Some like it hot, but others like it not.  This Saturday we are taste touring some of the cooler regions of Europe with stops in Germany, Austria, the Jura and the Loire.  The cooler climate keeps the acidity high and the wines fresh.  Come join us.
 
Domaine Saint-Just, Crémant de Loire Brut $18
60% Chenin, 40% Chardonnay
This 99-acre estate is just 5 miles south of Saumur village. An area famous for heavyweight Chenin Blanc and Cab Franc, the vineyards around Saumur also produce some great Chard for blending into its sparklers. This rich Crémant has a fruity nose followed by almond, quince, and pear on the palate. This finish has an elegant creamy texture with long flavors.
 
2016 Biohof Pratsch Gruner Veltliner $13
100%  Gruner Veltliner
Biohof Pratsch is an organically certified winery in the appellation of Niederösterreich in Austria.  The Pratsch family goes back about 8 generations in the region livestock, wheat and barley and a few hectares of vines. In the early 80s Wilhelm Pratsch wanted to improve the quality of the products he sold, and switched the farming to organic.  The Gruner is herbal, fresh, and spicy with notes of white pepper, apple, and citrus on the palate.
 
2016 Weinhaus Schloss Koblenz GmbH, St. Christopher, Württemberg Gewürztraminer $12
This German Gewürzt’s earthy mineral notes are brightened by whiffs of white blossom and grapefruit in this subtly sweet Gewürztraminer. Soft acidity and feather-light texture add to its delicate feel.
 
2016 Biohof Pratsch, Zweigelt $13
Zweigelt is a cross between St Laurent and Blaufrankish (Lemberger).  The Pratsch has dark red fruit aromas with black currant, spices, and cherry. The Palate shows raspberry, cherry, spices and black pepper with a well-integrated acidity.
 
2011 Domaine Rolet Arbois Rouge Tradition $19
40% Poulsard, 30% Trousseau, 30% Pinot Noir
Désiré Rolet who in 1942 began making wine in the small region of the Jura in eastern France. In 1958, his 4 children all decided to stay in the family business and took over from their father. Since that time the domaine has acquired prime old vine vineyards in Arbois, Côtes du Jura and L’Étoile. The domaine has always been committed to sustainable farming and hand harvesting, which in their steep-sloped vineyards can be quite difficult indeed. No chemical herbicides are ever used and the soils are constantly ploughed – creating beautiful, healthy vineyards.  Rolet makes mineral-driven wines that can only come from the Jura. The wines always exhibit a focused purity and intensity of flavor which maintain the cool climate typicity of this mountainous region.  This traditional light-bodied red from the Jura region has aromas and notes of current and raspberry.

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 going back to Nature with a tasting of five Natural, Organic, and Biodynamic wines.  These wines are made with native yeasts, little intervention, low use of SO² and the operations conducted by the phases of the moon.  The winemaking is spot on.  Come taste how good natural can be.
 
2014 Finca Viladellops Ancestral Pet Nat $28
100% Xarel-lo Vermell
Finca Viladellops LD Ancestral is a sparkling wine made with the ancestral method (a unique fermentation), without addition of sugars or yeasts, accidentally discovered in the 16th century in Limoux.  Elaborated exclusively with the recovered grape variety Xarel-lo Vermell of old strains of Garraf. This gives it a soft color, slightly pink, and fine bubble. The wine is fragrant and aromatic, creamy and light, with a long memory. Organic and Biodynamic

2017 Dolina, Guerila $19
100% Pinela
From a small estate in Slovenia comes this indigenous varietal wine. Mago Petrič’s family’s winery is located in Vipavska Dolina and from the very beginning, they have worked organically and biodynamically.  Their Pinela is only grown in this region and nowhere else on the planet. Everything is handpicked, naturally fermented and then bottled unfiltered with just a minimal Sulphur addition, creating wines that are delicate, mineral and full of freshness. It is dry with aromas of apple, pear and herbs and a smooth round body.  Organic and Biodynamic

2016 Domaine Victor Sornin Beaujolais Villages – $17
Biodynamic Beaujolais which is as much fun to say as it is to drink.  The grapes come from vines that are 50-60 years old in the vicinity of Morgon.  The wine has aromas of red fruits-wild cherries and some black raspberries.  There’s a little bit of cranberry, currant, and a tiny bit of a beeswaxy aroma as well.  Bright and delicious.  Organic and Biodynamic

2015 Chateau les Croisille, Croizillon  Cahors $14
Malbec
Malbec is known as “the black wine of Cahors.”  Hold a bottle of Chateau Les Croisille’s “Le Croizillon” up to a light, and you’ll see why the variety is described as “inky.” This deep, dark wine offers notes of blackberry, saddle leather, cherry pie filling, cedar shavings, garrigue and cocoa. It finishes with dry mineral tannins.  Organic
 
2014 Turner Pageot Le Rouge $20
80% Grenache, 20% Syrah
This small estate is the fruitful partnership of Western Australian Karen Turner and Eastern Frenchman Emmanuel Pageot.  Their love of biodynamics led them to apply these principles to ten small parcels they now own near the town of Gabian. Almost 5h of varied soils, from gravel and schist, sandstone and basalt, to clay and limestone, provide freshness and purity, complexity and balance. A natural wine the Le Rouge is spicy, bright yet brooding.  Its expressive and heady nose of mixed red and black fruits, brioche, polished leather, iodine, tobacco and spice with grippy but ripe tannins and plenty of acidity to match, with a long, dry, pepper and spice finish and a bitter orange and black cherry taste that lingers for an age. Certified Organic and Biodynamic.

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.

Saturday, we are pouring some excellent values from France.  Very tasty, very little money.  That’s what we like.
2016 Château Bizard, Blanc d’ Amour $14
Viognier, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne
2017 Château Barbebelle, Aix du Provence Rosé Cuvée Madeleine $15
40% Grenache, 25% Cinsault, 25% Syrah
2015 Bel-Air Brouilly Cuvee Briante $18
Gamay
2012 Domaine de Mayol, Luberon Rouge $12
Syrah, Grenache, Old-Vine Carrignan
2014 Château Bizard, Grignan Les Adhémar,  $17
Syrah, Grenache

Sunday we have two Super Deals –A white Burgundy and a New Zealand Pinot Noir.  Both are tasting great and are seriously discounted.
2013 Christian Ninot, Bourgogne Blanc “Les Pellans”  $15
Chardonnay
This White Burgundy from the Côte de Beaune has lively aromas of flowers, ripe fruit and nuts. The wine is full-bodied and round with nice acidity and a long finish. Was $20, Now $15
2011 Mahi, Pinot Noir    $20
Slightly wild aromas of cherry, raspberry and strawberry. On the palate, there’s a lovely light touch to the pungent red berry, mint and mineral elements: like a good Burgundy, this Pinot offers intensity of flavor without undue weight. And its energetic finish stimulates the taste buds.  Was $30 now $20

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.

Labor Day is here and this Saturday we have some rewards for the working man (or woman).  We’ll be pouring some great value wines from France to give some respite to your hard efforts.  It is a fine line up to celebrate as we slowly turn from Summer and start thinking of the Fall.
 
2016 Château Bizard, Blanc d’ Amour  $14
Viogner, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne
The first production of red wines and white wines at Château Bizard in the Côtes du Rhône region dates from 1862. People did not talk about vines or vineyards at the time but “vine fields” like meadows or fields of wheat. The Blanc d’Amour has an aromatic complexity with fragrances of grapefruit, white peach, lychee and acacia flower. It shows a beautiful balance on the palate, ample and suave, with a fresh finish.
 
2017 Chateau Barbebelle, d’Aix du Provence Rosé Cuvée Madeleine $15
40% Grenache, 25% Cinsault, 25% Syrah
This rich wine is classic Aix du Provence rosé with notes of white peach and expressive, fresh, pear notes.  It is smoothly fruity, with a bright touch of acidity that gives the wine its elegant lift.
 
2015 Bel-Air Brouilly Cuvee Briante  $18
Gamay
The small Briante parcel in Brouilly has soil is silt-clay on the surface with schist and granite deeper down. It makes an aromatic wine, where plum, cherry and kirsch rub shoulders. The palate is long, the tanins are refined and there is great freshness at the finish.  
 
2012 Domaine de Mayol, Luberon Rouge $12
Syrah, Grenache, Old-Vine Carrignan
A dark and spicy Rhone value with some age on it — The Mayol has a sensual texture, some red fruits arôma and then blackcurrent fragances, a good length in mouth with finally notes of peppermint and flavor of summer.
 
2014 Chateau Bizard, Grignan Les Adhémar, Montagne de Raucoule $17
Syrah, Grenache
The Raucoule is a deep red wine from the Rhône valley AOC of Grignan les Adhémar.  The wine is aromatic and rich, expresses scents of black fruits –blackberry, sloe, cherry- underscored by notes of licorice, ripe fruits and spices and well-structured, fine and coated tannins.

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 a cloudy weekend here in Madrona, but you can still smell a bit of the wildfires mixed in with the mist.  We’re pouring a full line up of aromatic wines at the shop this weekend.  Stop by and see which one has the smoky nuance. 

Saturday, we are tasting our way around the back roads of Italy starting with some organic olive oil.
Petrizzelli Extra Virgin Olive Oil      $18
2016 Tenuta San Vito Chardonnay $18
2017 Vallevó Costa dei Trabocchi Rosé $13
2016 Cantine Federiciane,  Penisola Sorrentina,  Gragnano  $19
2016 Tombacco, Aglianico  $14
2016 Cantine del Vermentino Monti,  Cannonau di Sardegna   $22

Sunday, we are tasting two whites from Oregon’s Illahe Vineyards, their Grüner-Veltliner and Viogneir.   Normally both these wines sell for $18 but today we can sell them at a limited time discounted price.

2016 Illahe Grüner-Veltliner
This Grüner Veltliner has aromas of dried peach, honey crisp apple, and fresh cedar board. The wine is fermented partially in acacia barrels which offer herbal flavors and complex texture. The palate contains flavors of red grapefruit, graham cracker, and white nectarine. Organic. 13% alcohol by volume. Special Price $15
 
2016 Illahe Viognier
The Viognier leaps from the glass with expressive stone fruit, and floral aromas of apricot, tangerine, honey blossom and wet stone. The palate is layered with peach compote, banana peel, and lavender with a touch of uncrushed peppercorn. The wine is steel-fermented to preserve the grape variety’s food-friendly acidity and an off-dry palate. Organic. 12% alcohol by volume. Special Price $15

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 tasting our way around the back roads of Italy.  We have a Chardonnay from Tuscany, a Rosé from the Marche region, Aglianico for Campania, a Campanian sparkler, no less and big Cannonau for Sardinia. Cruise on in and give then a try.
 
2016 Tenuta San Vito Chardonnay $18
This organically grown Tuscan Chardonnay that shows plenty of terrior as well as varietal character.  Floral notes and fruit, very ripe yellow fruit and tropical aromas.  The flavors are harmonious and balanced with great freshness. 
 
2017 Vallevó Costa dei Trabocchi  $13
Sangiovese
This Rosé from the Marche region of Italy is fruity and crisp with notes of  lean strawberry, red fruit and soft florality.  It is bright and refreshing.

2016 Tombacco, Aglianico  $14
From Campania, this young Aglianico is big, rich, warming and smooth.  It has 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.

2016 Cantine Federiciane,  Penisola Sorrentina,  Gragnano  $19
Aglianico, Piedirosso, Sciascinoso
A deep sparkling red from Campagnia!  Gragnano is gently frizzante (sparkling), low in alcohol, perfumed of violets, with a distinct taste of grapes and nuances of berries. It has a slightly sweet vein balanced by savory & bitter notes. The wine has notes of blackberry, plum, cherry, and a note of bitter lemon on the finish. 
 
2016 Cantine del Vermentino Monti, Cannonau di Sardegna   $22
Cantina del Vermentino was founded in 1956 in Monti, in one of the most suitable territories and of ancient Sardinian wine region. Currently the cooperative works grapes coming from more than 200 members who confer from around the island.  Their Cannonau is full of copious rich fruit smooth tannins and a long finish.
 
Petrizzelli Extra Virgin Olive Oil      $18
The Petrizzelli is made exclusively from the Coratina Olive a very small, low yielding varietal that rewards those who have the patience to work with it.  Organic

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 smoke is gone, the sun is out and we have some great wines to taste this weekend her in Madrona.  Swing by the shop and check out what’s going on.

Saturday, we have a full line up of Organic and Biodynamic wines from importer Indie Wineries.  They are about as natural as you can get, and tasty too.
2016, Popolo di Indie, Vino Bianco  $15
100% Cortese
2016 Ezio Cerruti,  Fol,  Dry Moscato  $21
2016 Popolo di Indie Rosso $13
55% Nebbiolo, 30% Barbera, 15% Dolcetto
2016 Cantine di Indie, Lunedi Rosso $15
Montepulciano
2014 Rojac, Refosk $18

Sunday we’re in the pink with some GREAT deals on Rosé. They are previous vintages but are still tasting great. Still plenty of warm weather left this summer
 2014 Claude Lafond La Grande Piece  $11
Pinot Gris
From a single vineyard in the Loire, the Pinot Gris is left on its skins during its fermentation and the light pink of the grape transfers to the wine. Light berry fruit and light apples notes with some herbal underpinnings. Was $20 now $11
2016 La Mascaronne Quat Sasisons Rosé  $15
50% Cinsault, 30% Grenache, 20% Syrah
An elegant Rosé with aromas of rose petals, citrus, tropical fruit and raspberries.  Was $20 Now $15

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.

Importer Indie Wineries specializes on Organic and Biodynamic wines from around the globe. This Saturday we’ll be tasting some of their wines including a few made especially for them. Come have a taste.

2016, Cantine di Indie Lunedi Trebbiano d’Abruzzo Lunedi Bianco $15
Trebbiano
Trebbiano is a common grape planted across Italy (and France as Ugni Blanc), which yields plenty of unremarkable juice, but when it sits on the skins for a while, extra depth and expression come through. Indie macerates their Trebbiano for six days and is unfiltered and unfined. The result is a medium bodied, dry, with pear, green melon, and lemon notes on top of layers of the phenols suspended in the lightly clouded glass. It is a Trebbiano that expresses the entirety of the grape, vine, and soil.

2016 Ezio Cerruti, Fol, Dry Moscato $21
This Moscato is from Piedmonte with vines up to sixty years old are planted on steep slopes about 400 metres above sea level. Ezio works these organically. Biodiversity is valued and the long grass and wildflowers between the rows here stand in stark contrast to the more draconian setups nearby. When you open bottle of any of Moscato you find a wine of rare balance and harmony, where fruit, flowers, salt and spice intertwine. It is a cool biodynamic wine with a light oily body, aromas of peach, pear, and lemons. The finish is tart and clean, a bit of lingering oxidized nutty yeasty note.

2016 Popolo Rosso $13
55% Nebbiolo, 30% Barbera, 15% Dolcetto
Eugenio and his wife Cinzia farm 5.5 hectares of vineyards in seven vineyards in the Communes of La Morra, Verduno, Roddi and Alba. They are a small family run business with Eugenio in charge of the wine making and his wife Cinzia is in charge of the vineyard management. Cinzia is receiving her PHD in Biodynamic farming. The Barbera brings the acidity and bright fruit, the Nebbiolo brings the tannins and the aromatics, and the Dolcetto brings the softness and rounds out the blend, making for an incredibly harmonious wine with a dark black tea core.

2016 Cantine di Indie, Lunedi Rosso, Montepulciano di Abruzzo DOC $15
Indie’s Montepulciano is full of blackberry and marionberry, and juicy, warm purple flowers. It is medium-bodied with a bright acid that makes it very fresh, gulp-able and interesting — best served with a slight chill and charcuterie.

2014 Rojac, Refosk $18
Rojac’s Refosk (refosco) is a must try for everyone who relishes wild, natural, and utterly distinctive red wines. Slovenska Istra, named for a peninsula that juts out into the Adriatic Sea between Trieste and Rijeka, is Slovenia’s most Mediterranean-influenced winegrowing region. The 2014 Refosk blossoms with classic Refosco aromas of wild blackberries, elderberries, cured meats, bitter medicinal herbs, and piquant soil. The palate unfurls layers of blackberry, huckleberry, violets, star anise, and white pepper and finishes with reprises of sappy, herb-inflected dark cherry and blackberry fruit complemented by hints of leather, smoke, and pipe tobacco.

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.

Saturday we’re tasting our way through Iberia with some delicious wines from Spain and Portugal.  The wines are crisp and summery and go great with Tapas, Paella, Jamón or any of a number of other dishes.  Swing by the shop and have a taste.
 
Maset, Cava Brut Nature Nu Reserva $12
Macabeo, Parellada, Xarel·lo
Bodegas Maset has been making their delicious Cava for more than 200 years. The Nu Reserva has crisp, clean, citrus fruit notes of apple & pear.
 
2016 Aves De Sousa, Branco $13
Viosinho, Rabigato, Gouveio
This fresh Portuguese white has a very rich nose, citrus notes along with a great minerality, a rich mouthfeel and a dry finish.
 
2016 Cesar Langa, Frenesi  $13
Merlot, Garnacha, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz
This family run winery started in the small village of Morata de Jiloca in 1867. Today the Langa family owns more than 70 hectares of vineyards spread over two Biodynamic farmed estates.  The Frenesi has a very minerally aroma with spicy notes such as clove, cinnamon, pepper and vanilla.  It has s ripe, even jam-like black fruit, beautiful tannins, a silky and round, muscular body. 
 
2007 Gaston, Rioja Reserva $23
Tempranillo
This aged Tempranillo has cherry aromas with vanilla and spicy, balsamic notes. On the palate: it provides a silky sensation of soft and at the same time elegant taste. It is fleshy, long and intense persistence. 
 
2016 Maset, Mas Vilo Priorat  $25
Garnacha, Mazuelo
The grapes for the Mas Vilo are grown on steep llicorella slate slopes and terraces which are worked by mule and by hand.   It is a space bathed in the dark, bright and shining tonalities of the slate, with ferruginous, reddish and rusty shades.  The wine has ripe red fruit aromas (raspberry and blackberry) with mineral and balsamic recollections. On the palate it’s vibrant and flavorful, with sweet, elegant tannins.

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’s Seafair Weekend here in Madrona and while the Blue Angels boom overhead and the hydroplanes throw rooster tails down on the lake we’ll be quietly pouring some great tasting wine at the top of the hill.  Fly on by and check them out.

Saturday:
2014 Colterenzio, Weisshaus Pinot Bianco $15
2017 Clos des Lumineres L’éclat Rosé  $10
2017 Les Hauts Plateaux Alpes de Haute Provence Rosé  $11
2013 Evesham Wood, Temperance Hill Pinot Noir  $27
2012 Adriano, Barbaresco Basarin $25

Sunday we are off to Portugal, not for their sweet ports, but their lovely dry rad wines. Come check out these values. Come taste the grapes you’ve probably not heard of.
2015 Santos Lima Cigarra  $10
Castelao, Camarate, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Miuda
This great summer red is highly aromatic with lively notes of raspberry, cherry and cassis on the nose and palate. A four-month maturation in oak barriques lends delicate hints of spice. 13% alcohol by volume
2016 Quinta do Pinto Lasso Branco  $13
50% Arinto, 50% Fernão Pires
From Lisboa, Portugal, this wine is vibrant, intense and fresh with intense and exuberant aroma of flowers and tropical fruits. In the mouth it has presence and volume. The Fernão Pires gives tropical and white fruits notes, combined with the citric notes from the Arinto.

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.