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750ml
Bottle:
$26.37
12 bottles:
$25.84
Color: Mauve with a raspberry rim.
Nose: Intense aromas of black fruits and pepper with toasty undertones.
Palate:...
750ml
Bottle:
$64.94
12 bottles:
$63.64
• Practicing organic.
• 100% Syrah.
• From multiple parcels of old vines from the villages of Mauves, Tournon,...
750ml
Bottle:
$74.00
12 bottles:
$72.52
92-94 The flagship 2022 Saint Joseph Le Paradis Saint Pierre comes from a single parcel of vines and pure granite...
750ml
Bottle:
$52.00
12 bottles:
$50.96
91-93 Cassis, liquid violets, ground pepper, and an undeniable sense of minerality emerge from the 2022 Saint Joseph...
750ml
Bottle:
$36.00
12 bottles:
$35.28
91-93 Red and black fruits, flowers, chalky minerality, and spicy, subtly leather-like nuances all emerge from the...
![Domaine Equis [M. Graillot] Saint Joseph 2020 750ml](https://www.saratogawine.com/files/images/cached_thumbs/a3/a34037ec2c68df0e1b7b1ab18e6155e0.jpg){kind=small}
750ml
Bottle:
$34.96
$36.80
Textured and lythe. Flavors of fresh blueberries and blackberries are accented by notes of fresh cracked black...
750ml
Bottle:
$33.85
$34.79
12 bottles:
$33.17
91-93 Deep, bright-rimmed ruby. Pungent floral and black pepper flourishes complement smoke-inflected dark berry...
750ml
Bottle:
$65.94
$70.99
From a muscovite-based site above Chavanay, the 2019 Saint Joseph Terres d'Encre doesn't come across as being from a...
750ml
Bottle:
$28.08
$31.20
A blend from several steep parcels with east and south east exposure (Ardoix, Chavanay, Saint-Pierre-de-Boeuf). From...
750ml
Bottle:
$34.50
12 bottles:
$33.81
The 2018 Saint Joseph is almost Côte Rôtie-like in its black raspberry, spicy, and floral aromatics. These all...
750ml
Bottle:
$44.94
12 bottles:
$44.04
Jean Baptiste seeks freshness in his wines, so has sought out vines mainly on the top of slopes as well as being...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$48.00
Youthful purple with smoky, focused dark berry and violet scents are sharpened by a suggestion of cracked pepper....
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$33.25
Notes of smoky mineral and dark fruit. The palate is elegant, long, powerful and balanced by freshness with a...
1.5Ltr
Bottle:
$435.00
In complete contrast to the sexy, flamboyant les Granits, the tiny production 2012 Saint Joseph le Clos (which comes...
1.5Ltr
Bottle:
$435.00
Screaming "Granite!" at the top of its lungs, the 2015 Saint Joseph Le Clos comes from an east-facing parcel located...
750ml
Bottle:
$32.40
$36.00
Currants, freshly ground black pepper and cold ashes on the nose. It’s medium-bodied with fine tannins....
750ml
Bottle:
$57.05
6 bottles:
$55.91
This is the first red cuvée of the domaine, a wine with a terrific core of Syrah fruit, and it sets the tone (hence...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$52.62
This flows beautifully, with a ripe, pure and steady beam of cassis and dark cherry preserves that shows good...
Pre-Arrival
Domaine Bernard Gripa Saint Joseph Rouge 2020
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$43.12
Dark violet color. Fragrant, spice-tinged blackberry, cherry, smoky bacon and olive aromas take on a floral nuance...
Japanese Whiskey Mavrodaphne Syrah France Rhone Valley Saint Joseph
Whisky might not be the first thing that springs to mind when we think of Japanese fine produce, but over the past one hundred years, this fascinating and multi-faceted country has diligently forged a unique whisky identity which is growing in popularity, and which is entirely its own.
The story of Japanese whisky begins in 1918, when Masataka Taketsuru was sent to Scotland to undertake a tour of single malt distilleries in the Highlands, and bring home a knowledge of whisky and distillation skills. He returned full of inspiration, helped no doubt by his new Scottish wife, and alongside his friend, Shinjiro Torii, set up what would become a successful whisky industry.
Today, the Japanese whisky industry is spread over a relatively small handful of distilleries, which continue to use Scottish techniques and recipes, but with a hefty dose of distinctly Japanese experimentalism. This is displayed most obviously in the barrelling techniques the Japanese use - to create a distinctly Oriental set of tasting notes, native Japanese oakwood casks are used for ageing, alongside casks taken from plum wine producers, which impart a beautiful set of floral flavors to the whisky.
While some distilleries produce some excellent single malts, the majority of Japanese whiskies are blended, which reveals a unique set of flavors and aromas ranging from honeysuckle and orange blossom, to toffee and acetone.
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.
Year in, year out, France enjoys its prestigious reputation as the producer of the finest wines in the world. With a wine making history which spans several thousand years and owes its expertise to the Romans, it comes as little surprise that this most highly esteemed of the Old World wine countries continues to impress and enchant both novices and experts to this day. Despite the rise in quality of wines from neighboring European countries, not to mention the New World, the French wine industry continues to boom, with up to eight billion bottles being produced in recent years. However, France prides itself on always putting quality before quantity, and the wide range in fine produce is a testament to the dedication and knowledge of the wineries across the country. Indeed, from rich and complex reds to light and aromatic white wines, French wines are as varied and interesting as they are enjoyable to drink, making this country a firm favorite for wine lovers across the globe.
The Rhone Valley of southern France is a particularly fascinating wine region, with a history that stretches back to at least six hundred BCE, when the ancient Greeks first began cultivating vines there. The region itself is split into two distinct sub-regions, with the northern sub-region being famed for its production of exceptional Syrah, Marsanne, Roussane and Viognier wines, packed full of interesting character and expressing the terroir found there. The southern sub-region is home to an enormous variety of grapes, and produces red, white and rosé wines, and some of the world's most famous and adored blended wines. The continental climate of the region is ideal for growing grapes, and the winds which blow from the Central Massif help temper the heat in the vineyards, leading to very ripe fruits holding plenty of flavor.