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750ml
Bottle:
$27.90
12 bottles:
$27.34
The 2016 Zinfandel Monte Rosso Vineyard is medium garnet-purple in color and opens with notions of raspberry tart,...
750ml
Bottle:
$35.94
A perfect introduction to Sauternes, this has very nice dried-papaya and mango character, creamy richness and...
750ml
Bottle:
$468.00
The 2016 Chateau d’Yquem is pure magic and dessert wines don’t get much better. Offering a pale gold color as...
750ml
Bottle:
$59.94
12 bottles:
$58.74
93–95. Barrel Sample. This almost dry wine is full of botrytized fruit tones. Well balanced, it is likely to turn...
750ml
Bottle:
$80.40
6 bottles:
$79.20
A step up over the Carmes de Rieussec, the beautiful 2016 Château Rieussec has remarkable purity and freshness while...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Climens Barsac 2016
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$67.94
Pale lemon-gold colored, the 2016 Climens is a little youthfully mute, revealing notions of ripe peaches, mango and...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Coutet Sauternes Barsac 2016
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$42.11
One of the top sweet wines in this report is the 2016 Château Coutet, which has the vintage’s plush, opulent style...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Coutet Sauternes Barsac 2016
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$42.35
One of the top sweet wines in this report is the 2016 Château Coutet, which has the vintage’s plush, opulent style...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau d'Yquem Sauternes 2016
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$386.12
The 2016 Chateau d’Yquem is pure magic and dessert wines don’t get much better. Offering a pale gold color as...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau d'Yquem Sauternes 2016
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$407.63
The 2016 Chateau d’Yquem is pure magic and dessert wines don’t get much better. Offering a pale gold color as...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau De Fargues Sauternes 2016
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$174.95
A barrel sample, the 2016 de Fargues has a pale lemon color and quite a profoundly scented nose at this nascent...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Les Justices Sauternes 2016
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$104.10
Forward in feel, with a bold mix of ginger, creamed peach and mango flavors, laced with orange zest and spice notes....
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Rayne Vigneau Sauternes 2016
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$60.95
Intense peach, mango, ginger and chutney notes form the core here, which is broad and open in feel, backed by toasted...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Rieussec Sauternes 2016
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$64.30
A step up over the Carmes de Rieussec, the beautiful 2016 Château Rieussec has remarkable purity and freshness while...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Suduiraut Sauternes 2016
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$54.94
95-97 Barrel Sample. This is a dense wine, full of rich fruit, bitter orange and apricot. Its ripe fruit is balanced...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Suduiraut Sauternes 2016
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$64.30
95-97 Barrel Sample. This is a dense wine, full of rich fruit, bitter orange and apricot. Its ripe fruit is balanced...
Japanese Whiskey Semillon/sauvignon Blanc Zinfandel 750ml
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.
The precise origins of what became known as the Zinfandel grape variety are uncertain, although it has clear genetic equivalents in both Puglia and Croatia. However, when it was brought to the New World in the mid 19th century, it became known as the Zinfandel, and has been consistently popular and widely grown ever since. These very dark and very round grapes have a remarkably high sugar content, resulting in relatively high levels of alcohol in the wines they are made into, with bottles often displaying as much as fifteen percent. What makes the Zinfandel such an interesting grape, though, is the fact that the flavors produced by this varietal vary considerably depending on the climate they are grown in. In cooler valley regions, the Zinfandel grapes result in wines which hold strong flavors of tart and sweet fruits; raspberry, redcurrant and sweet cherry, held in a very smooth and silky liquid. Conversely, warmer regions result in more complex and spicy notes, including anise, pepper and hedgerow berries.