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750ml
Bottle:
$53.95
The bold aroma suggests sarsaparilla and allspice underlined by maple sugar. The sweet-spiced palate resounds with...
750ml
Bottle:
$16.00
12 bottles:
$15.68
Luc and Jerome Choblet are the third generation to make wine at their family estate, in the Côtes de Grandlieu...
750ml
Bottle:
$20.52
$21.60
This remarkable Vin de France (thus without vintage on the label) has not only the color of a honeydew melon, it also...
1.5Ltr
Bottle:
$54.93
6 bottles:
$53.83
750ml
Bottle:
$21.94
12 bottles:
$21.50
750ml
Bottle:
$28.94
12 bottles:
$28.36
From a high desert site in the Gabilan Mountains, neighboring Pinnacles State Park. Harvested from a south facing...
750ml
Bottle:
$102.22
$107.60
A rich and concentrated nose is full of baking spices, baked fruit and soft vanilla cookies. The elegant flavors...
750ml
Bottle:
$33.63
$35.40
6 bottles:
$27.60
A blend of young Calvados, distilled with extreme care in a copper column still. Aged more than 2 years in oak casks....
750ml
Bottle:
$44.95
$48.00
6 bottles:
$44.05
A blend of young Calvados, distilled with extreme care in a copper column still. Aged more than 3 years in oak casks....
750ml
Bottle:
$49.89
$52.80
12 bottles:
$48.89
Calvados made from a majority of pears can have a wild, volatile edge, that I find here in this six-year-old bottling...
750ml
Bottle:
$40.94
$43.20
12 bottles:
$40.12
This three-year-old bottling from AOC Domfrontais is made from 70% pears and hearkens back to old-school Calvados in...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$14.25
Attractive pale-yellow hue with green tints, a sign of the wine’s youth. The seductively fresh and fruity nose...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$14.25
Attractive pale-yellow hue with green tints, a sign of the wine’s youth. The seductively fresh and fruity nose...
750ml
Bottle:
$20.94
12 bottles:
$20.52
From Bien Nacido in Santa Maria, this is a crisp, mineral driven wine with captivating brininess. Made for shucking...
Armagnac Calvados Ice Wine Melon de Bourgogne
Armagnac is a beloved grape brandy, hailing from the beautiful French region of Gascony, in the south-west of the country. It has been in constant production since sometime just before the fifteenth century, and over the decades has been the toast of royal households across Europe. Today, it is still enjoyed for its unique flavor profile and characteristics, and although it is understandably compared with Cognac, its more famous cousin, lovers of Armagnac claim that its distinctive rusticity and full body make it a superior brandy, perfect as a digestif or as an evening treat.
Armagnac is made from more than one grape varietal, but the major player in this drink is the fine Ugni Blanc grape, more commonly known by its Italian name, Trebbiano. This is one of the most widely planted grape varietals in the world, and grows beautifully in Gascony, which has a similar microclimate as its neighbouring wine region, Bordeaux. Armagnac grapes reveal fascinating and complex flavors after distillation, which commonly include christmas cake, earthy, oaky notes and praline.
Armagnac is sold under two categories - vintage, and non-vintage. A vintage Armagnac is made from a blend of grapes which have been grown in a single year, and will have the date printed on the label. Non-vintage Armagnacs, on the other hand, are labelled according to their age. V.S indicates that the brandy has been aged for a minimum of two years, VSOP for four years, XO six years, and Hors d’Age is a premium Armagnac which has been aged for at least ten years.
One of the more unusual French grape varietals, Melon de Bourgogne has been grown in and around the Loire Valley for several hundred years. In fact, this grape was first planted in the Loire region of Pays Nantais back in the mid 17th century, after a devastating frost decimated most of the red grapes which were typical in the area. The winemakers of Pays Nantais were keen to cultivate vines which were hardy, high yielding, and capable of surviving another such frost, and so turned their attention to Melon de Bourgogne for this very reason. The native home of the varietal is actually in Burgundy, where it is still grown to a lesser extent.
Because Melon de Bourgogne produces naturally heavy yields, the vintners of Pays Nantais go to great lengths to reduce the amount of fruit the vines bear. This allows the finest characteristics of the grape to come forward, and also opens up the opportunity for it to express the wonderful granite and schist soils in which the vines are grown. Melon de Bourgogne is a minerally white wine grape varietal, with a very subtle set of fruit flavors. It is prized for its freshness and brightness, and is seeing a revival in the twenty first century as an excellent wine for pairing with a wide range of foods.