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1.5Ltr - Case of 3
Bottle:
$115.33
The colour is deep crimson. The powerful yet subtle nose of Côte-Rôtie "Seigneur de Maugiron" has blackcurrant,...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$70.83
The colour is deep crimson. The powerful yet subtle nose of Côte-Rôtie "Seigneur de Maugiron" has blackcurrant,...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$75.62
Sleek and refined, with a very focused beam of cassis and cherry preserves laced with subtle tea, bay leaf and floral...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$75.62
The 2018 Côte Rôtie Seigneur De Maugiron comes from sites in both the Côte Blonde and Côte Brune. This meaty,...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$63.28
Saturated ruby-red. Deeply pitched dark berry, cherry liqueur, licorice and woodsmoke scents show fine clarity and...
Pre-Arrival
Domaine Garon Cote Rotie Le Combard 2019
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$91.95
Mineral aroma like hot sand, some garrigue herbs and a beautifully fragrant lift, soaring raspberry and raspberry...
Pre-Arrival
Domaine Garon Cote Rotie Les Rochins 2016
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$93.62
Lastly, the 2016 Côte Rôtie Les Rochins sports a deep, inky color and a huge nose of crème de cassis, black...
Pre-Arrival
Domaine Garon Cote Rotie Les Triotes 2020
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$53.45
93-95 A step up, the 2020 Côte Rôtie Les Triotes has more of everything. Cassis, violets, flowers, and some...
1.5Ltr - Case of 6
Bottle:
$156.92
Pretty, with an alluring core of gently steeped cherry, plum and blood orange fruit flavors, carried by gentle cedar...
1.5Ltr - Case of 6
Bottle:
$193.29
Classically Blonde in expression, lifted and fragrant, with raspberry, macadamia and sandalwood. Light-bodied, very...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$91.95
Classically Blonde in expression, lifted and fragrant, with raspberry, macadamia and sandalwood. Light-bodied, very...
1.5Ltr - Case of 6
Bottle:
$165.56
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$74.32
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$72.62
Grenache Mavrodaphne Syrah France Rhone Valley Cote Rotie
The Grenache grape holds the honor of being the most widely planted wine grape varietal on earth. It has a long and impressive history, and has been the backbone of the some of the planet’s most respected and famed wine regions, blended with Syrah in regions such as Chateauneuf du Pape, and in certain other Loire and Languedoc regions where it reigns supreme as a single varietal wine grape. In other key areas, such as Spain’s La Rioja (where it is known as Garnacha Tinta), it is blended with Tempranillo to make that country’s signature red wine, and is widely used as a blending grape in other old and new world countries, due to its unique character and jammy, fruit forward character.
For a long time, the Grenache grape was somewhat looked down upon as an ignoble varietal, incapable of producing wines of any particular interest. However, times are very much changing - in the right hands, Grenache grapes result in astonishingly intense and complex wines, full of fascinating features, and capable of achieving plenty of expression. For a while now, Grenache has been a major player in Australian wines. While not yet quite as extensively planted down under as Shiraz is, the Barossa Valley is bringing out some of the finest examples of this grape’s wines in recent years.
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?
Known as Syrah in most countries around the world, and Shiraz in Australia and certain other regions of the New World, this grape varietal has proven over the centuries to be one of the most powerful and flavorful red wine grapes there is. It is now one of the planet's most widely grown grapes, and is a favorite with wineries as a result of its robustness and versatility. It isn't easy to identify many characteristics of this particular varietal, due to the fact that it is highly versatile and shows significant differences in flavor and character depending on the terroir it is grown in, and the climatic conditions of the region. However, Syrah is most widely associated with full bodied, strong and loud red wines, packed full of fruity and spicy flavors, held in a beautifully deep red liquid.
Year in, year out, France enjoys its prestigious reputation as the producer of the finest wines in the world. With a wine making history which spans several thousand years and owes its expertise to the Romans, it comes as little surprise that this most highly esteemed of the Old World wine countries continues to impress and enchant both novices and experts to this day. Despite the rise in quality of wines from neighboring European countries, not to mention the New World, the French wine industry continues to boom, with up to eight billion bottles being produced in recent years. However, France prides itself on always putting quality before quantity, and the wide range in fine produce is a testament to the dedication and knowledge of the wineries across the country. Indeed, from rich and complex reds to light and aromatic white wines, French wines are as varied and interesting as they are enjoyable to drink, making this country a firm favorite for wine lovers across the globe.
The Rhone Valley of southern France is a particularly fascinating wine region, with a history that stretches back to at least six hundred BCE, when the ancient Greeks first began cultivating vines there. The region itself is split into two distinct sub-regions, with the northern sub-region being famed for its production of exceptional Syrah, Marsanne, Roussane and Viognier wines, packed full of interesting character and expressing the terroir found there. The southern sub-region is home to an enormous variety of grapes, and produces red, white and rosé wines, and some of the world's most famous and adored blended wines. The continental climate of the region is ideal for growing grapes, and the winds which blow from the Central Massif help temper the heat in the vineyards, leading to very ripe fruits holding plenty of flavor.
One of France's most exciting red wine appellations, lies in the far north of the northern Rhone, well beyond the town of Tain where the major negociants and Hermitage is located. Some believe it is the site of the first vineyard cultivation in ancient Gaul. Vineyards have been carved into the steep hillsides here since the time the Romans settled the nearby town of Vienne. Viticulture is difficult here, with vines planted in schist banked high above the Rhone River to maximize sun exposure.