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375ml
Bottle:
$11.64
$13.00
The custodian of the oldest vines in Soave, a great many pre-phylloxera centurions, while the majority are circa...
750ml
Bottle:
$16.89
$18.00
The custodian of the oldest vines in Soave, a great many pre-phylloxera centurions, while the majority are circa...
750ml
Bottle:
$27.94
12 bottles:
$26.60
Exceptional Soave from a producer firmly entrenched in the regional firmament. Perhaps this doesn’t quite equal the...
750ml
Bottle:
$35.90
12 bottles:
$35.18
The oldest vines in all of Soave: pre-phylloxera centurions, many nearly 140-years-old. The vinosity, sap, mineral...
750ml
Bottle:
$36.00
12 bottles:
$35.28
The 2020 may have been considerably more concentrated than this vintage, and yet there is something more mellifluous,...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$23.42
A full bodied, round wine that leads with aromas of ripe yellow fruits and lemon curd with notes of pleasantly bitter...
750ml
Bottle:
$34.95
$37.80
100% Arneis from the Roero, grown in marl and sandstone soils from the Pliocene era. This is a young, fresh version...
750ml
Bottle:
$39.00
100% Nebbiolo; this pomace is from grapes that were pressed for Barolo, from Barolo and Monforte d’Alba. Aged for 6...
750ml
Bottle:
$39.00
6 bottles:
$30.60
100% Nebbiolo from the Roero and Langhe. Flavored with an infusion of apricot wood for 2-3 months, then aged for 4-5...
750ml
Bottle:
$24.90
All tank fermented. A straight-shooting, mid-weighted force of mineral, quince paste, almond husk and Meyer lemon....
750ml
Bottle:
$21.90
Stony, flinty, smoky aromas, with sparks of gunflint and green apple. There are some stone fruit characters too,...
700ml
Bottle:
$57.59
6 bottles:
$56.80
This bright gold color grappa exudes delicious ripe pear, peach and honey aromas. On the palate it is mouth coating...
700ml
Bottle:
$44.80
6 bottles:
$44.00
Like a rain refreshing the pine forest in summer. Aromatic Grappa, traditional bain-marie distilled. Its aroma...
750ml
Bottle:
$42.70
The intriguing bouquet offers aromas that include leather, candle wax, flax and earthy scents of moss, grass, stone...
750ml
Bottle:
$45.40
6 bottles:
$44.60
Made from a Moscato base, the nose mixes a distinctly fruity aroma that suggests fresh strawberries with a grassy...
375ml
Bottle:
$54.53
$57.40
Graceful and light as “The Three Graces” sculpted by Antonio Canova. Young Grappa, flowing-steam distilled. Its...
700ml
Bottle:
$34.40
Smells of ripe grapes, grape must and lead pencil in the initial whiffs; air contact stimulates baking spices, black...
Garganega Grappa Rolle Savatiano
Italy is a fine country for white grape varietals, and white wines have been produced in this ancient country for thousands of years. One of the more popular varietals in the modern age is Garganega, which is currently the 5th most planted white grape across Italy. This grape is most closely associated with the Veneto region of Italy, although it is also grown in Sicily, where it is known as Grecanico Dorato. Garganega is a rigorous, hardy grape, which can grow in huge yields - explaining its popularity in the past. Today, winemakers must be careful to keep yields as low as possible, as this a varietal which can easily lose its distinctive characteristics and fine qualities when grown in bulk.
We know Garganega most commonly from the Soave wines which have been consistently popular over the past few decades. Indeed, the Soave Classico wines which still sell in large quantities across the globe are made from 70%-100% Garganega varietal grapes, and these wines showcase the varietal’s fresh and delicate qualities. The most common flavors present in Garganega wines are delicate, citrus notes, balanced by a hint of almond, and the best examples have remarkable balance and length, with wonderful aromatic notes.
Like so many of the great spirits of Europe, Grappa was born from a need to make resources go that little bit further, to eke out the last drop of flavor and potential from the crops of winemakers. Indeed, Italian vintners invented Grappa as a way to make use of the pomace - leftover grape skins, stems, pulp and seeds - which remained after the juice was extracted from the fruit needed to make wine. Over the centuries, the process was refined, and the distillation of Grappa became an art in itself. Today, top Grappa producers use a range of state of the art equipment, from continuous stills to pot stills, to manufacture a wide variety of Grappas, each with their own distinct characteristics.
Most of us know Grappa from our local Italian restaurants, where it is commonly served as a digestif. However, in the twenty first century, there is a high interest in unique, boutique Grappas, which showcase the talent of the distillers through a range of interesting qualities. Grappa can be aged in oak, in which case it takes on a beautiful golden color, quite different from the clear Grappas we are most familiar with. The high end Grappas are a world away from the harsh spirit many of us have encountered, and have a smooth, gentle quality which can be nothing short of a revelation.
Savatiano is probably Greece's most well known and most widely grown grape varietal, as it is the primary grape used in the production of Retsina, where the fermenting juices of the Savatiano varietal are flavored with pine resin in order to make this distinctive and famous wine. One of the reasons for the wide cultivation of this grape is due to its hardiness, and resistance to drought conditions. In the sun-drenched and dry, rocky Greek landscapes, this makes it an ideal vine to grow for wine-makers who require a strong and bounteous yield each year.
However, there are plenty of examples of Greek white wines which use the Savatiano grape but withhold from the addition the pine resin flavoring, allowing the true characteristics of this varietal to shine through. The result is often very pleasing indeed, with Savatiano grapes generally producing extremely well balanced and rounded white wines, with a juicily fruity flavor. Their aromas can vary quite a lot, with many Savatiano wines bearing the fragrance of citrus fruits, and also occasionally having a strong floral aroma reminiscent of elder and rose. Due to the relatively low acidity of Savatiano grapes, the wines which use them (including Retsina) generally bolster themselves with the addition of smaller quantities of more acidic varieties, such as Assyrtiko or Rhoditis, in order to improve their sometimes weak structure.
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?