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Red
750ml
Bottle: $64.95 $72.00
The Casanova della Spinetta 2008 Sassontino is a late-release wine that hits the market with 10 additional years of...
12 FREE
WA
94
JS
90
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $137.95 $139.80
Savory herbs, tobacco, mint, licorice and dark cherries take shape in the glass as the 2008 Chianti Classico Riserva...
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VM
91
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml
Bottle: $113.40
12 bottles: $111.13
Tasted single blind against its peers. This has a very well -defined nose of dried pineapple, quince and vanilla pod...
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WA
93
VM
93
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml
Bottle: $49.90
12 bottles: $48.90
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Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml
Bottle: $414.18 $460.20
Barrel sample. Impressively balanced, with the fruit rich, intense with a golden glow. The acidity is as important as...
12 FREE
WE
98
WA
95
Red
750ml
Bottle: $62.93
12 bottles: $61.67
A red with soft and silky tannins and ripe and sweet fruit. Full and juicy with a dried strawberry and plum...
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JS
92
WA
90
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Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $188.95
Salvioni's 2008 Brunello di Montalcino speaks to finesse above all else. Sensual, ever-changing aromatics draw the...
VM
94
WE
93
Case only
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Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $46.12
This opens with pretty, dark concentration and balanced aromas of black cherry and red currant set against leather,...
WE
88
Case only
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Red
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $1096.87
After the highly unusual and exotic 2007, the 2008 Toscana Sangiovese marks a return to a more classic Soldera style....
VM
97
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $73.62
Tasted single blind against its peers. This has a very well -defined nose of dried pineapple, quince and vanilla pod...
WA
93
VM
93
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $292.08
Barrel sample. Impressively balanced, with the fruit rich, intense with a golden glow. The acidity is as important as...
WE
98
WA
95
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $326.73
Barrel sample. Impressively balanced, with the fruit rich, intense with a golden glow. The acidity is as important as...
WE
98
WA
95
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $50.45
Pale orange-gold. Tangy aromas of peach, tangerine and honey are pure but a bit youthfully subdued; this reminded me...
VM
92
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $54.82
92-94 Barrel sample. Rich rather than sweet, this is stuffed full of botrytis. The wine is powered through with this...
WE
94
WS
92
Sale
Long-term Pre-Arrival
White
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle: $1677.98 $1785.08
Long-term Pre-Arrival
White
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle: $1398.95
Case only
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Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $83.62
Sweet rich, lush and layered, yet also remarkably light on its feet, the 2008 Brunello di Montalcino dazzles from...
WA
94
VM
94
Case only
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White
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $454.94
The 2008 Corton-Charlemagne comes across as super-classic in its chiseled fruit. Today the 2008 is holding back much...
WA
94
WS
92
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
White
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $88.07
#59 Top100, 2010. Aromas of citrus blossom and chalk dust lead into lemon, vanilla, peach and mineral in this...
WS
95
WA
94
Case only
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White
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $15730.41

Chardonnay Sangiovese Semillon/sauvignon Blanc 2008 750ml

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.