Summer has officially arrived here in Madrona (even though the weekend gets ushered in with a few clouds and a bit of a breeze).  With the warm weather we are turning our thoughts to some lighter wines for the season.  Sure, you can always fall back on Rosé, but break out of the mold and drink a few refreshing and unusual white wines. This weekend we have a packed line up of perfect contenders.  No Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Gris here.  You may or may not have heard of any of them before, but they are sure to delight the palate. Come check them out.

Saturday, we drink through Hungary, Portugal, Sicily, and Friuli.
2016 Château Pajzos, Furmint  $13
2016 Quinta do Pinto Lasso Branco  $13
50% Arinto, 50% Fernão Pires
2016 Caravaglio Malvasia  $20
2016 Murgo, Etna Bianco  $18
70% Carricante, 30% Cataratto
2016 Muzic Collio  $16
Ribolla Gialla

Sunday, we are back with two more (one from Burgundy & one another from Sicily) to help beat the warm weather.  The temperatures are supposed to climb back up into the 80’s this next week so come stock up.
2013 Vignerons de Buxy, Bourgogne Aligoté  $9
A very fresh wine, usually with a pale gold color with bright glints. The nose opens with floral and fresh fruity hints. It is soft and aromatic in the mouth. It often has white floral and hazelnut aromas. Its liveliness and its slight citrus flavor pairs well with the saltiness of oysters of seafood as well as with goat cheese.
2017 Branciforti Catarratto  $10
Fresh and aromatic Catarratto, grown within the area of Trapani, under constant ventilation from the Mediterranean Sea, reveals a pleasant acidity that enhances the elegance and smell. The palate with light hints of peach blossoms and wisteria, reserving, in the final, delicate notes of aniseed.

Madrona Wine Merchants offers free wine tastings featuring 4-5 selections on a theme every Saturday from 2pm until the bottles run out and on Sunday we offer a mini-tasting of two wines all day from 11-5pm.

Everyone knows Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris but we’ll have none of those today. There are so many other interesting white wine grapes in the shop that fail to get the attention they deserve. This weekend we are pouring a packed line up of refreshing and unusual white wines. We think they will surprise your palate how differently delicious they are.

2016 Château Pajzos, Furmint $13
This dry Hungarian white is made from Furmint, the grape traditionally used to make Tokaji a sweet dessert wine. The bright, fresh and zesty flavors range from grapefruit to apricot with notes of nuts, minerals, and spice. The Furmint has aspects that remind one of Viognier, Pinot Gris, and Sauvignon Blanc, yet it is a unique wine. Its flavors are as appealing as they are original.
11.5% alcohol by volume

2016 Quinta do Pinto Lasso Branco $13
50% Arinto, 50% Fernão Pires
From Lisboa, Portugal, this white blend is raised on clay-limestone soil, originally from the Jurassic period, with clayey and loamy texture. The wine is vibrant, intense and fresh with intense and exuberant aroma of flowers and tropical fruits. In the mouth it has presence and volume. It is creamy, the Fernão Pires gives tropical and white fruits notes, combined with the citric notes from the Arinto. 13.5% alcohol by volume

2016 Caravaglio Malvasia $20
From the Aeolian island of Salina near Sicily in southern Italy. Grown on volcanic soils, this is made of 100% Malvasia Bianco and is vinified completely dry. Exotic and intensely perfumed, this wine opens with vibrant lychee, pineapple and honeysuckle notes on the nose and leads to a salty, lean, mineral palate that speaks of its island origins. 12.5% alcohol by volume

2016 Murgo, Etna Bianco $18
70% Carricante, 30% Cataratto
From the slopes of the volcano, this white blend is fermented and aged in stainless steel to preserve the crisp acidity and juicy freshness a proper Etna Bianco must have. The high acid of Caricante is balanced by the softness of texture of the Catarratto, yielding a gorgeously pristine and elegant Bianco. 12.5% alcohol by volume

2016 Muzic Collio $16
Ribolla Gialla
Muzic is a beautiful white from the Collio region in northern Italy. It is left to rest in steel on lees for four months to develop body and character. Addictive, its delicate floral and fruity aromas cross with a beautiful citrus and citrine vein. 13% alcohol by volume

Madrona Wine Merchants offers free wine tastings featuring 4-5 selections on a theme every Saturday from 2pm until the bottles run out and on Sunday we offer a mini-tasting of two wines all day from 11-5pm.

The 4^th of July is quickly approaching so it is time to stock the cellar and the coolers with wines for the weekend, the holiday and beyond.  Stop by the shop and have a taste of what we’ll be drinking in the coming months.  The shop will be closed Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this next week so think ahead for Independence Day.
 
2017 Avinyo Petillant Blanc  $16
70% Muscat, 20% Macabeo, 10% Xarel-lo
This Petillant is a vi d’agulla, the Catalan name for prickly wine. This vibrant and refreshing wine is the traditional summertime quaffer of the Penedès region of Catalonia.  Bright honeysuckle and almond aromas are followed by a bracingly dry palate, with flavors of lemon peel and a faint brininess.  10.5% alcohol by volume
 
2016 La Rabotine Sancere  $22
Sauvignon Blanc
The vines for the Rabotine average 45 years, grown on a bed of broken limestone mingled with flint. Fermented in steel by way of natural yeasts, no malo and no acidifying agents; it is organic to-the-bone. It spends 8 months on its lees.  The wine is a toothbrush of wet stones cutting through lemon-lime citrus with a dust of smoke and white flower; there’s enough texture and weight to connect the big aroma to the lime-green pucker finish.  12.5% alcohol by volume
 
2017 L’ermitage, Costieres de Nimes Rosé  $12
50% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 25% Mourvèdre
A great little southern French Rosé with vibrant sour cherry-like acidity and delicate body make this dry rosé an especially invigorating thirst-quencher. Crisply concentrated with wild strawberry and raspberry flavors, it’s silken yet spry, adapting seamlessly from poolside to the dinner table.
 
2016 Lucchetti, Lacrima di Morro d’ Alba  $11
The Luchetti makes its yearly appearance at the shop.  From the Marche region of Italy, this Lacrima di Morro has a big floral quality and a little salinity from the salt air of the Adriatic Sea. Distinct and delicious
 
2016 Domaine Durban, Gigondas  $30
70% Grenache, 30% Syrah
Durban’s vineyard on the limestone upper slopes of the Dentelles de Montmirail tends toward a high-flying, pure style. The wine is robust, spicy and herbaceous.

Madrona Wine Merchants offers free wine tastings featuring 4-5 selections on a theme every Saturday from 2pm until the bottles run out and on Sunday we offer a mini-tasting of two wines all day from 11-5pm.

The clouds are supposed to part this weekend in Madrona.  Just in time to start two great days of wine tasting at the shop.

Saturday, we have an exciting line up of Organic Wines from France, Spain and Columbia Gorge.
2015 Rosell Mir, Cava El Serralet Brut Nature  $16
2016 Rosell Mer, Pla de la Creu  $13
2017 Le Double Trouble, Grenache Rosé, Columbia Gorge $18
2014 Domaine Thillardon, Moulin á Vent  $24
2013 Domaine de Montvac, Vaqueyras Complicité  $22

Sunday, we have a match up in the World Wine Cup.  Austria vs. Spain as the two wines compete for best value.
2014 Holzer, Wagram Gruner Veltliner $9
Fuller and fruitier style of Gruner Veltliner, with big flavors of green apples, peach, grapefruit, and spice.  12% alcohol by volume. Was $12 now $9
2015 Monteabellon, Avaniel Ribera del Duero   $10
Tempranillo
Surprisingly complex and spicy, the wine has an attractive nose of spice box, blueberry and blackberry. This is followed by a medium-bodied wine with a supple texture. Was $12 now $10

Madrona Wine Merchants offers free wine tastings featuring 4-5 selections on a theme every Saturday from 2pm until the bottles run out and on Sunday we offer a mini-tasting of two wines all day from 11-5pm.

2015 Rosell Mir, Cava El Serralet Brut Nature  $16
Macabeu and Parellada
Rosell Mir is a long-standing family estate in Penedes.  Their zero-dosage Cava sees two years of aging before release.  It has fresh aromas of white fruit and floral notes. The wine is elegant, fresh and light with persistent string and bubbles. The clean aftertaste is good, well integrated. 
 
2016 Rosell Mer,  Pla de la Creu  $13
Xarel-lo
A fresh white wine made from the Xarel-lo grape (one of the three grapes of the traditional Cava). This wine has many notes of ripe citrus fruit with a hint of almonds and herbs.

2016 Domaine de Montvac Cotes du Rhone Rosé  $15
Founded in 1860, Domaine de Montvac has been passed from mother to daughter for the past three generations. Cecile Dusserre, being the latest and a mother of three daughters of her own, stands a good chance of carrying on tradition. Ninety-five percent of Domaine de Montvac’s wines are planted in terroirs with Vacqueyras AOC or Gigondas AOC status. Their Rosé comes from the youngest vines. The wine has 50% Grenache for its roundness and finesse, 20% Syrah for structure, and 30% Mourvèdre for power and aromatic persistence.
 
2014 Domaine Thillardon, Moulin a Vent  $24
This organic Gamay is made by two brothers with small holdings throughout Beaujolais “Bright violet. Smoke-accented dark berries, candied licorice and a hint of candied lavender on the deeply perfumed nose. Sappy and focused on the palate, offering chewy boysenberry and bitter cherry flavors that show no rough edges and take a sweeter turn on the back half. In an ample but energetic style, finishing sweet, floral and very long, delivering building tannins and a hint of smoked meat.”
 
2013 Domaine de Montvac, Vaqueyras Complicité  $22
50% Grenache, 50% Mourvèdre
A small lot blend from Domaine de Montvac.   It is uncommon to see these two
varietals blended in these percentages. It is an amazingly complex powerhouse. Only 80 cases were made.

Madrona Wine Merchants offers free wine tastings featuring 4-5 selections on a theme every Saturday from 2pm until the bottles run out and on Sunday we offer a mini-tasting of two wines all day from 11-5pm.

It is Father’s Day weekend here in Madrona.  Forget the lawn tools, swing by the shop and pick him out something he’ll really enjoy.  We also have a full line up of wines for the upcoming warm weather.

Saturday, it our Rosé Roundup!  We have five very diverse wines from France, Spain & Italy to make you blush.
2017 Villa des Anges Cinsault Rosé  $11
2017 Commanderie de la Bargemone Coteaux d’Aix en Provence  $15
2016 Bodegas Muga Rosado  $16  750-ml —– 1.5ltr $35
2017 La Spinetta, Il Rosé di Casanova  $20
2014 Murgo Brut Rosé  $30

Sunday is Dad’s day and we have two all day Sunday Sippers.

2017 Clos des Lumineres L’éclat Rosé   $10
40% Cinsault, 30% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre
A dry easy drinking Rosé from the Rhone, with aromas of strawberry, and cherry with a spiciness, followed by a pink grapefruit and flint finish.  3liter box  — $25  (that’s $6.25 a bottle.)

2013 Calle, Gran Reserva Ca de Calle $15
80% Malbec, 14% Petit Verdot, 6% Merlot
Bodega Calle is an organic certified winery; all vineyards are sustainably farmed or organic. The Ca’ de Calle Gran Reserva is composed of a selection of the best barrels in the winery, so the blend changes with each vintage. The 2013 has with herbal, balsamic and spicy aromas that are marked by the elevage (vanilla, cinnamon). The palate is dark plums, bruised sage rustic and impressive with its super ripeness and firm tannins. It has quite a seductive mouthfeel, finishing with bitter chocolate.
Was $22 now $15

Madrona Wine Merchants offers free wine tastings featuring 4-5 selections on a theme every Saturday from 2pm until the bottles run out and on Sunday we offer a mini-tasting of two wines all day from 11-5pm.

While it is nice to drink Rosé all year round, when the warmer weather rolls around it just becomes a no-brainer.  This weekend is supposed to be toasty so we’ve gathered up a parcel of pinks to pour on Saturday.  We have 5 very diverse wines from France, Spain & Italy that we think will delight and surprise your palate.  They might make you blush.
 
2017 Villa des Anges Cinsault Rosé  $11
100% Cinsault! A light-bodied wine, intensely crisp and vividly fresh, it offers complex aromas of strawberries and red currants, with a hint of quince.

2017 Commanderie de la Bargemone Coteaux d’Aix en Provence  $15
30% Syrah, 30% Grenache, 15% Cinsault, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon
The Bargemone  is our go to rosé.  It has aromas of wild strawberries and red currants, with a light, floral character and a crisp, bone-dry palate with a complex long finish.  Classic Provence!
 
2016 Bodegas Muga Rosado  $16  750-ml —– 1.5ltr $35
Garnacha, Tempranillo and Viura
Muga makes one of the most distinctively delicious rosados in Rioja. It is a style referred to locally as “clarete,” which is a lighter type of rosé made by combining white wine with direct press rosé, as opposed to the saignee method where color is derived from a pre-fermentation maceration on the skins of the grapes.   It sees a brief period of time in used oak barrels. The wine shows very precise, tangy small red berry fruits, as well as some citric and apricot notes from the white wine component. This is a crisp, bracing, and unbeatable rosé.
 
2017 La Spinetta, Il Rosé di Casanova  $20
Sangiovese
The “Rhino Rosé” has aromas of sliced peaches, flowers, stones and chalk.  It is very complex with full body and round yet agile and dynamic intensity, salty, linear, energetic backbone of acidity, great structure and lovely finish.
 
2014 Murgo Brut Rosé  $30
Nerello Mascalese
This is one of the most distinctive and special sparkling wines in the world, a traditional-method bubbly made on the slopes of Sicily’s Mount Etna from Nerello Mascalese, then aged on its lees for 3 years.  This has a gorgeous faded antique rose color, with notes of ginger, strawberries, and pomegranate.

Madrona Wine Merchants offers free wine tastings featuring 4-5 selections on a theme every Saturday from 2pm until the bottles run out and on Sunday we offer a mini-tasting of two wines all day from 11-5pm.