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.

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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.

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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.

We’re headed for Spain this Saturday and want you to come with us.  We’ll be tasting some lovely new and beautifully old wines from Rueda, Tierra de Leon and Rioja.  They are wines for both everyday and special occasions.  Stop by and have a taste.
 
2013 Bodega Los Aljibes, La Cata de Morante Verdejo  Rueda $15
100% Verdejo
The La Cata is made exclusively from Verdejo grapes that the family owns in Alaejos, Valladolid. The wine has an elegant nose boasting tropical aromas & subtle balsamic hints. It is bright, crisp & fruity on the palate; with a bit of richness.
 
2013 Bodega Pardevalles, Tierra de Leon Albarin Bianco $17
100% Albarin
Albarin is not well known and not to be confused with the ever popular Albarino (no relation). It was on the verge of extinction until Pardevalles decided redevelop some vineyards. The wine is fermented in small conical shaped temperature controlled tanks using only indigenous yeasts.  Albarin produces extremely fresh aromas of stone fruits & exotic tropical notes with subtle herbal undertones. Its bright and crisp acidity meets full bodied persistent fruit.
 
2012 Marques de Mejia Tinto $12
Tempranillo
The Marques de Mejia is made by Bodegas del Medievo in Rioja Baja. They own 220 hectares of vineyards which extend across the highest areas of Aldeanueva at 750 meters altitude.  Aged in oak for six months, this tinto is a plump, round and succulent Rioja.
 
2010 Zugober Belezos Rioja Crianza  $19
95% Tempranillo, 5% Mazuelo & Graciano
Bodegas Zugober in La Rioja Alavesa was founded in 1987 by the young enologists, Eduardo Gomez and Isabel Bernardo, who were determined to set up a modern winery based on old wine-making traditions. Their Crianza is elegant and aromatic.  The wine boasts great fruit, spice as well as earthy nuances.
 
2005  Zugober Belezos, Rioja Reserva $28
95% Tempranillo, 5% Garnacha & Graciano
The Reserva is aged for 18 months in American oak barrels, followed by 18 months in bottle before release is just coming into its prime. “It delivers a beautifully spicy perfume along with notions of lavender, a hint of balsamic, mineral, and assorted black fruits. Already displaying considerable complexity, it has enough structure (provided by the outstanding 2005 vintage) to evolve for another 5-7 years at which point my rating may appear miserly. It will provide optimum drinking from 2016 to 2025.”  Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate –92pts.

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 will be pouring Barbi, but without Ken, just Cantele, which is not Italian for Ken. Come experience a little bit of Italy this Sunny Sunday Sipper.

2012 Barbi Orvieto Classico        ($10)
40% Grechetto, 30% Procanico, 20% Drupeggio & Malvasia, 10% Verdello
Abboccato
Off-dry and fragrant. Excellent as an aperitif, it goes well with light hors-d’oeuvres, omelettes with vegetables, crustacea and fish. 12.5% alcohol by volume.

2007 Cantele Telero Rosso        ($8)
Negro Amaro
A dark and smoky southern Italian red with a spicy finish. Good barbeque wine or the classic spaghetti and meatballs. 12.5% alcohol by volume. Was $13 now $8

John Breitweiser Artist Reception, 3-5PM

Come meet the artist and have a nibble or three.

Pixelated Portraits  
There is an element of serendipity and luck involved in the deconstructive /reconstructive process of cutting and perforating the images. The patterns created are meant to reflect our pixilated digital visual world.  I’m interested in the rearrangement of the image; how the negative spaces and missing parts are completed by the layer of patterned paper underneath. 

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.