×
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $25.93
12 bottles: $25.41
Floral aromas, with blueberries and hints of vanilla that follow through to a medium body with fine tannins and a...
12 FREE
JS
92
JD
91
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $17.84 $18.40
12 bottles: $17.48
A rich and distinct with complex notes of blackberry, coffee, nutmeg, and caramel. A velvety smooth finish of plump...
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $19.94 $22.08
12 bottles: $19.54
Cherry pie and red licorice notes are rounded, forward and open-knit in style, ending with a frank dose of vanilla on...
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $72.72 $80.80
An intriguing bouquet of strawberry, neroli and almond greet the nose. The opening is subtle but quickly crescendos...
12 FREE
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $178.95
The personal project of winemaker Chris Phelps of Inglenook. Since his days at Dominus in the 1990s, he continues to...
12 FREE
DC
98
WA
97
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $195.00
The inky hued 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Erba Vineyard, which includes 15% Petit Verdot, comes all from Atlas Peak (next...
12 FREE
JD
95
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $193.95
Coming from a vineyard on Pritchard Hill, just across from Colgan, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Melanson Vineyard is a...
12 FREE
JD
96
WA
95
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $195.00
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Sage Ridge is another inky hued wine from Bevan and offers lots of ultra-ripe black...
12 FREE
JD
94
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $19.44 $21.60
12 bottles: $17.10
This wine has great color, with a dark purple and red hue. There are spicy, earthy aromas of black cherry, black...
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $44.94
92-94 The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc. Deep...
12 FREE
WA
94
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $54.94 $60.79
Dark and concentrated fruit and wood aromas are intense but not overblown on the nose of this rich bottling. Very...
WE
93
VM
90
Red
750ml
Bottle: $75.94
6 bottles: $74.42
Saturated flavors of black cherries, black olives, dark chocolate and tobacco are wrapped in velvety, persistent...
12 FREE
WE
94
JS
92
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $104.93 $105.60
12 bottles: $102.83
Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2019 NVD Cabernet Sauvignon is deep garnet-purple in color, giving up notes of...
12 FREE
WA
95
JD
95
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $27.00
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is darkly aromatic, with graphite, pencil shavings, cassis, blackcurrant, pepper and...
12 FREE
WA
91
JS
91
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $73.89
12 bottles: $72.41
Shows steeped plum and blackberry fruit that is dark and brooding in profile, while bittersweet cocoa, warm cast iron...
12 FREE
WS
93
Red
750ml
Bottle: $50.40
6 bottles: $45.60
The 2019 Zinfandel Cat's Cradle is similarly hued but has a purer, crisper, more youthful vibe as well as ample plum...
12 FREE
JD
93
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $43.20 $48.00
6 bottles: $34.40
Dark plum and black-cherry flavors show great richness and breadth in this mouth-filling, slightly tannic wine as it...
WE
92
JD
90
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $29.94
Redcurrant and tile with some clove. Dark stone, too. Medium-bodied with some fresh herbs and dried thyme. Medium,...
WS
92
JS
92
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $59.45 $64.00
A very attractive red now, with complexity and yummy drinkability. It’s medium-bodied with medium, round tannins...
12 FREE
JS
95
WE
94
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $39.74 $43.60
Aromas of blackcurrant, paprika and black cherry. Full-bodied with powdery, slightly tight tannins. Juicy red and...
JS
93

Altesse Cabernet Sauvignon Mavrodaphne Zinfandel 2019 Wine

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?

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.