Saturday, we are pouring some excellent values from France.  Very tasty, very little money.  That’s what we like.
2016 Château Bizard, Blanc d’ Amour $14
Viognier, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne
2017 Château Barbebelle, Aix du Provence Rosé Cuvée Madeleine $15
40% Grenache, 25% Cinsault, 25% Syrah
2015 Bel-Air Brouilly Cuvee Briante $18
Gamay
2012 Domaine de Mayol, Luberon Rouge $12
Syrah, Grenache, Old-Vine Carrignan
2014 Château Bizard, Grignan Les Adhémar,  $17
Syrah, Grenache

Sunday we have two Super Deals –A white Burgundy and a New Zealand Pinot Noir.  Both are tasting great and are seriously discounted.
2013 Christian Ninot, Bourgogne Blanc “Les Pellans”  $15
Chardonnay
This White Burgundy from the Côte de Beaune has lively aromas of flowers, ripe fruit and nuts. The wine is full-bodied and round with nice acidity and a long finish. Was $20, Now $15
2011 Mahi, Pinot Noir    $20
Slightly wild aromas of cherry, raspberry and strawberry. On the palate, there’s a lovely light touch to the pungent red berry, mint and mineral elements: like a good Burgundy, this Pinot offers intensity of flavor without undue weight. And its energetic finish stimulates the taste buds.  Was $30 now $20

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.

Labor Day is here and this Saturday we have some rewards for the working man (or woman).  We’ll be pouring some great value wines from France to give some respite to your hard efforts.  It is a fine line up to celebrate as we slowly turn from Summer and start thinking of the Fall.
 
2016 Château Bizard, Blanc d’ Amour  $14
Viogner, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne
The first production of red wines and white wines at Château Bizard in the Côtes du Rhône region dates from 1862. People did not talk about vines or vineyards at the time but “vine fields” like meadows or fields of wheat. The Blanc d’Amour has an aromatic complexity with fragrances of grapefruit, white peach, lychee and acacia flower. It shows a beautiful balance on the palate, ample and suave, with a fresh finish.
 
2017 Chateau Barbebelle, d’Aix du Provence Rosé Cuvée Madeleine $15
40% Grenache, 25% Cinsault, 25% Syrah
This rich wine is classic Aix du Provence rosé with notes of white peach and expressive, fresh, pear notes.  It is smoothly fruity, with a bright touch of acidity that gives the wine its elegant lift.
 
2015 Bel-Air Brouilly Cuvee Briante  $18
Gamay
The small Briante parcel in Brouilly has soil is silt-clay on the surface with schist and granite deeper down. It makes an aromatic wine, where plum, cherry and kirsch rub shoulders. The palate is long, the tanins are refined and there is great freshness at the finish.  
 
2012 Domaine de Mayol, Luberon Rouge $12
Syrah, Grenache, Old-Vine Carrignan
A dark and spicy Rhone value with some age on it — The Mayol has a sensual texture, some red fruits arôma and then blackcurrent fragances, a good length in mouth with finally notes of peppermint and flavor of summer.
 
2014 Chateau Bizard, Grignan Les Adhémar, Montagne de Raucoule $17
Syrah, Grenache
The Raucoule is a deep red wine from the Rhône valley AOC of Grignan les Adhémar.  The wine is aromatic and rich, expresses scents of black fruits –blackberry, sloe, cherry- underscored by notes of licorice, ripe fruits and spices and well-structured, fine and coated 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 a cloudy weekend here in Madrona, but you can still smell a bit of the wildfires mixed in with the mist.  We’re pouring a full line up of aromatic wines at the shop this weekend.  Stop by and see which one has the smoky nuance. 

Saturday, we are tasting our way around the back roads of Italy starting with some organic olive oil.
Petrizzelli Extra Virgin Olive Oil      $18
2016 Tenuta San Vito Chardonnay $18
2017 Vallevó Costa dei Trabocchi Rosé $13
2016 Cantine Federiciane,  Penisola Sorrentina,  Gragnano  $19
2016 Tombacco, Aglianico  $14
2016 Cantine del Vermentino Monti,  Cannonau di Sardegna   $22

Sunday, we are tasting two whites from Oregon’s Illahe Vineyards, their Grüner-Veltliner and Viogneir.   Normally both these wines sell for $18 but today we can sell them at a limited time discounted price.

2016 Illahe Grüner-Veltliner
This Grüner Veltliner has aromas of dried peach, honey crisp apple, and fresh cedar board. The wine is fermented partially in acacia barrels which offer herbal flavors and complex texture. The palate contains flavors of red grapefruit, graham cracker, and white nectarine. Organic. 13% alcohol by volume. Special Price $15
 
2016 Illahe Viognier
The Viognier leaps from the glass with expressive stone fruit, and floral aromas of apricot, tangerine, honey blossom and wet stone. The palate is layered with peach compote, banana peel, and lavender with a touch of uncrushed peppercorn. The wine is steel-fermented to preserve the grape variety’s food-friendly acidity and an off-dry palate. Organic. 12% alcohol by volume. Special Price $15

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 Saturday we are tasting our way around the back roads of Italy.  We have a Chardonnay from Tuscany, a Rosé from the Marche region, Aglianico for Campania, a Campanian sparkler, no less and big Cannonau for Sardinia. Cruise on in and give then a try.
 
2016 Tenuta San Vito Chardonnay $18
This organically grown Tuscan Chardonnay that shows plenty of terrior as well as varietal character.  Floral notes and fruit, very ripe yellow fruit and tropical aromas.  The flavors are harmonious and balanced with great freshness. 
 
2017 Vallevó Costa dei Trabocchi  $13
Sangiovese
This Rosé from the Marche region of Italy is fruity and crisp with notes of  lean strawberry, red fruit and soft florality.  It is bright and refreshing.

2016 Tombacco, Aglianico  $14
From Campania, this young Aglianico is big, rich, warming and smooth.  It has hints of cherry and red berries, with a marked vanilla and spicy note lead into an excellent mouth feel, elegant and warm, sapid and full-bodied with some spice on the long finish.

2016 Cantine Federiciane,  Penisola Sorrentina,  Gragnano  $19
Aglianico, Piedirosso, Sciascinoso
A deep sparkling red from Campagnia!  Gragnano is gently frizzante (sparkling), low in alcohol, perfumed of violets, with a distinct taste of grapes and nuances of berries. It has a slightly sweet vein balanced by savory & bitter notes. The wine has notes of blackberry, plum, cherry, and a note of bitter lemon on the finish. 
 
2016 Cantine del Vermentino Monti, Cannonau di Sardegna   $22
Cantina del Vermentino was founded in 1956 in Monti, in one of the most suitable territories and of ancient Sardinian wine region. Currently the cooperative works grapes coming from more than 200 members who confer from around the island.  Their Cannonau is full of copious rich fruit smooth tannins and a long finish.
 
Petrizzelli Extra Virgin Olive Oil      $18
The Petrizzelli is made exclusively from the Coratina Olive a very small, low yielding varietal that rewards those who have the patience to work with it.  Organic

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.

The smoke is gone, the sun is out and we have some great wines to taste this weekend her in Madrona.  Swing by the shop and check out what’s going on.

Saturday, we have a full line up of Organic and Biodynamic wines from importer Indie Wineries.  They are about as natural as you can get, and tasty too.
2016, Popolo di Indie, Vino Bianco  $15
100% Cortese
2016 Ezio Cerruti,  Fol,  Dry Moscato  $21
2016 Popolo di Indie Rosso $13
55% Nebbiolo, 30% Barbera, 15% Dolcetto
2016 Cantine di Indie, Lunedi Rosso $15
Montepulciano
2014 Rojac, Refosk $18

Sunday we’re in the pink with some GREAT deals on Rosé. They are previous vintages but are still tasting great. Still plenty of warm weather left this summer
 2014 Claude Lafond La Grande Piece  $11
Pinot Gris
From a single vineyard in the Loire, the Pinot Gris is left on its skins during its fermentation and the light pink of the grape transfers to the wine. Light berry fruit and light apples notes with some herbal underpinnings. Was $20 now $11
2016 La Mascaronne Quat Sasisons Rosé  $15
50% Cinsault, 30% Grenache, 20% Syrah
An elegant Rosé with aromas of rose petals, citrus, tropical fruit and raspberries.  Was $20 Now $15

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.

Importer Indie Wineries specializes on Organic and Biodynamic wines from around the globe. This Saturday we’ll be tasting some of their wines including a few made especially for them. Come have a taste.

2016, Cantine di Indie Lunedi Trebbiano d’Abruzzo Lunedi Bianco $15
Trebbiano
Trebbiano is a common grape planted across Italy (and France as Ugni Blanc), which yields plenty of unremarkable juice, but when it sits on the skins for a while, extra depth and expression come through. Indie macerates their Trebbiano for six days and is unfiltered and unfined. The result is a medium bodied, dry, with pear, green melon, and lemon notes on top of layers of the phenols suspended in the lightly clouded glass. It is a Trebbiano that expresses the entirety of the grape, vine, and soil.

2016 Ezio Cerruti, Fol, Dry Moscato $21
This Moscato is from Piedmonte with vines up to sixty years old are planted on steep slopes about 400 metres above sea level. Ezio works these organically. Biodiversity is valued and the long grass and wildflowers between the rows here stand in stark contrast to the more draconian setups nearby. When you open bottle of any of Moscato you find a wine of rare balance and harmony, where fruit, flowers, salt and spice intertwine. It is a cool biodynamic wine with a light oily body, aromas of peach, pear, and lemons. The finish is tart and clean, a bit of lingering oxidized nutty yeasty note.

2016 Popolo Rosso $13
55% Nebbiolo, 30% Barbera, 15% Dolcetto
Eugenio and his wife Cinzia farm 5.5 hectares of vineyards in seven vineyards in the Communes of La Morra, Verduno, Roddi and Alba. They are a small family run business with Eugenio in charge of the wine making and his wife Cinzia is in charge of the vineyard management. Cinzia is receiving her PHD in Biodynamic farming. The Barbera brings the acidity and bright fruit, the Nebbiolo brings the tannins and the aromatics, and the Dolcetto brings the softness and rounds out the blend, making for an incredibly harmonious wine with a dark black tea core.

2016 Cantine di Indie, Lunedi Rosso, Montepulciano di Abruzzo DOC $15
Indie’s Montepulciano is full of blackberry and marionberry, and juicy, warm purple flowers. It is medium-bodied with a bright acid that makes it very fresh, gulp-able and interesting — best served with a slight chill and charcuterie.

2014 Rojac, Refosk $18
Rojac’s Refosk (refosco) is a must try for everyone who relishes wild, natural, and utterly distinctive red wines. Slovenska Istra, named for a peninsula that juts out into the Adriatic Sea between Trieste and Rijeka, is Slovenia’s most Mediterranean-influenced winegrowing region. The 2014 Refosk blossoms with classic Refosco aromas of wild blackberries, elderberries, cured meats, bitter medicinal herbs, and piquant soil. The palate unfurls layers of blackberry, huckleberry, violets, star anise, and white pepper and finishes with reprises of sappy, herb-inflected dark cherry and blackberry fruit complemented by hints of leather, smoke, and pipe tobacco.

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 our way through Iberia with some delicious wines from Spain and Portugal.  The wines are crisp and summery and go great with Tapas, Paella, Jamón or any of a number of other dishes.  Swing by the shop and have a taste.
 
Maset, Cava Brut Nature Nu Reserva $12
Macabeo, Parellada, Xarel·lo
Bodegas Maset has been making their delicious Cava for more than 200 years. The Nu Reserva has crisp, clean, citrus fruit notes of apple & pear.
 
2016 Aves De Sousa, Branco $13
Viosinho, Rabigato, Gouveio
This fresh Portuguese white has a very rich nose, citrus notes along with a great minerality, a rich mouthfeel and a dry finish.
 
2016 Cesar Langa, Frenesi  $13
Merlot, Garnacha, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz
This family run winery started in the small village of Morata de Jiloca in 1867. Today the Langa family owns more than 70 hectares of vineyards spread over two Biodynamic farmed estates.  The Frenesi has a very minerally aroma with spicy notes such as clove, cinnamon, pepper and vanilla.  It has s ripe, even jam-like black fruit, beautiful tannins, a silky and round, muscular body. 
 
2007 Gaston, Rioja Reserva $23
Tempranillo
This aged Tempranillo has cherry aromas with vanilla and spicy, balsamic notes. On the palate: it provides a silky sensation of soft and at the same time elegant taste. It is fleshy, long and intense persistence. 
 
2016 Maset, Mas Vilo Priorat  $25
Garnacha, Mazuelo
The grapes for the Mas Vilo are grown on steep llicorella slate slopes and terraces which are worked by mule and by hand.   It is a space bathed in the dark, bright and shining tonalities of the slate, with ferruginous, reddish and rusty shades.  The wine has ripe red fruit aromas (raspberry and blackberry) with mineral and balsamic recollections. On the palate it’s vibrant and flavorful, with sweet, elegant 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’s Seafair Weekend here in Madrona and while the Blue Angels boom overhead and the hydroplanes throw rooster tails down on the lake we’ll be quietly pouring some great tasting wine at the top of the hill.  Fly on by and check them out.

Saturday:
2014 Colterenzio, Weisshaus Pinot Bianco $15
2017 Clos des Lumineres L’éclat Rosé  $10
2017 Les Hauts Plateaux Alpes de Haute Provence Rosé  $11
2013 Evesham Wood, Temperance Hill Pinot Noir  $27
2012 Adriano, Barbaresco Basarin $25

Sunday we are off to Portugal, not for their sweet ports, but their lovely dry rad wines. Come check out these values. Come taste the grapes you’ve probably not heard of.
2015 Santos Lima Cigarra  $10
Castelao, Camarate, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Miuda
This great summer red is highly aromatic with lively notes of raspberry, cherry and cassis on the nose and palate. A four-month maturation in oak barriques lends delicate hints of spice. 13% alcohol by volume
2016 Quinta do Pinto Lasso Branco  $13
50% Arinto, 50% Fernão Pires
From Lisboa, Portugal, this wine is vibrant, intense and fresh with intense and exuberant aroma of flowers and tropical fruits. In the mouth it has presence and volume. The Fernão Pires gives tropical and white fruits notes, combined with the citric notes from the Arinto.

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 the Blue Angels will be booming overhead and the hydroplanes will be throwing rooster tails down on the lake.  Meanwhile we’ll be quietly pouring some great deals at the top of the hill in Madrona.  We’ll have several wines that are selling at a bit of a discount and a couple of Rosés that are just great deals to begin with.  Fly on by and check them out.
 
2014 Colterenzio Weisshaus  $15
Pinot Bianco
This  Alto Adige Pinot Bianco Weisshaus is an exceptionally well-made wine that opens to creamy pear, peach and other herbal mountain aromas with great integration. The Weisshaus shows excellent varietal purity with good structure and acidity at the back.  Was $22 now $15

2017 Clos des Lumineres L’éclat Rosé  $10
40% Cinsault, 30% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre
A dry easy-drinking Rosé from the Rhone, with aromas of strawberry, and cherry with a spiciness, followed by a pink grapefruit and flint finish.
1.5 ltr. $19
3 ltr. –bag in a box- $25 (that’s $6.25 a bottle.)

2017 Les Hauts Plateaux Alpes de Haute Provence Rosé  $11
40% Grenache, 40% Syrah, 20% Cinsault
An amazing value rosé with aromas of white flowers and  gooseberry. Very lush on the palate with strawberries, plum and melon notes. Nice acidity to give it balance and length. Supple in texture and easy to drink. 
 
2013 Evesham Wood Temperance Hill Pinot Noir  $27
A dry-farmed organic Pinot from Evesham’s plot in Temperance Hill.  This single-vineyard has lots of black cherry and earthy notes.  The mid palate is well-structured and full of fruit. 
Was $35 Now $27

2012 Adriano Barbaresco Basarin $25
Nebbiolo
This Barbaresco opens with a subtle, refined fragrance of perfumed berry, rose, violet and a whiff of sweet baking spice. On the palate, notes of roasted herb, tobacco and white pepper add depth to the core of ripe dark cherry and crushed raspberry. Bracing but refined tannins provide the framework and need time to unwind. 
Was $32 now $25

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.