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Sale
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $28.84 $30.36
6 bottles: $19.20
The Beringer Founders’ Estate Merlot is immediately approachable with lush flavors of blueberry, blackberry and...
Sale
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $25.81 $27.17
6 bottles: $16.68
The Basics Ripe plum and currant flavors are immediately evident in its aromas and flavors. The Taste A sweet,...
Case only
Red
1.5Ltr - Case of 3
Bottle: $223.00
Expressive nose filled with softly perfumed red fruit with touches of blackcurrant and black cherries. Great acidity,...
DC
94
WNR
90
Sale
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $21.85 $23.00
6 bottles: $13.87
Deep ruby red color. Vibrant, complex aromas with typical fragrant hints of hay. On the palate, stylish spice...
Sale
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $22.74 $23.94
6 bottles: $13.85
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $83.15
3 bottles: $81.49
Ripe crunchy red forest fruits with notes of candied dark cherries. Rich and bold, with juicy tannins. (Bronze) -...
DC
89
Sale
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $18.44 $20.49
6 bottles: $16.66
Our Merlot is a very stylish and fruit-driven red wine. Rich and complex flavors of plum and berry are complemented...
Case only
Red
1.5Ltr - Case of 6
Bottle: $16.94
Sale
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $28.84 $30.36
6 bottles: $19.20
With its ruby red color and round notes of plum, red cherry and a hint of chocolate, it’s a varietal that thrives...
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $205.00
6 bottles: $200.90
Fantastic aromas of crushed plums and blackberries. Perfumed! Full-bodied and very silky with stone undertones. Best...
JS
94
WA
91
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $256.50
3 bottles: $252.00
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $316.20
6 bottles: $312.00
93-95 Barrel sample. This is a smooth, rich wine that's intensely concentrated and packed with great black-currant...
WE
95
JD
94
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $364.95
6 bottles: $357.65
Made in a more flamboyant, lifted style than the 2016, the 2015 Château Beychevelle offers a beautiful, medium to...
WE
95
JD
95
Sale
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $183.95 $200.20
This is now performing as one of the top Margaux estates. Their latest release shows structure, elegant black fruits...
WE
96
DC
95
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $440.20
6 bottles: $436.00
Tight and dense still but so integrated and seamless in texture. Aromas of chocolate, hazelnuts, dried spices and...
WA
94
JS
94
Sale
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $240.45 $242.20
6 bottles: $238.00
Rated 98 - The 2016 Canon la Gaffeliere has a deep garnet color. It bursts on the scene with exuberant notes of juicy...
WNR
98
VM
96
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $134.94
Wow. This really shows wonderful depth and complexity on the nose with blueberries, fresh flowers and hints of...
JS
93
WS
90
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $94.95
6 bottles: $93.05
A well-constructed wine that is ripe with black fruits and integrated tannins, this is in a good place for aging....
WE
94
JS
93
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $174.94
6 bottles: $171.44
Racy aromatic nobility, with cassis, white flower, graphite and blackberry. A second growth for a rather friendly...
DC
96
VM
95
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $140.20
3 bottles: $137.20
The 2020 Cantenac Brown is a knock-out. A Margaux of towering intensity, the 2020 is dense and vertical at the same...
VM
97
WE
97

Aligote Merlot Primitivo Red Bordeaux 1.5Ltr

With its dark blue colored fruits and high juice content, Merlot varietal grapes have long been a favorite of wine producers around the globe, with it being found in vineyards across Europe, the Americas and elsewhere in the New World. One of the distinguishing features of Merlot grapes is the fact that they have a relatively low tannin content and an exceptionally soft and fleshy character, meaning they are capable of producing incredibly rounded and mellow wines. This mellowness is balanced with plenty of flavor, however, and has made Merlot grapes the varietal of choice for softening other, more astringent and tannin-heavy wines, often resulting in truly exceptional produce. Merlot is regarded as one of the key 'Bordeaux' varietals for precisely this reason; when combined with the drier Cabernet Sauvignon, it is capable of blending beautifully to produce some of the finest wines available in the world.

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.

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.