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White
750ml
Bottle: $40.08
12 bottles: $39.28
A honeycomb sweetness with a hint of oaky caramel leads in this stylish white. It’s broad and ripe, but the apple...
12 FREE
W&S
90
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Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $28.40
Color: Dark ruby red with violet highlights that, after ageing, turn on garnet red. Bouquet: Intense, resolute but...
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White
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $203.00
3 bottles: $200.00
Montelena's 2016 Chardonnay is terrific. Fresh, nuanced and light on its feet, the 2016 is striking for its freshness...
VM
94
JD
90
White
750ml
Bottle: $93.94
Montelena's 2016 Chardonnay is terrific. Fresh, nuanced and light on its feet, the 2016 is striking for its freshness...
12 FREE
VM
94
JD
90
White
750ml
Bottle: $18.74
12 bottles: $18.37
This wine comes from a producer based in Buxy on the Côte Chalonnaise. It has richness and touches of honey as well...
WE
89
White
750ml
Bottle: $36.96
6 bottles: $36.22
Aromatically this wine shows deeply concentrated flavors of lemongrass, citrus peel, and faint honey notes, with a...
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $133.60
Gianfranco Fino has rightfully entered the range of those winegrowers tied to traditions wishing to save old...
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White
750ml
Bottle: $20.88
12 bottles: $20.46
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White
750ml
Bottle: $14.29
6 bottles: $14.00
White
750ml
Bottle: $36.68
12 bottles: $35.95
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White
750ml
Bottle: $72.79
6 bottles: $72.00
The barrique-aged Cantina Tramin 2016 Alto Adige Chardonnay Riserva Troy is a real beauty. This wine will appeal to...
12 FREE
WA
93
JS
92
Long-term Pre-Arrival
White
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle: $4758.02
The strikingly complex, cool and reserved nose of mostly citrus, stone, floral and white orchard fruit aromas still...
BH
97
Case only
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White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $211.95
Case only
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White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $91.78
Case only
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White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $200.95
Case only
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White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $277.95
A touch of matchstick character blends with notes of pear, apple and lemon peel. The supple, vibrant and utterly...
BH
89
Case only
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White
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $280.27
Case only
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White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $194.66
Bright medium yellow. Deep scents of apricot, very ripe peach, hazelnut and nutmeg; distinctly yellow in its fruit...
VM
92
Case only
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White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $130.95
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
White
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $211.95

Chardonnay Primitivo 1998 2011

Of all the white wine grape varietals, surely the one which has spread the furthest and is most widely appreciated is the Chardonnay. This green skinned grape is now grown all over the Old and New Worlds, from New Zealand to the Americas, from England to Chile, and is one of the first varietals people think of when considering white wine grapes. Perhaps this is because of its huge popularity which reached a peak in the 1990s, thanks to new technologies combining with traditional methods to bring the very best features out of the Chardonnay grape, and allow its unique qualities to shine through. Most fine Chardonnay wines use a process known as malolactic fermentation, wherein the malic acids in the grape juice are converted to lactic acids, allowing a creamier, buttery nature to come forward in the wine. No grape varietal is better suited to this process than Chardonnay, which manages to balance these silky, creamy notes with fresh white fruit flavors beautifully.

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.