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Red
750ml
Bottle: $45.25
12 bottles: $44.35
Always one of the more garrigue-scented Châteauneufs, the Brunels' 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape includes hints of...
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WA
92
WS
92
Case only
White
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $25.28
A pure and delicate full fruited Pinot, with a lot of flexibility, balanced out with a dry touch. Pinot Blanc is a...
Red
375ml
Bottle: $21.40
Tight and polished with a beautiful center palate and density. Full-bodied, ripe and polished. Really delicious fruit...
JS
92
DC
91
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $27.59 $31.54
Tight and polished with a beautiful center palate and density. Full-bodied, ripe and polished. Really delicious fruit...
JS
92
DC
91
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $47.94
Deep purple robe with black hints. The nose is complex and discreet, the bouquet will further develop upon ageing....
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $18.80
12 bottles: $15.05
Bordeaux generally does not have high elevations. This wine, boasting the fact that the vines are at 278 feet, is...
WE
91
Red
750ml
Bottle: $18.00
12 bottles: $17.64
Attractively structured and bright, this wine layers tannins with black fruits. Tannins are already well integrated...
WE
88
Red
750ml
Bottle: $37.93
12 bottles: $37.17
Blackberry, blueberry, graphite, clove, tobacco and mahogany on the nose. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm,...
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JS
94
DC
90
Red
750ml
Bottle: $44.40
12 bottles: $43.51
Good depth of colour. Intense berry and juniper freshness with well-integrated oak lending a little background spice....
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DC
92
Red
750ml
Bottle: $14.20
12 bottles: $12.26
Notes of dark fruit and licorice, as well as some bay leaf. Full-bodied with round tannins. Creamy and fleshy on the...
JS
91
Red
750ml
Bottle: $15.17
12 bottles: $14.87
Currants, raspberries and some spicy undertones. Walnuts, too. Medium-bodied with firm tannins. Crisp and juicy on...
JS
90
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $384.75 $427.50
Exquisitely fine tannins to the currant, lead-pencil and chocolate character. The palate is full, yet very refined...
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JS
97
WA
94
Red
750ml
Bottle: $19.94
12 bottles: $19.54
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $232.38 $258.20
The second wine of Château Ausone, always produced in limited quantities, provides a fine echo of the top wine. Bold...
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WE
96
JS
95
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $400.95 $445.50
I loved the 2018 Château Angélus from barrel last year and it blew me away from bottle, epitomizing the new,...
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JD
100
WE
98
Red
750ml
Bottle: $51.30
12 bottles: $47.60
Showing brilliantly, the 2018 Château Barde-Haut comes from a beautiful, cooler terroir on the eastern side of...
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JD
95
DC
94
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $33.94
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $74.94 $80.70
This estate makes an incredibly classic, elegant Saint-Emilion. The 2018 Château Beau-Séjour Bécot is based on 80%...
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VM
96
WE
96
Sale
Red
375ml
Bottle: $13.36 $14.85
24 bottles: $12.87
90-92 Close to an even split of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, with 8% Petit Verdot, the 2018 Château Beaumont...
WE
92
JD
92
Case only
Red

Cognac Pinot Blanc Red Bordeaux Red Rhone Blend 2018

For over three hundred years, Cognac has enjoyed its reputation as the king of brandies. Indeed, it is widely regarded as the finest drink to be distilled from grapes to be found anywhere in the world, and it is a testament to its producers and the master craftsmen who make it that this reputation has never faltered, and remains as strong as ever to this day.

Cognac is produced solely in the beautiful towns of Cognac and Jarnac, found about fifty miles north of Bordeaux, on the west coast of France. Here, around six thousand grape growers work exclusively in the production of white wine, used for the Cognac distilleries which are scattered throughout the region. The wines are made primarily from the Ugni Blanc or Trebbiano grape - one of the most commonly planted grape varietals in the world - which benefit from the cool, coastal climate and mineral rich soils which are found there. The wines themselves wouldn’t be suitable for drinking in themselves, as they are high in acid and low in alcohol, but this makes them ideal for distillation, and they can impart their wonderful, complex, rich flavors to the brandy.

Cognac varies quite significantly from bottle to bottle, depending on how long it has been aged for, and which appellation it comes from. The Cognac region is split into six separate Crus, all with their own distinctive characteristics, and the spirit can be aged from two years (VS) to six (Hors d’Age and Napoleon) and longer.

Pinot Blanc is a popular white grape varietal most commonly associated with the beautiful French region of Alsace, but which is also grown across Central Europe and Italy. In Germany and Austria it is known as Weisseburgunder, in Italy it is called Pinot Bianco, and is one of the key varietals in the alpine regions of Alto Adige. Pinot Blanc is the main white grape varietal in Alsace, where it is prized for its ability to beautifully express the fine terroir on which it is grown, and it is used to produce exceptional single varietal wines, as well as blended wine such as Edelzwicker. Pinot Blanc is also a key component in this part of France’s signature sparkling wine, Cremant d’Alsace.


The wines made from Pinot Blanc are typically medium to light bodied, but they possess a remarkable freshness and clean character, which reminds us of the cool, green hillsides of their homeland. Apple, honey and biscuity, yeasty flavors are typical in fine Pinot Blanc wines, as well as a good level of minerality, making it a popular choice for those looking to pair a fine white wine with a wide range of foods. Although it is almost never oaked in Alsace, Italian vintners have a tendency to age Pinot Bianco in oak barrels, adding an extra dimension to this wonderful varietal.

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.