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750ml
Bottle:
$35.89
They now own 100% of the grapes used for the El Rapolao and the 2021 La Vizcaína El Rapolao, from the youngest vines...
750ml
Bottle:
$43.94
The grapes from the 2021 La Vizcaína La Poulosa were the first to be picked, and they lowered the alcohol and...
750ml
Bottle:
$35.89
Sleek and silky, with a dark mix of black currant, blackberry paste and damson plum fruit wrapping around dense,...
750ml
Bottle:
$18.32
$19.28
12 bottles:
$14.00
Big, inky-black fruit, spice and white pepper; layered and rich in the mouth with jammy black cherries, truffles,...
750ml
Bottle:
$16.24
12 bottles:
$15.92
Deep ruby red with violet reflections. Intense fruity bouquet with notes of plum and cherry, hints of Mediterranean...
750ml
Bottle:
$33.94
12 bottles:
$33.26
Aroma : Black cherry, sarsaparilla, cacao.
Flavor : Salted plum, black raspberry, cola.
750ml
Bottle:
$12.94
12 bottles:
$12.68
A fruity nose of cherries, blackberries, violets, orange zest, spices and dried herbs. Medium-bodied with firm, round...
750ml
Bottle:
$33.94
12 bottles:
$33.26
Soft tannin and stimulating acidity rise to meet this deeply fruited, social wine. Carignan from this beloved site...
750ml
Bottle:
$13.43
12 bottles:
$11.52
Our Cabrerisse comes from 40-60 year-old Carignan vines, dry-famed in the stony landscape of this small Languedoc...
750ml
Bottle:
$16.94
6 bottles:
$16.60
A balanced, medium-bodied red, with light tannins and a subtle underpinning of fresh, loamy earth layered with...
750ml
Bottle:
$14.34
$15.59
12 bottles:
$14.05
Dense ruby red with a purplish rim, it is immediately intense on the nose with marked aromas of ripe and fleshy red...
750ml
Bottle:
$14.73
12 bottles:
$13.99
Dark, brooding and spicy, the 2019 Primitivo di Manduria lifts up with notes of crushed rocks, cardamom and black...
750ml
Bottle:
$16.90
$18.00
Raspberry coulis and fresh soil with grass popping through on the nose turns to an almost cake-like raspberry and...
750ml
Bottle:
$12.99
Anyone who has ever seen photographs of the steep slopes of Ribeira Sacra will wonder how it is possible to produce a...
750ml
Bottle:
$11.25
$12.50
12 bottles:
$10.45
Macerated and fermented for 10 days in stainless steel tanks at controlled temperatures; aged sur lie for 6 months...
750ml
Bottle:
$20.95
The 2020 A Merced was produced with grapes from north-facing vineyards in Ponferrada on slate and quartz soils. It...
750ml
Bottle:
$31.95
12 bottles:
$31.31
The 2021 A Merced is surprisingly a little higher in alcohol than the 2020 I tasted next to it, despite the much...
750ml
Bottle:
$21.94
12 bottles:
$21.50
Sourced from several parcels wityh vines that are at least 50 years old, the blend is 90% Mencia and 10% “other”...
750ml
Bottle:
$24.94
12 bottles:
$24.44
The 2021 Carignane from Jessie's Grove is fabulous. Rich, deep, and dynamic, the 2021 is done in a style that shows...
Carignan Ice Wine Mencia Primitivo
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.
As with many European grape varietals, there is some debate regarding the precise origins of the Primitivo grape. Most people now agree that it probably came from Croatia, where it is still used widely in the production of red wine, and it known as Tribidrag. However, today it is a grape most commonly associated with the powerful red wines of Puglia, the heel of Italy’s boot, where the intense sunshine and brisk Mediterranean breezes produce grapes of remarkable character and balance. Primitivo is a dark grape, known for producing intense, inky, highly tannic wines, most notably the naturally sweet Dolce Naturale and the heavy and complex Primitivo di Manduria wines. Primitivo tends to be naturally very high in both tannin and alcohol, making it ideal for both barrel and cellar ageing, which brings out its more rounded and interesting features.
Primitivo is not the easiest grape to grow or manage, and it has had something of a difficult century. Indeed, by the 1990s, there was little interest in Puglian wines in general, and winemakers were neglecting their Primitivo vineyards and looking to other, more commercially viable varietals. However, the last decade has seen this grape come well and truly back into fashion, with new techniques and a heightened interest in native Italian grape varietals bringing Primitivo back into the spotlight. It is now widely loved for its intensity and ability to be paired with strongly flavored foods.