We are supposed to have highs in the mid 80’s all weekend. But we have some cool things going on at the shop to balance things out.
Saturday, we’re pouring some refreshing wines from Burgundy, Bordeaux, and the Rhône. That starts at 2, about the same time we turn on the air conditioner.
Sunday, we’re having the artist reception for John Breitweiser’s show Pixelated Portraits. Meet the artist from 3 to 5. Mark will also have some creative juices open for sampling all day.
Stop by and chill out.
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 Saturday we’ll be tasting some distinctly French wines form importer Kysela Pere et Fils. The wines are true to type and classic in their flavors; focused and on target. They also offer a lot of wine at a reasonable price. Come have a taste with us.
2011 Chateau Suau Bordeaux Blanc $13
55 % Sauvignon, 35 % Sémillon, 10 % Muscadelle
The vineyard is situated in the appellation Cotes de Bordeaux Cadillac. They make mostly red wines with only 10% being Blanc. This wine reveals complex aromas of honeysuckle, citrus and pineapple. It’s refreshing and expressive. This wine has excellent depth of fruit as well as a long finish with a nice acidity.
Charles Duret Cremant de Bourgogne $20
70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay
Delicate, long-lasting bubbles are proof of this traditional method, bottle fermented, quality sparkling wine from Burgundy. It has fresh, fruity flavors with a hint of hazelnuts on the finish.
2011 Castelmaure Cote 125 Corbieres de Durban $13
50% Carignan, 35% Grenache, 15% Syrah.
Castelmaure is a Co-op founded in the 1920’s and today consists of 65 members. The winery is located in the village of Durban, which will soon become an official Cru together in Corbieres. The Serre mountain in the south protects the little plateau of Castelmaure from the off weather patterns of the Mediterranean Sea. Notes of brambly berry, cherry and raspberry, spices, and black pepper combine in this authentic French country wine, along with aromas of Garrigue (rosemary, thyme and lavender) giving a minty, herbal notes, that are quite refreshing as well.
2012 Alain Jaume, Haut de Brun, Côtes du Rhône $14
60% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 10% Cinsault
The Domaine was founded in 1826 by Mathieu Jaume. Alain Jaume now runs the Domaine with the help of his two sons Sébastien and Christophe. The aromatic range of the wine goes from fresh berries (wild raspberry, blackcurrant, blackberry) to spices. The palate is big and full-flavored, with silky-smooth tannins. The finish introduces touches of licorice and pepper. The wine really over delivers for an entry level Côtes du Rhône.
2010 Alain Jaume, Rasteau, Les Valats $20
80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre
Rasteau became a Cru with the 2009 vintage, and the Les Valats rises to the occasion. The wine has aromas of fresh red berries. On the palate, the richness of the fruit and tannins harmonizes with the roundness of the wine. The finish is long, with spicy touches and minerals notes. It is complex and speaks of place.
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.
2012 Pira Dolcetto D’Alba ($13) A concentrated Dolcetto from a noted Barolo producer. Floral aromas, dark fruit and smooth developed tannins.
Was $16 Now $13
2009 Quinta da Bica ($10) Touriga Nacional, Alfrocheiro, Tinta Roriz
A great deal on an oak aged cooler vineyard red from the Dão with a succulent mix of red and black cherries in the front leading to a smooth earthy finish.
Was $15 now $10
And don’t forget our stragglers and orphans sale all weekend…
Stragglers & Orphan Sale
Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Labor Day Weekend
15% off selected wines
Come help us get ready for fall. We tidying up our stock and clearing out a few items that for one reason or another just need to go. These are last bottles or overlooked stock that need to find a glass to call home so we can make way for new wines we want to bring in.
Buy 6 mixed and matched and get another 5% off
Put together a case and get an additional 10% off
You can blend them in with our regularly priced wines to get the discount.
Looks like you can take “water the garden” off your to do list this weekend. But there is still plenty to do in Madrona.
Our Labor Day Weekend Sale of “Stragglers and Orphans” is in full swing with lots good deals to be had on single bottles that need to find homes.
And Saturday we’re pouring a faultless line up of wines from the Pfaltz. Skip the soggy crowds of Bumpershoot and come check out these great wines from Anselmann.
Sunday, Mark will have two of some of the new wines that have arrived at the shop open for tasting. Come see what he picks to open, or show up early and influence his decision.
And don’t forget to stock up for that Monday barbeque as we will be closed for Labor Day.
The Pfalz is located between the Rhine river and the low-lying Haardt mountain range in Western Germany. It covers a neat rectangle of land 45 miles long and 15 miles wide. To the north lies Rheinhessen, to the south French Alsace. Here, the Anselmann family has made wine for over 450 years blending family tradition with more modern equipment to make classic styled German wines. This Saturday we’ll be pouring a selection of their wines. They vary from dry to sweet with solid acidity and Pfalz minerality running through out. The alcohol levels are modest and the prices are delicious. There is something for everyone. Come taste the lineup.
2011 Kabinett Halbtrocken Riesling $10
A full and complex Riesling with aromas of sage& lemongrass, lots of ripe peach flavors and a citrusy spicy finish. Normally $15 now $10 13% alcohol by volume
2011 Siegerrebe Spätlese $16
Siegerrebe is a hybred cross between Madeleine Angevine and Gewürztraminer. Ansellmann’s Spätlese shows how well the grape does in the Paltz. The wine is very aromatic with elegant, floral and fruity fragrances reminiscent of roses, mango, passion fruit. 9% alcohol by volume
2010 Morio Muskat $10
A floral lighter German Muskat with a lot of fruity character without being overly sweet. Great with fruit and cheese. 10.5% alcohol by volume
2006 Gewurztraminer Spätlese $14
About as old school German as you can get. The wine has a beautiful golden color with medium sweetness and a FAT body. The wine is fully developed with spicy complexity. It is almost a dessert wine, but more like dessert itself. Drink with fatty cheese or Paté. The tartaric crystals at the bottom are normal. Normally $25 now on deal for $14 10%% alcohol by volume
2010 Riesling Auslese $24
Anselmann’s Auslese has an intense, fruity bouquet reminiscent of grapefruit, oranges, peaches and apricots. It is a terrific wine with impressive intensity, complexity and clarity. Sweet fruit notes and vital acid present themselves very balanced harmony. It is rich with a long lingering finish.
2002 Chardonnay Eiswein $40
This is a true ice wine, where the grapes are picked after they freeze and pressed while the frozen water is separate from the unfrozen sugars. The expressive bouquet is reminiscent of citrus fruits, pears, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, dried fruit and honey. The mouthfeel is opulent and rich. The wine is truly fantastic, packed full of concentrated flavor that goes on and on and on. Normally $65 now $40 7% alcohol by volume
And don’t miss our Stragglers & Orphan Sale Friday, Saturday, Sunday Labor Day Weekend 15% off selected wines
Come help us get ready for fall. We tidying up our stock and clearing out a few items that for one reason or another just need to go. These are last bottles or overlooked stock that need to find a glass to call home so we can make way for new wines we want to bring in. Buy 6 mixed and matched and get another 5% off Put together a case and get an additional 10% off
You can blend them in with our regularly priced wines to get the discount.
3 days only! Limited Quantities!
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.
2012 La Miranda di Secatilla Garnacha Blanca ($10) A full Spanish white with lots of body, citrus and herbal notes. Delicious with seafood or just by itself. Was $15 now $10
2013 Evodia Grenache ($10) Spain A full old-vine Grenache with lots of dark fruit and spicy notes that is hard not to like.
There is the 2.9 mile hopscotch contest through the CD that hopes to break the world record for the most people hopscotching (is that a word?) at the same time. See www.hopscotchcd.com.
There is an all weekend Garage Sale at the corner of 34th and Cherry that needs to be perused.
But most importantly there are two days of wine tasting at Madrona Wine.
Saturday we are pouring some excellent deals from the Sunny State of California. That starts at 2 and goes until the bottles are gone.
Sunday we’re showcasing the two sides of Spanish Garnacha. We’ll be pouring the La Maranda Grenache Blanc and the Evodia Grenache Noir. That’s all day, 11 to 5.
Wine from California is epitomized by the high end Napa trophy wines Like Screaming Eagle on one end and Two Buck Chuck on the other. In between these extremes there is a lot of quality wines at reasonable prices. This Saturday we’re going to sample just a few of these. To call them value wines seems a bit demeaning, but they are all great tasting and affordable. Come have a sip from the south.
2011 Grey Wolf Cellars, Barton Family, Blanc y Blanc, $15 Grenache Blanc, Chenin Blanc & Sauvignon Blanc From Paso Robles Grey Wolf’s blend of blancs is a refreshing white with aromas of honey, lemongrass, and stone fruit. The palate is clean with bright lemon-lime notes, a bit of creaminess and a touch of minerality.
2012 Starry Night, Russian River Chardonnay, $18 Made from grapes grown in the rolling hills above the Russian River in an area marked by cool refreshing nights and long warm summer days, The Starry Night is barrel fermented in a combination of French and American oak. It shows round and full rich flavors of apples, pears and vanilla with a warm creamy and roasty finish
2010 Tobin James, Notorious Cabernet Sauvignon, $19 From Paso Robles fruit, the Notorious is an easy drinking style Cab that is medium bodied with a refreshing, polished palate of flavors, this wine is a hedonist’s delight. Boysenberry and blackberry emerge first while the surprisingly soft tannins manage to support the steady procession of flavors without being overpowering.
2011 Scotto Cellars, Nightfall Petite Sirah, $13 From Lodi, the Nightfall Petite is as dark as the night and as clear as a starry sky. This non-petite Petite has notes of black current, plum and roasted meat note along with some firm tannins.
2011 McNab Ridge Mendocino Zinfandel, $17 95% Zinfandel, 10% Petite Sirah The Parducci family is no longer part of the winery that bears their name, but they are still making wine. Their Mendocino shows off the essence of the fruit. It exudes berry flavors and is infused with pepper and spice. It is a California classic.
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 gotta white, we gotta red. If we had a Vinho Verde (green wine), we’d have all the colors of the Italian flag. While we DO have a Vinho Verde, we won’t have it open for pouring. But come taste what we do have open. Rain or shine, we’ve got the wine to pair with food or weather.
2012 Domini Veneti Custoza ($10) Trebbiano, Garganga, Fernanda
A great deal in a Veneto white. Full of lemony citrus and pineapple flavors.
12.5% alcohol by volume
2010 Tenuta del Buonamico Montecarlo Rosso ($10) 55% Sangiovese, 15% Canaiolo, 10% Syrah, 10% Merlot
A Tuscan blend with big ambitions that settles back into modest enjoyment. Dark fruit and floral notes, and a good dry backbone.
13% alcohol by volume
Chris Sparkman spent a couple of decades as sommelier and wine buyer in some of the U.S.’s best restaurants before locating in Woodinville and starting making a plethora of big, bold Washington wines (there are 21 wines in current release.) This Saturday we’ll be sampling a few of them with Sparkman’s winemaker, Linn Scott who will narrate the details of these distinct wines. Stop in and give them a try.
2012 Birdie Riesling $20
This is bone dry Riesling is made in a sort of Alsatian manner, from German clones planted at Bacchus vineyard. It smells like apple, peach and pear decorated with delicate flowers, honey and spice and tastes like tree fruits, citrus and a touch of the tropics. It is a surprisingly unique wine.
2011 L’Autre Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley $28
L’Autre is a Pinot Noir sourced from Temperance Hill Vineyard in the Willamette Valley. The 2011 vintage smells like the forest, of those delicate little mushrooms that grow at the base of huge old trees. Maybe some wild strawberries got smashed against the tree.
2012 Kindered Red $20
67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 7% Malbec 3% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc
The Kindred blends all five of the traditional Bordeaux varietals, but it is distinctly Washington. Loaded with earthy Cabernet Sauvignon and sweet oaky goodness, it opens with smoky black fruit and herbs on the nose and explodes with a spicy silky velvet texture across the palate, building to a long iron laced, chocolate covered blueberry lovebomb.
2011 Ruckus Syrah $50
88% Syrah, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon
From Klipsun and Ciel du Cheval vineyards, the Ruckus takes the wild game, bramble, stone and smoke of Red Mountain Syrah and fuses it with the black fruit, cedar, cigar box and iron of Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon to produce a rich, supple, layered soulful goodness.
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.
To ensure that we can provide you with the specific wine that you are looking for, please call or email us with your request. It’s important to note that the vintage and availability of wines can vary from year to year.
2012 Pira Dolcetto D’Alba ($13)
2009 Quinta da Bica ($10)
