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Red
750ml
Bottle: $18.08
12 bottles: $17.72
COLOR: Wine of very elegant red color. BOUQUET: Intense aroma, with fruity hints of ripe plums, cherry jam and notes...
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Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $20.04 $21.10
12 bottles: $18.91
1786 VS is a rich Cognac which is the result of high-quality terroirs and experience. Made from Ugni Blanc grapes and...
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Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $25.08 $26.40
12 bottles: $23.94
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Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $31.54 $33.20
12 bottles: $30.40
A blend of fine cognacs from 15-30 years old, this XO Cognac is characterized by a pleasant light-gold color,...
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Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $74.55 $78.47
6 bottles: $62.39
A very delicate blend of eaux-de-vie from Grande and Petite Champagne, aged between 8 and 15 years in cask, and...
12 FREE
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $65.03
6 bottles: $57.59
TOP 100 SPIRITS OF 2019 - This Cognac offers rich aromas and flavors, yet still remains light and easygoing....
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94
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Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $235.52 $247.92
Carefully matured, balancing the influence of oak with that of time, to produce a complex Cognac. Rich, sweet and...
12 FREE
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $100.32
6 bottles: $99.60
Complex and in need of some time to breathe. However, patience is rewarded with richness, fruit and the layers of...
12 FREE
White
750ml
Bottle: $18.00
12 bottles: $17.10
White
750ml
Bottle: $13.49
12 bottles: $13.22
The Chardonnay was naturally fermented and took a long time to complete fermentation, resulting in great texture and...
White
750ml
Bottle: $33.95
6 bottles: $33.60
Consisting of over half Chenin Blanc with 14% Semillon, 13% Roussanne, 9% Viognier, 6% Grenache Blanc and 4%...
12 FREE
WA
91
White
750ml
Bottle: $11.00
12 bottles: $10.45
Citrus yellow, young, intense and attractive aroma. In the mouth is a beautiful surprise, by the freshness of the...
White
750ml
Bottle: $16.25
12 bottles: $15.44
As the name implies, this blend of indigenous white varieties spends a healthy three weeks reveling in the goodness...
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White
750ml
Bottle: $19.94 $22.40
White
750ml
Bottle: $52.99
6 bottles: $51.94
As always, the nose is intense and exotic, sporting salted lemon and quince, oatmeal and a hint of white flowers. The...
12 FREE
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Rapid Ship
White
5.0Ltr
Bottle: $21.48 $22.61
4 bottles: $19.61
Aromas of tropical fruit and lemon zest. Crisp, refreshing and full-flavored. Flavors of peach, pear and rich mineral...
White
750ml
Bottle: $15.17
12 bottles: $14.87
Subdued notes of ripe pear suggest mellowness. The palate adds fitting, bright freshness and provides a very...
White
750ml
Bottle: $35.94
The 2020 Blanco Edad Media is a Chardonnay with a dash of 10% Chenin Blanc from a 30-year-old vineyard in La...
12 FREE
WA
94
VM
94
White
750ml
Bottle: $27.00
12 bottles: $26.46
Fresh and electric white from its expressive aromas that are reminiscent of the characteristic herbs of Sauvignon...
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White
750ml
Bottle: $12.94
The 2022 Blanco is an unoaked blend of 52% Sémillon, 28% Chenin Blanc and 20% Pedro Giménez from old parral...
WA
90

Cognac Melon de Bourgogne Primitivo White Blend

For over three hundred years, Cognac has enjoyed its reputation as the king of brandies. Indeed, it is widely regarded as the finest drink to be distilled from grapes to be found anywhere in the world, and it is a testament to its producers and the master craftsmen who make it that this reputation has never faltered, and remains as strong as ever to this day.

Cognac is produced solely in the beautiful towns of Cognac and Jarnac, found about fifty miles north of Bordeaux, on the west coast of France. Here, around six thousand grape growers work exclusively in the production of white wine, used for the Cognac distilleries which are scattered throughout the region. The wines are made primarily from the Ugni Blanc or Trebbiano grape - one of the most commonly planted grape varietals in the world - which benefit from the cool, coastal climate and mineral rich soils which are found there. The wines themselves wouldn’t be suitable for drinking in themselves, as they are high in acid and low in alcohol, but this makes them ideal for distillation, and they can impart their wonderful, complex, rich flavors to the brandy.

Cognac varies quite significantly from bottle to bottle, depending on how long it has been aged for, and which appellation it comes from. The Cognac region is split into six separate Crus, all with their own distinctive characteristics, and the spirit can be aged from two years (VS) to six (Hors d’Age and Napoleon) and longer.

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.

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.