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750ml
Bottle:
$15.49
12 bottles:
$15.19
Pretty, yellow gold colour revealing straw tints. Apricot and floral notes of white and yellow flowers. Good...
750ml
Bottle:
$39.94
12 bottles:
$39.14
Brotte Condrieu "Versant Doré" (golden hillside) is a tribute to this sunny, steep terroir. Made from 100% Viognier,...
750ml
Bottle:
$64.94
12 bottles:
$63.64
• Vines planted on steep slopes (with a grade of up to 55%) facing south by south-east.
• Grapes are hand picked...
375ml
Bottle:
$35.94
An exuberance of perfectly ripe yellow and white peaches, apricots, melon, pineapple and delicate white floral aromas...
750ml
Bottle:
$63.94
Reveals ripe kumquat, green plum and pear puree notes that have a glycerol texture on a finely tuned palate, with...
750ml
Bottle:
$25.93
$27.60
12 bottles:
$25.41
A young-vine Viognier from two villages known for Condrieu, Saint-Michel-sur-Rhône and Verin. The soil is sandy...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$57.89
Fresh and fleshy with essence-like apricots and plenty of grilled peaches and hazelnuts. Elegant, refined and...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$77.00
Attractive white peaches and apricots and a floral edge, too. This has a very assertively chalky, fresh and crisp...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$22.50
Fresh citrus and pit fruits on the fragrant nose. Silky and open-knit, offering pliant peach nectar and tangerine...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$18.94
A cuvée that has a very fresh and attractively fruity nose with apricots and plenty of vibrant peach notes. Drink now.
750ml
Bottle:
$23.94
6 bottles:
$23.46
Here’s a very good introduction to the viognier whites. Full peach and apricot aromas are married to a generous...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$180.52
Lush, captivating, exotic nose with aromas of vineyard peach, ripe apricots, herbs, and sweet pears. Robust...
750ml
Bottle:
$89.93
6 bottles:
$88.13
From three parcels totaling five acres. About half was planted in 2009 while the other half dates from the 1970s. The...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau-Grillet Chateau-Grillet 2020
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle:
$418.80
Noticeably more oak than their Condrieu (10% new oak here), but this should settle - the score assumes that it will....
Pre-Arrival
Chateau-Grillet Chateau-Grillet 2020
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$391.31
Noticeably more oak than their Condrieu (10% new oak here), but this should settle - the score assumes that it will....
Pre-Arrival
Delas Freres Condrieu La Galopine 2020
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$59.78
91-93 The 2020 Condrieu La Galopine can be thought of as the base Condrieu, and it's always a good buy. Light...
Lambrusco Savatiano Sherry Viognier France Rhone Valley
Some grape species are distinct and unique varietals, clearly separate from each of their cousins. Others, like Lambrusco and Muscat, are more like umbrella terms, featuring several subspecies which show slight differences from each other from region to region. Indeed, there are astonishingly more than 60 identified varieties of Lambrusco vines, and they are almost all used in the production of characterful Italian sparkling wines. They are distinguishable by their deep ruby blush, caused by strong pigments present in their skins, and their intensely perfumed character.
Lambrusco vines are grown in several Italian regions, although we most closely associate this varietal with Piedmont and Basilicata. It has also been grown successfully in Argentina and Australia. The varietal suffered from a fairly lowly reputation in the late 20th century, due to bulk, low cost production of Lambrusco sparkling wines, aimed at markets across northern Europe and America. However, things are rapidly changing, and the older, more traditional methods of bottle fermentation are returning, along with a higher level of quality and expression, as consumers become more discerning and demanding. Many of the Lambrusco sub-varieties have their own established DOC, such as Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce, Lambrusco di Sorbara and Modena, where new regulations are keeping standards high and methods traditional.
Savatiano is probably Greece's most well known and most widely grown grape varietal, as it is the primary grape used in the production of Retsina, where the fermenting juices of the Savatiano varietal are flavored with pine resin in order to make this distinctive and famous wine. One of the reasons for the wide cultivation of this grape is due to its hardiness, and resistance to drought conditions. In the sun-drenched and dry, rocky Greek landscapes, this makes it an ideal vine to grow for wine-makers who require a strong and bounteous yield each year.
However, there are plenty of examples of Greek white wines which use the Savatiano grape but withhold from the addition the pine resin flavoring, allowing the true characteristics of this varietal to shine through. The result is often very pleasing indeed, with Savatiano grapes generally producing extremely well balanced and rounded white wines, with a juicily fruity flavor. Their aromas can vary quite a lot, with many Savatiano wines bearing the fragrance of citrus fruits, and also occasionally having a strong floral aroma reminiscent of elder and rose. Due to the relatively low acidity of Savatiano grapes, the wines which use them (including Retsina) generally bolster themselves with the addition of smaller quantities of more acidic varieties, such as Assyrtiko or Rhoditis, in order to improve their sometimes weak structure.
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?
Sherry is made in a unique way using the solera system, which blends fractional shares of young wine from oak barrels with older, more mature wines. Sherry has no vintage date because it is blended from a variety of years. Rare, old sherries can contain wine that dates back 25 to 50 years or more, the date the solera was begun. If a bottle has a date on it, it probably refers to the date the company was founded.
Most sherries begin with the Palomino grape, which enjoys a generally mild climate in and around the triad of towns known as the "Sherry Triangle" and grows in white, limestone and clay soils that look like beach sand. The Pedro Ximenez type of sweet sherry comes from the Pedro Ximenez grape.
Sherry is a "fortified" wine, which means that distilled, neutral spirits are used to fortify the sherry. The added liquor means that the final sherry will be 16 to 20 percent alcohol (higher than table wines) and that it will have a longer shelf life than table wines.
Although primarily associated with the Rhone region of France, the precise origins of the Viognier grape variety are unknown, and the subject of much debate. However, these fine and delicate green skinned grapes are an important varietal for many of France's most elegant white wines, and they are quickly beginning to spread around the New World, too, where wineries are discovering their unique qualities and unusual character. Viognier grapes are notoriously difficult to grow, due to the fact they are highly susceptible to mildew, but wineries persevere with them nonetheless, producing wines which are highly aromatic and have a great, fruit-forward character. Their delicate aroma suggests sweetness due to its flowery, sappy nature, but the wine itself generally very dry and crisp, and full of summery, light and refined qualities.
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.