Wines
Michael Florentino Cellars
2008 Monastrell a.k.a. Mourvedre (Sold out, 2010 coming soon)
$24.99 retail (66 cases produced)
This rich and velvety wine has flavors of cherries, black current and truffle, with some earthy and leathery notes in the finish. The soft and supple tannins make this a nice wine to go with lamb or any meat dish.
Double Gold – Seattle Wine Awards
Silver – Tri-City Wine Festival
91 Points – Wine enthusiast
2009 Syrah
$28.00 Retail (115 cases produced)
90 Points — Wine Spectator
Silver Award: NW Wine Festival
This Syrah is rich and powerful, yet still graceful. Aromas of plum, tobacco, and deep fruit flavors of blackberry. This is followed with a great mid-pallet of dark chocolate, licorice, leather and a touch of black pepper. The boldness continues with a smooth finish of spices and tannins.
2007 Fusione (Merlot/Sangiovese blend)
$20.00 retail (96 cases produced)
This Merlot Sangiovese blend is a true Super Tuscan blend with the Sangiovese adding the up front fruit and depth, and the Merlot adding those nice cherry flavors and body to this wine.
Wine Press NW Review: Outstanding!
Bradley Sherman took over this brand from Michael Haddox, and he’s producing some remarkable wines at the Woodinville, Wash., winery. Here is a blend of Merlot and Sangiovese, which opens with aromas of cherry cola, plums, blackberry, peppermint stick, cedar and a bit of crushed leaf. The bright entry and red fruit profile of the drink is akin to some Pinot Noir, rounded off in the finish by bittersweet chocolate and horehound.
2009 Sangiovese
$26.00 Retail (112 cases produced)
The nose revels some game, vanilla and saddle leather. The palate is big from start to finish. Deep, dark, fruit rolls into to a dry, spicy, mid pallet and the spice continues into the finish, with tannins that linger on. Pair this wine with traditional Italian dishes, or try it with the following cheeses; goat’s milk, washed rind, and sheep’s milk, or aged cheeses like Parmigiano Reggiano, or Pecorino Romano.
Review from Wines NW: After tasting this wine and some others in this flight, one experienced taster exclaimed, “I never thought I would taste American Sangiovese wines that were this good!” Winemaker Brad Sherman traveled the world with his day job (an engineer) tasting wines from around Europe and shaping his palate preferences before embarking on an amateur winemaking career in 2000. His winemaking talent led to the founding of Michael Florentino Cellars which moved into its new Woodinville location in 2012. Very reminiscent of Chianti, look for aromas and flavors of cane berries, red cherry, cassis, toasty cedar and tarry earth – a great wine! - Chuck Hill, Wines NW
2008 Tempranillo
$28 Retail (112 cases produced)
Coffee and Vanilla dominate, the Pumpkin spice elevates the complexity. Rich black fruit with supple tannins in the mid palette, followed with a lush and lingering finish!
Bronze Awards from Tri-City Wine Festival and the Seattle Wine Awards
NW Wine Press: Excellent. If this release from Stone Tree Vineyard is an indication, the Wahluke Slope looks to be a suitable spot for this bold Spanish variety. The nose provides hints of boysenberry, blueberry, wintergreen and baker’s chocolate, and there’s a bold delivery of tannin and barrel accents across the palate as black currant, black cherry, cola and pepper push through. Its finish may remind you of a Samoas Girl Scout Cookie.
2007 Quinta de la Dolce Bella (Port)- house of the sweet beautiful
$22.50 Retail (75 cases produced)
Quinta de la dolce bella: “House of the sweet beautiful”. Port by any other name.
Touriga based, with small amounts f Souzao, Tinto Cau and Tinta Maderia.
This has the nice cherry and raspberry flavors of a ruby Port.
19.2% alcohol with approximately 9% residual sugar.
2009 Malbec (Sold out-2010 coming soon!)
$24.00 Retail (45 cases produced)
Aromas of plum with some smokiness of the oak showing through. A nice balance of ripe fruit: blackberry, black cherries and plums, set against tones of tobacco, followed by spicy Mexican chocolate, the wine is plush, rich with a lingering finish.
Pair this wine with ingredients that help a dish pair with Malbec, including: blackberries, blueberries, dried fruit, mushrooms, sun dried tomato, balsamic vinegar, beets, bacon, aged cheeses, onions, and mustard.
2009 Cabernet Franc
$26.00 Retail (112 cases produced)
Silver – Seattle Wine Awards
88 pts. Wine Enthusiast
NW Wine Press: Excellent. Here’s another reason to revisit this Woodinville winery. It opens with aromatics reminiscent of a talus slopeafter a summer rain, followed by black currant, black licorice, tar and notes of barbecued pork. The drink brings hints of more black currant, blackberry, chocolate and sun-dried tomato with its acidity. There’s evenness to the tannin and some opulence to the finish of Cinnamon Bear candy.
2009 Cabernet Sauvignon
$33.00 Retail (60 cases produced)
This Cabernet has very good fruit on the palate, with bright raspberries and cherry notes coming from the “Field Blend” varietals.
Platinum Award: NW Wine Festival
Double Gold – Seattle Wine Awards
From NW Wine Press: Outstanding! Red Mountain, Bradley Sherman, who gained expertise as a member of the respected Boeing Wine Club, continues to show that he’s got this Woodinville, Wash., winery headed in the right direction. Its nose shows sophistication with hints of black cherry, black currant jam, blueberry, vanilla, black olive and Swisher Sweet cigar. On the palate, the theme moves toward purple fruit with Marionberry, blueberry and pomegranate, bringing delicious acidity and resolved tannins, somewhat remarkable considering the power often found in Red Mountain reds. That fruit flows all the way through to the finish of blue SweeTart candy and chocolate.
2012 Misturo Blanco
$19.99 Retail (200 cases produced)
A 78% Sauvignon Blanc and 22% Semillion Blend.
This Bordeaux white blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillion will always be our signature white blend. In 2012, it’s Sauvignon Blanc dominate, and left it a little sweeter. It still has that same minerality and complexity from fermenting with French Oak, as our past vintages have had. Toasty oak and vanilla are nicely balanced with apple, pear and great acid! Simply delicious!
This is a fabulous wine to sip on a warm day, but with its acidity, will go with its classic food pairings, such as: goat cheese, seafood or chicken with a light oil-based sauce, cheese or white cream sauce, seafood or pesto.
What does the “mistura” mean? The Spanish/Portuguese word “mistura” means “mix” in English. However, this wine is made from traditional Bordeaux grapes! Such a complex pedigree for a white wine from Washington state!
2010 Primitivo
$26.00 Retail (120 cases produced)
A nice balance of ripe fruit and blackberry, set against tones of spice and tobacco. That balance continues onto the palate, where the wine is plush, rich with a lingering finish. Pair this wine with traditional Italian dishes, or hard cheeses, meats, and grilled vegetables.
Gecko Cellars
2012 Rose of Barbera
$15 Retail (80 cases produced)
89 % Barbera, 11 % Syrah & Primitivo
This rose is 89% whole berry pressed Barbera from Stone Tree vineyards. We added 11% saingee, that had been on the skins, from our Syrah and Primitivo, to round out the flavors and add a little color. This wine has lots of berry on the nose and pallet with a little Strawberry-Rhubard sweet tart candy in the middle. The acidity keeps it very crisp and refreshing any time of the day.
2012 Pinot Grigio
$15 retail (160 cases produced)
85% Pinot Grigio, 15% Riesling
The grapes where whole berry pressed and co-fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks. This Pinot Grigio has many layers of flavors! Peaches, pineapple, honey, grapefruit rind, pear and melon with a nice crisp and creamy finish. The minerality along with the acidity and fruit makes this a great food wine.
2009 Sangiovese
$19 Retail (120 cases produced)
91% Sangiovese, 5% Merlot, 4% Syrah
The color is a nice, semi-opaque similar to a Merlot, with a slight tint of orange color on the rim. It is well-balanced, medium bodied wine with a soft mouth feel. fruit forward jam taste, with a hint of cherry. After letting it air some, I got a cherry and slight earthy nose.
This hot year created a big Sangiovese with nice raspberry and cherry fruit, with subtle chocolate on the nose. We balanced out this wine with a touch of merlot and syrah to round out the fruit, and add to the tannins.
Review from Wines NW: This is another brand created by Brad Sherman of Michael Florentino Cellars. Both of these lines specialize in non-mainstream varietals that have proved very popular with Northwest wine lovers. Currently available wines include Sangiovese, Malbec and Pinot Grigio in addition to other selections from Michael Florentino Cellars (Counoise, Mourvedre and others). This is lighter, juicier Sangiovese featuring red cherry, vanilla and light herbs – a nice complement to seasoned chicken dishes or lighter red meats. – Chuck Hill, Wines NW
2009 Chameleon Red
$19 (120 cases produced)
The Chameleon changed a little this year, with the addition of more Cabernet Sauvignon, and the addition of a few new varietals to the blend. It still has its fruit forward flavors, that transition into some spice in the mid-pallet and a smooth, balanced finish.
2008 Chameleon Red
$19 retail (150 cases produced)
This wine takes three of the best Washington reds and combines them into a great blend. Plenty of fruit, nice spice from the Malbec and Syrah, for this easy drinker.
Food Pairing: Pizza, pasta with tomato sauce, BBQ, roast pork, grilled vegetables, cheeses like gorgonzola, brie, and camembert.
2008 Malbec
$16.99 retail (154 cases produced)
Seattle Wine Awards: Silver
Washington Malbec is versatile, robust, supple, beautiful and just plain great! This spicy wine has cherry and plum aromas with fruit flavors typical of Malbec and a spicy pepper finish. This wine goes great with BBQ!
Wine Press NW: Recommended. Gecko Cellars 2008 Malbec, Wahluke Slope, $20. Gecko Wine Co. is the parent company for Gecko, Lion’s Oak and Michael Florentino in Woodinville. The grapes for this tasty Malbec came from the warm Wahluke Slope, a region considered by many to be the backbone of the Washington wine industry because of its consistently warm temperatures and ripe grapes. This example opens with aromas of blueberries, Marionberries and cedar, followed by tangy flavors of fresh-picked plums, black tea, black licorice and dark, ripe berries.
2009 Malbec
$16.99 retail (45 cases produced)
Aromas of plum with some smokiness of the oak showing through. A nice balance of ripe fruit: blackberry, black cherries and plums, set against tones of tobacco, followed by spicy Mexican chocolate, the wine is plush, rich with a lingering finish.
Pair this wine with ingredients that help a dish pair with Malbec, including: blackberries, blueberries, dried fruit, mushrooms, sun dried tomato, balsamic vinegar, beets, bacon, aged cheeses, onions, and mustard. Pair with these foods: smokey cured beef, charcuterie, chili con carne, spaghetti and meatballs, spaghetti Bolognese, burgers, medium hot lamb curries like rogan josh, dishes with a plum compote and roast beef or venison barbecued lamb, beef or pork – it particularly suits smokey, chili-based rubs.