Five Fine French Wines for Fun And Fathers' Day

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Wicked Cellars Tasting Notes Friday, June 15th, 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Five Fine French Wines for Fun And Fathers’ Day $5 Tasting Fee This Friday, in honor of Fathers’ Day we offer a $5 tasting of fun and affordable French wines that can easily find a place on any picnic blanket or at any backyard barbecue. Believe or not the French know how to have fun too, and these wines are the proof.

2010 Chateau Moulin de Ferrand Entre Deux Mer Blanc $9.99 This classic white Bordeaux blend pits Sauvignon Blanc’s racy crispness Blanc against Semillon’s softer, waxy texture. With grassy aromatics and mild yet persistent fruit, there's more here than initially meets the eye in this great pairing for oysters, mussels or other shellfish.

2010 Bouchard Pere et Fils Pouilly-Fuissé $25.99 Here’s classic “White Burgundy” (Chardonnay) from one of Burgundy’s oldest and most illustrious wine estates. Fragrant aromas of acacia blossoms, pure silky fruit, and lemon oil follow through in the mouth and on the finish with elegance, finesse, and a clean minerality that attest to the wine’s grace and its sense of place. Elegant and layered, this is one PouillyFuissé that can stand beside some of the more illustrious names in white Burgundy and not be ashamed.

2011 Domaine Sorin Rose "Terra Amata" $12.99 This fragrant and classically pale pink Rhone rosé blend of Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Carignan will bring a smile to your face. Aromas of strawberry and tart watermelon on the nose join more tart melon flavors on the palate as a refreshing minerality appears in the middle palate. This wine cries out for sushi, shellfish, and summer barbecues on the deck! This wine is a favorite over at Pete's Wine Shops in Bellevue and Seattle, but we have it here! 90 Points, Wine Enthusiast

2009 Chateau Baby Bordeaux - $10.99 This easy drinking, un-oaked Merlot from Chateau Brisson in Cotes de Castillon offers attractive aromas of ripe plums with notes of violets and generously warm dark cherry fruit and suggestions of licorice.

2010 Maison Arnoux et Fils Vacqueyras "Jean Marie Arnoux" $19.99 The Vacqueyras, a land of sun-drenched scrubland nestled at the foot of the Dentelles and swept by powerful mistral winds, offers rich grapes of great concentration and fruity, powerful wines that form a symphony of flavors and aromas. Purple, deep and brilliant, this classic Rhone blend of 65% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 5% Mourvèdre offers powerful aromas of red fruit accented with delicate spicy notes. On the palate is a mouthful of concentrated and structured flavor with elegant and silky yet firmly persistent tannins. Here’s a wine to pair with grilled rib of beef, seared rump steak au poivre, and other hearty braised meats.