It is Mayfair Weekend here in Madrona, started off by the morning parade and followed by lots of activity up at the park.  There is a little something for everybody.  After you enjoy the fun, don’t forget to stop by the wine shop and get refreshed with a little wine tasting.

Saturday, we’re trying a fine line up of Organic and Biodynamic Wine from Small Producers in Slovenia, France, and Italy.  We’ll be pouring a tasty white, a couple rosés, and two tasty reds.  There is a little something for everybody.  That starts at 2 and runs until the bottles run out but we can usually stretch them until 4pm.

Sunday, we’re featuring two Vermouths from Ransom Winery in Oregon.  These artisan concoctions are great for cocktails and delicious by themselves.

Ransom Dry Vermouth  $20  500 ml
Base Wine: A blend of organically and conventionally farmed aromatic white varietals and Pinot Noir. Infusion: Wormwood*, Rosehip*, Scullcap*, Chamomile*, Orange Peel*, Verbena*, Spearmint*, Star Anise*, Cinnamon Bark*, Coriander*, Arch Angel Root*, Burdock Root*, Fennel*, Cardamom*, Lemon Peel*, and Vanilla Bean.

Ransom Sweet Vermouth  $20  500ml
Base Wine: A blend of organically and conventionally farmed aromatic white varietals, including Gewürztraminer, Muscat, Riesling, and Pinot Gris. Infusion: Wormwood*, Sarsaparilla*, Sassafras, Wild Cherry Bark*, Red Cinchona Bark, Dandelion Root*, Hibiscus Flower*, Orris Root, Cardamom Pods*, Blessed Thistle*, Chamomile*, Orange Peel*, Verbena*, Spearmint Leaf*, Cinnamon Bark*, Arch Angel Root*, Lemon Peel*, Vanilla Beans, Cacao Nibs, Coffee Beans, Walnuts, Black Mission Figs, Medjool Dates, Dried Cherries. Sweeteners: Turbinado Sugar*, Muscat Grape Juice, Maple Syrup.

*indicates organic ingredients

That’s all day from 11 to 5.  So there is no reason not to stop in.

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.

We like small producers; they pay attention to details, and make original handmade wines that reflect their place, their history, and themselves.  And when we find an importer that thinks the same we like to show them off.  This Saturday we’ll be tasting some wines from Indie Wines, a small importer that focuses on small family owned producers that farm organically- most certified organic and biodynamic.  Does it make a difference?  Come taste for yourself.

2014 Le Cantine di Indie, Sivi Pinot Populus” $15
Pinot Grigio
Sivi Pinot Populus means “Pinot for The People!” and this wine made especially for Indie wines from a small producer in Slovenia is quite popular. It has aromas of sun ripened apricot, kumquat and citrus zest, a luscious mouthfeel with briny seashell minerality and an almond tarte finish.
 
2013 Domaine Grand Corbière, Sable de Camargue, Vin Gris   $12
Grenache Gris, Grenache Noir, Syrah
In 1975 Barbier bought this Domaine, and quickly realized that the previous owner hadn’t taken good care of his estate, and the vineyards were in very poor condition. The old Carignan, Grenache and Aramon vines couldn’t be saved and the woodstock had to be ripped out.   They then started producing asparagus for almost two decades, until the mid 9O’s he decided replant the vines. Of the Domaine’s 39 hectares, 28 are now grapes.  It was a great choice.  Their Vin Gris is lovely, fresh rosé that has a nose of fresh-picked strawberries and cherries with hints of maritime air.
 
2013 Le Cantine di Indie, Polpo Rosso, Terre Sicillane $15
Nerello Mascalese
An everyday wines coming out of Sicily, this lighter Sicilian red, is fresh and lively and made more in the style of a Rosé than in a traditional red wine.  It has delicate floral aromas with hints of red fruit, bright acidity, layered cherry and strawberry flavors and lingering finish. Serve it slightly chilled on a hot day and it is fantastic.
 
2014 Fattoria San Lorenzo, Marche Rosso, Il Casolare  $14
50% Montepulciano, 50% Sangiovese
Natalino Crognaletti inherited Fattoria San Lorenzo from his father Gino, whom in his turn had inherited it from his father Enrico who was also a master cooper.   Il Casolare is Natalino’s ‘red wine for the people.’  The wine is fresh, clean, balanced, easy to drink, certified organic, and in Natalino’s words, ‘TOO good!’ 
 
2011 Chateau la Baronne, Pièce de Roche $34
100% Carignan from vines planted in 1892
This family run winery has a long tradition of winemaking.  Their Pièce de Roche is complex, voluminous with beautiful fruit density, velvety tannins, and a great length of black fruits and spices with a final licorice finish.

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 Sunday we’ll have two new Frenchies open for. We’ll start off with a nice dry rosé from the Cotes de Thonge region of Southern France, followed by Roussillon red. See what the same combination of grapes produce in a red and rosé. Stop in for a taste.

2014 La Croix Belle Caringole    ($10)
50% Syrah, 50% Grenache
A crisp rosé from the South of France with light fruit and nice floral notes that Cotes de Thongue.
12.5% alcohol by volume

2008 Clos Saint Georges Cuvée Chevalière    ($12)
50% Grenache, 50% Syrah
A juicy Roussillon Red, with enough age to smooth out the edges. Kirsh, licorice, and fine 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 looks to be a lovely Mothers Day Weekend here in Madrona, and we’ll be pulling a few corks all weekend in their honor.  Bring the Mothers in your life to the wine shop and sample some fun and fresh French wines with us. 

Saturday we’re tasting a flight of five French wines including the Miraval Provence Rosé which should fit the day to a tee.  We’re also opening the 2004 Château Lanessan, and It is fun to be able a Bordeaux with the right age on it.  That starts at 2 and lasts as long as the bottle holds out.

Sunday, will be pouring two 50/50 Grencache/Syrah blends one Red and one Rosé.  Drop in and see the different expressions of the same blend.

2014 La Croix Belle Caringole    ($10)
50% Syrah, 50% Grenache
A crisp rosé from the South of France with light fruit and nice floral notes that Cotes de Thongue.

2008 Clos Saint Georges Cuvée Chevalière     ($12)
50% Grenache, 50% Syrah
A juicy Roussillon red with enough age to smooth out the edges. Kirsh, licorice and fine 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.

No need to take Airbus. This Saturday you can have a flight of French wines delivered directly to your glass right here in Madrona. We’ll be pouring a Loire white, a Provence rosé, a sturdy Côtes du Rhône, and a pair on Haut Médocs that will leave your spirits soaring. Come join us.

2013 Patient Cottat, Le Grande Caillou $12
Sauvignon Blanc
The Fournier family have been farming and producing wines in Sancerre for generations. Le Grande Caillou “the big rock” doesn’t make the cut to be labeled Sancerre, but at this price we won’t quibble. Clean, bright and refreshing, this is a perfect little Sauvignon Blanc. The wine has soft, subtle mineral notes wrapped up in aromatics of melon and citrus and tropical fruit.

2014 Miraval Provence Rosé $25
Cinsault, Grenache, Syrah, Rolle
The 17th-century Miraval estate is located in Provence, and was bought by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in 2009 and extensively renovated, but they leave the winemaking in better hands. The Miraval has fresh fruit aromas, with delicate notes of raspberries, peaches, and white flowers. The wine expresses impressive freshness, minerality, salinity, great balance, good length and character.

2012 Domain Perrin, Côtes du Rhône Villages $12
70% Grenache, 30% Syrah
This blend of different terroirs of Côtes du Rhône Villages is made by the same family that makes Beaucastel, and who’s holdings stretch throughout the Rhône valley. Perrin’s CDRV has an intense nose of macerated cherries and licorice. The wine is full-bodied with a generous attack, a pleasant freshness and elegant tannins with a thyme and rosemary aftertaste. Baby Beaucastel? Maybe not, but it is a great value for a on a village level Rhône.

2011 Château Senilhac, Haut-Médoc $13
55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc
Chateau Senilhac is a small estate not far from Saint Estephe, which dates back to the 19th century, belonging since 1938 to the Grassin family. The wine is a soft, supple, fruit-forward styled Haut-Médoc with berries, soft tannins and low acidity. It’s an easy drinker for many occasions.

2004 Château Lanessan, Haut Medoc $28
60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot
While some Bordeaux drink fine young, most taste better with a bit of age on them. This library release from Château Lanessan is a solid Bordeaux that is just hitting its prime and drinking quite nicely with lots of mineral notes, full fruit and smooth tannins. Why cellar something when you can get this right now?

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 Sunday we’ll have two new arrivals open for tasting – both from the Veneto region of Italy. Stop in for a taste.

La Jara Frizzante Rosé    ($12)
Glera, Rabosso
A dry crisp and fresh slightly sparkling Italian Rosé with scents of red fruit and a delicate flavor of raspberry. Fresh and persistent with a light drinkability. All organic to boot. 10.5% alcohol by volume

2011 Nicolis Valpolicella Classico    ($13)
65% Corvina, 20% Rondinella, 10% Sangiovese, 5% Molinara
A solid red Veneto blend with notes of cherries, marasca cherries and plums. The flavor is dry, bodied, slightly bitter, savory and harmonious. Was $17 now $13

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 some distinct and indigenous wines from Greece.  The grapes Vidiano, Assyrtikos, Agiorgitiko, Moscofilero & Xinomavro aren’t household names here but they are there.  The wines hail from the islands of Crete, & Santorini as well as Nemea & Naoussa on the mainland. Come taste with us.  Sorry, we won’t be pouring Retsina.
 
2013 Alexakis, Vidiano $15
Alexakis –a family-owned-and-run winery– is the largest winery on the island of Crete.  Their mono-varietal of the indigenous white grape Vidiano has aromas of tropical fruits, pear and notes of citrus fruit.  A velvety, unctuous aftertaste, prevails in the palate, supported by the volume and length of high acidity.
 
2013 Santo, Santorini Assyrtkos  $17
Santo is a cooperative winery on the island of Santorini, built on the edge of the caldera ,that operates by gravity flow.  Their Assyrtikos shows white flowers, citrus fruits aromas and intense minerality. Vivid, with full, well balanced body and distinctive long after taste.
 
2014 Domaine Skouras, Zoe Rose $12
70% Agiorgitiko, 30% Moscofilero
Skouras is located in the Northeastern Peloponnese within Nemea.  Their rose has vibrant aromas of ripe cherries, and raspberries coupled with hints of sweet spices and floral, rose petal notes. On the palate it has a medium body, moderately-high acidity and the slightest suggestion of very ripe tannins.
 
2012 Domaine Skouras, Saint George $18
Agiorgitiko an indigenous grape that also goes by the name St. George.  The wine has fine grained tannins, intense raspberry fruit and sweet spices. The color is bright, deep crimson. The nose reveals aromas of blackberries, black raspberries and ripe strawberries with just a touch of anise and spices such as clove and cinnamon. It is medium bodied with a graceful texture, balanced acidity and very ripe elegant tannins. The finish is moderately long, full of red fruits with a touch of sweet vanilla and black pepper.
 
2011 Domaine Karydas, Xinomavro  $28
The Karydas family grows Xinomavro on a tiny holding just south of the town of Naoussa in the center of the appellation in Macedonia.  The vineyard is a sandy, clay hillside while the winery thoughtfully sits right in the middle.  The philosophy is simple yet painstaking; grow nothing but the absolute best fruit nature can allow and then have a minimalist winemaking style.  They make an old school, traditional Xinomavro; no new wood, very little intervention.  The wine has fantastic spicy fruit with middle texture and power with integrated but firm 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 another weekend of the Spring mix of Sun and Showers, but bright or dark we’ll be pouring some great wines at the shop.

Saturday at two we have a spectacular Spanish tasting with a blend of old stalwarts and new faces from Spain’s wine scene. Don’t miss the 2005 Frontaura Aponte Reserva!!

Sunday, we’ll be pouring two new arrivals from the South of France.

2013 Château Teulon, Costières de Nîmes  $10
Organic Roussanne
Mango, creamed pineapple and Cavaillon melon. Exuberant and perfumed, with notes of marmalade, buttered citrus and orange rind.

Cave Jamet, Sang du Peuple, Vin de France $12
A non-vintage Grenache, Syrah blend from the Côtes du Rhône, and the house wine for the cafe that is part of the wine cellar. The wine is ripe, rich and unpretentious.

Grab your umbrella and stroll on by.

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. No matter what day you stop by we always have something open to sample.

Spanish Wines are a fine blend of old winemaking tradition and modern winemaking process.  This Saturday we will be tasting both the old and the new ranging from a crisp Catalan Cava from the oldest sparkling winery in Spain to a 2005 from a modern young winery in Toro.  Come taste the past join the present.

2010 Mont-Ferrant Brut Reserva  $15
40% Xarel-lo, 30% Macabeo, 25% Parellada, 5% Chardonnay
Mont Ferrant , the oldest sparkling wine maker in Spain, is located in Catalonia.  All of their bottlings are crafted utilizing true Méthode Champenoise, from estate grown hand harvested grapes.  The 2010 was aged for 24 months before disgorgement.  It is complex, toasty and yeasty.  12% alcohol by volume

2013 Cune, Monopole Blanco Rioja  $13
100% Viura
CVNE (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) is one of the most renowned and historic bodegas in all of Spain. Founded in 1879 by the Real de Asúa brothers, it is now run by 5^th generation descendants.  Their Monopole has a highly aromatic bouquet evoking ripe pear, peach, melon and white flowers, with honeydew and pit fruit flavors that expand with air. It shows good energy on the finish, picking up a bright citrus quality.

2009 Cune, Viña Real, Rioja Crianza  $15
Tempranillo
“Hand-harvested from their vineyard in  Rioja Alavesa and aged 14 months in used barrels, the 2009 Crianza has a luscious, joyful bouquet that brims with succulent kirsch and Morello fruit. The palate has a crisp cranberry and raspberry driven entry with fine, edgy tannins and a lovely crisp minerally finish. The Cune is a very fine Crianza that should age nicely over the next decade.”

2006 Reseva de la Tierra, Vega Escal Priorat $18
60% Cariñena, 30% Garnacha, 10% Syrah
Tthe fruit for this wine is grown in  Gratallops with its warmer daytime temperatures.   The vines range in age from 10 years for the Syrah to 50 years for the Carinena. The Vega Escal offers smoky red berry and black currant aromas on the nose with a touch of lavender. The palate is ripe with lush black cherry fruit, toasted oak, round tannins and a long finish.

2005 Frontaura Aponte Reserva      $32
Tempranillo
The Flagship wine from the ultra-modern Frontaura winery in Toro, the Aponte is made from 100-year-old vines and aged for 22 months in new French oak.  The wines aromatic complexity stands out with a cornucopia of fruit, spice and herb notes.  The mouthfeel is smooth and expressive with a broad deep aftertaste.

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. No matter what day you stop by we always have something open to sample.