This Saturday we have a great line up of wines from Bordeaux, the Loire, and South Africa. And while the combination may seem a bit odd on paper, the flavors will tell you otherwise. All these wines drink better than their modest prices.
 
2010 Domaine le Portail, Cheverny – $11
Sauvignon Blanc 80%, Chardonnay 20%
From a small family run estate, this unusual blend from the Loire Valley is a great fresh white wine. The Chardonnay gives this wine a fruity lift and body while the Sauvignon lends citrusy backbone and minerality. It is a shop favorite and if you haven’t tried it you won’t want to miss this opportunity.
 
2011 Domaine de la Garenne, Sancerre Blanc – $20
Sauvignon Blanc
The Classic white of the Loire, the Garenne combines two vineyard sites, Caillottes and Terre Blanches. This Sancerre has a good volume of citrus and white fruit. The finish is clean and dry, elegant minerality.
 
2009 Chateau Barrabaque, Fronsac – $14
70% Merlot, 25% Cab Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon
Great example of right bank wine from the fine 2009 vintage, drinks like a wine twice its price.
 
2005 Chateau Marsau, Cotes de Franc – $18
100% Merlot
This is a classically structured Merlot based Bordeaux that is just hitting its stride and drinking great right now. A great deal on an aged wine for those who don’t have a cellar.
 
2007 UGABA from Anwilka Stellenbosch, South Africa – $20
63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 17% Syrah
A joint project from some heavy hitters from Bordeaux and Stellenbosch, the Ugaba is a big lush red with loads of black licorice, currants, smoky bacon and black tea notes.

Come cool off on Saturday and sample some wines that are perfect for the warm weather. We have a large lineup of refreshing wines from near and far that match long sunny evenings, easy conviviality and a wide range of foods and flavors. Stop in and give them a try, and if it gets too hot we’ll turn on our new air conditioner. How exotic can you get for Seattle?

Dopff & Irion, Cremant d’Alsace Brut $14
50% Pinot Blanc, 50% Auxerrois
Dopff & Irion is a complex glass of bubbles at a great price. It has lots of toasty, creamy, yeasty notes along with apple and citrus fruit flavors.
 
2011 Grande Cassagne Costières de Nîmes Rosé$10
45% Grenache, 45% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre.
This Southern French wine has pleasant aromas of strawberries, raspberries, along with its dry, clean and crisp ripe fruit flavors.
 
2010 Marques de Caceres, Rioja Blanco $9
Viura
From sunny Spain the Caceres Blanco has a lively bouquet combining pears and mineral notes with a discreet depth of grapefruit. Well-integrated fruit flavors awaken the palate with their refreshing vivacity. It goes with Tapas and a whole lot more.
 
2011 Adelsheim, Pinot Gris $14
This esteemed Oregon estate farms with sustainable farming practices. Their Pinot Gris is full of crisp, bright flavors, with hints of papaya, apples and pears and a gentle creaminess that lends a rich, mouthfilling texture and long finish. It is great with mildly spicy foods (such as ceviche), not so mildly spicy Thai cuisine.
 
2010 Vina Gormaz, Ribera del Duero, Tempranillo $12
This unoaked Spanish classic has deep wild berry aromas and mouth-filling flavor and length provided by the old Tempranillo vines. The tannins are balanced by the textural richness and juicy fruit. It is tasty and easy to drink by itself or along with roasted vegetables, a wide range of snacks and dips not to mention barbeque chicken.
 
2010 Château de Campuget, Costières de Nîmes Rouge $10
30% Syrah, 30% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre, 15% Carignan, 15% Cinsault
A good easy drinking wine from the South of France, the Campuget is light and fruity, easy drinking and very enjoyable. The wine is clean and fresh with herb and mineral notes up front, backed by a modest core of red currant and cherry fruit. It’s lightly crisp, but with good drive. Give it a sip.

This Saturday we’ll be featuring the wines of Gilbert Cellars. Gilbert is an excellent example of grape growers who expand out and start making their own wines. Their wines show both good quality and good value. Their main vineyards are on the Wahluke Slope including Doc Stewart Estate, one of the older Washington vineyards with the grapes planted in the 1970’s. Meg Gilbert will be here to talk about her family’s wines.
 
2011 Rosé of Mourvedre $13
In the tradition of the great rosés of Bandol and Provence, this 100% Mourvedre Rosé of was cold fermented to retain its delicate rose petal aromatics and bright fruit character. The wine gives off a complex and distinct aroma of citrus peel, melon, spring strawberry, and coriander. The palate is fresh and full, with balanced acidity and a lingering finish.
 
2011 Unoaked Chardonnay $18
This Chardonnay from the Columbia Valley embraces its time in stainless steel tank, expressing pure aromas of lemon and lily. The palate is wonderfully bright but not without substance, bright, crisp, aromatic, and fun.
 
2009 Allobroges $20
37% Grenache, 29% Syrah, 20% Mourvedre, 14% Counoise.
In the days of the Roman Empire, the Allobroges were a Celtic people living in the Rhone Valley of France who received acclaim for their dark, rich red wines made from the Allobrogica vine. Their winemaking tradition has continued in the Rhone Valley for over two millennia and inspired this wine today. It spent 21 months in 21% new oak barrels (80% French & 20% American). This is a bright, medium bodied wine with lots of complex berry flavors. Perfect for pairing with a wide range of foods.
 
2009 Left Bank Red $20
53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Petit Verdot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 9% Merlot, 9% Malbec.
Left Bank was named after the “Left Bank” of Bordeaux which this delicious blend is styled after. The Doc Stewart Vineyard is also perched on the Left Bank of the Columbia River. The wine is dark and full of well structured, lip-smacking tannins.

The wines of Burgundy are all about place with each little parcel of vineyard being divided and sub divided to make very specific wines.   Here Pinot and Chardonnay find their most nuanced expression.  Saturday we’ll be pairing up a few solid examples of Burgundy with some Oregon counterparts. It’s not a fight to the finish, but a good chance to compare the differences and find what turf suits your palate.
 
2009 Walnut City WineWorks, Chardonnay $18
Walnut City WineWorks is run by two partners who manage over 200 acres of grape for different wineries and vineyards. Out of a handful of these vineyards they pull grapes to make their own wine. The wine for the 2009 comes from Courting Hill vineyard. The wine is barrel fermented and has a bright acidity and minerality, a rounded mid palate of lemon curd, lemon peel and sweet saline.

2010 Albert Bichot Chablis Domaine Long-Depaquit $23
Albert Bichot is a large family run winery that owns 4 large estates in Burgundy and buys grapes from many others. Domaine Long-Depaquit is their estate in Chablis where they produce this fine Chardonnay. The wine has a very pure nose, typical of Chablis, with notes of white flowers and flint that open up to almond notes and mineral precision.
 
2010 Albert Bichot, Bourgogne Rouge, Vielles Vignes $16
This Pinot is a blend of different vineyards form the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits from 25 to 35 year old vines. The wine shows aromas of blackcurrant, redcurrant and plum, the mouthfeel is fleshy and well-balanced with discreet woody notes and a pleasant finish.
 
2010 Evesham Wood Vineyard, Eola-Amity Pinot Noir $26
Evesham Wood makes their wines from low-yield non-irrigated vineyards using minimal intervention in the winemaking process. The Eola-Amity Pinot is a selection of the top 16 barrels from within the Eola-Amity Hills AVA. 8 barrels come from Hidden Rocks Vineyard, and 8 from Eola Springs Vineyard to make 400 cases of this reserve wine. The 2010 vintage shines here with bright cherry fruit and clarity. 
 
2009 Domaine Michel Sarrazin et Fils, Maranges $31
The Sarrazin brothers inherited the wine bug and their estate in Jambles from their father who encouraged his sons to explore the limits of winemaking beyond the town’s small borders. Their Maranges is a seriously delicious red Burgundy with both grace and heft. The wine’s aromatics show sassy notes of cinnamon and clove mixed with bass notes of licorice with hints of dried roses and plenty of black pepper. More spice and saturated red and black fruits dominate the mouth, with a stunningly silky mouth feel and good freshness.