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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...
12 FREE
WA
92
WS
92
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....
12 FREE
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,...
12 FREE
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....
12 FREE
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...
12 FREE
JS
97
WA
94
Red
750ml
Bottle: $19.94
12 bottles: $19.54
12 FREE
Sale
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...
12 FREE
WE
96
JS
95
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $406.95 $445.50
I loved the 2018 Château Angélus from barrel last year and it blew me away from bottle, epitomizing the new,...
12 FREE
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...
12 FREE
JD
95
DC
94
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $33.94
12 FREE
Sale
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%...
12 FREE
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
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $45.93
A dense, rich red, yet the tannins are so fine and integrated with beautiful texture and finesse. It’s full-bodied,...
12 FREE
JS
95
DC
94

Red Bordeaux Red Rhone Blend Tequila Vidal Blanc 2018

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.

Tequila is probably Mexico’s greatest gift to the world of fine spirits, and is also possibly one of the most underestimated and misunderstood drinks in the world. Widely used for shots and slammers, and more often than not associated with parties and hangovers, Tequila is in fact a wonderful drink full of subtleties and expression of terroir, that is highly rewarding for those who look into its finer points.

One of the special things about Tequila is the fact that it is capable of expressing the fine nuances and subtle notes of its raw material, far more so than other, similar spirits. That raw material is, of course, the Blue Agave - not a cactus, as is commonly believed, but rather a succulent quite like a lily, which grows in the deserts of Mexico mainly around the province of Jalisco. The Blue Agave takes a decade to mature, and during those ten years, it takes in many of the features of its surroundings, just like a grapevine would. This is why Tequila varies in flavor and aroma from region to region, from the earthier Tequilas of the lowlands, to the more delicate and floral examples from areas of a higher altitude.

The picking and peeling of the spiky Agave, and the distillation process of Tequila is a complicated one, and one which is carried out with enormous skill by the jimadors and master craftsmen who produce the spirit. Steam cooking of the body of the plant is followed by crushing, then fermentation and distillation completes the process. The end product is categorized according to whether or not it is made with pure (‘puro’) agave, or blended with other sugars, and according to how long the spirit is aged for.