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Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $19.44 $21.60
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is darkly aromatic, with graphite, pencil shavings, cassis, blackcurrant, pepper and...
WA
91
JS
91
White
750ml
Bottle: $21.94
12 bottles: $21.50
All fruit was hand harvested in the cool of dawn, immediately destemmed and pressed and the juice settled in...
WS
90
Red
750ml
Bottle: $17.49
12 bottles: $15.83
I like the savory iodine and bark notes here overlaid with black berry fruit, nutmeg and bay leaves. It’s juicy and...
JS
93
White
750ml
Bottle: $16.66
12 bottles: $16.33
Redolent in heaven-sent aromas of fresh and fabulous citrus, melon, peach and pear fruit notes that define Margaret...
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $48.40 $53.40
12 bottles: $45.98
The 2019 Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon has admirable fruit presence in the mouth. As an immediate follow on from the...
WA
96
WS
93
Red
750ml
Bottle: $27.20
12 bottles: $22.80
Piercing aromas of cassis, mulberry leaf, pencil shavings, dried sage and bay leaf, draped across the broad tannic...
WA
93
JS
93
Rapid Ship
White
750ml
Bottle: $29.90
12 bottles: $29.30
There's an oceanic quality to the nose; lime blossom and sea shells. Fresh, evolving and textured with layered...
12 FREE
DC
92
WE
92
White
750ml
Bottle: $39.60
12 bottles: $38.81
Immaculate, powerful, intense nose with purity and clarity of primary fruit characterised by pear, white peach, lime...
12 FREE
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $15.84 $17.49
12 bottles: $15.83
Delivers spicy cardamom, clove and chai tea accents that are distinctive, with a core of blueberry, huckleberry and...
WS
92
JS
91
Red
750ml
Bottle: $44.99
6 bottles: $44.09
A fine rendition of mid-weighted cabernet, boasting ample fealty to region: plenty of scrub, black olive, bouquet...
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JS
93
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $19.90
Stunning and complex, this stylish, concentrated red offers pure raspberry puree and black cherry flavors that show...
WS
93
White
750ml
Bottle: $39.93
6 bottles: $39.13
Fresh and creamy with aromas of white grapefruit, thyme, lemons, sourdough and hazelnuts. Medium-bodied with...
12 FREE
JS
93
WA
92
Rapid Ship
White
750ml
Bottle: $19.94
The entry level Chard from Margaret River's oldest estate is a steal, and a stellar intro to this West Aussie style....
WE
93
WA
90
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $21.93 $23.20
A mid-weighted wine that packs plenty in the bottle for the price, brimming with accents of canned peach, mango...
JS
91
Rapid Ship
White
750ml
Bottle: $74.93
A dense and structured white with white peaches, honeysuckle, lemon tree, and hints lime. Full-bodied with a gorgeous...
12 FREE
JS
98
WA
96
Red
750ml
Bottle: $20.74
12 bottles: $20.33
86/6/3/3/2% cabernet sauvignon/shiraz/merlot/cabernet franc/petit verdot. Matured for 14 months in French oak (20%...
12 FREE
JH
91
WNR
91
White
750ml
Bottle: $16.93
12 bottles: $16.59
From the masters of acid and toast (team Goodall and Carr), comes this very pure, affordable chardonnay. It gives us...
JH
93
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $201.07
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $199.95
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $174.95

Assyrtiko Cabernet Sauvignon Chardonnay Australia Margaret River

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.

Whilst most of Australia consists of arid deserts and dense bushland, the oceanic coasts to the south of the country have a terrain and climate ideal for vine cultivation and wine production. It took several decades of failed attempts at the end of the 18th century in order to produce vines of a decent enough quality for making wine, but since those first false starts, the Australian wine industry has continued to grow and grow. Today, wine production makes up for a considerable part of the Australian economy, with exports in recent years reaching unprecedented levels and even overtaking France for the first time ever. Whilst the greatest successes in regards to quality have been the result of the Syrah grape varietal (known locally as Shiraz), Australia utilizes several Old World grapes, and has had fantastic results from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Riesling, Chardonnay and more. As the Australian passion for locally produced wine continues to develop, wineries have begun experimenting with a wider range of grape varietals, meaning that nowadays it isn't uncommon to find high quality Australian wines made from Petit Verdot, Sangiovese, Tempranillo and Viognier, amongst many others.

When it comes to the south-westerly part of Australia, the Margaret River is by far the most important and productive of the area's wine producing regions. The region itself currently has over five thousand hectares of land under vine, and there are almost one hundred and fifty wineries operating there, making the most of the humid and warm climate many experts claim is remarkably similar to that which is found in the Bordeaux region of France. Such a climate can only produce fantastic yields of grapes of exceptional quality, and indeed, Margaret River currently produces almost twenty percent of Australia's wines. Both red and white wine grapes grow in the region, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Chardonnay and Sémillon being the varietals most commonly and widely grown.