Madsen Family Cellars

Unedited

Sandi Madsen, co-owner of Madsen Family Cellars asked local artist Andrew Wood to create a label for their wine depicting a lotus flower. Not only did he execute the drawing, he nailed it. These are gorgeous labels and pop when you see them from a distance. The lotus is a tropical perennial native to Asia and is the national flower of Vietnam and India. In the wilds of the Pacific Northwest, you will not find a lotus blossoming outdoors but you will find the image on a bottle in a South Sound wine shop.

Winemaker Dana relies on fruit from eastern Washington to produce small lots of chardonnay (both unoaked and oaked), gewürztraminer, riesling, rosé, sangiovese, a port-style dessert wine and their flagship cabernet sauvignon. Here’s what Wine Press Northwest (spring 2010 issue) had to say about Madsen Family Cellars 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, “Here marks the first sizable vintage for this couple in Lacey, Washington, and the primary fruit source for this release – Destiny Ridge Vineyard – shows they mean business. A dense profile of black cherries, prunes, allspice, cigar box, green tea and eucalyptus makes for a mouth-filling wine, but the finish of youthful tannins and Baker’s chocolate should reward patience.” At $30 a bottle, the cabernet makes a nice addition to a wine lover’s cellar.

With their Australian Shepherd under foot, Dana poured a sample of their Orange Muscat dessert wine. How he knew that I have a huge sweet tooth is anyone’s guess. However, with the sweet nectar of the wine still on the palate I ate a slice of Beecher’s Flagship cheese and had one of those harmonic moments where the semi-hard salty nutty flavor of cheese paired perfectly with the sweet dessert wine. I reached down to pet the dog with an image of a yoga master’s lotus pose in mind.