×
Sale
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $184.03 $204.48
6 bottles: $175.20
Grilled bread with flowers, pears and apples. Lots of perfumes. Lavender and some herbs and nutmeg. The palate is...
12 FREE
JS
97
DC
92
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Sparkling
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $456.90
A fragrant, appealing Champagne, with wafts of elderflower and medicinal herbs on the nose, followed by expressive...
WS
95
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $749.51
Sale
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Sparkling
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle: $1574.45 $1674.95
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $143.95
Impressive concentration and power here. This is really assertive with ripe yellow orchard fruits and citrus within a...
WS
94
JS
94
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $234.95
A good rest on lees in the cellar through to May 2015 has seen this salmon-colored rosé develop a wealth of dried...
JS
96
DC
95
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $108.33
Pale in color, but rich in texture and fruit, this wonderfully mature rosé is structured from 70% Pinot Noir in the...
WE
96
WS
94
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Sparkling
1.5Ltr - Case of 3
Bottle: $509.95
I believe that the 2005 DP is the best since 2002, which remains the best recent vintage and is probably only...
JS
97
WE
95
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Sparkling
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $421.05
A mind-blowing wine. This is super subtle and intense with aromas of peaches, light strawberry and cream. Also shows...
JS
99
WE
95
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $421.00
A mind-blowing wine. This is super subtle and intense with aromas of peaches, light strawberry and cream. Also shows...
JS
99
WE
95
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Sparkling
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $505.95
A mind-blowing wine. This is super subtle and intense with aromas of peaches, light strawberry and cream. Also shows...
JS
99
WE
95
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $71.00
The 2005 Duemani (Cabernet Franc) is equally impressive. It reveals gorgeous, expressive varietal notes in its...
WA
92
VM
92
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $754.12
Disgorged in July 2014, Francis Egly's 2005 Brut Grand Cru Millésime is a brilliant wine in this middling vintage,...
WA
94
WS
92
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $95.69
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
1.5Ltr - Case of 6
Bottle: $1469.84
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $551.93
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $237.71
Rich hints of baked plum and marzipan are enlivened by sleek, well-knit acidity in this harmonious Champagne. The...
WS
93
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Sparkling
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $320.84
Fabulous nose with great blood orange intensity neatly framed by brioche. On the extravagant and concentrated palate...
JS
99
WE
97
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Sparkling
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $138.62
In 1833, Annonciade, the daughter of a winemaker from Bouzy, married Auguste François Bara, a young cooper from the...
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $177.62
A truly special site, this is a majestic Champagne that has superb darker notes of brulée, roasted almonds and...
JS
95
VM
94

Cabernet Franc Champagne Blend Petite Sirah Tocai Friulano 2005 Wine

Cabernet Franc is not simply an important grape varietal for the fact that it is one of the most widely grown strains of vine in the world, but also because it is a vital grape in the production of many of the finest wines the world has ever seen. For centuries in its native France, it has been a varietal synonymous with elegance and high quality, and has become a key fruit in the production of the Bordeaux and Bordeaux-style blended wines which have gone down in history thanks to their magnificent flavors, aromas and levels of aged complexity. However, Cabernet Franc is also a wine grape varietal for use in single variety, unblended wines, and has plenty to offer on its own. Most commonly, it is renowned for its wide bouquet, which often includes fascinating notes of tobacco, violets or bell pepper over a beautifully pale and decadent liquid.

The sparkling wines of Champagne have been revered by wine drinkers for hundreds of years, and even today they maintain their reputation for excellence of flavor and character, and are consistently associated with quality, decadence, and a cause for celebration. Their unique characteristics are partly due to the careful blending of a small number of selected grape varietals, most commonly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. These grapes, blended in fairly equal quantities, give the wines of Champagne their wonderful flavors and aromas, with the Pinot Noir offering length and backbone, and the Chardonnay varietal giving its acidity and dry, biscuity nature. It isn't unusual to sometimes see Champagne labeled as 'blanc de blanc', meaning it is made using only Chardonnay varietal grapes, or 'blanc de noir', which is made solely with Pinot Noir.

Petite Sirah was first brought from France to America in the 1880s. It later went on to become one of the only grapes to make it through the devastating Phylloxera virus in the 1890s, both World Wars, and the Great Depression. During Prohibition, it was a main ingredient used to make sacramental wines. In fact, through the 1960s it was a major blending grape in a number of the finest wines produced in California.

By itself, a bottle of Petite Sirah usually has no problem making a quick impression on consumers. With a large amount of natural color and tannins, wines made with the grape commonly feature intensive sweet fruit characteristics like fresh raspberry or blackberry jam, black pepper spice, and plenty of backbone or structure.

There are a number of different styles available. Some concentrate on highlighting fresh, fruity flavors; others are bigger, more voluptuous; and it keeps going up the ladder until you reach the powerful, more machismo-style category.

The Tocai Fruiliano grape varietal has been grown in and around the northern regions of Italy for centuries, and is still widely praised for its distinctive character and beautiful set of flavors and aromas. Despite the name, the Tocai Fruiliano varietal is not actually related to the famous Tokaji grapes of Hungary, or the Tokay d'Alsace grapes, but is actually the same species as Sauvignon Vert. Wines made from the Tocai Fruiliano grape are generally a pale straw yellow in color, and are recognizable by their aroma of wild flowers and orchard fruits such as pears. The flavor of the wines varies from vineyard to vineyard, and the Tocai Fruiliano grape is renowned for having a broad set of flavors, although citrus notes are usually detectable in most bottles.