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Spirits
375ml
Bottle: $34.44
12 bottles: $25.64
Clear color. Aromas and flavors of sea spray and sharpie, green melon and green apple, lemon grass and chipotle, and...
BTI
93
WE
90
Sale
Spirits
375ml
Bottle: $36.08 $37.98
12 bottles: $27.35
AGAVE: Our agaves are 100% Espadín, grown for 8-9 years in Oaxaca, Mexico SLOW COOKING: Casamigos Mezcal is made...
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $14.89 $15.55
12 bottles: $14.77
A perfect introduction to Sauternes, this has very nice dried-papaya and mango character, creamy richness and...
JS
92
White
375ml
Bottle: $12.50
12 bottles: $12.25
This refreshing wine has a zesty character, with crisp acidity and green herbal fruit notes. Drink now. (Best Buy)
WE
89
White
375ml
Bottle: $25.70
12 bottles: $25.19
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $54.94
Pale gold, the 2009 Climens offers up a fabulously fragrant nose of green tea, chamomile, powdered ginger, lemon...
12 FREE
DC
97
WA
97
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $39.94 $43.20
24 bottles: $39.90
Pale lemon-gold colored, the 2016 Climens is a little youthfully mute, revealing notions of ripe peaches, mango and...
WA
96
DC
95
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $23.94 $26.20
One of the top sweet wines in this report is the 2016 Château Coutet, which has the vintage’s plush, opulent style...
WE
97
JD
97
Case only
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml - Case of 24
Bottle: $30.78
Barrel Sample. This wine shows great balance and poised elegance. Its botrytis fruit gives it rich intensity, with a...
WE
97
JS
96
Rapid Ship
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $23.90
The pale lemon-gold colored 2019 Coutet is a thrill ride from the get-go, exploding from the glass with fantastically...
WA
97
JS
95
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $287.73 $319.70
This isn't sweet, but just so wonderfully rich. It's the concentration of botrytis that makes the wine. The texture...
12 FREE
WE
97
WS
97
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $244.83 $253.50
12 bottles: $239.40
Barrel sample. This is the rich wine of the vintage. With its intense fruit, piles of spice, but excellent balance,...
12 FREE
WE
96
WS
96
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $244.95 $252.00
Befitting a glorious Sauternes vintage, the 2007 Yquem stood out in this tasting like a beacon. Sandrine Garbay notes...
12 FREE
DC
98
WA
98
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $224.95 $248.00
Pale to medium lemon-gold color, the 2010 d'Yquem has retreated into its shell at this youthful stage, offering...
12 FREE
WA
98
WE
98
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $228.95 $234.00
Bright aromas of sliced mangoes, papaya, botrytis, and lemon follow through to a full body. Medium sweet with a...
12 FREE
WE
98
WS
98
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $223.95 $235.50
Barrel Sample. Apricot tones with lively acidity give this rich wine a vein of freshness. Pear and white peach notes...
12 FREE
WE
99
WA
98
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $225.18 $250.20
The 2016 Chateau d’Yquem is pure magic and dessert wines don’t get much better. Offering a pale gold color as...
12 FREE
JS
99
JD
99
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $211.95 $235.50
The 2016 Chateau d’Yquem is pure magic and dessert wines don’t get much better. Offering a pale gold color as...
12 FREE
JS
99
JD
99
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $219.94 $239.60
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
375ml
Bottle: $195.48 $217.20
The 2018 d'Yquem is all lime cordial, grapefruit oil and mandarin peel to begin. With a little coaxing, the fireworks...
12 FREE
WA
98
DC
97

Cognac Mezcal Semillon/sauvignon Blanc White Bordeaux 375ml

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.

Although commonly confused with Tequila, Mexico’s other signature spirit, Mezcal, has its own set of unique characteristics which set it apart. Mezcal is made from the agave plant, although not the blue agave most commonly associated with Tequila production. This drink hails from the arid southern Mexican region of Oaxaca, where it has been made for generations according to traditional recipes and methods, and continues to be extremely popular worldwide today.


One of the defining features of quality Mezcal is its pungent smokiness, a heady aroma which reminds us of campfires and desert nights. This comes from the fact that the pinas (the fruit body) of the agave used in its production are slow cooked in wood fired ovens, before being distilled into a spirit. Mezcal is traditionally bottled with a worm - why? Nobody really seems to know for sure, but this unique drink continues to attract attention and convert new fans thanks to its authenticity, unique flavor and supposed health benefits. It is split into the same categories as Tequila; blanco, reposado and anejo, and although it is often used as a mixer in cocktails, it is best enjoyed straight and uncomplicated, allowing its beautiful and subtle characteristics to shine.

France is widely known as being the home of many of the world's finest white wines, and within France, the name which rings out across the wine world and is always associated with excellence of quality and flavor is Bordeaux. The white wines of the magnificent Bordeaux region are typically blended, and rely on the winemaker's skill and expertise to achieve the fine balance between the primary grape varietals used. Most blended white Bordeaux wines are made up of Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Muscadelle varietals, although there are actually nine grapes officially allowed by French wine law for the inclusion in Bordeaux white wines. The other six are Sauvignon Gris, Merlot Blanc, Ugni Blanc, Colombard, Ondenc and Mauzac, although the use of these other grapes has been in steady decline over the past century.