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Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $486.00 $540.00
Initially the wine is all firm tannins, but then there is a pure line of fresh black fruits that comes through, with...
12 FREE
WE
95
DC
94
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $509.85
Intense and enticing campfire smoke, this has beautiful rich fruits behind the grilled aromatics, and is open and...
12 FREE
DC
94
WA
92
Red
750ml
Bottle: $151.80
12 bottles: $148.76
The 2007 Beychevelle has an attractive nose, fresher and more complex than others in this flight of off-vintages....
12 FREE
WA
89
VM
89
Red
750ml
Bottle: $100.00
12 bottles: $98.00
Taking advantage of the delicious fruit of 2006, this Branaire-Ducru shows a charming side. It brings out ripe, spicy...
12 FREE
WE
92
WS
90
Red
750ml
Bottle: $98.25
12 bottles: $96.29
Tasted at BI Wine & Spirits' 10-Years-On tasting, the 2007 Brane-Cantenac has a quintessential bouquet for the estate...
12 FREE
WA
90
WE
90
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $219.78
Not a wine that will please everyone. This has the austerity and backward thinking of 2006 mixed with the sleek fruit...
12 FREE
DC
93
WA
93
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $73.50
12 FREE
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $113.48
12 FREE
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $707.58 $786.20
Barrel Sample Dark chocolate and mocha flavors, very dark and intense, this is a big, concentrated wine, flavored...
12 FREE
WE
98
WA
97
Red
750ml
Bottle: $234.95
Cos d'Estournel has softened those austere Saint-Estèphe tannins and produced a wine that is all opulence and...
12 FREE
WE
95
WA
94
Red
750ml
Bottle: $49.20
12 bottles: $48.22
12 FREE
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $227.34 $252.60
This is not quite as silky smooth and rich as the 2005 and yet it's full of promise. It feels young, with tannins...
12 FREE
DC
95
WS
95
Red
750ml
Bottle: $235.95
12 bottles: $231.23
A difficult year in theory but, as with many of the good names in Bordeaux, it is tasting excellently right now and...
12 FREE
DC
93
WE
93
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $211.95 $235.50
This is rich and powerful, with beautiful dark fruits that really showcase the Cabernet dominance of this wine. Great...
12 FREE
DC
94
WE
92
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $91.71 $101.90
After initial tastings suggested there was too much tannin, the wine has undergone a welcome transformation. It has...
12 FREE
WE
94
WS
91
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $124.74 $138.60
Among the most seductive noses from Pauillac. Strong, cassis-stained palate with a lovely sense of upwards motion and...
12 FREE
DC
96
WA
94
Red
750ml
Bottle: $120.20
12 bottles: $113.05
Deep, intense brambly fruit unfurls gently over the palate. Not yet reached its tertiary stage but this knows where...
12 FREE
DC
93
WE
91
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $622.08 $691.20
Less obvious than La Mission, this is more about charcoal, grilled berries and crisp minerality, with a near-perfect...
12 FREE
DC
96
WA
96
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $126.99 $141.10
The 2006 Haut Bailly is just now entering its prime drink window, and is certainly a gorgeous bottle of wine. Still...
12 FREE
JD
95
DC
93
Red
750ml
Bottle: $64.95
12 bottles: $63.65
A strong sleeper of the vintage, this sexy, hedonistic, modern-styled St.-Emilion has the tell-tale toasty new oak...
12 FREE
WA
90

Carignan Chenin Blanc Red Bordeaux 2006 2007 750ml

Carignan is an ancient blue-skinned grape varietal, thought to be indigenous to the Aragon region of Spain. However, today it is most commonly associated with the fine wines of southern France, and has been grown in many countries around the world which have the warm and dry conditions it requires to thrive. Carignan is recognized as being quite a sensitive vine, highly susceptible to all kinds of rot and mildew, although producing excellent results when given the right conditions and handled correctly. Its high tannin levels and acidity make the Carignan grapes very astringent, and as such, they are often used as a blending grape to give body to other, lesser bodied varietals. Despite this, with careful treatment, Carignan can produce superb single varietal wines packed full of character and unique attributes.

Originating in France yet now grown in many parts of the New World, Chenin Blanc is one of the most versatile and highly regarded white wine grape varietals on earth. These green skinned grapes hold a relatively high acid content, and as such can be used for making still white wines of exceptional quality, as well as superb sparkling wines (such as the Crémant wines of the Loire Valley) and extremely aromatic dessert wines. Their natural transparency means that they are a fine grape for expressing their terroir in the bottle, and winemakers often experiment with this varietal to coax unusual and intense flavors from the grapes, such as allowing the development of noble rot on the fruit in order to make sweet and viscous wines of a unique character.

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.