Greetings all, Happy 4th of July! Tacoma Wine Merchants and Enoteca Wine Bar will be closed on Saturday July 4th.  Also beginning in July, we will be closed on Sundays for the summer reopening at the end of September. I apologize for any inconvenience but this gives everybody the opportunity to enjoy the summer.   July is the month for the annual brown bag tasting. This is a blind tasting and the wines could be anything. This is the most popular tasting of the year so sign up early to attend.  The tasting will be held Sunday July 26th at 4pm in the Enoteca wine bar. Cost is 35.00 per person, you can reserve your space by calling the shop and we will hold your reservation with a credit card. This is a really fun event and I look forward to seeing you there. Did you know about the Tacoma Wine Merchants Wine club? Each month you receive two selections, your choice of red and white or two reds. You choose the club level at 30.00 or 60.00 and each month you get to try two personally hand picked selections. You can opt out at anytime with 1 month’s notice or before the next selections are chosen. It’s a great way to try new wines and get a little education in the process and on top of all that, its fun! To sign up just stop by the shop and we’ll take all your info and you’re on your way to many wine adventures.   I’ve found some great wines to celebrate the summer season with. Check out these great selections for the month of July.   Corvidae Crowe White  Oregon                                 10.00 Corvidae is a project of David O’reilly of Owen Roe fame. O’Reilly is making tasty wines at affordable prices. The Crowe is made from Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat, Riesling, and Pinot Gris, a winning combination if you ask me as the wine is bright and fresh. The perfect summer deck wine and at this price its easy to enjoy a bottle or two among friends. Mirth Chardonnay 2007 Oregon                                                 10.00 Mirth is another wine that is part of the Corvidae line. This was a huge hit last vintage, the wine practically walked itself out the door once people tried a bottle. The 2007 is even better if you ask me. Loaded with ripe pear fruits, fresh minerals with a lively finish. This goes down almost too easily.   Domaine de Pajot  2008 France                                                9.00 Lively French white made from Sauvignon Blanc, Gros Manseng(native to Gascogne where the wine hails from), Ugni blanc, and Colombard. Delightfully fresh with notes of peach and pear and a touch of apricot.  The wine just screams drink me on a hot day. Fun and delicious.   Cave di Rasteau Rhone Blanc 2008 France                                      11.00 Delicious white from France’s Rhone region. Made from white Grenache, Bourblanc,  and Clairette, this lovely wine screams summer with fresh melon and apricot flavors. Nice lingering finish, this is light on its feet but still has unusual depth. A few bottles of this will be consumed at my house this summer for sure, great quality to price ratio.   Lost River Pinot Gris 2008 Washington                                       15.00 This is a shop favorite, every year I find this quaffable white to be surprisingly good. Shows good depth for a pinot gris which is often light, fruit flavors full you mouth and the finish is easy and lasting. Not too heavy but certainly not light, this is a crowd pleaser. Lost River is a great little winery that often goes unsung, that just means plenty more for those of us that know they make delicious wine. WHITE BURGUNDY I recently held a white burgundy tasting(100% chardonnay) and we had the fortunate luck of tasting some stellar wines. These wines are not only good now, they will develop with some time. If you’re tired of the same ole same ole and want to stock something unique and delicious, I highly recommend the following. These are limited so when they are gone they are gone. Matrot Mersault 2007 France                                              45.00 I love mersault, period. The Matrot 07 is loaded with fresh lemon with just enough caramel and toast to cut the citrus. Nice depth as the wine kept opening up nicely. 2007 vintage is great drinkable vintage that shows good fruit and structure so this will get better with some time. Langoureau Chassagne Montrachet 2007 France                     45.00 This was the epitome of subtlety in a wine. Very shy and coy, teasing the palate with the potential of something more yet not quite forthcoming with all its riches. I personally loved this stuff, as it was understated yet what I expect a good bottle of white burgundy to be. Showing balance with some pear and caramel toast notes with a nice finish. I’d venture to guess this will come around nicely in a few years. Good price for the quality.   Paul Pernot Puligny Montrachet Cru Folatieres 2007 France   100.00 The belle of the ball, by far the “best” wine of the tasting. Has a depth and richness you expect from a premier cru wine.  Still a bit closed but you can tell it’s the real deal with plenty of underpinning and everything seems in balance at this stage. This will only get better and better and when it hits its stride you’ll see what all the fuss is about.   LETS TALK ROSE’ Its Rose’ season folks and so far I’ve found two winners that are in a price category that make them perfect for summer sippin. Domaine Fontsainte Gris di Gris 2007 France                                  10.00 Well respected producer from the Corbiers region, this blend of Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, and Mourvedre has lovely berry notes of strawberry and cherry. Nice and light on its feet, dry this will match well with any summer salad. Domaine Sorin Provence Rose 2008 France                                     11.00 Hailing from France, the home of Rose, this easy sipper is made from Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Carignan and Rolle, soft strawberry notes, lighter than the Gris di Gris above yet very balanced and very quaffable.   REDS Da Roca Old Vines Grenache 2007 Spain                                     9.00 Light easy drinking red from Spain, this Grenache is loaded with ripe raspberry flavors with tannins that are soft and melt away. This is the perfect summer red as it has nice flavor but stays light and refreshing. There are some great bargains from Spain, of which this is a great example. Ali Sangiovese 2007 Italy                                                               10.00 I love Chianti/Sangiovese in the summer. It gives me everything I want in a summer red; nice fruit with some pop, not overbearing or too big, goes with just about anything I want to eat. I loved the 2006 ali, and the 2007 is just as good if not better. Back to back great vintages in Tuscany make for great values. This has some bang for the buck with lovely juicy berry fruit and nice tannins to frame it all in, nice finish but still light. Drink up. Four Vines Old Vine Cuvee Zinfandel 2006 California                  12.00 Four vines specializes in Zinfandel and they are darn good at it. The Old Vine Cuvee is a tasty little number with red fruits intermingled with some plum, round and soft with just a hint of spice and vanilla, this is a must for Zinfandel lovers on a budget. Erste & Neue Lagrein 2007 Italy                                                      14.00 La what you say? Lagrein I say! Lagrein is a grape that hails from Northern Italy, this particular one from Alto Adige up around the Dolomites. This, as with many Italian grapes, has a unique character all its own. The weight is similar to pinot noir but with an earthiness similar to Grenache it reminds of Gamay. See, it’s a unique grape, loaded with berry flavor with just the right amount of tannin and earthiness it has some grip on it. A great summer red as its not too heavy, not too light, jusssst right! Sheridan Kamaiakan 2007 Washington                                    15.00 Its ironic to me that the two best vintages of Sheridan’s entry level blend Kamaiakan are the best he’s made yet and they are the least expensive. Who am I to argue, this wine just flat out tastes good. Made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet franc and I’m guessing a dollop of syrah, this has good fruit, nice tannin and a finish with length. Nice bang for the buck. Slipstream Shiraz/Grenache 2006 Australia                                    16.00 This is a customer favorite for sure, lots of fruit and depth for not a lot of money. This is a crowd pleaser and sure to be  a hit at any gathering. Gobs of blackraspberry and black berry fruit with a nice long finish with a tab of vanilla. What’s not to like? Barrister Rough Justice NV Washington                                     20.00 A huge customer favorite, this wine has yet to disappoint. Made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Syrah. Big ripe fruit flavors of black cherry slide into a nice big mouthful of flavor, big tannins and a big finish make this a great bargain. Canalicchio Rosso di Montalcino 2007 Italy                                     35.00 2007 is a great vintage in Tuscany, the Brunello is highly anticipated. Here’s a chance to get a sense of the vintage before the Brunello’s are released in 2012.  Canalicchio is a small high quality producer whose Brunello’s tend to get very good press, scoring in the 90’s in almost every vintage. The Rosso is one of the best and is basically baby brunello, the 2007 is still very young but has an impressive concentration of fruit and good structure. This wine will only get better with time and will cellar very well for the mid term of 5-8 years. Like Brunello but don’t have the budget, give this a try, it will suffice quite nicely. I have a limited amount on the first allocation though I will try and secure more when its available but I have no idea how much that will be. Mix and match any 12 bottles for a 10% case discount. If I don’t have your favorite wine, please ask I’ll be happy to try and order it for you and all case orders receive a 10% case discount, but I you need just one bottle and I can get it,  I will do so happily. Have a safe and Happy 4th of July Weekend, Cheers! Bill, Lauren, and Melody Tues-Sat 11-7 Closed Sunday and Monday   Tasting Schedule for July 4th Closed 11th Cordivae Wines 18th French Whites 26th Chardonnay 253-779-8258 21 N. Tacoma Ave Tacoma Wa 98403