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Light, bright gold. Powerful orchard and pit fruit aromas are complemented by smoky lees, iodine, chamomile and...
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Light, bright gold. Powerful orchard and pit fruit aromas are complemented by smoky lees, iodine, chamomile and...
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This grand rosé is rich and rounded. Its red fruit flavors are layered with toast and spice notes, with depth that...
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#53 TOP 100 CELLAR SELECTIONS 2019. The wine's name stands for recently disgorged and this vintage Champagne was...
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#53 TOP 100 CELLAR SELECTIONS 2019. The wine's name stands for recently disgorged and this vintage Champagne was...
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This is an iteration of a legendary Champagne. Perfectly balanced, still packed with white fruit but just touching...
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The 2004 Dom Pérignon is a totally different beast. It is the product of a very long and cool growing season marked...
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The 2004 Dom Pérignon is a totally different beast. It is the product of a very long and cool growing season marked...
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The 2004 Dom Pérignon is a totally different beast. It is the product of a very long and cool growing season marked...
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The 2004 Dom Pérignon is a totally different beast. It is the product of a very long and cool growing season marked...
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A wine of pure and total pleasure, the 2004 Dom Pérignon Rosé is explosive and hedonistically rich, with tons of...
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A wine of pure and total pleasure, the 2004 Dom Pérignon Rosé is explosive and hedonistically rich, with tons of...
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The 2004 Champagne Plentitudes 2 is a stark contrast to the 2003 vintage and offers a more compact and linear...
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The 2004 Champagne Plentitudes 2 is a stark contrast to the 2003 vintage and offers a more compact and linear...
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TOP 100 FRENCH WINES OF 2017 #36 - This is an extremely fresh edition and remains in a restrained mode with an...
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2004 was a fantastic Chardonnay vintage in Champagne, and there's no more definitive statement of its grace and...
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Assyrtiko Champagne Blend Primitivo 2004

Cultivated since at least the middle of the Byzantine era, the Assyrtiko grape is generally considered to be one the finest of the Greek grape varietals, as a result of its multi-purpose properties and ability to flourish on a wide range of terrains. The ancient Byzantines used it in conjunction with Aidani and Athiri grapes for the production of their unusual and naturally sweet Vinsanto wines, which are still produced today in Santorini, and continue to be popular. However, the Assyrtiko grapes are used for many different AOC wines across Greece, and are favored by wine makers who want to maintain a dryness and acidic punch to their produce.

The Assyrtiko grapes are renowned for their ability to maintain their acidity as they ripen beneath the blazing Mediterranean sun, resulting in wines which have a distinctive dryness and a range of citrus fruit aromas, as well as great structure and high tannins. Often, Assyrtiko grapes will produce wines which leave an unusual after-taste reminiscent of the mineral rich, volcanic soils they are grown in on the slopes of Santorini, making them a favorite for wine drinkers looking for something full of character and interesting attributes. The past twenty five years have seen Assyrtiko vines planted all over the Greek mainland, and even in Attica and Macedonia, where the softer terrain often produces more fruit forward wines with a milder, less astringent character. However, wherever this fine grape varietal is grown, it is rare the results will be anything less than excellent.

Additional Information on Greek Wines


Greek Wines
Ancient Greek Wines – A Brief History of Wine in Greece
The Myth of Dionysus, Greek God of Wine
What is Retsina?

The sparkling wines of Champagne have been revered by wine drinkers for hundreds of years, and even today they maintain their reputation for excellence of flavor and character, and are consistently associated with quality, decadence, and a cause for celebration. Their unique characteristics are partly due to the careful blending of a small number of selected grape varietals, most commonly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. These grapes, blended in fairly equal quantities, give the wines of Champagne their wonderful flavors and aromas, with the Pinot Noir offering length and backbone, and the Chardonnay varietal giving its acidity and dry, biscuity nature. It isn't unusual to sometimes see Champagne labeled as 'blanc de blanc', meaning it is made using only Chardonnay varietal grapes, or 'blanc de noir', which is made solely with Pinot Noir.

As with many European grape varietals, there is some debate regarding the precise origins of the Primitivo grape. Most people now agree that it probably came from Croatia, where it is still used widely in the production of red wine, and it known as Tribidrag. However, today it is a grape most commonly associated with the powerful red wines of Puglia, the heel of Italy’s boot, where the intense sunshine and brisk Mediterranean breezes produce grapes of remarkable character and balance. Primitivo is a dark grape, known for producing intense, inky, highly tannic wines, most notably the naturally sweet Dolce Naturale and the heavy and complex Primitivo di Manduria wines. Primitivo tends to be naturally very high in both tannin and alcohol, making it ideal for both barrel and cellar ageing, which brings out its more rounded and interesting features.


Primitivo is not the easiest grape to grow or manage, and it has had something of a difficult century. Indeed, by the 1990s, there was little interest in Puglian wines in general, and winemakers were neglecting their Primitivo vineyards and looking to other, more commercially viable varietals. However, the last decade has seen this grape come well and truly back into fashion, with new techniques and a heightened interest in native Italian grape varietals bringing Primitivo back into the spotlight. It is now widely loved for its intensity and ability to be paired with strongly flavored foods.