The Federalist Sampler

On America’s birthday weekend, let’s join Madison Cellars in raising a glass to the Father of the Constitution, the shortest patriot, and the husband of a snack-cake icon: James Madison.

No, Margie and Jon Korecki didn’t name Madison Cellars after the diminutive Founder. Not directly, anyway. The name is an homage to their hometown of Madison, Connecticut (which was named after ol’ Stumpy Jim). This bucolic New England hamlet had only one drawback, but to oenophiles like the Koreckis, it was a big one: you can’t really make world-class wine in Connecticut.

“Let me recommend the best medicine in the world: a long journey, at a mild season, through a pleasant country, in easy stages.”
- James Madison

So after a long journey through UC Davis and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and several years trying to make wine in the vicinity of San Diego, Jon decided he could only grow the grapes he wanted in the pleasant country of Paso Robles. In 2000, the Koreckis founded Madison Cellars, specializing in terroir-expressive Bordeaux and Rhone varieties that reflect the season and the soil that produced them.

“The happy Union of these States is a wonder; their Constitution a miracle; their example the hope of Liberty throughout the world.”
- James Madison

And the happy union of flavors and aromas in these four estate-grown Madison Cellars wines is no less wondrous and miraculous. The 2004 Madison Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon balances robust tannins with vibrant fruit for an approachable red. Cherry blossom and vanilla on the nose layer with cherry, blackberry, black currant, fig, cola, and white pepper on the palate. It’s at its best with grilled meats, but then who isn’t?

Those who like their Merlots heady and robust would be advised to seek out the boldly tannic Madison Cellars 2004 Merlot. Decant it first to release some of the heat and then dive into its rose, cherry, allspice, black pepper, fig, and raisin flavors. The tobacco finish is as satisfying as a cigar after a meal, but without the risk of cancer.

No lineup of hearty, food-friendly reds would be complete without Syrah, and the Madison Cellars 2004 Syrah is among the food-friendliest. The nose delivers a strong cardamom character with a hint of butterscotch, while the palate’s cherry, plum, and saddle leather flavors give way to nutmeg, fig, and a toffee and white pepper finish. We’d say this calls for some roast pork, spicy sausage, and green peppers.

The one blend in the bunch, the Madison Cellars 2004 Serendipity, is the Koreckis’ first stab at a Rhone-style blend, and they must be good with a blade because they stabbed it real good. Finesse is the watchword, with the vineyard’s characteristic cocoa character yielding some of the spotlight to black cherry, cassis, cardamom, vanilla, white pepper, licorice, plum, earth, fig, and toffee, in roughly that order from nose to finish. Try it with something that offers a lot of varied flavor: lamb with rosemary or roast duck with plum glaze.

If men were angels, no government would be necessary.
- James Madison

And if we lived in Heaven, no wineries would be necessary. Wine would flow from every spring. Alas, we don’t live in that world. But with Madison Cellars delivering distinctive, expressive wines like this, the real world suddenly doesn’t seem like such a bad place to be.

2004 Cabernet Sauvignon:

• 365 Cases Produced
• Source of the Fruit: 100% Madison Cellars Vineyards estate grown
• Location/Soil: Clay loam and loam soils, on the west and southeast facing sides of the vineyard
• Harvest Dates: October 6st through 16th, 2004
• Fermentation: Primary fermentation in open top fermenters with three daily punch downs. Secondary fermentation in barrels. Unfined and unfiltered.
• Alcohol: 14.35%
• Total Acidity: .61
• PH: 3.74
• Residual Sugar: 0.0%
• Barrel Aging: Barrel aged for 21 months in French and American oak of which 40% was new, 2/3 American and 1/3 French.
• Date Bottled: July 14th 2006
• Date Released: February 2007
• Aging Properties: This wine will age 5- 8 years.

2004 Merlot:

• 425 Cases Produced
• Source of the Fruit: 100% Madison Cellars Vineyards estate grown
• Rootstock: Own-rooted
• Location/Soil: Clay loam and loam soils on the north and south facing sides of the vineyard
• Harvest Dates: September 12th through the 19th, 2004
• Fermentation: Primary fermentation in open top fermenters with three daily punch downs. Secondary fermentation in barrels
• Alcohol: 15.0%
• Total Acidity: .68
• PH: 3.49
• Residual Sugar: < 0.05%
• Barrel Aging: Barrel aged for 20 months in French and American oak of which 32% was new, both French and American.
• Date Bottled: July 14, 2006
• Date Released: January 2007
• Aged in oak for 20 months and then in bottle for 6 months, this wine will stand the test of time.
• Aging Properties: Ready to drink now, but more than capable of aging 5-8 years or more.

2004 Serendipity:

• 346 Cases Produced
• Made from 100% estate grown fruit, this wine is a perfected blend of 70% Syrah, 29% Mourvedre, and 1% Viognier.
• Source of the Fruit: 100% Madison Cellars Vineyards estate grown
• Rootstock: Own-rooted Estrella Clone 7
• Location/Soil: Mostly sandy loam, with area of shale mixed in
• Harvest Dates: September 12th, October 15th , 16th, and 17th, 2004
• Fermentation: Primary fermentation in open top fermenters with punch downs 3-4 times daily. Secondary fermentation in barrel.
• Alcohol: 13.83%
• Total Acidity: .64
• PH: 3.71
• Residual Sugar: 0.01%
• Barrel Aging: 21 months in Hungarian and American oak of which 31% were new.
• Date Bottled: July 25, 2006
• Date Released: May 2007
• Aging Properties: This Rhone Blend is rich and deep and will only get better over the coming 6-9 years.

2004 Syrah:

• 412 Cases Produced
• Made from 100% estate grown fruit, this wine is made of 98% Syrah and just 2% Viognier.
• Source of the Fruit: 100% Madison Cellars Vineyards estate grown
• Rootstock: Own-rooted Estrella Clone 7
• Location/Soil: Mostly Sandy loam, with area of shale mixed in
• Harvest Dates: September 11th, October 15th and 16th, 2004
• Fermentation: Primary fermentation in open top fermenters with punch downs 3-4 times daily. Secondary fermentation in barrel.
• Alcohol: 14.0%
• Total Acidity: .63
• PH: 3.75
• Residual Sugar: < 0.01%
• Barrel Aging: 21 months in Hungarian and American oak of which 32% were new.
• Date Bottled: July 25, 2006
• Date Released: April 2007
• Aging Properties: This balanced Syrah is rich and deep and will only get better over the years aging at least 5-7 years.

Rules and restrictions:

• Wine sold by winery (or a retailer in your state where necessary)
• You must be 21 or older to order
• Whoever receives the package must be 21 or older
• If you're drunk when the package shows up, you will not be allowed to receive it
• Wine cannot be delivered to a P.O. Box
• We highly recommend you use a business address as your shipping address

Thanks to stick-in-the-mud buzzkilling state legislators, wine may only be delivered to the following states:

• Arizona
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• District Of Columbia
• Florida
• Georgia
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Iowa
• Louisiana
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Missouri
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Oregon
• South Carolina
• Texas
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

If your state's not on the list, you're out of luck... for now. Keep up with the ever-changing laws over at ShipCompliantBlog.com, and/or sound the alarms with your state assembly person through FreeTheGrapes.org. Meanwhile, all Federal, state and local laws are complied with in providing this wine.