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Pre-Arrival
Alheit Vineyards Chenin Blanc Huilkrans 2018
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$185.75
The 2018 Huilkrans is 100% Chenin Blanc from the Citrusdal Mountains. Its bouquet is more waxy and resinous than...
Pre-Arrival
Alheit Vineyards Chenin Blanc Nautical Dawn 2020
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$78.95
The 2020 Nautical Dawn, from granite soils and vines planted in 1978 that undergoes a two month ferment, is aged in...
Pre-Arrival
Domaine Belargus Anjou Blanc 'Roueres' 2020
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$96.36
Pure Chenin Blanc from one of the three original decreed parcels of the Quarts de Chaume, Rouères. This parcel is...
Pre-Arrival
Domaine Belargus Coteaux Du Layon 2018
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$51.95
From south-facing slopes on the schistous soils of the Loire tributary, the 2018 Coteaux du Layon Moelleux Layon...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$83.95
Sourced from a tiny, south-east facing 0.35-hectare plot on a marriage of schists and pudding sandstones in the...
375ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$266.95
Pre-Arrival
Domaine Belargus Savennieres 'Gaudrets' 2019
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$51.95
The 2019 Gaudrets is not shy to come forward in a line up of Savennières. It has the ferocity of female gladiator...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$95.43
100% Chenin Blanc. The Clos du Papillon is one of the three most celebrated coulées or small ravine-like valleys in...
Pre-Arrival
Domaine Guiberteau Saumur Blanc 2021
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$49.29
Organic. Pruning method is Guyau Val de Loire. Grapes are harvested by hand and carefully sorted in the vineyard....
Pre-Arrival
Domaine Guiberteau Saumur Blanc Breze 2018
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$105.23
Organic. Pruning method is Guyau Val de Loire. Grapes are harvested by hand and carefully sorted in the vineyard....
Pre-Arrival
Domaine Guiberteau Saumur Blanc Breze 2019
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$111.95
Organic. Pruning method is Guyau Val de Loire. Grapes are harvested by hand and carefully sorted in the vineyard....
Pre-Arrival
Domaine Guiberteau Saumur Blanc Breze 2020
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$92.66
The 2020 Brézé is a blend of three plots within this esteemed vineyard. It spends two years in 50% new oak,...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$70.95
The 2018 Saumur Bizay Clos de Guichaux is from another monopole the family holds in Saumur. Planted in 2003 on silt...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$83.78
A very pure, white-stone character on the nose, framed beautifully by some fresh, matchsticky reduction. This is...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$58.94
The 2021 Clos de Guichaux is sourced from vines planted in 2003 on shallow soil over limestone. It's an oaked, nutty,...
Chenin Blanc Schioppettino Tequila Pre-Arrival
Originating in France yet now grown in many parts of the New World, Chenin Blanc is one of the most versatile and highly regarded white wine grape varietals on earth. These green skinned grapes hold a relatively high acid content, and as such can be used for making still white wines of exceptional quality, as well as superb sparkling wines (such as the Crémant wines of the Loire Valley) and extremely aromatic dessert wines. Their natural transparency means that they are a fine grape for expressing their terroir in the bottle, and winemakers often experiment with this varietal to coax unusual and intense flavors from the grapes, such as allowing the development of noble rot on the fruit in order to make sweet and viscous wines of a unique character.
Tequila is probably Mexico’s greatest gift to the world of fine spirits, and is also possibly one of the most underestimated and misunderstood drinks in the world. Widely used for shots and slammers, and more often than not associated with parties and hangovers, Tequila is in fact a wonderful drink full of subtleties and expression of terroir, that is highly rewarding for those who look into its finer points.
One of the special things about Tequila is the fact that it is capable of expressing the fine nuances and subtle notes of its raw material, far more so than other, similar spirits. That raw material is, of course, the Blue Agave - not a cactus, as is commonly believed, but rather a succulent quite like a lily, which grows in the deserts of Mexico mainly around the province of Jalisco. The Blue Agave takes a decade to mature, and during those ten years, it takes in many of the features of its surroundings, just like a grapevine would. This is why Tequila varies in flavor and aroma from region to region, from the earthier Tequilas of the lowlands, to the more delicate and floral examples from areas of a higher altitude.
The picking and peeling of the spiky Agave, and the distillation process of Tequila is a complicated one, and one which is carried out with enormous skill by the jimadors and master craftsmen who produce the spirit. Steam cooking of the body of the plant is followed by crushing, then fermentation and distillation completes the process. The end product is categorized according to whether or not it is made with pure (‘puro’) agave, or blended with other sugars, and according to how long the spirit is aged for.