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750ml
Bottle:
$15.93
$16.76
12 bottles:
$15.92
Sleek and elegant, this Barbera boasts rose, cherry, raspberry and iron flavors. Linear and bracing, with fine...
750ml
Bottle:
$19.19
12 bottles:
$17.48
This 100% Barbera wine is produced from a Monferrato vineyard that is 20 to 30 years old. The soil contains white...
750ml
Bottle:
$17.94
$19.99
12 bottles:
$16.65
The Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc has a golden straw hue with green tinges. The main aromas are reminiscent of white flowers...
750ml
Bottle:
$18.80
12 bottles:
$18.42
750ml
Bottle:
$26.94
12 bottles:
$26.40
• Practicing organic.
• Viognier & Roussanne.
• High-altitude single site at the top of the village of Mauves....
750ml
Bottle:
$29.93
12 bottles:
$29.33
The colour is bright on a pale yellow with light green hues. The nose is intense and well-balanced with hints of...
750ml
Bottle:
$73.90
$76.39
12 bottles:
$72.42
Full and broad, with a well-structured framework for the green plum and citrus cream flavors, while subtle fleur de...
![Domaine Equis [M. Graillot] Crozes-Hermitage Blanc Domaine Des Lises 2020 750ml](https://www.saratogawine.com/files/images/cached_thumbs/46/4680101a8f37fa4cba694984ddc4c749.jpg){kind=small}
750ml
Bottle:
$40.66
$42.80
• Practicing organic.
•70% Marsanne, 30% Roussanne.
• 40+ year old vines.
• Rocky gravel terroir.
•...
750ml
Bottle:
$29.90
$33.19
• Vines planted on steep slopes (with a grade of up to 35%) facing south by south-east.
• Grapes are hand picked...
750ml
Bottle:
$25.10
12 bottles:
$24.60
Very smoky and flinty in the nose, this is a powerful and exciting dry white for the Southern Rhone. So much...
750ml
Bottle:
$7.70
$11.00
Clairette, Grenache Blanc and Roussane, from vines of an average age of 20 years, planted on sandy and clay slopes...
750ml
Bottle:
$15.00
12 bottles:
$13.59
20% Viognier, 20% Grenache blanc, 20% Clairette, 15% Roussane, 15% Marsanne, 10% Bourboulenc, all from vines...
750ml
Bottle:
$24.00
12 bottles:
$23.52
Bright yellow-gold. Ripe melon and peach aromas are energized by suggestions of lemon zest and white flowers. Round...
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...
750ml
Bottle:
$79.80
Brilliant yellow-gold. Powerful scents of nectarine, pear nectar and Meyer lemon pick up vanilla, honey and smoky...
750ml
Bottle:
$39.94
12 bottles:
$39.14
Big, bold and concentrated, this entices with expressive ripe peach, apricot and warm brioche, with flecks of dried...
375ml
Bottle:
$10.94
Yellow gold, clear and brilliant.
Freshness marked by the distinctive aromas of Viognier ;white flowers, apricot,...
Barbera Marsala Mavrodaphne White Rhone Blend
For centuries now, the beautiful red grapes of the Barbera varietal have been grown in Italy, where they are prized for their unusual high acid content and low tannins, brought about by their thin skins. The Barbera grape varietal thrives in warmer climates, and has had some success overseas in the new world, where its strongly aromatic flavors of intense hedgerow fruits make it a favorite with wineries and wine drinkers looking for a grape which offers plenty of interesting characteristics. Interestingly, the differences between young and aged wines made from this varietal are quite significant, with younger bottles holding a plethora of berry flavors, including blueberry and raspberry notes, and oak aged wines made from the Barbera grape being much loved for their ability to become extremely complex and spicy, and picking up vanilla flavors from the wood they are barreled in.
Marsala is a well known fortified wine from Italy’s largest island, Sicily. A largely misunderstood and undervalued fortified wine, it is most commonly associated with its sweet variety - usually used as a cooking wine - although the finest dry Masalas are able to stand up to more revered, similar wines such as Sherry and Madeira. Marsala has been made in Sicily since the mid 18th century, and it grew wildly popular around Europe as sailors introduced it to port towns across the continent. Marsala wine has a beautiful set of flavors, most typically including apricot, tamarind, vanilla and tobacco, making it a delightfully intense treat when served as a sipping wine.
Marsala wine comes in several different varieties, and most of them are a world away from the sweet wines used in sauces and chicken dishes. Amber, golden and ruby versions of Masala are produced, from a range of different native grape varietals, and many of the finest are aged for over ten years to achieve a fascinating set of complex flavors and a remarkably smooth finish. It is usually made from the Grillo, Inzolia, Damaschino and Catarratto white grapes, although the ruby Masala wines uses typical Sicilian red varietals such as Nero d’Avola and Calabrese, among others.
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 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.