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Wine of the Week
Crous St. Martin 2019 Rasteau
"Le Garde Corps"
Rhone Valley, France
$17.99, $16.19 for Wine Club Members
I find myself a little behind in writing up this Wine of the Week. (Forgive me--it's beautiful outside.) Hence, I'm going short and sweet this week.
I have personally enjoyed several bottles of this in the last two weeks, which has nothing to do with my being behind.... She over delivers. High quality, low price. Do you love Cru Rhone? (And who among us doesn't?) Then stock up.
30-50 year old 80% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 5% Mourvèdre vines.
"Full-bodied style that's very concentrated. There's enough rich plum, blackberry and black cherry behind, along with well-balanced alcohol and plentiful fine tannin, to create a complex wine." "92 Points" Decanter.
Crous St Martin is a collaboration between Rhone expert Harry Bosmans and Eric Bonnet of Domaine Bastide Saint Dominique. Harry is a household name amongst quality growers in the Rhone Valley and an invaluable resource thanks to his skill on both the production side and on the sales side. Eric’s family has been growing grapes in the north-east corner of the Chateauneuf-du-Pape appellation for three generations now, with 120 acres of vines in their name. Eric’s father began to make wines at Bastide Saint Dominique in 1980, quickly establishing the property as an elite player in Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Eric, now 39 years old, spent his early winemaking years up North in Burgundy, and that influence still shows in the delicate balance he is able to achieve between power and detail.
NEW ARRIVALS
Notes by Hannah Green
Domaine Girard Sancerre la Garenne 2023
Loire Valley, France
$29.99, $26.99 for Wine Club Members
Sancerre for $29.99?! Yes, we did that!
Domaine Fernand Girard is currently run by Alain Girard. He comes from several generations of winemakers in the tiny village of Chaudoux, located a few miles northwest of the town of Sancerre and directly north of the famous town of Chavignol.
He tends 35 acres of vines in total, sells some cuvées to négociants and bottles only a portion of the total production under his family name. The "La Garenne" cuvée comes from a 6-acre vineyard of that name, a plot on a steep east-facing slope with a very rocky limestone soil. The chalky soil brings out the characteristic flinty, mineral and green notes of Sauvignon Blanc. On La Garenne’s well-drained, warm slopes, the grapes achieve exceptional ripeness and fruit.
Compared to those in other viticultural regions in France, most of Sancerre’s vignerons have stricter-than-usual standards of cellar tidiness and hygiene. It might be the influence of the local goat-cheese making, which was traditionally done on a very small, artisanal scale, by people who knew the importance of a pristine environment. The Girards have an impeccable cellar and vinify with modern technology: a pneumatic press, stainless-steel vats, a temperature control system during fermentation, and an air-conditioned space for aging in vats and stocking bottles. They counterbalance technology by practicing old-fashioned vineyard work, where organic treatments are used only sparingly, and by never adding commercial yeasts to induce fermentation or add flavors.
Their Sancerre is everything one hopes for when thinking about the region: it is bright, lively, pleasantly aromatic, has zippy acidity but low astringency. It is a wonderful food wine that is as versatile as it is easy to drink. This is the only bottling from the domaine that is imported into the United States.
Niccolo Coturri The Last Fisherman Red Blend 2023
Salish Sea, Washington
$39.99, $35.99 for Wine Club Members
We have something really special for you this week. It’s not often we come across a grape none of us at the shop have heard of, and when that does happen, it’s even more rare that all three of us immediately want to take home a bottle to enjoy. This wine checks all the boxes: rare grape, compelling wine, and—if you need more convincing—of hyper-local origin.
For this bottling, Niccolo Coturri sources grapes grown in Everson in partnership with Winding Road Farm. The Last Fisherman is 90% Jupiter grapes, with 5% mixed red and white varieties Niccolo grows on Lopez Island (including Agria, Regent, Siegerrebe, Madeleine Angeline, and Pinot Noir) and 5% mixed table grapes of unknown varieties sourced from organic farms on San Juan and Waldron Island.
Niccolo is a fourth-generation winemaker. Originally from Sonoma, California, he moved with his family to the San Juan Islands to explore cool-climate fruits and climate change-friendly farming practices. His first professional vintage was in 2003, at age 18. Grapes are farmed organically, and wine is made with zero additions, including no added sulfites. Their 2023 Last Fisherman was fermented in stainless steel tank before being bottled by gravity (without use of pumps).
This Salish Sea red blend is light and bright, from grapes grown in a cool climate using regenerative practices. A blend of old-vine grapes and young hybrid plantings, this wine is silky and tangy, food-friendly, with high acidity and low ABV. Think Mondeuse meets Blaufrankisch. Full of verve and energy, this is a wine to enjoy lightly chilled while enjoying a beautiful Bellingham sunset.
NEW ARRIVALS
Notes by Stefano Brandi
White Walnut Estate
Willamette Valley, Oregon
When Chris Mazepink bought the property in 2013, White Walnut Estate was an overgrown walnut orchard tangled in bramble in the Dundee Hills, tucked between the vineyards of Domaine Drouhin and Archery Summit. The estate hadn’t been farmed for generations, and Chris and his sons cleared the land by hand, leaving the original walnut trees standing among what would become 6.3 acres of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vineyard. The vineyard was planted in 2015 and 2016 and has been certified organic and biodynamic from the start. After years of making wine for Archery Summit, Shea, and Benton-Lane, Chris founded White Walnut to move away from house style and toward something more site-driven. The vineyard is planted to dozens of clones, intentionally mixed and farmed as a single unit. There are no separate clonal bottlings and everything is picked and fermented together as a field blend. Native yeasts are employed in the process of whole cluster fermentation along with a mix of fermentation vessels—concrete from Italy, terracotta amphora from Tuscany, and wooden tanks from Burgundy. These materials are natural, durable, and neutral, allowing the character of the site to come through. The focus here is on nuance, energy and balance, not power or polish. The wines are structured and vibrant, shaped by the complexity of Jory soils, mixed clones, and low-intervention methods in the cellar. It’s not about chasing a specific profile or vintage-to-vintage consistency, but letting the vineyard speak for itself.
White Walnut Estate Chardonnay 2023
Willamette Valley, Oregon
$44.99, $40.49 for Wine Club Members
This is a beautiful blend of Chardonnay grapes from neighboring old vines and White Walnut Estate, with east-to-south sun exposure, and the embodiment of Chris's infatuation with Willamette Valley Chardonnay.
“A barrel sample, the 2023 Chardonnay Dundee Hills is impressively complete even at this early stage. It has pure aromas of poached pears, golden apples, chamomile, beeswax, marshmallow and cashews. The light-bodied palate pairs concentrated, savory flavors with vibrant acidity, and it has a hauntingly long, white blossom and honey-laced finish. 93-95 Points.” The Wine Advocate
“A beautiful, tense and nervy chardonnay with an inviting nose of pears, waxy lemons, almonds, dried flowers and herbs. Vibrant and mouthwatering, this has a medium body with tense acidity and a tangy and succulent finish with some flinty, minerally elements. Drink or hold. 93 Points” James Suckling
This Chardonnay would make a wonderful pairing with savory spring pies and tarts—like this spring peas, thyme and ricotta tart—, blanched asparagus with with a simple citronette, shaved fennel salad with vinegar-cured caper-berries, roasted chicken with lemon and garlic, and grilled fish and shellfish dishes.
Spring Pea, Thyme and Lemon Ricotta Tart
White Walnut Estate Pinot Noir Dundee Hills 2023
Willamette Valley, Oregon
$49.99, $44.99 for Wine Club Members
The fruits for this Pinot Noir come from vines facing east, south-east, and south.
“Still in barrel, the 2023 Pinot Noir Dundee Hills is bursting with a well of blueberry and black cherry, revealing wafts of aniseed, bitters and floral perfume as it opens in the glass. The medium-bodied palate is powerfully styled, pairing concentrated, floral fruit with chalky tannins and mouthwatering acidity, and it has a long, latent finish. 92-94 Points.” The Wine Advocate
“Vibrant and intense, this red goes deep on red forest berries, pomegranates, blood oranges and hibiscus. Tense and succulent with a medium body, this is so juicy and fruit-driven, with plenty of citrus freshness and a dusty tannic frame. Pure, delicious and long. Drink or hold. 94 Points” —James Suckling
Pair this savory red with braised duck breast with cherries and herbs, seared salmon on fennel bed, grilled lamb chops with rosemary and mint sauce.
White Walnut Estate Pinot Noir South Blocks 2022
Willamette Valley, Oregon
$69.99, $62.99 for Wine Club Members
This wine is composed of all 12 of the uniquely different sections of the estate vineyard fruits, with the vines facing south and south-east.
“The first impression is one of salted blueberries, sassafras, dark cherries and a lingering dark chocolate finish that's so unique. It's the salted minerality part to this wine that elongates the finish with lingering flavors of bittersweet chocolate, plum juice, and red currants creating such a savory delight. This wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered showing our commitment to minimal intervention winemaking” Chris Mazepink
“Matured in around 30% to 35% new oak, the 2022 Pinot Noir Estate South Blocks has intense aromas of raspberry jam and pomegranate accented by notes of cardamom, autumn leaves and mushrooms. The palate is much more open at this early stage and is bursting with flavors of berry preserves and spice. It's structured by finely chalky tannins and mouthwatering acidity, and it has a long, layered finish. It will benefit from 3-5 years in bottle or a couple of hours in a decanter. 95 points” The Wine Advocate
This Pinot would be delightful enjoyed with aged cheese and cold cuts, or served with pork roast with black current sauce, grilled mushrooms with garlic butter, braised beef and sweet pearl onions.

Friday Tasting
Meet the Winemaker: Guardian Cellars
with Jerry Reiner
Friday, April 25th, 3-5:30 pm
When Jerry met his wife Jennifer he was known around the Woodinville wine scene as the chemist, turned cop, who was almost always around to help with wine work.
Jerry had been volunteering 40-plus hours a week at several wineries, including Mark Ryan Winery and Matthews Cellars, assisting friends with harvest or in the tasting room. When Jerry and Jennifer opened the Guardian tasting room in November 2007, all 375 cases – a mix of Gun Metal, Syrah and Cabernet, were gone by the end of the day. When the 2005 vintage was released months later, it was gone within a few days. For harvest 2022, the winemaking team produced 16 different wines between the two labels; a total of just over 11,000 cases.
At the time they met, Jennifer was a reporter for The Seattle Times, fresh from jobs in South Florida and Baltimore. It was distrust at first sight, as is often the case with cops and reporters. But thanks to a few margaritas and a night debating the finer points of 90s dance music they realized they had a lot in common. Since the start of Guardian Cellars, Jennifer has managed the tasting rooms, events, staff and the wine clubs. Jennifer can often be found pouring wine in the tasting room on the weekends, sometimes with she and Jerry’s daughters, Josephine and Jillian, in tow.
We are so excited to welcome back Jerry for a tasting here at the shop Friday, August 9th! He'll walk you through their portfolio of wines they've been growing since 2007, and you'll immediately see why they have been so popular.
The Lineup
Angel Sauvignon Blanc 2024
Pursued Rosé 2024
Newsprint Cabernet Franc 2022
Newsprint Cab Sauvignon 2022
Gun Metal Red Blend 2022
The Five-O Red Blend 2021
Friday, April 25th. 3-5:30 pm.
$5 fee. Wine Club Members receive one free tasting per membership.

Upcoming Tastings
Guardian Cellars, Woodinville–Meet the Winemaker
with Jerry Riener
Friday, April 25th, 3-5:30 pm
Vinea Imports: Portugal Tasting with Espera Winery, Alcobaca
with Eric Stone
Friady, May 2nd, 3-5:30 pm
Scenic Valley Winery of Willamette Valley, Oregon–Meet the Winemaker
with Gabriel Jagle
Friday, May 9th, 3-5:30 pm
All tastings $5 fee. Wine Club Members receive one free tasting per membership at every event.
CLICK FOR MORE INFO
HOURS OF HAPPINESS
Tuesday-Saturday
10-6 PM
360-393-3271
ORDER ON-LINE
Email: ted@sjwinemerchants.com
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