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Sale
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $34.20 $36.00
This unique sparkling wine is 100% Chardonnay made in Methode Tradicional from two separate vineyards high up in the...
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $155.84 $156.40
6 bottles: $155.60
Loosen Bros. and J. Christopher Wines just released the Fortissimo and it is showing great acidity and fine-grained...
12 FREE
WE
95
WNR
95
Red
750ml
Bottle: $32.61
12 bottles: $31.96
Firm tannins are holding everything in place right now. There's a tiny dip through the mid-palate before the fruit...
12 FREE
DC
89
VM
88
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $157.20
6 bottles: $156.00
Fragrant, with wafts of roasted nuts and toasted brioche -- a profile that underscores the palate's flavors of...
12 FREE
WS
95
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $633.15 $703.50
Exotically perfumed, with ripe, lushly textured fruit. A complete and showy example of great, polished modern claret...
12 FREE
DC
95
WA
94
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $1836.18 $2040.20
The 2005 Ausone is magnificent. A wine of soaring intensity and class, the 2005 dazzles from the very first taste....
12 FREE
WA
100
VM
100
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $59.94
The 2005 Château Barde-Haut showed beautifully and was one of the gems in the lineup. Offers loads of ripe dark...
12 FREE
JD
95
WA
92
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $206.28 $229.20
The Grand Vin, the 2005 Beychevelle is a gorgeous wine, with plenty of crème de cassis, floral notes, underbrush and...
12 FREE
WA
93
WE
93
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $154.94 $157.20
93-95 Barrel sample. This is a smooth, rich wine that's intensely concentrated and packed with great black-currant...
12 FREE
WE
95
JD
94
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $129.78 $144.20
The nose is just utterly delicious, smoky and seductive. This is why you don't drink St-Julien in a great vintage too...
12 FREE
DC
95
WE
95
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $70.56 $78.40
Barrel sample. Full of ripe Cabernet tannins, this is a structured wine that's chunky in character. It elegantly...
12 FREE
WE
95
DC
92
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $149.58 $166.20
The 2005 Brane-Cantenac is fabulous. Effusive and explosive to the core, the 2005 possesses tons of energy and...
12 FREE
VM
94
WE
94
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $152.55 $169.50
The 2005 Brane-Cantenac is fabulous. Effusive and explosive to the core, the 2005 possesses tons of energy and...
12 FREE
VM
94
WE
94
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $207.18 $230.20
Tight and dense still but so integrated and seamless in texture. Aromas of chocolate, hazelnuts, dried spices and...
12 FREE
WA
94
JS
94
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $199.95 $212.20
This fragrant, lush, seductive wine offers up plum, Christmas spices and crème de cassis. This dense garnet/purple...
12 FREE
WA
94
WE
94
Red
750ml
Bottle: $114.95
12 bottles: $112.65
Tasted from several bottles in recent months, the 2012 Canon is a stupendous wine for the vintage and if anything, it...
12 FREE
WA
94
WE
94
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $59.89 $64.59
Barrel sample. A solid effort, this is a wine with great fruit and firm structure to support it. Ripe and full in the...
12 FREE
WE
94
WS
93
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $622.35 $691.50
The 2012 Cheval Blanc boasts stunning power and a vertical, imposing sense of structure that is quite rare in this...
12 FREE
VM
97
DC
96
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $157.95 $175.50
The 2005 Château Clerc Milon is flat out awesome, it would certainly be one of those giant killers in a blind...
12 FREE
JD
96
WS
95
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $25.32
From the Castillon outpost of Gérard and Chantal Perse, this blend of 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 10%...
WA
90

Champagne Blend Pinot Noir Red Bordeaux 2005 2012 750ml

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.

Regularly described as being the grape varietal responsible for producing the world's most romantic wines, Pinot Noir has long been associated with elegance and a broad range of flavors The name means 'black pine' in French, and this is due to the fact that the fruit of this particular varietal is especially dark in color, and hangs in a conical shape, like that of a pine cone. Despite being grown today in almost every wine producing country, Pinot Noir is a notoriously difficult grape variety to cultivate. This is because it is especially susceptible to various forms of mold and mildew, and thrives best in steady, cooler climates. However, the quality of the fruit has ensured that wineries and vintners have persevered with the varietal, and new technologies and methods have overcome many of the problems it presents. Alongside this, the wide popularity and enthusiasm for this grape has ensured it will remain a firm favorite amongst wine drinkers for many years to come.

There are few regions in the world with stricter regulations in regards to wine production and grape varietals than those found in Bordeaux, France. Here, in the home of the world's finest wines, the type and quality of grapes used is of utmost importance, and the legendary wineries which work on the banks of the Gironde river have mastered the careful art of juice blending to find the perfect balance for their produce. Whilst there are six 'official' Bordeaux grapes, the two key varietals for almost every fine Bordeaux wine are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and with good reason. Whilst Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are renowned for their acidity and astringency, strong fruit and spice flavors and full body, Merlot grapes are notably rounded, soft, fleshy and lighter on tannin. The combination of these two varietals, along with a small percentage of (commonly) Petit Verdot or Cabernet Franc, is the perfect balancing act – the two grape varietals cancel out each others weaker points, and accentuate all that is good about the other.