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Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $29.93
12 bottles: $29.33
Lots of ripe black fruits (blackberries, black cherries) emerge from the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Hauts De...
12 FREE
JD
93
WA
92
Red
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $14.73
Soft, ripe black forest compote nose; nice concentration of fruit on the palate. Good weight. Really well balanced in...
DC
96
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $16.51
With a robust color and a nose of red fruits, the mouthfeel is generous with tannins.
Red
Red
750ml
Bottle: $13.65
12 bottles: $13.38
A fruity Cotes-du-Rhone with raspberries, cherries and sweet spices. Medium body with velvety tannins. Supple and...
JS
90
Case only
White
12 FREE
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $21.94 $23.20
12 bottles: $21.50
Raspberry, violet, licorice, peony, black pepper and gingerbread. Greatly textured with prominent saltiness and...
Red
750ml
Bottle: $68.95
6 bottles: $67.57
Moving to the single vineyard releases, the 2020 Vinsobres Guerin comes from lower down on the hillside and more...
12 FREE
JD
93
WS
92
Red
750ml
Bottle: $63.85
6 bottles: $62.57
Lastly, the 2020 Vinsobres Les Côtes has an almost Côte Rôtie-like vibe in its black raspberry, spring flower,...
12 FREE
WS
93
JD
93
Red
750ml
Bottle: $63.85
6 bottles: $62.57
My favorite in the lineup (although these are all brilliant) is the 2020 Vinsobres Rouanne Et Les Crottes, which...
12 FREE
JD
94
WS
93
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $53.90 $56.80
12 bottles: $53.20
Delivering a generous cascade of attractive ripe fig and cherry pie flavors, this red is grounded by serious cast...
12 FREE
WS
93
VM
92
Red
750ml
Bottle: $48.90
12 bottles: $47.92
Vivid ruby-red. Vibrant red fruit, floral and exotic spice qualities on the finely detailed and expressive nose....
12 FREE
VM
94
WS
94
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $36.93
12 bottles: $36.19
92-94 The 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée Du Baron, which has not been bottled yet, should be terrific. It offers...
12 FREE
JD
94
JS
92
Rapid Ship
White
750ml
Bottle: $15.94
Certified HVE3*. Sourced from 40-year-old Muscadet vines planted in shallow soils of disintegrated mica/schist....
White
750ml
Bottle: $13.50
12 bottles: $13.23
Certified HVE3*. Extraordinary Muscadet from vines aged 45-60 years planted in decomposed mica/schist soils. The...
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $61.54 $65.20
A perfumed nose of spiced cherries, forest berries, dried thyme, cloves and a touch of leather, too. It's full-bodied...
12 FREE
JS
94
VM
93
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $39.62
Lots of ripe black cherry fruits, graphite, ground pepper, and some leather nuances emerge from the 2020 Châteauneuf...
12 FREE
WA
90
JD
90
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $47.90 $49.00
12 bottles: $46.94
The deeply fragrant nose pulls you inexorably into this majestic Chateauneuf. So vibrant and refined for this amount...
12 FREE
JS
96
JD
94
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $15.38 $17.09
12 bottles: $15.05
Ripe, but with a breezy edge as damson plum and bitter cherry notes glide through, laced with underlying mineral and...
WS
90

Melon de Bourgogne Red Rhone Blend Viognier 2020 750ml

One of the more unusual French grape varietals, Melon de Bourgogne has been grown in and around the Loire Valley for several hundred years. In fact, this grape was first planted in the Loire region of Pays Nantais back in the mid 17th century, after a devastating frost decimated most of the red grapes which were typical in the area. The winemakers of Pays Nantais were keen to cultivate vines which were hardy, high yielding, and capable of surviving another such frost, and so turned their attention to Melon de Bourgogne for this very reason. The native home of the varietal is actually in Burgundy, where it is still grown to a lesser extent.


Because Melon de Bourgogne produces naturally heavy yields, the vintners of Pays Nantais go to great lengths to reduce the amount of fruit the vines bear. This allows the finest characteristics of the grape to come forward, and also opens up the opportunity for it to express the wonderful granite and schist soils in which the vines are grown. Melon de Bourgogne is a minerally white wine grape varietal, with a very subtle set of fruit flavors. It is prized for its freshness and brightness, and is seeing a revival in the twenty first century as an excellent wine for pairing with a wide range of foods.

Although primarily associated with the Rhone region of France, the precise origins of the Viognier grape variety are unknown, and the subject of much debate. However, these fine and delicate green skinned grapes are an important varietal for many of France's most elegant white wines, and they are quickly beginning to spread around the New World, too, where wineries are discovering their unique qualities and unusual character. Viognier grapes are notoriously difficult to grow, due to the fact they are highly susceptible to mildew, but wineries persevere with them nonetheless, producing wines which are highly aromatic and have a great, fruit-forward character. Their delicate aroma suggests sweetness due to its flowery, sappy nature, but the wine itself generally very dry and crisp, and full of summery, light and refined qualities.