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Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $15.99
Deep ruby-purple in color, this wine boasts exquisite aromas of blackberries, blueberries, plum and spice. It is well...
Case only
Red
1.5Ltr - Case of 6
Bottle: $18.29
Food-friendly and downright yummy this is a complex wine with lots of layers and notes of earth, leather, red fruit...
Sale
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $36.44 $38.36
6 bottles: $27.20
Leather, black plum and cassis aromas carry the nose of this wine. The full-bodied palate brings jammy blackberry and...
WE
91
JS
90
Case only
Red
1.5Ltr - Case of 6
Bottle: $14.40
The Astica Malbec offers a pure, fruit driven example of Argentina’s signature grape. Medium in body with juicy...
Sale
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $23.37 $24.60
6 bottles: $15.00
Black violet color. Aromas of blackberry jam, mulberry preserves, black tea, dark chocolate, orange blossom, and...
BTI
88
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
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $71.40
3 bottles: $69.97
Ripe crunchy red forest fruits with notes of candied dark cherries. Rich and bold, with juicy tannins. (Bronze) -...
DC
89
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: $190.19 $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: $230.09 $242.20
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
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $98.20
6 bottles: $96.24
The 2016 Chasse-Spleen has a very elegant bouquet with neatly integrated oak, the terroir really showing through...
WA
94
VM
93
Case only
Red
1.5Ltr - Case of 6
Bottle: $134.93

Malbec Primitivo Red Bordeaux 1.5Ltr

The purple Malbec variety grapes which now grow all over the Old and New Worlds had their origins in France, where they are one of the few grape varieties allowed to be used in the highly esteemed blended wines of Bordeaux. However, it is perhaps the New World Malbec wines which have attracted the most attention in recent years, as they thrive in hot southern climates in ways they cannot in their native country, where the damp conditions leave them highly vulnerable to rot. Malbec grapes are renowned for their high tannin content, resulting in full-bodied red wines packed with ripe, plummy flavors and held in their characteristically dark, garnet colored liquid. In many countries, Malbec is still used primarily as a varietal for blending, as it adds a great level of richness and density to other, lighter and thinner varietals. However, single variety Malbec wines have been greatly on the rise in recent years, with some fantastic results and big, juicy flavors marking them out as a great wine for matching 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.

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.