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Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $21.94
12 bottles: $21.50
The 2018 Rosé Pinot Noir from San Pablo, Uco Valley spent 40 months aging with yeast. Coppery in hue. The nose...
VM
91
Case only
Sparkling
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $44.04
So pink, reflections veering towards salmon pink. Intense red berry and fruit compote aromas. Delicate but...
12 FREE
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $48.94
12 bottles: $47.96
12 FREE
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Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $49.90
12 bottles: $48.90
This rose is characterized by a soft pink color that turns over the years to old pink, by an exuberant foam and a...
12 FREE
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $15.51
12 bottles: $15.20
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $14.63
12 bottles: $14.34
Light and pale in color, this fruity rosé is attractively perfumed with aromas of blossoms and crushed strawberries....
WE
88
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $18.80
Color: Ruby red very intense with purple reflexes. Bouquet: Strong and distinctive with sensations of sour cherry...
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $34.90
Very intense and elegant ruby red colour; broad and complex fruity fragrance with hints of plum, cherry jam and...
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $24.94
Ripe crunchy red forest fruits with notes of candied dark cherries. Rich and bold, with juicy tannins. (Bronze) -...
DC
89
Case only
Sparkling
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $24.40
Sale
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $129.95 $136.00
This brilliant Blanc de Blancs unfurls with notes of mandarin orange, citrus oil, pear, and fresh-baked croissant...
12 FREE
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Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $133.94 $136.00
The 2018 Extra-Brut Grand Cru Millésimé Œil de Perdrix is lovely, wafting from the glass with scents of orange...
12 FREE
WA
95
JD
93
Case only
Sparkling
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $28.22
Yellow straw with green highlights in the glass. Fresh and mineral on the nose with yeasty notes. Full bodied on the...
Sparkling
12 FREE
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $35.60
12 bottles: $34.89
Lemon candy and melon aromas are in the driver's seat, with honeyed toast riding shotgun. There's a lovely burst of...
12 FREE
WE
91
Sale
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $67.64 $71.20
12 FREE
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Sparkling
12 FREE
Sale
Sparkling
12 FREE
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $74.93
12 bottles: $73.43
The NV Champagne Rosé de Saignée is deeply hued, almost a pale ruby. It is ripe with kirsch and red currant aromas,...
12 FREE
JD
89
DC
88
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $69.84
12 bottles: $68.44
Made from equal parts Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, the 2018 Champagne Millésime Carte d'Or Brut displays a shimmering...
12 FREE
JD
93
VM
92

Altesse Champagne Blend Primitivo 2018 750ml

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.

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.