×
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $16.94 $18.00
From one of Margaret River's longstanding family-owned and operated wineries, this is a charming Shiraz. It's...
WE
89
Red
750ml
Bottle: $54.72
12 bottles: $53.63
Occidental Hills Syrah is a single-vineyard bottling from our 0.21 acre Syrah planting at English Hill Vineyard....
12 FREE
Red
750ml
Bottle: $19.90
12 bottles: $19.50
A rich, medium- to full-bodied red, with an underpinning of mesquite smoke and loamy earth and flavors of fig cake,...
WS
91
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $18.80
Color: Ruby red very intense with purple reflexes. Bouquet: Strong and distinctive with sensations of sour cherry...
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $34.90
Very intense and elegant ruby red colour; broad and complex fruity fragrance with hints of plum, cherry jam and...
12 FREE
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $28.93 $31.60
Ripe crunchy red forest fruits with notes of candied dark cherries. Rich and bold, with juicy tannins. (Bronze) -...
DC
89
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $56.90 $61.20
Dense, with toothsome tannins that add a firm background to tangy blackberry and blueberry flavors, with notes of...
12 FREE
WS
91
Red
750ml
Bottle: $148.95
3 bottles: $145.97
Ripe black cherries, wild blackberries, blackcurrants, nutmeg, licorice, mahogany, musk and some dried thyme on the...
12 FREE
JS
98
WA
96
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $129.93
97-99 I was blown away by the 2018 Côte Rôtie Château D'Ampuis, which is certainly in the same league as the famed...
12 FREE
JD
99
JS
96
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $368.64 $409.60
Rated 97-100 - A barrel sample that just about made my eyes roll back in my head, the 2019 Ermitage Ex Voto has...
12 FREE
JD
98
WA
97
Red
750ml
Bottle: $71.94
Moving to the Hermitage releases, the 2018 Hermitage is terrific, and readers will love to have bottles in the...
12 FREE
WS
94
JS
94
Red
750ml
Bottle: $98.15
6 bottles: $96.19
A savoury, red-fruited quality to the fruit with spiced plums and raspberry jam. Powerful, supercharged in the mouth,...
12 FREE
DC
96
WA
96
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $13.70
Deep intense ruby red in color. Marvelous and well defined nuances of cherry and plum aromas with a touch of spice....
Red
750ml
Bottle: $19.01
12 bottles: $18.62
This shiraz is a bright and youthful red colour with some rich purple hues. On the nose are aromas of plum,...
12 FREE
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $29.94 $32.00
#97 of Top 100: 2020. Blackberry and huckleberry flavors are concentrated and plump, with appealing details of black...
WS
90
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $42.00
This wine comes from one of the most isolated single-vineyards in the world and from a fantastic Shiraz vintage. The...
12 FREE
WE
95
JS
94
Red
750ml
Bottle: $39.94
6 bottles: $39.14
Tasting of dark chocolate, blackberry syrup and tree bark, this leathery, full-bodied wine is textured and thick in...
12 FREE
WE
90
Red
750ml
Bottle: $229.94
6 bottles: $225.34
First bottled in 1952 by Stephen Henschke's father Cyril, this reknowned cuvée is likely Australia's longest...
12 FREE
DC
98
WA
96
Red
750ml
Bottle: $159.94
6 bottles: $156.74
An enticing and perfumed nose of heather, dried herbs and lavender with roasted spices, peppercorns and ripe, fresh...
12 FREE
JS
96
DC
95
Red
750ml
Bottle: $19.90
12 bottles: $19.50

Armagnac Primitivo Syrah 2018 750ml

Armagnac is a beloved grape brandy, hailing from the beautiful French region of Gascony, in the south-west of the country. It has been in constant production since sometime just before the fifteenth century, and over the decades has been the toast of royal households across Europe. Today, it is still enjoyed for its unique flavor profile and characteristics, and although it is understandably compared with Cognac, its more famous cousin, lovers of Armagnac claim that its distinctive rusticity and full body make it a superior brandy, perfect as a digestif or as an evening treat.

Armagnac is made from more than one grape varietal, but the major player in this drink is the fine Ugni Blanc grape, more commonly known by its Italian name, Trebbiano. This is one of the most widely planted grape varietals in the world, and grows beautifully in Gascony, which has a similar microclimate as its neighbouring wine region, Bordeaux. Armagnac grapes reveal fascinating and complex flavors after distillation, which commonly include christmas cake, earthy, oaky notes and praline.

Armagnac is sold under two categories - vintage, and non-vintage. A vintage Armagnac is made from a blend of grapes which have been grown in a single year, and will have the date printed on the label. Non-vintage Armagnacs, on the other hand, are labelled according to their age. V.S indicates that the brandy has been aged for a minimum of two years, VSOP for four years, XO six years, and Hors d’Age is a premium Armagnac which has been aged for at least ten years.

As with many European grape varietals, there is some debate regarding the precise origins of the Primitivo grape. Most people now agree that it probably came from Croatia, where it is still used widely in the production of red wine, and it known as Tribidrag. However, today it is a grape most commonly associated with the powerful red wines of Puglia, the heel of Italy’s boot, where the intense sunshine and brisk Mediterranean breezes produce grapes of remarkable character and balance. Primitivo is a dark grape, known for producing intense, inky, highly tannic wines, most notably the naturally sweet Dolce Naturale and the heavy and complex Primitivo di Manduria wines. Primitivo tends to be naturally very high in both tannin and alcohol, making it ideal for both barrel and cellar ageing, which brings out its more rounded and interesting features.


Primitivo is not the easiest grape to grow or manage, and it has had something of a difficult century. Indeed, by the 1990s, there was little interest in Puglian wines in general, and winemakers were neglecting their Primitivo vineyards and looking to other, more commercially viable varietals. However, the last decade has seen this grape come well and truly back into fashion, with new techniques and a heightened interest in native Italian grape varietals bringing Primitivo back into the spotlight. It is now widely loved for its intensity and ability to be paired with strongly flavored foods.

Known as Syrah in most countries around the world, and Shiraz in Australia and certain other regions of the New World, this grape varietal has proven over the centuries to be one of the most powerful and flavorful red wine grapes there is. It is now one of the planet's most widely grown grapes, and is a favorite with wineries as a result of its robustness and versatility. It isn't easy to identify many characteristics of this particular varietal, due to the fact that it is highly versatile and shows significant differences in flavor and character depending on the terroir it is grown in, and the climatic conditions of the region. However, Syrah is most widely associated with full bodied, strong and loud red wines, packed full of fruity and spicy flavors, held in a beautifully deep red liquid.