Spring is in the air this weekend in Madrona, so spring to it and stroll on down to Madrona Wine and taste the weekend offerings.   We’ll be pouring five flavorful wines from France on Saturday. Sunday we’ll be sipping some savory new wines from South Africa.

Saturday:
2016 Château Martinot,  Entre-Deux-Mers   $13
80% Sauvignon Blanc, 20% Semillon
2017 Château Rivière, Rosé   $12
Syrah & Grenache
2015 Domaine Les Espérières, Côtes du Rhône Villages Rouge  $13
70% Grenache,  30% Syrah
2015 Les Couventines, Gigondas  $26
60% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre
2014 Château Lalande de Gravelong, Médoc  $17
75% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc

Sunday we have two new wines from a new South African winery, Lubanzi
2017 Lubanzi Chenin Blanc  $15
100% Chenin Blanc
The nose brings tropical and stone fruits first, eliciting thoughts of tangerine and lychee. The palate is round and fleshy, pushing forward lychee again, along with white peach, apricot and green apple, all carried by a touch of elevated acidity. There is brightness and a hint of freshly baked bread throughout.
2016 Lubanzi Blend  $15
58% Shiraz, 30% Cinsault, 3% Mourvédre, 3% Grenache
The wine is a lush, dark ruby color. The nose suggests equal parts fruit, savory, and spice, eliciting thoughts of plum, liquorice and a touch of ground coffee. The palate shows dark fruits at first, before giving way to lighter red fruits, such as strawberry and raspberry. Finishes with a touch of spice and raw earth. Slight tannins, countered by an elevated acidity.

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.