Don’t Miss This!

Saturday

Orange Wines get their name from the darker, slightly orange that the white wines receive due to their contact with the coloring pigments of the grape skins.  The skins contain color pigment, phenols and tannins (typically considered undesirable for white wines) that gives Orange wine its color, flavor, and texture.

The practice has a long history dating back thousands of years to the Eurasian wine producing countries of Armenia and Georgia. In recent years the practice has been adopted by Italian winemakers, while there is also production in Slovenia, Croatia, France, Germany and a bit in the New World. 

Orange wines were not uncommon in Italy in the 1950s and 1960s, but gradually became obscure as technically correct and fresh white wines came to dominate the market. 

Come try these terrific and uncommon wines today at 2pm.

Sunday, Mark will be pouring some more common but no less delicious wines all day from 11 to 5.

2012 Kalem’s Downs, Cabernet Sauvignon  $10
The new incarnation of the popular Lorelle Cabernet.  New label but still a great deal.  Full dark fruit with green pepper and Jalapeno notes.  Medium tannins and a smooth finish.
Was $15 now $10

And we’ll be comparing it to a Cab blend from the Lanquedoc.

2010 Aubai Mema Laverna  $12
70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Grenache, 10% Merlot

Showing new wines at our Saturday tastings is always a pleasurable experience, but every so often we get a chance to do something REALLY FUN!!  This Saturday we’ll be showing some very special wines from two different wineries using some very old fashioned techniques with amazing results.  These wines spurn the use of sulfites and other additives instead letting the grapes develop their own character and preservative qualities.  Their amazing color character has earned them the nickname Orange Wines.  These are totally unique wines. 
 
The Movia estate dates back to 1700 and extends over 22 hectares of of the best vineyards in the borderland between Slovenia and Italy.  Aleš Kristancic has put Movia’s wines on the map with his radically biodynamic winemaking.
 
2011 Quattro Mani Tokai  $10
Quattro Mani’s [toh-kai] is grown in Movia’s organically farmed Exto Gredic vineyard and made in accordance with the biodynamic principles.  It is a brief introduction to his wine making style.  Light but complex aromas of spice, herbs and flowers lead to a body that is full and crisp at once with a bit of nutty depth.
 
2010 Movia Rebula $32
100% Ribolla from 66 years old vines
The name Ribolla stems from “ribollire”, meaning to re-boil. The Bora wind in the littoral cooled the cellars stopping fermentation, only for the wine to then “re-boil” in the spring.  Movia uses hand-picked harvesting with a short period between the picking and fermentation – 2 hours maximum — with natural yeast picked out from the same grapes harvested during pre-harvesting (5 %). Quiet fermentation is completed in wooden barriques where wine matures on its own lees without decanting. Until it is bottled no sulphur or any other conservation additive is used. Thus the wine has gone through all natural processes and becomes sound and stable naturally, ready to last lifetime.  The wine has aromas of fresh fruit, spice notes and a brilliant balanced acidity.
 
2008 Movia lunar $47
100% Ribolla
Movia’s Lunar take their winemaking to the next level The grapes are destemmed by hand and placed in new oak barrels with custom caps. Fermentation begins in the berries themselves, which gradually release the wine. After 8 months of maturing, at full moon, the wine is gravity racked into bottles, no added sulphur, no filtration, no pressing. This is as close as it gets to the wine ancient man found in nature.  Nature, with a helping hand from the moon, does most of what is usually done by man. “Our most healthy and pure wine.  Pure nature in your wineglass.” The wine shows unexpected complexity — notes of nectarine, anise, spice, and lemon curd conspire to make this seductive, fresh wine with plenty of character and a fine, long aftertaste.
 
Azienda Agricola COS was founded in Sicily by three friends who wanted to recreate the work of their ancestors.  In 2007 they completed their new cellar with the old oak barrels were replaced by terracotta amphoras of 400 and 250 liters capacity , one of the largest collections in the world, and they began making their Pithos  wines – “absolutely lacking in external substances.”  We’ll be trying both Pithos wines.
 
2012 COS, Pithos Bianco Bianco  $44
100% Grecanico form 22 year old vines.
 
2011 COS, Pithos Rosso $40
40% Frappato, 60% Nero d’Avola

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.

This Sunday we have a special treat – we will be pouring FOUR vermouths from Woodinville’s broVo. They are Washington’s FIRST Appellation Vermouth producer. Their marketing phrase is “Lady-Made Liquors”. Mac Kenney of broVo will be answering questions from 2-4PM, but we will be pouring these four unique vermouths all day. Drop in and savor in the flavors.

broVo Witty: Dry White Vermouth $18
ABV: 19.9%, 1.25% sugar
Wahluke Slope Sauvignon Blanc
Angelica, chamomile, lemon peel, rosemary, coriander, fennel, pao d’oro bark, orange peel, burdock root, cardamom, dried rose, sage, damiana, hyssop, basil, marigold.
Acidic, herbaceous, great with Saké, gin

broVo Pretty: Floral While Vermouth $18
ABV: 19.9%, 6% sugar
Wahluke Slope Pinot Gris
Vanilla bean, elderflower, chamomile, cardamom, lemon peel, comfrey, angelicaxwell.
Balanced, nuanced, sippable.

broVo Pink: Rosé Vermouth $18
ABV: 19.9%, 6% sugar
Wahluke Slope Rosé from Pinot Noir
Orange peel, hibiscus, chamomile, anise, sage, tarragon, pink peppercorn, grains of paradise, juniper berry, rose geranium
Well balanced, nuanced, sippable.

broVo Jammy: Sweet Red Vermouth $18
ABV: 19.9%, 10% Sugar
Wahluke Slope Merlot
The inspiration for this is a nod to Washington inspired ingredients – cherries, hibiscus, ginger, tellicherry peppers, coriander seed, orange peel, lemon peel, cacao nibs, coffee bean, vanilla bean, sweetened with agave nectar.
Spicy and bold – holds up to a Rye.

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.

Italy has more different wines than any other wine growing country.  That makes exploring its wines a seemingly endless pleasure.  Join us Saturday as we take another dip into its vast variety.

2012 Medici Ermete, Lambrusco Rosé Secco Quercioli Reggiano  $12
Lambrusco Marani
Lambrusco is normally thought of as inky dark with a balance of sweet fruit and bitter tannins, but there are different Lambruscos that are lighter and more supple, like this Secco Quercioli from a fourth generation winemaking family in Emilia-Romagna.  The wine is pleasant and persistent, with violet scent, dry, fruity, fresh, lively, pleasantly harmonious.

2012 Fantinel, Pinot Grigio $13 
This third generation family estate in Friuli has prized vineyards in the Collio, Grave and Colli Orientali del Friuli DOCs.  The Pinot Grigio has fresh, floral scented aromas and an excellent body.

2013 Kermit Lynch, Rosso del Monferrato $18
50% Barbera, 20% Dolcetto, 15% Bonarda, 10% Croatina, 5% Freisa
Sustainable
Kermit Lynch seems to have his fingers everywhere.  This unusual Rosso from the Piedmont is made by Alessandra Bodda at Tenuta La Pergola which Kermit helps blend and puts his blessing on. Kermit says that it reminds him of the Piedmontese wines of old. It is made using carbonic maceration where the winemaker loads whole clusters of grapes into a vat and lets gravity break the skins and start fermentation naturally with native yeast. This wine is all about umami (savory) flavors: earth, mushroom, rock along with an encyclopedia of Piedmontese grapes.

2012 Velenosi, Lacrima di Morro d Alba,  $18
Lacrima di Morro is a classic indigenous variety that is found only in the Marche noted for its intensely floral aromas.  The nose is packed with intense, fruity, floral, strawberries, cherries, violet, pink.  In the mouth it is round, fresh, slightly tannic, almond and harmonious with a long and persistent finish.

2009 Borgogno, no name  $45
Nebiolo
From the winemaker:  “I have chosen one of my best wines and called it No Name as a quiet protest against the bureaucracy that afflicts the Italian agriculture and wine world.”   The wine comes from the cannubi, Fossati and San Pietro delle Viole vineyards which Borgogno farms organically and sustainably. They use at least 80% less sulphites than permitted.  As for food matches:  “We believe that advice with what to drink our wines is wrong, each has its own ideas and its pleasures, but we can advise who to drink it with.  Drink it with everyone!”  Come drink it with us this Saturday.

This Sunday we have a special treat – we will be pouring FOUR vermouths from Woodinville’s broVo. They are Washington’s FIRST Vermouth producer.  Mac Kenney of broVo will be answering questions from 2-4PM, but we will be pouring these four unique vermouths all day. Drop in an savor in the flavors.

—

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.

The Romans called the southwest of France Aquitania, land of waters.  The area is given its contours by impressive natural boundaries. East is the central Massif Central mountain range that gives rise to the Dordogne, the Lot and the Tarn rivers, which flow westward toward the Atlantic Ocean. South is the Pyrénées, the source of the Garonne River whose northern route passes through Toulouse and Bordeaux. The west edge is the Atlantic Ocean.  This Saturday we’ll be tasting wines from this diverse and wide ranging region.  The wines are true to place and truly distinct.  Stop in and join us.

2012 Philemon Perlé Gaillac Blanc $13
60% Loin de L’Oeil, 20% Muscadelle, 20% Sauvignon Blanc
Philémon is located in Villeneuve-sur-Vere, a small village on the Vere river the Gaillac appellation. The Vieules family has had land in Villeneuve since 1804 where they grow organic wheat, sunflowers and grapes in equal proportions. The wheat and sunflowers are grown organically and the vineyard is in transition to being certified organic. A good proportion of the vines are more than fifty years old. Because of the low yields this wine fills the palate with a wonderful concentration of flavors while retaining a freshness that is underscored by mineral and citrus notes.

2012 Domaine Philemon, Croix d’Azal Gaillac Rouge $13
The cuvée Croix d’Azal is produced entirely from Braucol, the name used in Gaillac for the Fer Servadou grape. It is a wonderful expression of this grape variety with all of its typical spiciness and woodsy floral aromas. The word braucol in Girondin patois signifies the bull. The Croix d’Azal is no raging bull but one who lives peacefully in the pasture content to smell the flowers.

2011 Domine Roumagnac Fronton Authentique  $15
50% Négrette, 25% Syrah, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc
Roumagnac is in the Fronton appellation, just outside of Toulouse on a slightly inclined series of terraces between the Garonne and Tarn rivers. The primary and indigenous grape variety of the region is the fragile Né1egrette which is found rarely outside of Fronton where it thrives in the warm and dry “continental” climate of the area. The expression is intense: fresh red fruit (currant and cassis) mingle with delight licorice palette The Cabernet Franc gives rhythm to mouth and freshness, Cabernet Sauvignon brings balance and good structure, Syrah brings sweetness and gives aromatic echoes the Négrette’s licorice note.

2011 Chateau La Bourrée, Cotes de Castillion $17
75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc and Malbec
Chateau La Bourrée extends over 10 hectares where the upper river plain meets the first hillsides on the eastern border of St Emilion. The grapes are brought to a sorting table before entering the winery allowing only the best fruit to be vinified. Fermentation lasts for three weeks after which the wine is aged in used barrels for a year. It is a structured Bordeaux with firm minerality, tannins up front followed by rich, full flavors of red cherry and currant and a lingering finish.  We just had to slip this in.

2009 Laffite Teston Madiran Vielles Vignes $23
Madiran is situated among the northern foothills of the Pyrenées in the heart of Gascony.  Teston’s Vieilles Vignes cuvee is 100% Tannat and is produced from 80 year old vines that have particularly low yields. The juice stays in contact with the must for 21 days during which period the juice is pumped over the cap twice a day obtaining great extraction. The wine is aged in new and one year old barrels for 13 months.  It is full and rich with lots of tannic structure.

——-

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 will be pouring a couple of Spashy Spanish Sunny Sunday Sippers. Come experience a little bit of Spain this Sunny Sunday.

2011 Vevi Rueda    ($12)
Verdejo, Viura
Fresh, mountain herbs, stone fruits , minerals, good body, round texture, crisp acidity, and a clean lingering finish. 13% alcohol by volume

2012 Marina Alta Bianco    ($10)
Muscat de Alexandria
A floral and fruity Spanish white that calls for a bucket of ice and a warm afternoon. 11% alcohol by volume.
Was $13 now $10

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.