It feels very Spring like this weekend in Madrona. The sun is poking out between the clouds and the air feels fresh and new. Here at Madrona Wine we have a full line up of fresh and new wines that we’ll be that we’ll be tasting this weekend.
Saturday, Javier Alfonso, master craftsman behind Idlico Winery, joins us to pour some of his fine Spanish varietals cultivated from local vineyards. We’ll be tasting his Albarino, Garnacha, Tempranillo, Monastrell, and Roble Red blend. Stop by at 2 and meet the wine maker.
Sunday, we have two new French wines to sample.
2012 Gouleyant Gaillac Blanc $10 80% Lion de l’oeil, 20% Sauvignon Blanc The Lion has an extremely aromatic nose, mainly dominated by citrus aromas and hints of flowers. Its mouth is fresh, long, and crisp with flavors of white peach and plum.
2012 Chateau Paret Bordeaux $10 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc A great everyday Bordeaux that has nothing to do with tropical pets or pirates. It’s a supple and medium-bodied wine, with dark fruit, a soft glycerin texture and very velvety tannins. It is very easy to like.
Shake off a bit of Winter and come join us.
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.
Idilico Winery focuses on Spanish varietals. Originally from the famed Ribera del Duero region in Spain, winemaker Javier Alfonso is determined to showcase a true expression of wine grown in the unique viticultural areas in Washington State. Javier believes Washington vineyards are ideally suited to grow the finicky Spanish cultivars. Some of the top growing regions in Spain resemble Washington State. Dry desert conditions, scorching day time temperatures with huge temperature swings at night all wrapped up in a short growing season and frosty winters. Who doesn’t love a deep and structured Tempranillo, a juicy and luscious Garnacha or a steely acid driven Albariño? The winery is named after the 1200 lb bull that fought so bravely in the Barcelona Ring on September 21, 2008 that it won a pardon from ace Matador Jose Tomas. This rare and almost unprecedented turn of events is indeed fitting for such a wonderful creature. Join us This Saturday as Javier shares with us some of this wines.
2014 Albarino $15 This Albariño is from a 6 acre planting in the cooler area of the Yakima Valley north of Prosser. The wine shows notes of citrus and tropical fruit followed by a luscious, crisp and refreshing flavor. Drink anytime the sun shines.
2013 Roble $17 40% Tempranillo, 33% Garnacha and 27% Graciano This blend of from Boushey, Upland, Art den Hoed and Oasis vineyards is reminiscent of Rioja blends of days past, with little oak intrusion, refreshing flavors and a hint of spice. This pleasure-driven blend is designed to satisfy the most discerning of palates with juicy fruit and food-friendly refreshment.
2012 Garnacha $20 This Garnacha comes from Upland vineyard in Snipes Mountain and Elerding Vineyard in the Yakima Valley. This wine was fermented in small lots and barrel aged in neutral French oak for 12 months. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered. The wine exhibits aromas of tart cherry, strawberry jam with hints of moist rock and some citrus notes. In the palate the wine is medium bodied with luscious mouthfeel and a lingering finish.
2012 Tempranillo $20 Tempranillo is the King of Spanish grapes. With our dry climate, short growing season and extreme temperature variations, Washington may be Tempranillo’s home away from home. The wine shows the right stuff with dark fruits, herbs and soy followed by a long and smooth pass though palate. Aged in French oak for 12 months, bottled unfined and unfiltered.
2012 Monastrell $20 This wine is 100% Monastrell from Upland Vineyard in the Snipes Mountain AVA. Originally from growing areas in south-east Spain this variety is also known as Mourvedre in France and typically showcases tart dark cherry, freshly crushed pepper and some game notes. In Washington the fruit retains great acidity due to our cool harvest nights and gives the wine freshness and lower alcohol levels. Only 93 cases.
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.
Love is in the air (along with a little precipitation) this Valentine’s Day weekend in Madrona. And we have a full line up of Lovely wines to celebrate Cupid and his amorous workings.
Saturday, we have wines on hand to fill out any passionate plannings. We love these wines and we’d love to share them with you. We’ll pop the bubbles at 2pm. 2014 Lucien Albrecht, Pinot Blanc Gruet, Brut Rosé $17 2013 GD Vajra, Lange Rosso 2013 Amavi, Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 San Felice, Vin Santo
Sunday, we’ve arraigned a Ménage à Trois for you and your sweetie. We’ll be opening a trio of lovely bottles to spread the love. 11 to 5pm
2013 Gran Passione, Gavi $13 This passionate wine from the Piedmont has delicate aromas of white flowers, lemon, and green apples. A crisp, medium-bodied palate showing underlying hints of chalky minerality. Well-balanced and distinctly fruit driven with underlying hints of almonds on the finish.
Vya, Whisper Dry Vermouth $15 The Whisper Dry is softer, less herbaceous, and formulated to pair especially well with subtle spirits. Over fifteen different herbs are used in the Whisper Dry, a few of these include: linden, orris, elecampane, and needles from a certain fir tree that contribute a soft forest-like character. Was $22 now $15
2014 Casa Vinironia, Appassimento Edizione Oro $12 Merlot, Primitivo and Negroamaro This wine is made using the apassimento method (use of dried grapes). A modern style with silky, soft tannins. The wine bursts with blackberry, espresso and dark caramel aromas contrasted by a spicy, white pepper note.
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.
Love is in the air and we have some lovely wine this Saturday to get you ready for Valentine’s day. We’ve picked out some wines that we love and we’d love to share them with you. They hail from near and far but are all truly delicious. Come join us.
2014 Lucien Albrecht, Pinot Blanc $14
The Albrecht family has been involved in winegrowing since the year 1425. They have a particular talent for making a Pinot Blanc that’s harvested when the fruit is perfectly and fully ripe, imparting a supple, full texture with note of stone fruit crisp melon, citrus and peach, clean acidity and mineral touch on the finish.
Gruet, Brut Rosé $17
This pink Sparkler from New Mexico is all pinot noir. The wine has a lovely, bright floral bouquet with hints of strawberry, raspberry, and cherry. On the palate, it is rich and fruity in a dry, Brut style. $9 for 375ML
2013 GD Vajra, Lange Rosso $17
Aldo and Milena Vajra own 25 hectares of vines in the Langhe. with a further 10 hectares contracted for their production. Their Rosso is a blend of 20% Nebbiolo for structure, aromaticity and elegance, 30% Dolcetto aromas of fresh fruit and berries, 30% Barbera for additional freshness and fruitiness and bits of Albarossa, Freisa and Pinot Noir round it out. It is an amorous blend with aromas of red fruits, plums, underbrush as well as spicy fragrances that intrigue your senses from the very start.
2013 Amavi, Cabernet Sauvignon $30
76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, 8% Merlot, 3% Malbec, 1% Syrah, 1% Petit Verdot
Amavi stands for love. Their Cab blend has aromas of black cherry, plum, mocha preceding its dark fruit, cassis, savory flavors and its perfectly balanced, silky and rich finish.
Velenosi, Vino di Viscole $22 — 500ml
This totally unique wine from the Mache region blends 30% of the local Visciole Cherries with with Lacrimma di Morro d’ Alba grapes. The result is a perfumed, medium sweet wine with flowers and cherry aromas along with its ripe berry and cherry flavors and enough tannins to keep it from being cloying.
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.
The Super Bowl arrives this weekend, and while it won’t see the Seahawks out on the gridiron, it will have all the over the top commercials and Lady Gaga and light shows and fireworks and maybe even some football. Of course to celebrate we are pouring some Super Wines all weekend at Madrona Wine.
Saturday, we have a fine line up from the Loire and the Rhône that offer up some tasty exceptional value. 2013 Pierre Chainier, Château de la Roche, Touraine $12 2014 Pierre Chainier, Les Hospices Sancerre $19 2013 Charles Thomas, Côte du Rhône $11 2012 Alain Jaume, Haut de Brun, Côte du Rhône $15 2012 Pierre Chainier, Roc de Chateauvieux, Chinon $21
Sunday, we’ll be showing off a couple of wines from Italy.
2014 La Jara Pinot Grigio Rosé $9 After the tide of summer rosés you sometimes find the gems in the receding surf. The La Jarra blossoms with rose petal and red fruit, lots of blood orange and lively goodness. And due to the season it is now $9. Was $12 Organic 12.5% alcohol by volume
2013 Contini Tonaghe $12 Cannonau di Sardegna Sardinian Grenache that taste like it comes from nowhere else. Intense, with a well-defined vinosity and a hint of ripe plums and blackberries, lovely grippy tannins; warm and full-bodied with blackberry notes and juicy, ripe plum flavors.
Slip in and join us.
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.
This Saturday we are featuring three wines from Pierre Chainier who has several estates in the Loire. It is a family business. His wife Anne Chainier looks after the estates, the Château de Pocé and the Château de la Roche. Their eldest son Francois is the managing director of the company. He also owns the Clos de Nouys and Clos wu Gaimont vineyards in Vouvray. Their two other sons, Louis and Philippe, are in charge of exports. We’ll also be pouring two favorite reds from the Rhône to round out your palate. Come taste with us.
2013 Pierre Chainier, Château de la Roche, Touraine $12 Sauvignon Blanc The Château de la Roche is one of the oldest single estates of Loire Valley, planted mostly with Sauvignon Blanc. The vines provide a complex wine on the nose, aromatic and mineral with ripe fruits and citrus aromas, very subtle and delicate on the palate.
2014 Pierre Chainier, Les Hospices Sancerre $19 Sauvignon Blanc A great Value in Sancerre the Les Hospice is lively and full of fruit, with pleasant aromas, backed up by blackcurrant buds and wild flowers.
2013 Charles Thomas, Côte du Rhône $11 A great little Côte du Rhône made by the Burgundy producer Jean-Baptiste Bejot. The CT rouge is fresh spicy red overtones of red berry fruits. The body is found and supple with smooth aftertaste.
2012 Alain Jaume, Haut de Brun, Côte du Rhône $15 60% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 10% Cinsault This winery dates back to 1826, having been founded at that time by Mathieu Jaume. Since 1979, Alain Jaume has run the Domaine and now has the help of his two sons, Sébastien and Christophe, and daughter Helene. The Haut de Brun is a delicious full Rhône with layered aromas of black plum, blackberry, violet and earth, along with distant whiffs of game and smoke.
2012 Pierre Chainier, Roc de Chateauvieux, Chinon $21 Cabernet Franc Pierre Chainier’s beautifully elegant 100% Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley is very crisp and clean with aromas of mulberry, wild strawberry, and black cherry joined by a touch of dried fallen leaves and a hint of a fresh spring garden. The flavor is black cherry, sweet plum, and fresh raspberry are framed against tobacco leaf, dried cranberry, cassis, and a lovely dried herbal element that perfectly frames the other flavor components.
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.
Madrona: HIgh 47 degrees, Low 38 degrees — Cloud with Showers Cape Town, South Africa: High 94 degrees, Low 71 degrees — Sunny and Clear You choose.
Saturday, we’re tasting a great line up of wines from South Africa, where it is Summer and the grapes are ripening. Come take a vacation. 2015 Ashbourne Sauvignon/Chardonnay 2013 Neil Ellis Pinotage 2012 Goose, Shiraz 2013 Helderberg Wijnmakerij, Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 Delaire Graff, Botsmaskop Red
Sunday, Mark is fresh back from Vietnam and pouring two new reds to the shop that are a bit off the beaten path — a Cabrades from Southern France and a Cab heavy blend from Chile.
2013 Echeverria, Propuesta $10 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot, 5% Malbec From Chile, this dry chalky red has plenty of dark fruit without being overripe or pretentious.
2013 La Mijane Arpege –Cabardes $14 60% Grenache, 40% Merlot Where the Atlantic influence meets the Mediterranean, the blend mixes notes of blueberry and dark fruit with some sunny spice.
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.
It is Summer in Southern Hemisphere and what better time than to warm up with some fine South African wines. Come join us.
2015 Ashbourne Sauvignon/Chardonnay $18 80% Sauvignon Blanc, 20% Chardonnay
Ashbourne Wine Estate shares a border with its more famous relative, Hamilton Russell Vineyards, in the breathtaking Hemel-en-Aarde Valley in Walker Bay. The region has perfect conditions for both Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay to thrive. Fresh, vibrant, perfumed Sauvignon Blanc, filled-out and enriched with a unwooded Chardonnay make this a beautifully balanced and highly versatile wine.
2013 Neil Ellis Pinotage $20 Neil Ellis’s vineyards in the Jonkershoek Valley and more specifically the south facing slopes are of the coolest sites in Stellenbosch. The vineyards are also influenced by southerly breezes during the summer months, which have a beneficial effect. Their Pinotage has bright aromatic sweet fruit with spicy varietal notes and an attractive palate with cedary undertones.
2012 Goose, Shiraz $20 Goose Wines are made by the South African golfer Retief Goosen. His estate in the Upper Langkloof has high altitude, cooler vineyards on the northern slopes of the Outeniqua Mountains. The Goose Shiraz has a ruby red color, scented bouquet with abundant smoke and spice, delivering exceptional richness and a powerful full-bodied finish. The tannins are ripe and soft, with a long, clean aftertaste.
2013 Helderberg Wijnmakerij, Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon $14 The Helderberg Winery was founded in 1906. Over the following decades, the winery became known for its of fine red wines especially Cabernet sauvignon. A wildebeest of a wine, the Helderberg Cab is dark and smoky with flavors of dark plums, blackberry and cedar undertones.
2012 Delaire Graff, Botsmaskop Red $25 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc, 12% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec
The combination of Maritime and mountain in Stellenbosch makes up its unique terroir. A cooling Atlantic sea breeze washes over Delaire Graff’s steeply sloping vineyards gives a rich intensity of fruit. Their big Cab blend is powerful, yet elegant and polished, with classic aromas of dark berry fruit, spice and cassis. The softness of tannins and balance in structure complete this wine on the palate.
One of the lesser known, but fascinating California winery regions is Eldorado County, an hour east of Sacramento. Unlike the bustling regions of Napa or Sonoma, these smaller regions offer inexpensive tastings fees (if any at all), and offer up some great wines and stunning scenery.
As you can see from the map, there are no shortage of wineries in Eldorado County, many of which are only open weekends. Most everyplace you stop in will have maps of the area, including special maps for the sub-AVAs of Fairplay and Placerville. It being a Wednesday afternoon, my choices were a little more limited so I hit two that were recommended (and next door to each other) and one (Miraflores) that I just stumbled upon.
While none of the wines from the three wineries I stopped at are available at the shop, this is more informational about off-the-beaten track wine regions.
First up was Windwalker Winery in the Fairplay area of El Dorado County California. They produce 9-10,000 cases of wine a year with 10% being estate fruit. Of that production, 1/3 are white wine varietals, including dry-style Albariño (unusual for California) and a Viognier (both tasty, but I bought the Albariño). If you are a Chardonnay fan, their Chardonnay won the prestigious Golden Bear award at the California State Fair (front and center in front of their other medal placing wines).
As you can see from the chalkboard, they have an extensive and varied production. I even had a chance to chat with Ben, their winemaker:
Some of the more interesting reds they had open were the Alicante Bouschet (another rare California varietal) and their Estate Fruit Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. They also have several desert wines that I passed on. By the end of the tasting I’d had three whites/rosé and nine of the reds – yes, I was swirling, sipping and spitting.
Next up in the day’s adventure was Perry Creek Winery, which is just one long driveway away from Windwalker. Unlike Windwalker, most of their grapes are estate grown.
As with Windwalker, the major portion of their wines are red varietals (Chardonnay and Viognier being the two whites). I worked my way through them, finding the Zinfandels to my favorites – and oddly, the ZinMan Zin (which I bought) tastier than their Reserve Zinfandel. I ended up trying both the whites and half a dozen of the reds.
Last on the list for the day was Miraflores Winery, visually the most stunning of the bunch – no wander they have a full schedule of wine/food pairings, weddings, wine maker dinners.
For tasting they had your choice of six whites or rosé, and fifteen reds of which I sampled. With the exception of their Pinot Grigio and Misíon 1853, all of their wines are estate fruit grown on 50 cultivated acres
I really like their 2014 Barbara Rosé, along with their 2012 Méthode Ancienne – a traditional native yeast, foot-pressed Syrah. They used to invite people in to help with the stomp, but in recent years it’s just handled by the production workers. Other notable on the tasting menu were the 2014 Misíon 1853 – the first varietal planted in California in, you guessed it, 1853. Also deserving mention are their 2011 and 2012 Petit Sirah.
So, when you are travelling around the country, explore the less explored wine regions – when doing the research for this article I found a map for the wineries of Indiana – who knew.
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.
The new boats of 2016 are arriving loaded with wine. This Sunday we’ll be welcoming two new arrivals to the shop — One from Corsica, and one from Spain. Stop by and greet them.
2014 Domaine Petroni, Corsican Red $12 50% Niellucciu, 35% Syrah, 15% Grenache A good versatile red for Corsica, the wine has aromas of red fruit (strawberries, blackcurrant and raspberries) as well as delicate spice and a light minerality. It is supple on entry to the palate with red fruit flavors and subtle roasted notes. 12.5% alcohol by volume
2014 Tarima, Monastrell $10 This is your brain on Monastrell –Red raspberries, cooked cherries, and mulberries show in this wine’s expressive nose and mouth; the middle and finish also offer black plums and black raisins. Spices, herbs, and chocolate mark the finish as well.
To ensure that we can provide you with the specific wine that you are looking for, please call or email us with your request. It’s important to note that the vintage and availability of wines can vary from year to year.
