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750ml - Case of 3
Bottle:
$109.95
Slightly cooked fruit on the nose, with a toasted oak and meaty character. Full bodied, with round and chewy tannins...
750ml
Bottle:
$153.00
12 bottles:
$144.78
Blackberry and licorice aromas, with full body, very fine tannins and a long finish. Very silky. So much for jammy...
750ml
Bottle:
$1579.23
$1754.70
The 2003 Lafite Rothschild comes as close to perfection as any of the great Lafites made over the past three decades...
750ml
Bottle:
$286.74
$318.60
This is more exotic and monstrous than the 2000. It is like a muscle builder, with lots of round and rich tannins and...
750ml
Bottle:
$69.43
At Domaine de Monturon Mr. Bachala produces armagnac. He has 1.1 hectares of vineyards with about 25 year old vines...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Ausone Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2003
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$1032.44
Amazing! The limestone soils of Ausone appear to have been the perfect foil for resisting the extreme heat and...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Calon Segur Saint Estephe 2003
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$167.55
Loads of crushed berries, with mineral, lightly toasted oak and licorice. Full-bodied, with big, velvety tannins and...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Calon Segur Saint Estephe 2003
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$180.72
Loads of crushed berries, with mineral, lightly toasted oak and licorice. Full-bodied, with big, velvety tannins and...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Cantemerle Haut Medoc 2003
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$60.61
This is a ripe, complete wine, full of black fruits, spicy wood and solid tannins. Over five-10 years, it will...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Clinet Pomerol 2003
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$118.12
Loads of blackberry, toasted oak and chocolate here. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and lots of fruit. This is a...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Cos D'estournel Saint Estephe 2003
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$224.53
A dense and powerful wine as always with very ripe fruit yet an underlying freshness and complexity with tobacco,...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Cos D'estournel Saint Estephe 2003
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$316.37
A dense and powerful wine as always with very ripe fruit yet an underlying freshness and complexity with tobacco,...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Du Tertre Margaux 2003
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$72.70
At 33% Cab Franc, this is atypical of the Left Bank but not for du Tertre, which is blessed with high-quality, old...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou Saint Julien 2003
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$207.31
Lots of aromas of roasted fruit, such as blueberries and raisins, and spices. It has full body with plenty of velvety...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Faugeres Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2003
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$45.00
As I reported last year, this is an atypically powerful, blockbuster Faugeres. The proprietor, Madame Guisez, has hit...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Figeac Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2003
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$334.31
This has a roasted, grippy-edged feel, with plum skin and licorice root notes framing the core of blackberry, fig and...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$39.27
Stephane Derenoncourt is the winemaking consultant behind this terrific, bargain-priced sleeper of the vintage. The...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Gruaud Larose Saint Julien 2003
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$93.70
Aromas of blackberry, toasted oak, sweet tobacco and espresso. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a long, fruity...
Armagnac Erbaluce Red Bordeaux Xinomavro 2003 750ml
Armagnac is a beloved grape brandy, hailing from the beautiful French region of Gascony, in the south-west of the country. It has been in constant production since sometime just before the fifteenth century, and over the decades has been the toast of royal households across Europe. Today, it is still enjoyed for its unique flavor profile and characteristics, and although it is understandably compared with Cognac, its more famous cousin, lovers of Armagnac claim that its distinctive rusticity and full body make it a superior brandy, perfect as a digestif or as an evening treat.
Armagnac is made from more than one grape varietal, but the major player in this drink is the fine Ugni Blanc grape, more commonly known by its Italian name, Trebbiano. This is one of the most widely planted grape varietals in the world, and grows beautifully in Gascony, which has a similar microclimate as its neighbouring wine region, Bordeaux. Armagnac grapes reveal fascinating and complex flavors after distillation, which commonly include christmas cake, earthy, oaky notes and praline.
Armagnac is sold under two categories - vintage, and non-vintage. A vintage Armagnac is made from a blend of grapes which have been grown in a single year, and will have the date printed on the label. Non-vintage Armagnacs, on the other hand, are labelled according to their age. V.S indicates that the brandy has been aged for a minimum of two years, VSOP for four years, XO six years, and Hors d’Age is a premium Armagnac which has been aged for at least ten years.
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.
Xinomavro is the predominant grape varietal of Macedonia, although it is also grown in many parts of Greece where the climatic conditions are suitable for this particular fruit. The names translates as 'acid black', which gives some clue as to the nature of this varietal. The grapes are renowned for their high tannin content, which is a result of the thick and blue-black skins found on the fruit. This particular characteristic results in a superb aging potential in wines made from the Xinomavro varietal, as time spent in barrels softens these strong, astringent tannins and allows the full range of their flavors to come through in the wine. Most commonly, Xinomavro grapes are associated with aromas of red gooseberry, spices, olives and dried fruit, such as dried tomato.