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750ml
Bottle:
$18.93
$20.40
12 bottles:
$18.55
100% Cortese from Ulivi's estate vines in and around Gavi. As always, the fruit was destemmed and spontaneously...
750ml
Bottle:
$15.41
12 bottles:
$15.10
Certified HVE3*. Sourced from 40-year-old Muscadet vines planted in shallow soils of disintegrated mica/schist....
750ml
Bottle:
$17.09
12 bottles:
$15.05
750ml
Bottle:
$15.00
12 bottles:
$14.70
750ml
Bottle:
$32.80
6 bottles:
$32.14
750ml
Bottle:
$24.90
All tank fermented. A straight-shooting, mid-weighted force of mineral, quince paste, almond husk and Meyer lemon....
750ml
Bottle:
$21.89
Stony, flinty, smoky aromas, with sparks of gunflint and green apple. There are some stone fruit characters too,...
750ml
Bottle:
$22.94
12 bottles:
$22.48
A beautiful combination of density, finesse and appealing bitter flavors on the back of the palate. The complexity...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$14.25
Attractive pale-yellow hue with green tints, a sign of the wine’s youth. The seductively fresh and fruity nose...
750ml
Bottle:
$39.95
$43.60
A different, fuller-weighted brood, boasting ample stone fruits, nutmeg and truffle. Savvy use of oak (tonneaux and...
750ml
Bottle:
$34.93
12 bottles:
$34.23
Offers a rich note of petrol on the nose, which underscores the palate's flavors of blood orange, pink grapefruit...
750ml
Bottle:
$24.90
12 bottles:
$24.40
A bright, zesty white, with lively hints of grapefruit zest and milled white pepper accenting peach, lentil and...
750ml
Bottle:
$26.35
Red volcanic ferrous soils with ample black basalt strewn amidst. Suits the later ripening Garganega, while screw cap...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$43.73
Matured 18 months in traditional underground vats, the 2021 Clos des Bouquinardières reveals an abundance of herbs,...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$46.61
Matured 18 months in traditional underground vats, the 2021 Clos des Bouquinardières reveals an abundance of herbs,...
Cortese Garganega Melon de Bourgogne 2021 750ml
The Cortese white wine grape varietal has been grown in and around south Piedmont, Italy, for at least five hundred years. Its delicate nature and moderate acidity have made it a favorite with people around the world, and it is most commonly served alongside the excellent seafood and shellfish dishes of the part of Italy it is traditionally grown in. Cortese grapes are easily identifiable by their lime and greengage flavors, and their generally delicate and medium bodied character. Cortese wines are also notable for their freshness and crispness, again, making them an ideal match for seafood. Whilst colder years often produce harsher, more acidic Cortese wines, practices such as allowing malolactic fermentation can solve any such problems and still produce delicious white wines made from this varietal.
Italy is a fine country for white grape varietals, and white wines have been produced in this ancient country for thousands of years. One of the more popular varietals in the modern age is Garganega, which is currently the 5th most planted white grape across Italy. This grape is most closely associated with the Veneto region of Italy, although it is also grown in Sicily, where it is known as Grecanico Dorato. Garganega is a rigorous, hardy grape, which can grow in huge yields - explaining its popularity in the past. Today, winemakers must be careful to keep yields as low as possible, as this a varietal which can easily lose its distinctive characteristics and fine qualities when grown in bulk.
We know Garganega most commonly from the Soave wines which have been consistently popular over the past few decades. Indeed, the Soave Classico wines which still sell in large quantities across the globe are made from 70%-100% Garganega varietal grapes, and these wines showcase the varietal’s fresh and delicate qualities. The most common flavors present in Garganega wines are delicate, citrus notes, balanced by a hint of almond, and the best examples have remarkable balance and length, with wonderful aromatic notes.
One of the more unusual French grape varietals, Melon de Bourgogne has been grown in and around the Loire Valley for several hundred years. In fact, this grape was first planted in the Loire region of Pays Nantais back in the mid 17th century, after a devastating frost decimated most of the red grapes which were typical in the area. The winemakers of Pays Nantais were keen to cultivate vines which were hardy, high yielding, and capable of surviving another such frost, and so turned their attention to Melon de Bourgogne for this very reason. The native home of the varietal is actually in Burgundy, where it is still grown to a lesser extent.
Because Melon de Bourgogne produces naturally heavy yields, the vintners of Pays Nantais go to great lengths to reduce the amount of fruit the vines bear. This allows the finest characteristics of the grape to come forward, and also opens up the opportunity for it to express the wonderful granite and schist soils in which the vines are grown. Melon de Bourgogne is a minerally white wine grape varietal, with a very subtle set of fruit flavors. It is prized for its freshness and brightness, and is seeing a revival in the twenty first century as an excellent wine for pairing with a wide range of foods.