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Case only
Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $79.94
This blend includes 50 percent pinot noir, 10 percent meunier and 40 percent chardonnay, aged seven years on the...
12 FREE
W&S
91
Sale
Sparkling
12 FREE
Sale
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $212.76 $236.40
Intense aromas of candied citrus, grapefruit juice and lemon peel. Incredibly youthful for its age, with a chalky...
12 FREE
DC
96
WS
94
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $509.85
Intense and enticing campfire smoke, this has beautiful rich fruits behind the grilled aromatics, and is open and...
12 FREE
DC
94
WA
92
Red
750ml
Bottle: $151.80
12 bottles: $148.76
The 2007 Beychevelle has an attractive nose, fresher and more complex than others in this flight of off-vintages....
12 FREE
WA
89
VM
89
Red
750ml
Bottle: $98.25
12 bottles: $96.29
Tasted at BI Wine & Spirits' 10-Years-On tasting, the 2007 Brane-Cantenac has a quintessential bouquet for the estate...
12 FREE
WA
90
WE
90
Red
750ml
Bottle: $189.94
The 1998 Calon-Ségur, blended of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, is deep...
12 FREE
WA
93
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $73.50
12 FREE
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $113.48
12 FREE
Dessert/Fortified Wine
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $1299.95
Pale gold. Knockout aromas of creme brulee, coconut, vanilla bean, honey and orange peel. Lush and seductively silky...
WA
95
VM
95
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml
Bottle: $500.60
12 bottles: $490.59
Pale gold. Knockout aromas of creme brulee, coconut, vanilla bean, honey and orange peel. Lush and seductively silky...
12 FREE
WA
95
VM
95
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $244.95 $252.00
Befitting a glorious Sauternes vintage, the 2007 Yquem stood out in this tasting like a beacon. Sandrine Garbay notes...
12 FREE
DC
98
WA
98
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml
Bottle: $480.60 $534.00
Befitting a glorious Sauternes vintage, the 2007 Yquem stood out in this tasting like a beacon. Sandrine Garbay notes...
12 FREE
DC
98
WA
98
Red
750ml
Bottle: $235.95
12 bottles: $231.23
A difficult year in theory but, as with many of the good names in Bordeaux, it is tasting excellently right now and...
12 FREE
DC
93
WE
93
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $211.95 $235.50
This is rich and powerful, with beautiful dark fruits that really showcase the Cabernet dominance of this wine. Great...
12 FREE
DC
94
WE
92
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $81.94
12 FREE
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $1189.08 $1321.20
A blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Merlot, the 1998 Lafite Rothschild is deep garnet with a hint of brick and...
12 FREE
WA
96
Case only
Red
1.5Ltr - Case of 6
Bottle: $271.80
Rich, impressively ripe fruit, the fruit dense and black, with juicy black plum flavors followed by dusty tannins....
WE
93
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $221.58 $246.20
Not a great vintage (very hot August, rain in the last half of September), but the Merlot was luscious and wines made...
12 FREE
DC
92
WA
90
Red
750ml
Bottle: $128.95
6 bottles: $126.37
The first vintage for the Dillon family, who purchased this estate in 1997, the 1998 Château Nenin is a sexy, ripe,...
12 FREE
WS
92
JD
92

Champagne Blend Red Bordeaux Semillon/sauvignon Blanc 1998 2007 France

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.

There are few regions in the world with stricter regulations in regards to wine production and grape varietals than those found in Bordeaux, France. Here, in the home of the world's finest wines, the type and quality of grapes used is of utmost importance, and the legendary wineries which work on the banks of the Gironde river have mastered the careful art of juice blending to find the perfect balance for their produce. Whilst there are six 'official' Bordeaux grapes, the two key varietals for almost every fine Bordeaux wine are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and with good reason. Whilst Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are renowned for their acidity and astringency, strong fruit and spice flavors and full body, Merlot grapes are notably rounded, soft, fleshy and lighter on tannin. The combination of these two varietals, along with a small percentage of (commonly) Petit Verdot or Cabernet Franc, is the perfect balancing act – the two grape varietals cancel out each others weaker points, and accentuate all that is good about the other.

Year in, year out, France enjoys its prestigious reputation as the producer of the finest wines in the world. With a wine making history which spans several thousand years and owes its expertise to the Romans, it comes as little surprise that this most highly esteemed of the Old World wine countries continues to impress and enchant both novices and experts to this day. Despite the rise in quality of wines from neighboring European countries, not to mention the New World, the French wine industry continues to boom, with up to eight billion bottles being produced in recent years. However, France prides itself on always putting quality before quantity, and the wide range in fine produce is a testament to the dedication and knowledge of the wineries across the country. Indeed, from rich and complex reds to light and aromatic white wines, French wines are as varied and interesting as they are enjoyable to drink, making this country a firm favorite for wine lovers across the globe.