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750ml
Bottle:
$12.35
Alta Vita embodies the spirit and purpose-driven lifestyle of the Sardinians. The wine is full-bodied, robust and...
750ml
Bottle:
$199.94
Lastly, the Syrah-dominated 2021 No 10 reveals a dense purple hue as well as a wild bouquet of blueberries, wild...
750ml
Bottle:
$9.94
12 bottles:
$9.74
Big rich fruit aromas of blue berry and smoke. Full bodied and bold, upfront and direct. (Bronze) - DWWA 2023
750ml
Bottle:
$138.94
The 2020 Syrah En Chamberlin Vineyard is youthfully restrained, with a savory blend of cured meat, bacon fat, exotic...
1.5Ltr
Bottle:
$199.94
One of the most complete, layered and elegant 2013s from Cayuse is the 2013 Syrah Walla Walla Special #5, which is...
750ml
Bottle:
$18.94
12 bottles:
$18.56
A vibrant nose, effusing copious Mediterranean spices, thyme, peppercorn, ripe plums and cherries. Fresh and bright...
750ml
Bottle:
$449.94
A good vintage - the problem was the yields,' says Jean-Louis. A tasting of principal component lieux-dits Péléat,...
750ml
Bottle:
$38.40
While slender in profile, concentrated blackberry and cassis flavors reverberate through this piercing Syrah. It's...
750ml
Bottle:
$51.94
The 2020 Syrah Estate was made with a touch of whole cluster and matured in neutral oak. Medium ruby-purple in color,...
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...
750ml
Bottle:
$66.34
In a completely different style to the 2016s, the 2017 Hermitage comes from a ripe, sexy vintage for Hermitage. Aged...
750ml
Bottle:
$234.94
The 2021 Syrah Unanswered Prayers appears to be ever so slightly more successful than the Grenache (which, given the...
750ml
Bottle:
$31.20
12 bottles:
$30.58
A blend from several steep parcels with east and south east exposure (Ardoix, Chavanay, Saint-Pierre-de-Boeuf). From...
750ml
Bottle:
$19.69
12 bottles:
$19.30
Violet florals with blueberries, blackberries and blackcurrants. The fruit-focused palate has a smooth sheen of...
750ml
Bottle:
$12.90
12 bottles:
$12.64
Cloves, white pepper, tile, blackberries, blueberries, and rock salt aromas. Full-bodied, granite and salt and a...
750ml
Bottle:
$29.90
A big and rich wine but it shows freshness and energy underneath the juicy and rather thick fruit with plush tannins....
750ml
Bottle:
$49.94
The aromas leap out of the glass. Wet earth, tapenade, green peppercorns, volcanic ash and tea leaves. Hints of...
750ml
Bottle:
$17.94
12 bottles:
$15.94
Intriguing nose, showing notes of beetroot, candied red fruit, ripe forest fruit crumble, caramel, toasty notes and...
750ml
Bottle:
$599.94
$672.00
As usual, Chapoutier's 2018 Ermitage l'Ermite is a standout among standouts. Crushed stone, blueberries, even a touch...
750ml
Bottle:
$18.84
12 bottles:
$18.46
McPrice Myers Right Hand Man has notes of plum preserves, licorice, leather, brownie batter. On the palate the wine...
Grenache Mavrodaphne Syrah Rapid Ship
The Grenache grape holds the honor of being the most widely planted wine grape varietal on earth. It has a long and impressive history, and has been the backbone of the some of the planet’s most respected and famed wine regions, blended with Syrah in regions such as Chateauneuf du Pape, and in certain other Loire and Languedoc regions where it reigns supreme as a single varietal wine grape. In other key areas, such as Spain’s La Rioja (where it is known as Garnacha Tinta), it is blended with Tempranillo to make that country’s signature red wine, and is widely used as a blending grape in other old and new world countries, due to its unique character and jammy, fruit forward character.
For a long time, the Grenache grape was somewhat looked down upon as an ignoble varietal, incapable of producing wines of any particular interest. However, times are very much changing - in the right hands, Grenache grapes result in astonishingly intense and complex wines, full of fascinating features, and capable of achieving plenty of expression. For a while now, Grenache has been a major player in Australian wines. While not yet quite as extensively planted down under as Shiraz is, the Barossa Valley is bringing out some of the finest examples of this grape’s wines in recent years.
In the Archaea region, high in the Northern Peloponnese mountains, the predominant grape varietal grown is the prized Mavrodaphne. Meaning 'Black Laurel', the Mavrodaphne grapes have extremely dark skins, and ripen slowly under the Greek sunshine, helped by the mineral rich soils the vines thrive in. This grape varietal is mostly used to produce the opaque, inky fortified wine of the same name, which is popular all over Greece and elsewhere in the world. This fortified wine allows the grapes to really show off their complex and fascinating flavors, which range from a rich marzipan to flavors of bitter chocolate, sweet coffee, dried figs and prunes, as well as plenty of jammy fruit notes.
Mavrodaphne is produced in a traditional method which involves leaving the grape juice exposed to the sun in large vats, before having its fermentation halted by the addition of various distillates taken from previous successful vintages. This mixture contains plenty of residual sugar, which gives the end result its characteristic sticky sweetness, and also helps with the next fermentation process, which typically takes place in large underground cellars. The final product is a heady drink, absolutely bursting with unusual, rich and sweet flavors and carried in a dark and slightly viscous Port-like liquid.
Mavrodaphne grapes are also used for the production of still red wines, but are generally blended with varietals such as Agiorgitiko or imported grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon. Mavrodaphne grapes are excellent for mellowing more acidic varieties, and producing deliciously rounded wines, which have taken the international market by storm in recent decades.
Additional Information on Greek Wines
Greek Wines
Ancient Greek Wines – A Brief History of Wine in Greece
The Myth of Dionysus, Greek God of Wine
What is Retsina?
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.