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750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $61.28
Deep ruby-red in color, with concentrated notes of crushed black cherries, cocoa, dried herbs, and a touch of balsam....
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750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $68.12
89-91 Shafer's 2011 Merlot jumps from the glass with dark cherries, spices, sage, mint and licorice. There is good...
VM
91
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750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $44.14
An opulent, dense red, featuring ripe black cherry and blackberry notes, with persistent hints of earth and tobacco....
WS
93
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92
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750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $49.95
The 2018 Cont’Ugo is a gorgeous wine that captures the essence of this coolish year on the Tuscan coast. The...
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92
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750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $50.92
A fresh, tight and structured merlot with vibrant notes of olives, red plums, cherries, tobacco, orange zest and...
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94
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92
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750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $249.95
Concentrated nose of baked blackberries, dark chocolate, tar, iodine, cloves, spearmint and hints of toffee. It’s...
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98
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98
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750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $239.95
Lots of personality here, with aromas of black cherries, olives, seaweed, milk chocolate and salted plums. Velvety...
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95
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95
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750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $247.75
An unforgettable expression of Merlot from coastal Tuscany, this ranks among the top-scoring icon wines of the world....
WE
97
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96
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Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $216.95
The 2011 vintage was known for being an especially hot vintage and in fact harvesting started 15 days early, in the...
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Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $148.95
Ten years on the Redigaffi shows it's vibrancy with lifted aromas of savoury spice, violet and fennel. The palate is...
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96
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750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $175.93
2013 had a very wet spring followed by a very sunny summer, although rain showers in July and August delayed ripening...
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97
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97
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Red
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $168.95
2014 was one of the coolest and rainiest vintages ever on the Tuscan coast. According to Tua Rita they were saved by...
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95
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750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $216.95
This has aromas of blackberries, fresh plums, oyster shells, iodine, violets and tobacco leaves. Chocolate and salted...
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100
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96
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750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $228.91
2016 was an exceptional vintage in Tuscany and, according to Stefano, the best in 20 years. The cool night...
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100
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99
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750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $210.01
2016 was an exceptional vintage in Tuscany and, according to Stefano, the best in 20 years. The cool night...
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100
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99
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Red
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $167.95
This has gorgeous aromas of walnuts, chocolate, spiced plums, licorice and grilled herbs. Rich and chewy with a full...
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97
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750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $178.83
This has gorgeous aromas of walnuts, chocolate, spiced plums, licorice and grilled herbs. Rich and chewy with a full...
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750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $187.95
Aromas of walnuts and bark with some toasted oak and red fruit. Tapenade and violets, too. Changes all the time. This...
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750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $205.95
Owner Stefano Frascolla describes 2019 as 'a dream vintage' and describes how the vines 'underwent all the stages of...
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100
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100
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750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $195.06
This has aromas of cigar box, black plums, cherries, mocha and toasted walnuts. Full-bodied with firm, tight and...
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96
WE
96

Blended Scotch Dolcetto Merlot Tequila 750ml

In Italian, Dolcetto means 'little sweet one' – a slightly misleading name, as the black grapes of this varietal have relatively little natural sugar and almost almost produce dry wines. However, the Dolcetto grapes are remarkably popular with those looking for a full, rounded and highly flavorful wine, and are grown extensively in their native Italy, and in many other countries around the world. Dolcetto varietal grapes tend to have quite a high level of tannin, due to their thick, black skins, and low acidity, resulting in interesting wines with a large feel in the mouth, despite being relatively light in body. They are most commonly associated with big, complex flavors such as liquorice and prunes, and are regularly described as having a finish similar to the flavor of bitter almonds.

With its dark blue colored fruits and high juice content, Merlot varietal grapes have long been a favorite of wine producers around the globe, with it being found in vineyards across Europe, the Americas and elsewhere in the New World. One of the distinguishing features of Merlot grapes is the fact that they have a relatively low tannin content and an exceptionally soft and fleshy character, meaning they are capable of producing incredibly rounded and mellow wines. This mellowness is balanced with plenty of flavor, however, and has made Merlot grapes the varietal of choice for softening other, more astringent and tannin-heavy wines, often resulting in truly exceptional produce. Merlot is regarded as one of the key 'Bordeaux' varietals for precisely this reason; when combined with the drier Cabernet Sauvignon, it is capable of blending beautifully to produce some of the finest wines available in the world.

Tequila is probably Mexico’s greatest gift to the world of fine spirits, and is also possibly one of the most underestimated and misunderstood drinks in the world. Widely used for shots and slammers, and more often than not associated with parties and hangovers, Tequila is in fact a wonderful drink full of subtleties and expression of terroir, that is highly rewarding for those who look into its finer points.

One of the special things about Tequila is the fact that it is capable of expressing the fine nuances and subtle notes of its raw material, far more so than other, similar spirits. That raw material is, of course, the Blue Agave - not a cactus, as is commonly believed, but rather a succulent quite like a lily, which grows in the deserts of Mexico mainly around the province of Jalisco. The Blue Agave takes a decade to mature, and during those ten years, it takes in many of the features of its surroundings, just like a grapevine would. This is why Tequila varies in flavor and aroma from region to region, from the earthier Tequilas of the lowlands, to the more delicate and floral examples from areas of a higher altitude.

The picking and peeling of the spiky Agave, and the distillation process of Tequila is a complicated one, and one which is carried out with enormous skill by the jimadors and master craftsmen who produce the spirit. Steam cooking of the body of the plant is followed by crushing, then fermentation and distillation completes the process. The end product is categorized according to whether or not it is made with pure (‘puro’) agave, or blended with other sugars, and according to how long the spirit is aged for.