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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: $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
Red
12 FREE
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $73.50
12 FREE
Red
750ml
Bottle: $133.88
12 bottles: $131.20
12 FREE
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $113.48
12 FREE
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: $169.89 $184.20
Dark ruby. Deep, brooding nose hints at dark plum, blackcurrant, coffee and lavender accented by cinnamon and...
12 FREE
VM
91
WS
90
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $1513.35 $1681.50
The 1996 Lafite-Rothschild is unquestionably this renowned estate's greatest wine. As I indicated last year, only 38%...
12 FREE
WA
100
Case only
Red
1.5Ltr - Case of 6
Bottle: $271.80
Rich, impressively ripe fruit, the fruit dense and black, with juicy black plum flavors followed by dusty tannins....
WE
93
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $1296.18 $1440.20
Softly spoken, fine tannins, pencil lead and leather, with truffle, earth, campfire and spice. Long drawn out finish,...
12 FREE
DC
100
WA
100
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $476.55 $529.50
Tasted over dinner in July 2009.
12 FREE
VM
94
WA
91
White
375ml
Bottle: $169.94
3 bottles: $166.54
Rich and unctuous, thick in texture but polished and refined, this deftly balances its pear, pineapple, tobacco and...
12 FREE
WS
96
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $70.74 $78.60
Dense and layered with dried apples, pineapples, mangos and lemons. Full body, bright acidity and a long, flavorful...
12 FREE
JS
94
WA
93
Long-term Pre-Arrival
White
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle: $4215.29
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $239.69
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $228.12
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $450.67

Chardonnay Red Bordeaux Riesling 1996 2007

Of all the white wine grape varietals, surely the one which has spread the furthest and is most widely appreciated is the Chardonnay. This green skinned grape is now grown all over the Old and New Worlds, from New Zealand to the Americas, from England to Chile, and is one of the first varietals people think of when considering white wine grapes. Perhaps this is because of its huge popularity which reached a peak in the 1990s, thanks to new technologies combining with traditional methods to bring the very best features out of the Chardonnay grape, and allow its unique qualities to shine through. Most fine Chardonnay wines use a process known as malolactic fermentation, wherein the malic acids in the grape juice are converted to lactic acids, allowing a creamier, buttery nature to come forward in the wine. No grape varietal is better suited to this process than Chardonnay, which manages to balance these silky, creamy notes with fresh white fruit flavors beautifully.

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.

Riesling grapes have been grown in and around central Europe for centuries, and over time, they became the lasting symbol of south Germany's ancient and proud wine culture. Whilst the reputation of German wines abroad has in the past been mixed, the Germans themselves take an enormous amount of pride in their wineries, and Riesling grapes have now spread around the globe, growing anywhere with the correct climate in which they can thrive. Riesling grape varietals generally require much cooler climatic conditions than many other white grapes, and they are generally considered to be a very 'terroir expressive' varietal, meaning that the features and characteristics of the terroir they are grown on comes across in the flavors and aromas in the bottle. It is this important feature which has allowed Riesling wines to be elevated into the category of 'fine' white wines, as the features of the top quality bottles are generally considered to be highly unique and offer much to interest wine enthusiasts.