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Pre-Arrival
Chateau Ausone Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2003
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$1035.62
Amazing! The limestone soils of Ausone appear to have been the perfect foil for resisting the extreme heat and...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Calon Segur Saint Estephe 2003
1.5Ltr - Case of 3
Bottle:
$367.23
Loads of crushed berries, with mineral, lightly toasted oak and licorice. Full-bodied, with big, velvety tannins and...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Calon Segur Saint Estephe 2003
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$168.05
Loads of crushed berries, with mineral, lightly toasted oak and licorice. Full-bodied, with big, velvety tannins and...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Calon Segur Saint Estephe 2003
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$183.03
Loads of crushed berries, with mineral, lightly toasted oak and licorice. Full-bodied, with big, velvety tannins and...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Cantemerle Haut Medoc 2003
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$61.02
This is a ripe, complete wine, full of black fruits, spicy wood and solid tannins. Over five-10 years, it will...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Clinet Pomerol 2003
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$121.87
Loads of blackberry, toasted oak and chocolate here. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and lots of fruit. This is a...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Cos D'estournel Saint Estephe 2003
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$233.30
A dense and powerful wine as always with very ripe fruit yet an underlying freshness and complexity with tobacco,...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Cos D'estournel Saint Estephe 2003
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$317.33
A dense and powerful wine as always with very ripe fruit yet an underlying freshness and complexity with tobacco,...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau D'armailhac Pauillac 2003
1.5Ltr - Case of 6
Bottle:
$191.06
Very fruity with strawberry and currants on the nose. Full bodied, with silky tannins and a long, fruity finish....
Pre-Arrival
Chateau D'armailhac Pauillac 2003
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$108.28
Very fruity with strawberry and currants on the nose. Full bodied, with silky tannins and a long, fruity finish....
Pre-Arrival
Chateau D'issan Margaux 2003
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$111.90
A beautiful red with blackberries, flowers and chocolate. Full body, velvety tannins and a flavorful finish. Sous...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou Saint Julien 2003
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$208.82
Lots of aromas of roasted fruit, such as blueberries and raisins, and spices. It has full body with plenty of velvety...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Duhart-Milon Pauillac 2003
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$105.37
A spectacular wine, and one that could have been bought for a song when it was released, this blend of 73% Cabernet...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Faugeres Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2003
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$45.30
As I reported last year, this is an atypically powerful, blockbuster Faugeres. The proprietor, Madame Guisez, has hit...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Figeac Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2003
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$338.70
This has a roasted, grippy-edged feel, with plum skin and licorice root notes framing the core of blackberry, fig and...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$39.38
Stephane Derenoncourt is the winemaking consultant behind this terrific, bargain-priced sleeper of the vintage. The...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Giscours Margaux 2003
1.5Ltr - Case of 6
Bottle:
$211.02
Very perfumed and delicately fruity with plums and violets. Full body with super-integrated tannins and a clean...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Gruaud Larose Saint Julien 2003
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$94.68
Aromas of blackberry, toasted oak, sweet tobacco and espresso. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a long, fruity...
Carignan Malvasia Red Bordeaux Zinfandel 2003 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.
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.