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Red
750ml
Bottle: $174.94
Castell’in Villa is a small estate in the commune of Castelnuovo Berardenga, at the southern end of the Chianti...
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DC
95
VM
93
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $272.24
Based on a solera system of reserve wines, this oak-aged Champagne shows considerable maturity while keeping a sense...
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WE
97
WA
94
Sale
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $108.95 $118.39
A quietly elegant Champagne, with a lovely soft, laciness to texture, and a minerally underpinning of smoke and...
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WS
93
Sale
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $138.94 $152.80
Expressive notes of steeped raspberry and cherry fruit pull you into the glass of this vivacious rose Champagne,...
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WS
94
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $154.90
Bright straw-yellow in color with a golden sheen. A highly delicate nose of rare intensity, in which the fruity aroma...
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Sparkling
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Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $115.94
The SCHLOSS GOBELSBURG VINTAGE is only produced in special years. The bottles remain on the lees for at least 10...
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $108.00
12 bottles: $105.84
This is Mocali's top shelf wine. The 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Vigna delle Raunate shows a higher dose of...
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WA
95
JS
95
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Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $79.93 $81.00
12 bottles: $75.81
Rich and toasty on the nose, with hints of grilled macadamia nut and brioche underscoring a vibrant mix of passion...
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WS
94
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $147.44
The 2010 Champagne Terre Millésime Extra Brut is decadent and forward, with layered aromas of custard and citrus...
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JD
94
VM
93
Sale
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $273.95 $291.60
The 2010 Dom Ruinart is starting to open up nicely. There's still plenty of the intense, chalky minerality and energy...
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VM
98
WE
95
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White
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle: $5081.17 $5405.50
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Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $66.26
The wine holds the power and style of the fantastic 2010 vintage. On the nose, very evident notes of plum and morello...
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Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $266.13
One of the many highlights in this vertical, the 2010 Brunello di Montalcino is exceptionally beautiful. Today, the...
WA
98
VM
98
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Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $87.12
A wine that sneaks up on you. It starts up slowly with dried-berry, chocolate and dried-lemon character. Full body,...
JS
97
WA
95
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $58.12
Case only
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Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $184.73
A Brunello with beautiful earth, berry, mushroom and leaf aromas and flavors. Full body plus a crazy center palate of...
JS
100
Case only
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $136.72
Case only
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Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $528.55
Case only
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $1620.69

Champagne Blend Chardonnay Sangiovese 2010 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.

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.

The name of this grape, meaning 'blood of Jove' conjures up evocative images of long dead civilizations, and gives the Sangiovese varietal a sense of the holy, the sacred, the special. Indeed, this particular type of Italian grape has been cultivated and processed for thousands of years, and is said to be the original favorite grape varietal of the Romans, and the Etruscans before them. Throughout history, vintners have continued to plant this varietal, and they continue to produce wonderful wines to this day. The long bunches of very dark, round fruit are treasured by fine wineries in Italy and a few other places around the world, and when young, these grapes are lively – full of strawberry flavors and a little spiciness. However, it is when they are aged in oak that they take on some truly special flavors and aromas, as seen in some of the finest wines of the Old World.