This Sunday we host Genevieve Trembley at an artist reception and wine tasting. Her show: WINGED AWAY… on a wildgoup’s chase: works in watercolor hangs through November 3rd. We will be sampling two fine wines while you gaze at her amazing talents.

From the artist:

“(S)he winged away on a wildgoup’s chase across the kathartic ocean and made synthetic ink and sensitive paper for h(er) own end out of h(er) wit’s waste.”

 — James Joyce (1882–1941), Finnegans Wake

Observational studies of nature and landscapes are central to my practice. Since we moved to Phantom Lake in Bellevue 11 years ago, I have painted my wetlands surroundings, especially the birds. It’s a privilege to live in the wetlands. Smaller birds fall prey to other predators or are misled by window reflections and become the subjects of my drawings or paintings. Most recently I began to study the winged insects, too. They are beautiful and fascinating creatures with the benefit of having 2 perspectives-their view from the ground and their view while aloft.

My medium is usually watercolor and acrylic ink although I paint more like an oil painter than a watercolorist. For this series, I collected unfinished tile, porcelain and concrete tiles from a salvage yard in Seattle to use for my insect paintings while others are painted on clayboard.

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.

Portugal, best known for its Port wines, also  makes a wide variety of other wines ranging from the fresh and crisp to the rich and robust.  This Saturday will be pouring just a slice of the wines from the country starting with Vinho Verde in the far north to the steep slopes of the Douro valley and on to newer Alentejo region further south.  Come have a taste and see where your tastes land.

Dalila, Vinho Verde $8
A blend of local grape varieties native to the far north of the country, the wine has a light spritz  a nice floral aroma along with a touch of herbs and citrus.  The wine is a big hit in summer but can be very enjoyable all year round.

2011Esporao Verdelho  $14
Herdade do Esporão is one of the premier wineries of the Alentejo region.  Their Verdelho (the same grape as the Spanish Verdejo) has vibrant aroma with tropical fruit and limey citric notes. The palate is fresh and minerally, with a long and persistent finish.

2011 Esporão Alandra Red     $9
Moreto, Castelão, Trincadeira.
Esporão’s easy drinking red is made of a blend of three indigenous varietals.  It has youthful fruit aromatics and light floral notes.

2004 Alves de Sousa Tinta Cao  $13  (originally priced at $26)
100% Tinto Cao
The Douro region is best known for port wine, but serious maker produce some fantastic dry red wines as well.  Domingos Alves de Sousa produces his wines, according to a family tradition begun by his grandfather, which is today also taken up by his children.  Domingos was voted “Producer of the Year”, by the Portuguese Wine Magazine Revista de Vinhos in 1999 and 2007.  He is the only person to have won this award twice. Tinta Cão has been grown primarily in the Douro since the sixteenth century. The vine produces very low yields which has led it close to extinction despite the high quality of wine that it can produce. Sousa’s is a wild, untamed wine from a traditional old Douro Valley variety with plentiful fruit, firm crunchy tannins, leather and spice complexity, meaty fruit and superb freshness.  Today we get it at a bit of a deal.

Quinta dos Murcas, Ten Year Tawny $30
Tinta Amarela, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca , Tinto Cão.
Quinta dos Murças, located not far from the town of Régua, dates as far back as 1714, It benefits from a unique landscape of steep slopes, terraces, vertically-trained vines, streams, vineyards and olive groves, This Tawny is fermented in the traditional granite legates with foot treading and is aged in used oak pipes of 700 liters for an average period of 10 years.   It is complex and nutty with notes of fig, hazelnut and vanilla.

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 will be sampling five intriguing French wines. Details to follow.

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.

Outside of Turin in the very North of Piedmont sits the Val de Susa.  In this long high altitude valley grow some traditional grapes that you don’t see elsewhere.  Val de Susa is a tiny, tiny, tiny DOC with only 11 hectares under vine split between 11 wineries.  To say that these wines are of limited production is an understatement.  The oldest winery in the region is Casa Ronsil.  The property has been in the Ronsil Family since 1250.  Today the winery is run by Pierino Ronsil with his son-in-law Franck Thollet.  They focus on traditional varietals Baratuciat, Serella, Becuet and Avana with vines that range from 50 to 90 years old.  The vineyards are tended to organically with no sulfur used during vinification, and very little at bottling. All the wines are fermented in stainless steel and aged in large neutral barrels so you can experience the grapes.

Come by on Saturday as we taste these rare and delicious wines.

2010 Maestro, Valsusa Bianco  $20
Equal parts Gros Blanc, Baratuciat, Serella
Crisp lemony mouth feel, mountain flowers delicate but long finish.

2011 L’Enfant Terrible, Valsusa Rosso  $17
100% young vine Avana
The bad child has flavors of bright and snappy blueberries, and darker fruit.

2009 Camilo, Valsusa Rosso  $20
60% Avana 30% Becuet, 10% Dolcetto
The Camilo, named after Pierino ‘s father is from 70 year old vines in the La Voùte vineyard.  The wine is full of dark earthy plum fruit and Christmas cookie spices.

2009 Saint Bartolomeo, Valsusa Rosso  $22
60% Avana 20% Becuet, 20% Neretta Cuneese
The Saint Bartolommeo comes from their oldest vineyards of 90 year old vines.  It is fuller and more intense than its younger brothers.  The Neretta Cuneese makes all the difference.  A fascinating old world wine.

2007 1555 Pasito  $20 — 500ml
100% Avana
A beautiful pink color, the Pasito is full on the mouth and persistent with intense aromatics qualities obtained from the red grapes (usually Passiti is made with white grapes). The harvest starts in October and the grapes are dried during the winter before being pressed slowly.  It is aged in oak barriques for 12 months.

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 tasting two lovely wine from wine importer (and now blender) Kermit Lynch.

Kermit Lynch was born and raised in California. From his youth he remembers that his father and uncle worked for a winery, but he has no memory of anyone in his family drinking wine. The Lynch family was rich in preachers, too, but at communion they served Welch’s grape juice, even though, as Kermit points out, Jesus turned water into wine, not grape juice.

In 1972 he opened a retail wine shop and later began importing and distributing nationally. In 2000 he was named Wine Professional of the Year by the James Beard Foundation, in 1998 the French government presented him with the Ordre de Mérite Agricole award, and in 2005 named him Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur. In 1988 he planted his little terraced hillside near Bandol with Mourvèdre vines. The juice now goes into Domaine Tempier’s famous La Migoua cuvée. In 1998 he purchased the historic Domaine Les Pallières in Gigondas in partnership with his friends the Bruniers of Vieux Télégraphe.

2012 Kermit Lynch Vin de Pays de Vaucluse Blanc                  ($12)
50% Chardonnay, 50% Viognier
Made by Domaine Durban and blended by Kermit the Blanc is full and tasty and non traditional. Round-bodied texture, yet tart, stony crispness and a knockout aroma of pear, sun-baked apples, and spicy hints of anise.-Limited production.

2012 Kermit Lynch Vaucluse                                        ($11)
55% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 15% Merlot, 10% Marselan
With this VDP, Kermit steps out of his importer role and takes on blending his own cuvee. The wine is made by Domaine de Durban, harvested by hand and ferment by carbonic maceration, then aged for 8 months before being bottled unfiltered. In the blending Kermit goes wild breaking all the rules, but comes up with a tasty 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. No matter what day you stop by we always have something open to sample.

As much as we love the complexity and tradition of the wines from France and Italy, it is nice to find tasty wine a little closer to home. This Saturday we’ll be pouring wines from four Washington wine makers who don’t get as much attention as they deserve. These winers are winners. Stop in and get a taste of local flavor.

2010 Upland, Sauvignon Blanc $13
Upland vineyard in Snipes Mountain is the reclaimed site of Washington’s first winery east of the cascades (Bridgeman). Their food-friendly Sauvignon Blanc is barrel fermented in neutral oak barrels and aged sur lees for 7 months. The wine is lush up front, loaded with tropical fruit, hints of citrus, lemon grass and fig that is balanced around bright acidity and a crisp dry finish.

2010 Sun River, Chenin Blanc $13
A relatively new kids on the block, Sun River Vintners in Kennewick is making some interesting and reasonably priced wines like this Columbia Valley Chenin. Chenin Blanc usually goes one way or another – sweet or dry – and this Chenin took the dry route which meant it would not be just a summer wine. In fact, this lemon, citrus inspired flavor profile is the perfect partner for the sea.

2009 Corfini Cellars, Cabernet Sauvignon $12
Corfini is best known for their delivery trucks that run all over town every day distributing gourmet meats and cheeses to local restaurants. This great value Cab was made for them by an unnamed Washington wine maker on Waluke Slope

2008 Cedergreen, Thuja $21
80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon
A smooth and supple Bordeaux blend put together from some prestigious vineyard sources (Conner Lee, Klipsun, Chandler Reach, & Clifton Hills). Deep, dark, and luscious with black cherry, clove and peppery pizzazz! The aroma of this blend entices the nose, deep and unctuous on the palate with a lifting finish that demands another glass.

2009 Uplands, Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon $30
Planted in 1973 on the south slopes of Snipes Mountain by Alfred Newhouse, the fruit from this Cabernet Sauvignon block has the refined but definite tannins. The wine was aged in new American oak for 22 months. The Cabernet Sauvignon shows dried berry fruits, herbal spice and chocolate caramel. Its refined tannins are backed by well integrated oak flavors that build around its depth, concentration and full bodied finish. Only 96 cases were produced and only a few of those are left before it rolls into 2010.

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.