×
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $9.99
Red plum, currants and cedar aromas with a touch of earthy goodness. This wine is medium to full-bodied and...
White
750ml
Bottle: $41.94
12 bottles: $41.10
• 100% Chardonnay. • Old Wente selection planted in 1999 by Ulises Valdez on Goldridge Soil in a block of...
12 FREE
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $18.36 $20.40
12 bottles: $16.63
Blanc de Bleu, a sparkling wine with an added hint of blueberries, is a delicate wine reserved for memorable...
White
750ml
Bottle: $14.73
12 bottles: $13.99
Ours is not a buttery, oaky Chard. It sees no malolactic fermentation and no oak so you get a dry and bright palate...
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $16.93 $18.40
Estate-grown on hillsides cradling California's Russian River, this Pinot Noir is made from our finest single...
Rapid Ship
White
750ml
Bottle: $9.99
An initial impression of rich, buttery cream quickly turns to aromas of honey and lightly toasted almonds, followed...
White
750ml
Bottle: $19.60
12 bottles: $15.83
The brilliant light green and golden straw hue of our Estate Chardonnay hints at the depth of flavor that unfolds in...
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $46.43 $51.59
Nestled between the shore of the upper Russian River and a blue heron nesting site and preserve, the Blue Heron Ranch...
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $12.99
A brilliant crimson hue in the glass hints at this Merlot’s generous palate of rich, ripe red fruit. Notes of...
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $18.62 $19.60
12 bottles: $15.83
This Pinot Noir has aromas of strawberry and raspberry, accented with hints of oak spice and vanilla. In the mouth,...
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $29.90 $32.08
6 bottles: $27.19
Red cherry immediately pops from the glass, followed by juicy cranberry and pomegranate, plus a bouquet of roses,...
WE
93
JS
90
Red
750ml
Bottle: $40.88
6 bottles: $40.06
This full-bodied and full-flavored wine from a high-elevation vineyard is packed with ripe juicy plum and raspberry...
12 FREE
WE
92
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $32.94 $36.40
12 bottles: $31.16
Blackberry and plum dominate the aromas with added notes of cherry stem and forest floor. Ripe cherry and rustic...
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $44.66 $48.00
Weathered shale soils with iron rich clay. Vines planted in 1997. Fermentation and aging in neutral French oak.
12 FREE
Red
750ml
Bottle: $47.57
12 bottles: $46.62
12 FREE
Red
750ml
Bottle: $53.76
12 bottles: $52.68
12 FREE
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $24.94 $35.94
Dusky tones of grilled plums, redwood forest and balsam fill the aromas of this full-bodied, ultrasmooth wine. Very...
12 FREE
WE
92
Case only
White
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $32.40
A solidly well-balanced and classic expression of Chardonnay with notes of lemon, lime and grapefruit, white peach...
WE
90
Case only
White
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $42.12
Satiny, rich, and complex, with layers of butterscotch, fig, apricot and pear that are impeccably balanced. Bold and...
Case only
White
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $42.12
Another overall engaging and interesting Chardonnay expression from Ettore. A deep gold in the glass, initial aromas...
WE
91

Chardonnay Merlot Pinot Noir United States California Mendocino County

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.

With its dark blue colored fruits and high juice content, Merlot varietal grapes have long been a favorite of wine producers around the globe, with it being found in vineyards across Europe, the Americas and elsewhere in the New World. One of the distinguishing features of Merlot grapes is the fact that they have a relatively low tannin content and an exceptionally soft and fleshy character, meaning they are capable of producing incredibly rounded and mellow wines. This mellowness is balanced with plenty of flavor, however, and has made Merlot grapes the varietal of choice for softening other, more astringent and tannin-heavy wines, often resulting in truly exceptional produce. Merlot is regarded as one of the key 'Bordeaux' varietals for precisely this reason; when combined with the drier Cabernet Sauvignon, it is capable of blending beautifully to produce some of the finest wines available in the world.

Regularly described as being the grape varietal responsible for producing the world's most romantic wines, Pinot Noir has long been associated with elegance and a broad range of flavors The name means 'black pine' in French, and this is due to the fact that the fruit of this particular varietal is especially dark in color, and hangs in a conical shape, like that of a pine cone. Despite being grown today in almost every wine producing country, Pinot Noir is a notoriously difficult grape variety to cultivate. This is because it is especially susceptible to various forms of mold and mildew, and thrives best in steady, cooler climates. However, the quality of the fruit has ensured that wineries and vintners have persevered with the varietal, and new technologies and methods have overcome many of the problems it presents. Alongside this, the wide popularity and enthusiasm for this grape has ensured it will remain a firm favorite amongst wine drinkers for many years to come.

Of all the New World wine countries, perhaps the one which has demonstrated the most flair for producing high quality wines - using a combination of traditional and forward-thinking contemporary methods - has been the United States of America. For the past couple of centuries, the United States has set about transforming much of its suitable land into vast vineyards, capable of supporting a wide variety of world-class grape varietals which thrive on both the Atlantic and the Pacific coastlines. Of course, we immediately think of sun-drenched California in regards to American wines, with its enormous vineyards responsible for the New World's finest examples of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot based wines, but many other states have taken to viticulture in a big way, with impressive results. Oregon, Washington State and New York have all developed sophisticated and technologically advanced wine cultures of their own, and the output of U.S wineries is increasing each year as more and more people are converted to their produce.

California as a wine producing region has grown in size and importance considerably over the past couple of centuries, and today is the proud producer of more than ninety percent of the United States' wines. Indeed, if California was a country, it would be the fourth largest producer of wine in the world, with a vast range of vineyards covering almost half a million acres. The secret to California's success as a wine region has a lot to do with the high quality of its soils, and the fact that it has an extensive Pacific coastline which perfectly tempers the blazing sunshine it experiences all year round. The winds coming off the ocean cool the vines, and the natural valleys and mountainsides which make up most of the state's wine regions make for ideal areas in which to cultivate a variety of high quality grapes.