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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...
750ml
Bottle:
$633.15
$703.50
Exotically perfumed, with ripe, lushly textured fruit. A complete and showy example of great, polished modern claret...
1.5Ltr
Bottle:
$316.20
6 bottles:
$312.00
93-95 Barrel sample. This is a smooth, rich wine that's intensely concentrated and packed with great black-currant...
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...
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...
750ml
Bottle:
$84.95
12 bottles:
$83.25
Barrel sample. With marked acidity as well as black fruits, this is a wine with weight and richness. It has a dark...
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...
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...
375ml
Bottle:
$325.35
$361.50
The 2012 Cheval Blanc boasts stunning power and a vertical, imposing sense of structure that is quite rare in this...
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...
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%...
750ml
Bottle:
$174.15
$193.50
Always excellent for the vintage. What a nose with currants, blackberries, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stones and wet earth...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$46.99
La Gabare de Croizet-Bages is the second wine of Chateau Croizet-Bages and is made up of the Château’s younger...
750ml
Bottle:
$82.94
This is very polished and refined with blackcurrant, raspberry and citrus-peel undertones. Full body, extremely fine...
750ml
Bottle:
$60.88
Barrel sample. This is a dense, complex wine that's full of dark tannins piled atop ripe black-plum fruits. The wine...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$69.80
Barrel sample. This firm, dry wine is solidly rich and full in the mouth. With fine acidity and black currant fruit...
750ml
Bottle:
$58.24
12 bottles:
$57.08
Barrel sample. Solid and concentrated, this wine certainly shows great dryness as well as fruit. It has power and...
750ml
Bottle:
$35.40
12 bottles:
$34.69
Barrel sample. This concentrated wine is packed with new wood as well as dark chocolate flavors. The palate is dense...
750ml
Bottle:
$524.95
$567.00
A big, powerful wine, the 2012 Haut-Brion possesses stunning richness and intensity, with all of the depth that is...
750ml
Bottle:
$98.95
$109.50
The 2012 Haut Bailly is brilliant and does nothing to damper my belief that this vintage is underrated in the market....
Assyrtiko Chardonnay Red Bordeaux 2012
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?
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.
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.