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750ml
Bottle:
$40.95
$46.80
The 2017 Chardonnay Sangiacomo Vineyards opens with aromas of lemon meringue, popcorn, banana chip and stone fruits...
750ml
Bottle:
$20.08
12 bottles:
$19.68
The 2017 Chardonnay Bayten opens with classic aromas of spiced yellow apples, poached pears, Meyer lemon curd and...
750ml
Bottle:
$39.94
$42.48
12 bottles:
$34.28
Made from Chardonnay grapes grown only 10 miles from the Pacific Ocean in the famous Goldridge soils of the Russian...
750ml
Bottle:
$38.94
$40.08
12 bottles:
$38.16
The 2017 Chardonnay Estate opens with notes of toast, cream, lemon pith and hay over a core of Red Delicious apple...
750ml
Bottle:
$17.94
6 bottles:
$17.58
This layered wine comes from the neighbors' grapes, largely the noted Ferrington Vineyard, and offers enticing...
750ml
Bottle:
$20.40
12 bottles:
$19.99
Aromas of honeysuckle mingle with pink grapefruit and zesty key lime on the nose. On the palate, bright notes of...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$31.20
Attractive lemon-cream and peach aromas are framed in attractively fragrant spices. The palate has a succulent edge...
750ml
Bottle:
$26.90
$28.80
The 2017 Chardonnay is whole-bunch-pressed and matured in 30% new oak with no malolactic. The tightly wound bouquet...
750ml
Bottle:
$34.39
$36.20
12 bottles:
$33.25
Louis Latour Beaune Blanc has a pale yellow colour, the nose offers brioche bread notes, laced with subtle notes of...
750ml
Bottle:
$40.60
$46.40
This is very subtle and complete with cooked lemons and apples and a complement of straw and gunpowder. Full-bodied,...
750ml
Bottle:
$45.20
6 bottles:
$44.30
Color: Deep ruby red.
Bouquet: Very ripe and intense nose; ripe blackberry and plum, fig, cracked pepper and orange...
750ml
Bottle:
$89.93
12 bottles:
$88.13
The 2017 Chardonnay Bearwallow Vineyard, from a site in the Anderson Valley, has an incredibly Burgundian bouquet of...
750ml
Bottle:
$99.94
6 bottles:
$97.94
The 2017 Chardonnay Buena Tierra Vineyard conjures up provocative notions of buttered popcorn, crème brûlée and...
750ml
Bottle:
$14.40
12 bottles:
$14.11
Precision and brightness to this chardonnay with sliced cooked-apple, peach and pie-crust aromas and flavors. Medium...
750ml
Bottle:
$87.95
$92.00
The 2017 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre ler Cru shows why this site is so highly regarded. Even with all of the...
750ml
Bottle:
$118.95
$123.20
12 bottles:
$117.04
Aromas of crushed stones and oyster shell here with a fresh, lemon and yellow-grapefruit edge. The palate has a very...
Chardonnay Fruit Wine Garganega Primitivo 2017
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.
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.
As with many European grape varietals, there is some debate regarding the precise origins of the Primitivo grape. Most people now agree that it probably came from Croatia, where it is still used widely in the production of red wine, and it known as Tribidrag. However, today it is a grape most commonly associated with the powerful red wines of Puglia, the heel of Italy’s boot, where the intense sunshine and brisk Mediterranean breezes produce grapes of remarkable character and balance. Primitivo is a dark grape, known for producing intense, inky, highly tannic wines, most notably the naturally sweet Dolce Naturale and the heavy and complex Primitivo di Manduria wines. Primitivo tends to be naturally very high in both tannin and alcohol, making it ideal for both barrel and cellar ageing, which brings out its more rounded and interesting features.
Primitivo is not the easiest grape to grow or manage, and it has had something of a difficult century. Indeed, by the 1990s, there was little interest in Puglian wines in general, and winemakers were neglecting their Primitivo vineyards and looking to other, more commercially viable varietals. However, the last decade has seen this grape come well and truly back into fashion, with new techniques and a heightened interest in native Italian grape varietals bringing Primitivo back into the spotlight. It is now widely loved for its intensity and ability to be paired with strongly flavored foods.