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Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $401.90
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $582.41
96-100 The 2015 Cappella should be close to perfection when it is finally released in several years. Inky...
WA
100
JS
98
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Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $441.08
Beautiful stuff, the 2017 Capella offers a perfumed, complex style with lots of cassis and darker fruits as well as...
JS
98
JD
98
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Red
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $401.90
The 2011 Las Posadas is a relatively delicate wine for Howell Mountain, but the vines were pretty young back then....
WA
95
VM
95
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Red
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $637.45
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Red
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $510.91
This is loaded with potent blueberry, acai berry and fig compote flavors that are dense but remarkably polished and...
WS
97
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Red
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $650.34
A big version, with broad-shouldered currant and fig paste notes, wrapped in tar and roasted mesquite accents. The...
WS
96
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Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $220.63
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Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $259.81
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Red
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $490.33
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Red
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $548.69
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Red
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $886.06
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Red
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $519.95
Even better than the awesome 2016, Abreu's 2017 Thorevilos Proprietary Red takes those familiar piney-herbal notes...
WA
99
VM
98
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Red
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $761.01
This doesn't pull any punches, with a deep well of compact black currant and blackberry paste flavors entangled with...
WS
97
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Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $65.70
I thought the 2011 was the best ever from this stylish wine producer in Sardinia. But the 2012 is clearly better...
JS
94
VM
92
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Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $60.96
Very beautiful aromas of violets, purple fruit, fresh lavender and thyme follow through to a medium body with...
JS
93
WS
91
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Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $186.67
Blackcurrant, flower, lead-pencil, and iodine aromas. Medium to full body with firm, polished tannins. Very young and...
JS
100
DC
96
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Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $153.95
A Cabernet Sauvignon with 24% Carménère, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot from Puente Alto, Maipo that spent...
WA
95
VM
95
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Red
375ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $108.36
This is an emotional wine that touches your soul the minute you put your nose in the glass and then taste it. Its...
JS
100
DC
97
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Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $171.54
This is an emotional wine that touches your soul the minute you put your nose in the glass and then taste it. Its...
JS
100
DC
97

Carignan Carmenere Red Blend Red Bordeaux Zinfandel Pre-Arrival Wine

Carignan is an ancient blue-skinned grape varietal, thought to be indigenous to the Aragon region of Spain. However, today it is most commonly associated with the fine wines of southern France, and has been grown in many countries around the world which have the warm and dry conditions it requires to thrive. Carignan is recognized as being quite a sensitive vine, highly susceptible to all kinds of rot and mildew, although producing excellent results when given the right conditions and handled correctly. Its high tannin levels and acidity make the Carignan grapes very astringent, and as such, they are often used as a blending grape to give body to other, lesser bodied varietals. Despite this, with careful treatment, Carignan can produce superb single varietal wines packed full of character and unique attributes.

The deep blue colored grapes of the Carmenere varietal have their origins in France, where they are still listed as one of the elite grape varietals allowed by French law for the use in Bordeaux wines, generally regarded to be the finest in the world. However, the use of Carmenere grapes in France has been dwindling for many decades now, and it has been in several New World countries where they have seen their renaissance. Although still mostly used as a blending grape, single variety Carmenere wines are greatly sought after as a result of their deep, complex aromas, stunning blood red color and the fact that the grapes, when processed at optimum ripeness, carry some fascinating flavors, including chocolate, tobacco, and spicy cherry notes.

There are few regions in the world with stricter regulations in regards to wine production and grape varietals than those found in Bordeaux, France. Here, in the home of the world's finest wines, the type and quality of grapes used is of utmost importance, and the legendary wineries which work on the banks of the Gironde river have mastered the careful art of juice blending to find the perfect balance for their produce. Whilst there are six 'official' Bordeaux grapes, the two key varietals for almost every fine Bordeaux wine are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and with good reason. Whilst Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are renowned for their acidity and astringency, strong fruit and spice flavors and full body, Merlot grapes are notably rounded, soft, fleshy and lighter on tannin. The combination of these two varietals, along with a small percentage of (commonly) Petit Verdot or Cabernet Franc, is the perfect balancing act – the two grape varietals cancel out each others weaker points, and accentuate all that is good about the other.

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.