Value is where the quality of the wine intersects with the price.  One would be hard pressed to find country with better wine value than Italy.  Stop by this Saturday as we pour a few such gems that will get you back to school or just into September and ready for the equinox. We have wines from Emilia-Romagna, Campania, Abruzzo, and Apulia out of such grapes as Pigoletto, Caprettone, Falanghina, Greco, Montelpulciano, Susumaniello and Negroamaro.  Some of these grapes are a bit obscure, but they are all delicious.
 
Colli Bolognesi Pignoletto “Spazzavento Torre dei Nanni” $15
Alberto and Cristina Fiorini, brother and sister, are the fourth generation of a family that has produced Lambrusco wines since 1919 with holdings in the province of Modena in Emilia-Romagna.  Pignoletto is a white indigenous varietal of the area.  The nose is delicate, but intense and aromatic. Full in the mouth the wine has a pleasant bitterish finish
 
2016 Iovine, Lacryma di Christi del Vesuvio Bianco $14
Caprettone, Falanghina, Greco
The members of the Iovine family have been viticulturists and have produced wine for four generations since 1890. They own approximately 15 hectares of vineyards in the Sorrento Peninsula, in Campania.   The soils (made up of volcanic deposits from eruptions of the Vesuvius) give this blend its distinct character.  It is an elegant, floral wine with a slightly acidic, lovely freshness.
 
2016 Sanvito, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo $9
Sanvito’s modest Montepulciano shows full smooth structured tannins that support notes of ripe cherries and blackberry notes with a solid backbone of acidity that “pops” the fruit notes on the palate and keeps it fresh.
 
2015 Tenute di Rubino, Oltreme Susumaniello $14
Made from Susumaniello grapes grown in Apulia in the warm south of Italy.  Characterized by an intense ruby red color with purple hues. It presents a bouquet of fragrant and fresh red berry fruit notes, among which stand out cherry, pomegranate, raspberry and hints of ripe plum. At the palate, it gives off a fruity flavor, mineral, round with pleasant and soft tannins that make it particularly pleasant to drink.
 
2014 Tenute di Rubino Miraglio Negroamaro $14
The Rubino is ruby red, its aromas express ethereal notes of red fruit in spirit, plum, blackberry and currant, and spices. Syrups of licorice, thyme and rosemary open to a warm and elegant taste, full and round.  Its tannic texture is smooth and velvety, it closes with a finale that stands out for persistence.

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 lazy Labor Day weekend here in Madrona.  For those of you who didn’t skip town we have some laid back events to pass the time as we relax and enjoy the great weather.  And don’t forget to lay in some extra Rosé for the coming week.

Saturday, we’re pouring some big wines from small producers from Ardeche, Chablis, Cahors, and the Rhône. Come have a taste of the French countryside.
2016 Chateau de la Selve, Saint Regis Viognier $15
2014 Domaine Seguinot, Chablis  $20
2016 Chateau de la Selve, Maguelonne Rosé  $14
2015 Domaine de Fages, Cahors  $15
2015 Duseigneur, La Chapelle, Côtes du Rhône $15

Sunday, we’ve got two West Coast wines from the USA — a Columbia Valley white from Washington and an Amador County red from California — both with some special pricing.  Come sample some homegrown sippers.

2013 Parejas Cellars Garnacha Blanca  $12
This WA grown, Spanish-styled white has aromas of ripe green apples, white stone fruits and citrus & herbal nuances which combined with lively acidity, and a refreshing finish.  Was $15 now $12

2011 Noceto Sangiovese  $12
From Amador, Noceto produces all Italian varietals and does a pretty good job of it. Lots of cherry notes and a bit more fruit forward than Chianti, but very good for this side of the Atlantic. Was $19 now $12

We have new art up on the walls.

This Sunday is also the Artist Reception for our new show.
Hidden Depths and Distance Heights, by Amanda Teicher.  Come see the show and meet the artist from 3 to 5pm

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’re pouring some big wines from small producers from Ardeche, Chablis, Cahors, and the Rhône.  Start your Labor Day weekend out right by stocking up on these hard working Vins de France.  Let their labor help celebrate ours.
 
2016 Chateau de la Selve, Saint Regis  $15
Viognier
From low-yield, biodynamic vineyards in l’Ardeche, this Viognier is clean and fresh, with aromas of peach, citrus and a hint of mint, but it’s the fine minerality that really distinguishes the Saint Regis. 
 
2014 Domaine Seguinot, Chablis  $20
Seguinot is run by a father and his two daughters.  They produce their Chablis wines on about 15 hectares.  This is a bright, high acid, crisp, mineral driven white. The light calcareous clay soils impart floral, fresh and mineral aromas.
 
2016 Chateau de la Selve, Maguelonne Rosé  $14
40% Grenache, 40% Cinsault, 20% Syrah
This organic and biodynamic rosé has a delicate, aromatic and fruity nose, with red and white fruit aromas and a flowery note.
 
2015 Domaine de Fages, Cahors  $15
85% Malbec, 15% Merlot
The Fages comes from 35-year-old vines that are farmed organically and certified biodynamic.  The plots are planted on 2 different kinds of soil: sandy and ferrous red clay and clay-limestone.  The blend combines the dark smooth fruity character of Malbec with chalk mineral notes from the limestone soil. 
 
2015 Duseigneur, La Chapelle, Côtes du Rhône $15
50% Grenache, 50% Syrah
Domaine Duseigneur is located on the left bank of the river Rhône, in the village of Châteauneuf du-Pape. The 70 acres of the Estate straddle the appellations of Châteauneuf du Pape, Côtes-du-Rhône Villages Laudun and Lirac.  Made naturally from low yield old Grenache and Syrah, its round and supple tannins fully express red fruit aromas and Provençal aromatics of lavender and white pepper.

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.

Casale del Giglio is a family estate of unconventional land in the Agro Pontino valley, some 50 kms south of Rome.  Launched in 1985 Antonio Santarelli and his father Dino gave free rein to their pioneering ideas. by planting of close to 60 different experimental varietals in Casale del Giglio’s distinct soil as well as cultivating some local standards.  Stop by this Saturday and taste the results.

2015 Petit Manseng $18
Originally from the Jurançon region in the French Atlantic Pyrenees, the thick-skinned Petit Manseng’s small berries yield very little juice.  They are not harvested until late autumn.  By this time the grapes have shriveled and their sugar content is at its most concentrated.  The wine is intensely aromatic, fruity and spicy on the nose, fresh, crisp and flinty on the palate with a fruit-filled finish.

2016 Bellone Bianco  $13
Bellone is a grape variety cited by Pliny the Elder and has been present in the Latium region since Roman times.  The wine evokes ripe tropical fruit such as mango and papaya.  It is rich, ample and lingering on the palate with light floral, spicy notes, a pronounced acidity and zesty tang.

2015 Satrico Bianco $12
40% Chardonnay, 40% Sauvignon, 20% Trebbiano Giallo
This white wine takes its name from the ancient pre-Roman city of Satricum.  This hillside settlement, was the site of a temple dedicated to the goddess Mater Matuta.  Remains of her temple can still be seen today close to Casale del Giglio’s vineyards.  The wine reveals a fruity, lightly aromatic yet mineral nose, confirmed on the palate by a pleasing crispness and a lengthy finish.

2015 Cesanese Rosso $15
Cesanses is a local varietal from the Latium Province of Frosinone, once inhabited by the ancient Volsci tribe who conquered the town of Satricum in 488 BC and ruled supreme until the Romans took over in 385 BC.  The wine has intense aromas of Marasca cherry followed by spicy notes of white pepper, black pepper and violet.  The mouthfeel is soft, with persistent tannins and pronounced acidity.

2015 Petit Verdot $19
A red grape variety from Bordeaux, Petit Verdot’s traditional role has been that of a minor partner in blends with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. A late ripening variety, Petit Verdot has adapted perfectly to the microclimate of the Agro Pontino valley where bright sunshine, sea breezes and warm soil allow the grape to mature to perfection and to be vinified as a pure varietal. The wine has aromas of red berry fruit, cherry, myrtle and juniper. Elegant and full-bodied, with rich velvety tannins, the wine presents a spicy, white peppery finish.

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 lovely weather this weekend here in Madrona — pleasantly perfect by our Northwestern sensibilities.  Here at Madrona Wine we are topping it off by drinking some very pleasure soaked wines from the Iberian Peninsula.  It’s Spain all weekend with a quick dip into Portugal.  Stop by and join us.

Saturday we’re pouring:
2016 Kentia, Albarino Rias Baixas  $12
2015 Avancia, Cuvee de O  Godello $15
2016 Bodegas Muga, Rosado $16
60% Garnacha, 30% Viura and 10% Tempranillo
2013 Bodegas Alto Moncayo, Veraton, Campo de Borja Garnacha  $28
Cossart Gordon Madeira  5 year old Bual  $25

Sunday, we continue our Spanish adventures with two Summer Sunday Spanish Sippers — a Verdejo from the Rueda region, and a Garnatxa Negra from the southernmost portion of Catalunya. 

2016 Bodegas Shaya Arindo Verdejo  $11
A nice little wine with lemon, peach and fragrant floral aromas, a refreshing lemon pucker and notes of pear, melon, and apples.

2015 Altés Garnatxa Negra  $9
Terra Alta is located in the southernmost portion of Catalunya. The wine has dark cherry aromas with hints of hot stone lead to a tasty palate, full of fleshy fruit, with balanced tannins and a mineral thread running through the wine.

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 weekend we are back in Spain.  Saturday we’ll be pouring four Spanish wines that run the gamut from a crisp Albarino to a rich old vine Grenache.  For dessert, we’ll slip across the border into Portugal for a bit of Madeira.  It’s a great line up.  Come join us.
 
2016 Kentia, Albarino Rias Baixas  $12
A lovely unpresumptuous Albarino form the North West of Spain.  The Kentia has ripe fresh fruit with a bracing acidity that cascades across the palate.  Notes of apples, lime, peaches, flowers, grass lead to a cleansing minerality on the finish.
 
2015 Avancia, Cuvee de O Godello $15
This cuvee expresses Valdeorras’ unique slate soils and indigenous clones of Godello. Sur lie ageing and large format barrel fermentation impart a weight and complexity.  The wine has fresh aromas of white flowers and expressive fruit.   The palate offers juicy Meyer lemon and pear flavors that deepen slowly as the wine opens up showing an emphatic stony character on the incisive finish. 
 
2016 Bodegas Muga, Rosado $16
60% Garnacha, 30% Viura, 10% Tempranillo
Muga makes one of the most distinctively delicious rosados in Rioja.  From the cooler sides of the valley that Mugas grows its great reds, this rosé has complex aroma of white-fleshed fruit with stones. In the aftertaste the olfactory notes are transformed into something finer and more complex in which, as well as lychees, apricot and faint reminders of the bakery shop.  The tart fruit is still to the fore, the overall taste is softened by the fine, elegant, well-integrated lees.
 
2013 Bodegas Alto Moncayo, Veraton, Campo de Borja   $28
Garnacha
Made by Australian winemaker Chris Ringland all from Old Vine Grenache planted on mountain hillside vineyards.  The Veraton is aged in 60% new French oak and 40% new American oak for 17 months and bottled without filtration. This is a blockbuster, 100% Old Vine Grenache cuvée, with a deep-purple color, great intensity, loads of blackcurrant and black cherry fruit, with licorice, lavender and touch of graphite and earth. It is full-bodied and powerful. 
 
Cossart Gordon Madeira 5-year-old Bual  $25
Cossart Gordon, founded in 1759, is a Bual specialist, only bottling Madeira from this noble grape variety, which producing a slightly spicy and medium sweet style of Madeira. The 5-year-old shows lovely candied fruits and a rich buttery toffee quality, with refreshing acidity and even some saline notes as well.  It is smooth and lush, with loads of glazed apricot, maple, vanilla and cream 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.