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750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $107.00
While this Champagne from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger is still young, showing a crisp, bone-dry character alongside tight...
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94
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $118.39
6 bottles: $117.60
Aromatic pastry dough, creme de cassis, apple blossom and graphite notes are well-meshed in this elegant Champagne....
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93
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $112.08
6 bottles: $108.00
From grand and premier cru vineyards, this Champagne comes from a good but not great vintage. That explains its...
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93
White
750ml
Bottle: $48.94
12 bottles: $47.96
This estate, owned by the same family since 1787, has amazing stocks of old sweet wines maturing in its cellars. With...
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Sparkling
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $68.08
12 bottles: $66.72
It was a must for Pommery not to miss out on one of the greatest vintages of champagne. One single term to...
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1.5Ltr - Case of 3
Bottle: $235.81
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750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $169.95
An elegant rose Champagne that seamlessly knits juicy acidity and fine-grained texture with a subtle, smoke-laced...
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93
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750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $171.54
A vivid Champagne, with a fine mouse acting as a creamy swath around well-honed acidity, which defines this wine and...
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $1775.52
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750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $470.83
I have drunk this a half dozen times in the last six months and it always amazes me. The Recently Disgorged Bolly is...
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97
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97
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750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $141.60
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White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $350.95
Even richer and more concentrated than the 2011, the blockbuster-styled 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc is almost...
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750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $495.17
Even richer than the brilliant 1990, the 1996 is still tightly wound, but reveals tremendous aromatic intensity,...
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Sparkling
1.5Ltr - Case of 3
Bottle: $507.86
TOP 100 FRENCH WINES OF 2017 #38. This is a DP that shows the ripeness of the 2009 vintage yet remains full of...
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750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $240.47
TOP 100 FRENCH WINES OF 2017 #38. This is a DP that shows the ripeness of the 2009 vintage yet remains full of...
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96
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $669.83
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $428.90
A lovely rose Champagne that waltzes gracefully across the palate, belying the concentrated range of macerated...
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96
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $373.64
A lovely rose Champagne that waltzes gracefully across the palate, belying the concentrated range of macerated...
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96
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $521.95

Champagne Blend Chenin Blanc White Rhone Blend 1996 2009

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.

Originating in France yet now grown in many parts of the New World, Chenin Blanc is one of the most versatile and highly regarded white wine grape varietals on earth. These green skinned grapes hold a relatively high acid content, and as such can be used for making still white wines of exceptional quality, as well as superb sparkling wines (such as the Crémant wines of the Loire Valley) and extremely aromatic dessert wines. Their natural transparency means that they are a fine grape for expressing their terroir in the bottle, and winemakers often experiment with this varietal to coax unusual and intense flavors from the grapes, such as allowing the development of noble rot on the fruit in order to make sweet and viscous wines of a unique character.

The Rhone region of France has been producing superb quality white blended wines for centuries, and is a region highly respected and esteemed around the world, with plenty of New World countries keen to emulate the styles and techniques displayed by the historic wineries and skilled vintners of the area. The secret to the Rhone's success when it comes to blended white wines is the careful and expert selection of certain grape varietals, which each lend special features to the blended wine and bring balance and harmony to the bottle. Most commonly, blended white Rhone wines feature no more than two grapes of either the Viognier, Rousanne, Marsanne or Grenache Blanc varietals, and are renowned for their exceptional flavors and highly aromatic, floral character.