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Sale
Rapid Ship
White
750ml
Bottle: $40.95 $46.80
The 2017 Chardonnay Sangiacomo Vineyards opens with aromas of lemon meringue, popcorn, banana chip and stone fruits...
WA
89
WS
88
White
750ml
Bottle: $15.63
12 bottles: $15.32
White
750ml
Bottle: $20.08
12 bottles: $19.68
The 2017 Chardonnay Bayten opens with classic aromas of spiced yellow apples, poached pears, Meyer lemon curd and...
WA
89
WS
88
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $39.94 $42.48
12 bottles: $34.28
Made from Chardonnay grapes grown only 10 miles from the Pacific Ocean in the famous Goldridge soils of the Russian...
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $38.94 $40.08
12 bottles: $38.16
The 2017 Chardonnay Estate opens with notes of toast, cream, lemon pith and hay over a core of Red Delicious apple...
12 FREE
WA
91
WS
91
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml
Bottle: $449.92 $481.20
This is a great Yquem, delivering thrilling purity and intensity. The nose offers intense aromas of fresh and dried...
12 FREE
WA
99
JS
99
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml
Bottle: $54.94 $59.20
Barrel Sample. Ripe, botrytized fruit currently dominates this wine with its rich concentration. It is a full and...
12 FREE
WE
96
VM
95
Rapid Ship
White
750ml
Bottle: $20.40
12 bottles: $19.99
Aromas of honeysuckle mingle with pink grapefruit and zesty key lime on the nose. On the palate, bright notes of...
Case only
White
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $31.20
Attractive lemon-cream and peach aromas are framed in attractively fragrant spices. The palate has a succulent edge...
12 FREE
JS
92
WE
90
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $26.90 $28.80
The 2017 Chardonnay is whole-bunch-pressed and matured in 30% new oak with no malolactic. The tightly wound bouquet...
VM
89
WS
89
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml
Bottle: $26.94
12 bottles: $26.40
Attractive character of dried apples, peaches and pears with honey. Full-bodied and medium-sweet with a flavorful...
12 FREE
JS
92
VM
90
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $34.39 $36.20
12 bottles: $33.25
Louis Latour Beaune Blanc has a pale yellow colour, the nose offers brioche bread notes, laced with subtle notes of...
White
750ml
Bottle: $13.87
12 bottles: $13.59
Case only
White
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $29.94
12 FREE
Sale
Rapid Ship
White
750ml
Bottle: $40.60 $46.40
This is very subtle and complete with cooked lemons and apples and a complement of straw and gunpowder. Full-bodied,...
JS
95
White
750ml
Bottle: $64.94
12 bottles: $63.64
12 FREE
White
750ml
Bottle: $87.95
12 bottles: $86.19
The 2017 Chardonnay Bearwallow Vineyard, from a site in the Anderson Valley, has an incredibly Burgundian bouquet of...
12 FREE
JD
94
WA
93
White
750ml
Bottle: $99.94
6 bottles: $97.94
The 2017 Chardonnay Buena Tierra Vineyard conjures up provocative notions of buttered popcorn, crème brûlée and...
12 FREE
WA
94
WS
92
White
750ml
Bottle: $14.40
12 bottles: $14.11
Precision and brightness to this chardonnay with sliced cooked-apple, peach and pie-crust aromas and flavors. Medium...
JS
93
VM
90
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $87.95 $92.00
The 2017 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre ler Cru shows why this site is so highly regarded. Even with all of the...
12 FREE
VM
95
JS
93

Bourbon Chardonnay Semillon/sauvignon Blanc 2017 750ml

Bourbon has survived all manner of difficulties and restrictions to become one of the world’s best selling and most recognizable spirits. This unique and distinctly American whiskey came from humble origins, allowing poor farmers in the fields of Pennsylvania and Maryland to make a living from their crops. Prohibition, temperance movements and conflict continuously threatened to wipe Bourbon from existence, but today the drink is stronger than ever and has a global audience of millions. Over time, it has become more refined, and innovation and experimentation has set modern Bourbon apart from other whiskey styles.

Today, the Bourbon heartland and spiritual home is in Kentucky, where the whiskey producers of northern states traveled to seek a new home, free from oppressive tax regimes in the early days. It is now far from the rough and ready spirit of yesteryear, governed by strict rules and regulations to maintain standards and keep quality high. Modern Bourbon must be made from a mash which is no less than 51% and no more than 80% corn (the rest of the mash being made from rye, wheat or barley), giving it a distinctive sweetness, and it must be aged in charred, white oak casks with no other added ingredient but water.

The varied flavors of different Bourbons come about mainly from the different quantities of the permitted grains in the mash. A larger proportion of rye will produce a spicy, peppery whiskey, whereas more wheat will result in a smoother, more subtle drink. Ageing and water quality, as well as the expertise and vision of the craftsmen who distill it, will also make a difference, meaning there is much more to Bourbon than might first meet the eye.

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.