Longer Required Inside
If you are masked,
and would prefer that we be masked,
please ask and we will be happy to mask up.

Hour: Wednesday-Sunday, 12-6PM

We’ve had a few intriguing whites come into the shop over the past couple of weeks. Some from familiar grapes and some a bit more exotic.  Come explore.

2020 Elvio Cogno, Anas-Cëtta Langhe  $29
100% Nascetta
This Langhe Nascetta shows complexity and crispness. Lime, grapefruit and a hint of flint on the nose are perfectly connected with the abundance of plump and fresh juiciness in the mouth. A long finish and good minerality are due to a beautiful acidity and a partial wood fermentation.  Organic

2015 Pierre Sparr, Pinot Gris Grande Reserve  $15
A perfect match for Asian food.  Mellow notes of ripe pear and fresh earth combine on the nose. The palate majors in ripe juicy pears, boosted by a touch of residual sweetness. The aromas are fresh and easy. Drink this while they are at their peak. The finish is just off dry.   Was $20 Now $15

2019 Margante, Il Bianco da Uve Nere  $19
Nero d’Avola
White wine from red grapes.  This bright offering opens with aromas of white stone fruit and honeysuckle. The fresh palate offers pink grapefruit, white almond and a saline finish.

2014 Domaine Laroche, Petit Chablis  $20
Chardonnay
The plateau vineyards that are the source of this wine give a cool, crisp and light character. It’s fragrant, pure fruitiness, with a light minerality and citrus at the end.  Was $25, now $20

2020 Hubert Brochard, Les Carisannes  $14
Sauvignon Blanc
Just over the border from Sancerre.  Les Carisannes shows classic aromas and flavors of citrus, fresh herbs, and minerals. This Vin de Pays du Val de Loire is lighter in weight and texture than Sancerre, but its fresh and fruity character make it a delicious wine for warm-weather refreshment and simple food pairings.

2016 Molino Real, Mountain Blanco  $17
Moscatel de Alejandría
A unique dry white.  This wine is made from 100% Moscatel de Alejandría sourced from two steep sites on slate slopes from 500m to 1,000m elevation. Fermented with native yeasts in stainless steel tanks and aged for 9 months. Yummy aromas of orange blossoms and citric overtones. The palate has substance yet is bone dry of good length.

2021 Ovum, Big Salt  $18
A co-fermented blend that is wildly aromatic, laced with Gewurz and Muscat overtones, but framed by citrusy Riesling.  Salty bergamot, lemon, nectarine and white tea– exotic fruits fill out the nose.  The palate is filled with the texture of Gewurz, herbal hints from Pinot Blanc, but quickly washed back with classic Riesling acidity.  Organic

2017 Höpler, Trockenbeerenauslese  $25  375ML
80% Welschriesling, 20% Sämling
A rare wine of the highest quality, the Trockenbeerenauslese is created from a selected picking of dried, very ripe berries that have been affected by noble rot.   Intensive floral notes of pineapple and passion fruit.  Hints of caramel, honey, apricot and gooseberry.  Complex, rich and harmonious finish.

Wednesday-Sunday, 12-6PM

As February turns from cold to wet, here are a  few new wines that recently came into the shop.  Happy Mardi Gras!

2020 Rive Droite, Rive Gauche, Côtes du Rhône Blanc  $12
Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc, and Viognier
from vineyards on both banks of the Rhône, this tasty a Côtes du Rhône Blanc is dry but creamy with delicate hints of apricot.  Natural, No Sulfites Added

2020 Long Story Short, New Zealand Sauv Blanc  $12
100% Sauvignon Blanc
Bright aromas of white peach, guava and lemon zest. Floral nuances reminiscent of honeysuckle and elderflower reflect the wild flora and fauna that grow alongside our Wairau Valley vineyards. Mouth: Brimming with juicy flavors and bright acidity,

2020 Château Puy-Servain Marijolaine, Bordeaux Blanc  $24
80% Sauvignon, 20% Sémillon
Montravel
The Semillon adds a richness and layered complexity to the crispness of the Sauvignon Blanc.

2020 La Domitienne. Mourvedre Rosé  $11
Like Bandol but not the price?  This Languedoc Rosé is you pick.  The silky texture adds to the flavors of peach, nectar, and cherry blossom to produce a complex and crisp quaffrer.  Was $14 Now $11

2020 La Perdrix, Costières de Nimes Rosé  $13
60% Grenache, 40% Syrah
Hints of strawberry preserves and raspberry cordial extend from nose to finish. While full bodied and succulent on the palate, it’s a freshly balanced, dry rosé with a mineral lift on the finish.

2018 Domaine du Cros, Marcillac Lo Sang del Païs  $18
Fer Servadou
Domaine du Cros is the key estate in Marcillac, leading this region of the French south-west’s current revival. This is light, crunchy and thirst-quenching with delightful ruby color and flavors of raspberry and plum. Charcuterie wine par excellence.

2013 Sordo Perno Barolo  $50
Nebbiolo
Single vineyard Barolo from a good year.  Leather, licorice and balsamic aromas slowly take shape in the glass. Full bodied and taut, this delivers dried black cherry, mature raspberry, star anise and clove set against fresh acidity and firm, refined tannins.

Wednesday-Sunday, 12-6PM

The shipping containers are still backed up at the ports, and what does get unloaded is getting hit with exceptionally higher shipping costs.  The result is that the price on newly arrived wines is going up.  Don’t be surprised to see some cost increase on some of your favorites.  Both our suppliers and us here at Madrona Wine are trying to mitigate this as much as possible.  Let’s hope the situation sorts itself out before too long. 
 
In the meantime, here are a few deals where the price has gone down.  They take a little of the sting out.
 
2019 Menard Gaborit, Muscadet Sevre et Maine  $13
Melon de Bourgogne
Fresh, fruity, hints of white flowers, and iodine aromas. The palate has aromas of white flesh fruits, citrus, green apple, minerality.  Organic
Was $16 now $13

2018 Domãne Wachau, Federspiel Bruck Riesling  $18
From a very cool and stony gneiss spot in the Spitzer Graben, the 2018 Ried Bruck Riesling Federspiel shows a fine and aromatic and spicy bouquet of apricots and white blossoms mixed with fir needles and  truck stop nuance.   Lean and strong on the palate, with intense and spicy fruit intermixed with crystalline flinty notes. It’s lithe but intense and concentrated.  A diesel lovers delight..
Was $30 now $18

2019 Nortico, Alvarinho  $13
A young, fresh white wine with the characteristic bright acidity and aromas of peach and grapefruit. Nortico is light and delicate, lovely as a “porch-sipping wine” to drink on its own.  Also a terrific seafood wine, particularly with salty, fattier dishes like fish tacos or broiled oysters.
Was $15 now $13

2011 Weinbau Erich Sattler,Zweigelt  $12
Zweigelt is Austria’s most widely planted red.  The wine matures on the lees for six months and is bottled after minimal filtration. This wine is dense and juicy with hints of strawberries and fresh herbs on the nose. It exhibits ripe fruit on the palate, reminiscent of plum with pleasant acidity and pepper. It is an elegant wine with a spicy balanced finish.
Was $20, now $12

2014 Gerard Bertrand, Languedoc Rouge  $12
Syrah, Grenache
A rich red from the south of France.  Complex aromas of ripe red fruit, backed by notes of licorice, gingerbread and scrubland. 
Was $16 now $12

2013 Gerard Bertrand, Tautavel  $12
50% Grenache, 35% Syrah, 15% Carignan
An intense, radiant robe with a subtle brown tinge. Intensely fruity on the nose, with red fruit and raspberry aromas underpinned by complex, spicy notes. A wonderful combination of supple tannins and delicate notes of scrubland and spices on the palate.
Was $20, now $12

2015 Finn Hill, Merveille Merlot $15
Stillwater Creek Vineyard
Aromas of red currant, dried cherry and toasty oak, the latter an indicator of the 21 months in 100% new French barrels.  On the palate is where it comes alive with more cherry and currant flavors with dusty tannins and age-worthy pomegranate acidity.
Was $30 now $15

2016 Finn Hill Vivant, Malbec  $18
Rosebud Vineyards
The 2016 vintage exhibits an inky purple-magenta color and wafts perfumed aromas of crushed black and red berries on wet gravel, with hints of molasses and bay leaf. The pour delivers predominant fruit notes of blackberry, boysenberry, red currant, and blueberry. The finish brings mellow plum-skin acidity and tannin.
Was $30, now $18

Winter Hours
Wednesday-Sunday, 12-6PM

While shipping is still a mess for most of our distributors, we have managed to have a few new wines from the Iberian Peninsula make their way to our shelves.

2020 Adaras Lluvia, Bianco  $11
60% Verdejo, 40% Sauvignon Blanc
An organic Spanish white wine from the Almansa region using grapes from the high altitude vineyards 850m above sea level. Clean and bright with a harmonious balance of the grapes, it shows aromas of tropical fruit and subtle notes of peach and apricot. The palate brings balanced complexity and an intense, long, fresh finish.  Organic

2020 CUNE. Monopole Bianco Seco Rioja  $11
Viura
This has a pretty nose of lemons, sliced apples, peaches, fresh apricots, sea shells and stones. Hint of anise and jasmine. Medium-bodied with bright acidity and a creamy, lightly waxy texture. Fresh and elegant.

2020 Pazo das Bruxas. Albarino  $19
Seductive, with exquisitely fine floral (lime blossom) and fruit (lemon) notes against a backdrop reminiscent of quince jam. Intense and flavorful on the palate, with delicate, subtle fruit acidity.

2019 Quinta da Fonte Souto. Alentejo Branco  $26
75% Arinto, 25% Verdelho
A crisp and taut blend of Arinto and Verdelho, with a delicate floral aroma, clean, wet-stone freshness, salty tang and finely honed texture on the palate.

2020 Kiki & Juan. Vino Tinto  $15  1 liter
70% Bobal, 10% Tempranillo, 20% Macabeo
Co-fermented with Macabeo (a white grape)  this Vinho Tinto is a fresh Spanish wine with bright aromatics of sour cherry, framboise and juniper.  Organic, Vegan

2020 Mendieta Osaba, Mendi Rioja  $14
Tempranillo
Packed with perfume on the nose, this is a very fresh, youthful rioja with intense aromas of blackberries and dashes of spices. Bursting with fruit, this wine is round and complex with licorice notes and a long finish.

2009 Siglo Rioja Gran Reserva  $21
Tempranillo
Cool and foresty in tone, this wine feels integrated, with a lovely weave to its tannins and fruit. The wine melds tannins from oak, fruit skin and seeds in notes of caraway and walnut, with a vegetal anise scent adding complexity. The texture is plump and silken, with a ping of fruit.

2020 Alvaro Palacios Camins del Priorat  $25
55% Garnacha, 15% Syrah, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 8% Cariñena
A high scoring entry wine from Palacios.  Notes of vanilla, toast, smoke, tobacco, dark fruit, red fruit, spice box, cedar, and mushroom.  Rich flavors of black currant, blackberry, dust, leather, currant, blueberry, strawberry, cherry, bell pepper, licorice and anise.

2020 Alvaro Palacios Camins del Priorat  $25
55% Garnacha, 15% Syrah, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 8% Cariñena
A high scoring entry wine from Palacios.  Notes of vanilla, toast, smoke, tobacco, dark fruit, red fruit, spice box, cedar and mushroom.  Rich flavors of black currant, blackberry, dust, leather, currant, blueberry, strawberry, cherry, bell pepper, licorice and anise.

Wednesday-Sunday, 12-6PM

The grey days of January require a little something extra.  One bottle sometimes isn’t enough.  Fortunately, a little extra something is at hand.  Try a liter bottle, you get an extra glass (think of all the fights this could save).  Or a Magnum, you get a second bottle (perfect for when you invites that couple over that brings a wine they grabbed at Trader Joes.)  Expecting more folks?  Just go for the Big Boy, (scroll down and start the marinara sauce.)

Liters

2018 L’Archetipo Litrotto Bianco  $20
Marchione, Verdeca Fiano, Falanghina
A skin contact white with scents of citrus, yellow fruits and aromatic herbs are wrapped in a marine and Mediterranean breath. The taste is fresh and delicate. Organic/Biodynamic.

2020 Peaceful Living Calcarius Orange Wine  $26
Falanghina, Puglia
A funky, cloudy liter of skin contact white from an organic farmer in southern Italy. Falanghina grown on limestone soils, given 5 days of maceration on the skins developing into a deeply hued orange wine. Fermented with indigenous yeast, no filtering or fining and a small addition of sulfites at bottling only.  Organic.

2020 Kiki & Juan Vino Tinto  $15
70% Bobal, 10% Tempranillo, 20% Macabeo.
Co fermented with Macabeo (a white grape) this Vinho Tinto is a fresh Spanish wine with bright aromatics of sour cherry, framboise and juniper.  Organic, Vegan.

2017 L’Archetipo Litrotto Rosso  $19
30% Montepulciano, 20% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Primitivo, 10% Susumaniello
The Litrotto spends 36 months in steel tanks. It has a fine and quite intense fruity and mineral nose. This red blend is balanced, quite tannic, fine and quite tasty.  Bio-Dynamic

2013 Giá Langhe Rosso  $18
Barbera, Dolcetto, Nebbiolo
An easy going Langhe Rosso in a liter bottle. The wine has intense red fruit and violet aromas that make your mouth water for the first sip which is pleasantly dry, smooth and perfectly balanced. This young wine shines with ripened plums and cherries.

Podericellario È! Rosso  $20
Barbera
Hand-harvested into small bins. Spontaneous fermentation. Ten days maceration. Aged in 100hl cement tanks for one year. Bottled with minimal sulphur (~10ppm) and without filtering or fining. It is a great red with a little chill on it.  Organic, Natural.

Magnums (1.5 liters)

2015 Avia Cabernet/Merlot  $10
60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot
From Goriska Brda in Slovenia, this red blend is a crowd pleasing deal.  Aromas of cherry, blackberry and currants combine and result in flavors that are full bodied yet smooth.

2015 Bousquet Malbec  $20
A big bottle of big wine, punchy and grapey on the nose, this bright Malbec feels edgy. Flavors of spicy black cherry and kirsch finish solidly, with a hint of chocolate flavor.  Organic.

2017 Tombacco Aglianico  $30
The big bottle from Campania in in Southern Italy, Tombacco’s Aglianico is big, rich, warming and smooth. Hints of cherry and red berries, with a marked vanilla and spicy note lead into an excellent mouth feel, elegant and warm, sapid and full-bodied with some spice on the long finish.

2014 Dry Creek Vineyard The Mariner  $60
69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Petit Verdot, 9% Merlot, 8% Malbec, 2% Cabernet Franc
This delicious Bordeaux-inspired blend comes from several prized estate and hillside vineyards in the Dry Creek Valley. At first swirl, the wine displays aromas of blueberry, vanilla and cherries. Several more minutes reveal hints of clove, cinnamon, black licorice and mocha characters. The palate has dark berry flavors along with cedar sweetness and cassis. It finishes with black pepper, boysenberry and a hint of barrel spice. Good acidity will help this wine to age beautifully for years to come.  Was $95 now $60  1 bottle available

2014 Pelissero Long Now Langhe Tosso  $80
50% Nebbiolo, 50% Barbera
Long Now expresses the concept of long-standing.  The nose reveals rich aromas of ripe fruit, blackberry, raspberry and red cherry, framing the subtle notes of vanilla.  Velvety, enveloping, fruity and elegant. It closes with a finish of great length.  1 bottle available

2014 Comte de Lauze Châteauneuf-du-Pape  $82
80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Cinsault
Spicy, cedary nose of blackberries and fresh herbs lifted by a note of lavender; medium- to full-bodied, savory black cherry flavors fill the mouth. Ready and willing.

2008 La Fiorita Bruenello de Montalcino  $145
Sangiovesse
Alluring from start to finish, this boasts cherry, earth, spice and mineral flavors. Firmly structured, remaining vibrant and long on the finish. Best from 2015 through 2026.

The Big Boy (5 liters)

2015 San Felice Chianti Classico  $133
80% Sangiovese, 10% Pugnitello, 10% Colorino
Aromas of dark cherry, raspberry and sweet violets. Dry and medium-bodied, it is smooth, rounded, and well-balanced with a savory palate. Get the party started right.

Winter Hours: Wednesday-Sunday, 12-6PM