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Sale
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
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $119.94
6 bottles: $117.54
Chocolate, sweet spice, tobacco, leather and dark berry fruit give this Brunello a bold and impactful first...
WE
91
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...
12 FREE
VM
91
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...
12 FREE
JS
92
WA
90
Red
750ml
Bottle: $203.52
6 bottles: $202.80
The 2008 Terre di San Leonardo is a gorgeous entry-level wine. Dark cherries, plums, herbs, leather, spices and...
12 FREE
WA
90
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $99.83 $108.00
Black licorice and blackberry aromas lead to a full body, with velvety tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Offers...
12 FREE
WS
93
WE
92
Red
750ml
Bottle: $125.88
12 bottles: $123.36
A wine full of new wood that gives green coffee bean and intensely ripe fruit aromas. Very juicy and rich—the power...
12 FREE
WS
96
WE
93
Case only
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
Long-term Pre-Arrival
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
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $394.45
WS
95
WA
93
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $252.35
This is a phenomenal, tiny-production red made mostly from colorino and canaiolo grapes. It has an amazing density...
JS
99
WS
93
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $187.28
Offers crushed berries, with flowers and sandalwood. The nose is reserved, but interesting. Full-bodied, with silky...
WS
96
JS
96
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
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
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $183.92
Love this. Fabulous aromas of currants and blackberries. Hints of licorice, Indian spices and dried violets....
JS
100
WA
96
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $134.95
The 2004 Sammarco shows why this is such a magnificent vintage for Tuscany. Silky, layered and impeccably refined,...
VM
97
WA
93
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $124.95
Dense ruby-purple color. Intense, intriguing nose of high class cigar tobacco intermixed with smoke, minerals, black...
Sale
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
1.5Ltr - 1 Bottle
Bottle: $136.95 $144.09
Good medium-deep red. Black cherry, redcurrant, licorice and menthol aromas are lifted by a floral element that...
VM
92
WA
91
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $82.39
The 2008 Corbaia is striking in this vintage. A delicate, graceful bouquet gives the impression of femininity, until...
WA
96
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $252.06
The 2004 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is a dark brooding effort that emerges from the glass with warm notes of...
WA
93
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $135.38
The estate’s 2004 Brunello di Montalcino is gorgeous for its clarity, elegance and precision. Medium in body, the...
WA
92

Italian Red Blends Sangiovese 2004 2008 Italy

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.

There are few countries in the world with a viticultural history as long or as illustrious as that claimed by Italy. Grapes were first being grown and cultivated on Italian soil several thousand years ago by the Greeks and the Pheonicians, who named Italy 'Oenotria' – the land of wines – so impressed were they with the climate and the suitability of the soil for wine production. Of course, it was the rise of the Roman Empire which had the most lasting influence on wine production in Italy, and their influence can still be felt today, as much of the riches of the empire came about through their enthusiasm for producing wines and exporting it to neighbouring countries. Since those times, a vast amount of Italian land has remained primarily for vine cultivation, and thousands of wineries can be found throughout the entire length and breadth of this beautiful country, drenched in Mediterranean sunshine and benefiting from the excellent fertile soils found there. Italy remains very much a 'land of wines', and one could not imagine this country, its landscape and culture, without it.