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White
750ml
Bottle: $15.87
12 bottles: $15.55
Bright and juicy, with good energy to its mix of apricot, peach and nectarine flavors. Fresh acidity carries the...
12 FREE
WS
89
Red
750ml
Bottle: $44.72
6 bottles: $44.00
Intense, deep red in colour, Desiderio 2019 reveals inviting notes of sweet cherries and raspberries, rose petals and...
12 FREE
Red
750ml
Bottle: $79.94
6 bottles: $78.34
A rich, dark expression of Merlot, this red walks the line between austerity and generosity, the latter gaining...
12 FREE
WS
93
Red
750ml
Bottle: $14.20
12 bottles: $13.92
The Block & Row Merlot leads with impressions of ripe cherries and fresh raspberries accented by seductive aromas of...
Red
750ml
Bottle: $98.89
12 bottles: $96.91
A pretty red with aromas of blueberries, plums, incense and tea leaves. Full-bodied and structured with a creamy...
12 FREE
WS
94
JS
94
Red
750ml
Bottle: $69.94
6 bottles: $68.54
The 2019 Merlot Liu' is another outrageously beautiful wine from Rampolla. Deep, inky and explosive, the 2019...
12 FREE
WA
94
VM
94
Red
750ml
Bottle: $57.90
12 bottles: $51.87
The 2019 Château Lafleur-Gazin showed nicely, with an elegant, seamless, classy style as well as textbook Pomerol...
12 FREE
JD
91
WA
90
Red
750ml
Bottle: $49.80
12 bottles: $48.80
I continue to just love this château, which is located in one of the cooler terroirs in the appellation, sitting on...
12 FREE
JD
95
WA
94
Red
750ml
Bottle: $15.17
12 bottles: $14.87
This classic Merlot based Bordeaux from the Castillon opens with an elegant nose of red currant, blueberry and black...
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $17.88 $18.80
12 bottles: $17.52
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $12.45
Fragrant aromas of red berries, soft round fruit flavors and a smooth stylish finish
12 FREE
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White
White
750ml
Bottle: $24.00
12 bottles: $23.52
Based on 100% Marsanne, the 2019 Crozes-Hermitage Blanc is a solid, attractive effort that offers plenty of buttered...
JD
90
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $35.64
This varietal Merlot aged in 100% stainless steel has a fairly good layering of flavors with notes of blackberry,...
WE
89
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $50.47 $56.08
6 bottles: $50.40
There is a milk chocolate nuance with integrated spicy oak. Coupled with the rich dark fruit, there is a hint of...
Red
750ml
Bottle: $42.94
12 bottles: $42.08
Our 2019 Napa Valley Merlot opens with lively bright red fruits and a soft, lush texture. Delicate floral aromas...
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White
750ml
Bottle: $29.90
12 bottles: $29.30
Beautiful citrus, lemon zest, flowers, and honeyed notes emerge from the 2019 Crozes-Hermitage Blanc, a...
JD
90
Case only
White
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $20.90
This is a 70/30 blend of Viognier and Roussanne from vineyards in the Northern Rhône that balances Viognier's floral...
WE
90
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $87.89
Lots of black olives with some conifer and mushrooms. Raspberries, too. Full-bodied with soft and round tannins....
12 FREE
JS
95
WS
94
Case only
White
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $26.00

Grappa Merlot White Rhone Blend 2019

Like so many of the great spirits of Europe, Grappa was born from a need to make resources go that little bit further, to eke out the last drop of flavor and potential from the crops of winemakers. Indeed, Italian vintners invented Grappa as a way to make use of the pomace - leftover grape skins, stems, pulp and seeds - which remained after the juice was extracted from the fruit needed to make wine. Over the centuries, the process was refined, and the distillation of Grappa became an art in itself. Today, top Grappa producers use a range of state of the art equipment, from continuous stills to pot stills, to manufacture a wide variety of Grappas, each with their own distinct characteristics.


Most of us know Grappa from our local Italian restaurants, where it is commonly served as a digestif. However, in the twenty first century, there is a high interest in unique, boutique Grappas, which showcase the talent of the distillers through a range of interesting qualities. Grappa can be aged in oak, in which case it takes on a beautiful golden color, quite different from the clear Grappas we are most familiar with. The high end Grappas are a world away from the harsh spirit many of us have encountered, and have a smooth, gentle quality which can be nothing short of a revelation.

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.

The Rhone region of France has been producing superb quality white blended wines for centuries, and is a region highly respected and esteemed around the world, with plenty of New World countries keen to emulate the styles and techniques displayed by the historic wineries and skilled vintners of the area. The secret to the Rhone's success when it comes to blended white wines is the careful and expert selection of certain grape varietals, which each lend special features to the blended wine and bring balance and harmony to the bottle. Most commonly, blended white Rhone wines feature no more than two grapes of either the Viognier, Rousanne, Marsanne or Grenache Blanc varietals, and are renowned for their exceptional flavors and highly aromatic, floral character.